Patriot Ledger: Norfolk county rejects change, re-elects two commissioners

The voters of Norfolk County voted, and they have rejected change. A recap from the Patriot Ledger…
Norfolk County voters have re-elected incumbent commissioners John Gillis and Francis O’Brien, both Democrats, rejecting two challengers who depicted the county government as poorly run.
The final numbers are in via The Boston Globe.

Boston Globe: Large voter turnout unsettles small races

The Boston Globe notes that the high-interest in the Presidential race, along with several hot-button ballot questions, could have an impact on smaller races. The big turnout may ”create uncertainty in some of the races lower on the ballot, including legislative and county posts.”
Republican Thomas E. Gorman of Dedham is running for county commissioner on a platform of [...]

Gorman Plan to save Dedham $521,301 over 3 years

DEDHAM – Thomas E. Gorman says his county government reform plan will save the town of Dedham an estimated $521,301 over the next three years.
Gorman, the Republican candidate for Norfolk County Commissioner, said he will propose eliminating the county’s executive functions. Such a move would allow the town of Dedham to keep the $173,767 it [...]

Boston Globe: Candidate Poses Question on County’s Future

The Boston Globe notes candidate Gorman’s recent success in getting the required signatures for a Norfolk County ballot question.

Gorman… has posed the question so voters would decide whether to direct state Representative Paul McMurtry, a Dedham Democrat, to vote to dissolve county government and transfer its function to the state.

Daily News Transcript: County question going to local voters

The Daily News Transcript has news on Tom Gorman’s successful move to have a non-binding question placed on the November ballot.
Republican candidate Thomas Gorman’s ballot question will ask voters in the 11th Norfolk District whether their state representative, currently Paul McMurtry, D-Dedham, should vote to abolish the county government and transfer its responsibilities to the [...]

Press Release: Secretary of State Approves Ballot Question

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
DEDHAM – Thomas E. Gorman, a candidate for Norfolk County Commissioner, is pleased to announce that the Secretary of State’s office has approved his petition to place a non-binding question on the November 4, 2008, ballot asking voters in Norfolk County’s 11th District whether they would support the abolition of county government.
“I am pleased [...]

Wellesly Townsman: Commissioner Candidate Wants to Dissolve County Government

The headline says it all. Who else could they be writing about? 
The Wellesly paper checks in with a fresh story on the Norfolk County Commissioner’s race.
Here’s the keeper…
The Norfolk County government has a $34 million proposed fiscal 2009 budget, which is funded mostly by state reimbursements, a portion of the excise tax and fees on deed transactions, [...]

Boston Globe: Candidate calls to abolish county government

Tom Gorman’s plan to abolish Norfolk County government was noted in today’s Boston Globe.
Incuded in the note:
Longtime Dedham Town Meeting representative Thomas E. Gorman, a Republican who recently announced his bid for Norfolk County commissioner, says his sole purpose for running in November is to abolish Norfolk County government.

Brockton Enterprise: Get Rid of County Government

The Brockton Enterprise published a timely and succint editorial on the uselessness of ”County Government.”
The lead graph is pretty devastating to County Government proponents – which would include all current Norfolk County Commissioners and candidates, with the lone exception of Tom Gorman.
“Most of the county governments in the state voted themselves out of existence a decade ago, allowing [...]

Patriot Ledger: “If elected, he’ll get rid of his own job”

John Kelly writes a must-read about Tom Gorman’s unique candidacy in today’s Patriot Ledger.
Our favorite:
Plenty of political candidates have run on a single issue. But Thomas Gorman’s one-item platform might baffle some: If elected, Gorman vows to fire himself.
Read the entire story.