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FRAMINGHAM – Mayoral candidate Rick McKenna has ended his campaign to become the next mayor of the City of Framingham. He is now endorsing former longtime Selectman and former City Councilor Charlie Sisistky.
With this announcement, that leaves just 3 candidates for Mayor of Framingham with the July 15 deadline to submit 500 signatures to the City Clerk looming.
“Framingham resident Rick McKenna announces today that he and his McKenna for Mayor team have decided to suspend campaign activities as of July 1. McKenna pulled nomination papers on June first in hopes of unseating incumbent Yvonne Spicer,” said a press release submitted to SOURCE media. “A long-time resident and community organizer, Rick was encouraged by many in the community to bring his ideas and visions for Framingham to the forefront, and take a run at the mayoral position.”
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“There were no candidates yet on the horizon, and I knew that we needed to head in a totally new direction in order to prosper economically and socially in a post-Covid Framingham”, said McKenna, in his campaign’s press release. “I am humbled by the incredible amount of support
and encouragement I’ve received from friends, and from the community at large. I told my team and close supporters that July 1st would be the determining date—as to whether or not to take the campaign to full-forward’.”
McKenna explains that this decision comes by way of two reasons, the summer-long restaurant recovery promotion, the “2021 Framingham Restaurant Rush” that he is spearheading, and the candidacy of long-time friend Sisitsky, noted the press release.
“The ‘Restaurant Rush’ project that I am working on, in conjunction with the Framingham Restaurant Council, Downtown Framingham, Inc., and the Framingham EDIC, has taken on a life of its own. Its success is paramount to the plight of our local restaurant community’s continued recovery efforts, which are still in dire need of continued support from the community and the city,” said McKenna in the press release.
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“When Charlie Sisitsky announced his intention to run, I had already formed an exploratory group and we were looking at the merits of conducting a full-on grass-roots campaign,” said McKenna. “Since then, I have had the opportunity to discuss with Charlie, our thoughts on where we believe Framingham is today, and which directions it should be heading down the road. I am pleased to report that we both are on the same page, especially concerning the need for a revitalized approach to smart economic development policies.”
“The city has gone through almost four years of mismanagement, which has set us back dearly, both from a budgeting perspective and socioeconomically. Our ‘brand’ has suffered immensely, I believe, in the eyes of MetroWest and the Commonwealth. I truly believe that Charlie Sisitsky’s years of municipal management experience will help to bring Framingham back to its potential greatness. For that reason, I am 100% supporting Charlie’s candidacy for mayor, and offer any assistance that may be of help to get him elected,” said the Nobscot resident in his press release.
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That leaves Sisitsky, current Mayor Yvonne Spicer, and Carlos Valadares as the three individuals who have pulled nomination papers to be on the November ballot for a 4-year term as mayor.
“I want to thank those volunteers who have canvassed for signatures, and especially for those businesses and individuals who have pledged financial support. I sincerely appreciate all the support from the community, and pledge to continue working to help businesses
flourish in our community,” said McKenna in the 6;30 p.m. press release today, July 2.
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Town of Ashland