Local Republicans Call for Changes

Taking money away from government and putting it into the hands of the people and local businesses was a common theme Saturday in the speeches of the three Republican candidates seeking to represent Massachusetts' 4th congressional district. The trio—Sean Bielat, Elizabeth Childs and David Steinhof—spoke at the Seekonk Republican Committee's fifth annual breakfast fundraiser, which took place at .

Bielat, who was the Republican nominee in a similar district (redistricting has created some adjustments) in 2010, said money should go back to people so they can make the decisions of what to do with it, and help turn the country around from a challenging economy and high unemployment rate.

He also said government should "set still" the regulatory environment for local businesses. He spoke about a man he met on the campaign trail who owns a painting business. Although the man has enough money to hire two employees, he won't do it because he doesn't know what regulations and costs could be coming for him.

"What we have right now is a state of uncertainty," Bielat said. "We need to let people know what's coming, make it predictable so people can plan their lives and businesses."

He also spoke about responsible reform for Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security to "ensure the livelihood of these programs." One of his ideas was increasing the retirement age to receive Social Security benefits.

Childs had a similar message.

"Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security must be reformed so we take them back to their core mission," said Childs, a Brookline psychiatrist. "Otherwise, we are bankrupting America."

The other two candidates did not talk about the campaign contest itself, but Childs addressed the subject, calling herself the only candidate who can beat likely Democratic nominee Joseph Kennedy III. Among her reasons is that she is fiscally conservative and socially moderate, which she said is in line with a majority of the people in the district.

"I have more experience in the public and private sector than any other candidate in this race," Childs said.

Steinhof, a Fall River dentist, said he was running because he wanted to fix what he called a broken Washington.

"We have some problems down in D.C.," Steinhof said. "Our congressmen, our legislators are just not picking up the message. They're not listening to us as well as they could."

He spoke in favor of the Small Business Tax Cut Act, which would allow businesses with fewer than 500 employees to pay taxes based on a 20 percent reduced income for one year.

Steinhof added, "I would like to see that loans are available to small businesses so that small businesses can start to reboot American exceptionalism, bring back some of the entrepreneurial spirit that Americans have always had."

Attendees also heard from Jeff Bailey, the senior pastor at Attleboro's  and a candidate looking to unseat Democratic state Sen. James Timilty. Bailey talked about a few life-changing events that taught him the lesson "it's not about you."

"There is something more to life than just about you," Bailey said. "It's not about you, it's about the caring and compassion of others."

He added, "There are people who are living their lives everyday. They don't care what party you're from. They want to know, "Are you going to make a difference in my life?" I believe as a party and as a candidate, we need to focus on that. Yes, we have policy issues, but are we going to make a difference? That's why I’m running. I want to make a difference."

They keynote speaker was conservative radio personality Todd Feinberg. He spoke about a wide range of topics, including what he sees as a need to improve the nation's schools and the influence of unions on Democratic politicians.

"It feels to me like it's one corrupt mess," Feinberg said. "And that's the challenge that we have to face up to."

Feinberg called Gov. Deval Patrick the best politician in the nation when it comes to speaking to the people, saying he knows how to hit on a subliminal level.

"What we have cultivated in our politics is politicians who have the ability to make us feel that we know them and that we know what they care about, but pay no attention to us anyway," Feinberg said.

A large crowd attended the event. Seekonk Republican Committee Chair Paul Buckley, who organized the event and co-hosted it with state Rep.Steve Howitt, said he was pleased with the turnout.

"The candidates spoke very well about who they are and how they plan to represent our district on Beacon Hill or in Washington D.C.," Buckley told Attleboro Seekonk Patch. "And Todd Feinberg from WRKO in Boston was a treasure to have come visit us in Seekonk. We donated some money today to the Republican candidates without a primary and will continue to donate to local and regional candidates in the months ahead."