Oliver Cipollini for Governor's Council ~ District 1

SouthCoast Today

Governor's Council incumbent has no primary opponent, but making waves anyway

By Curt Brown

cbrown@s-t.com

August 20, 2012 12:00 AM

Charles O. Cipollini, the outspoken Republican incumbent representing District 1 on the Governor's Council, is causing a stir in the upcoming primary even though he has no opponent.

Two of the three Democrats seeking the nomination in the Sept. 6 primary don't like his politics, but the third, who happens to be his brother, loves him and his politics.

Nicholas D. Bernier, 27, of Swansea, and Walter D. Moniz, 38, of New Bedford, said they don't like the way Charles Cipollini made sexual orientation an issue in his questioning of Barbara A. Lenk during her confirmation hearing for the state Supreme Judicial Court.

Bernier calls the incumbent "intolerant" and Moniz said his attitude "is discouraging good candidates" from applying for judgeships.

But Oliver P. Cipollini Jr., 59, of Barnstable sees it much differently and went as far as to say he will support his brother in the general election if he himself doesn't win the Democratic nomination.

"I have to support my brother. He's doing a great job," he said.

Oliver Cipollini said there are differences between him and his brother, even though the reason he said he is running is to provide "insurance that one of us with the same mindset will get in."

He said there will be "some surprises," if he becomes the nominee, but would not elaborate. "If I get the nomination, I'll be the next Governor Councilor," he said.

Oliver Cipollini also said he wants "tough, conservative judges" who will enforce the law. "I feel there's a need for appropriate judicial nominees to help us in the courts."

Bernier said he will focus on judicial temperament and past conduct when examining nominees and also review their political contributions.

The incumbent, on the other hand, is "focusing on partisan politics — race and sexual orientation" when considering a nominee's ability to serve on the bench, Bernier said. "Neither one should have anything to do with their qualifications."

He said he would encourage more people to apply for judgeships and clerk magistrate positions, adding that it is not mandatory that a clerk magistrate be a lawyer.

Bernier said he won't support the party's nominee in the general election if it is Oliver Cipollini. "How can I support someone who supports his brother?"

Moniz also took shots at both Cipollinis, saying they have identical views on the role of a Governor's Councilor.

"I'm concerned about the representation of the incumbent. I'm concerned about his brother having the same values," he said.

"Community values don't matter to them. They're bringing their own personal values to the council without consulting with the community," Moniz said.

He said he wants to appoint judges who will enforce the state's gun laws, but also be able to refer a person to Drug Court when the underlying problem is drugs.

Moniz, who was criticized about his own qualifications two years ago when he ran for the Governor's Council, said he obtained his GED four months ago from Bristol Community College; he said he dropped out of high school because of a financial hardship.

"We just got too busy with life," he said. "I'm glad I took care of it. Do I feel differently? No."

Meanwhile, Charles Cipollini, 70, defended himself against the political criticism and said he's proud of his social conservatism.

"Judges aren't supposed to make laws. They're supposed to interpret the laws. The Legislature makes the laws," he said.

"I scrutinize all the candidates' record, especially their (political) contributions," he said. "The current council is a bunch of rubber stampers."

Oliver Cipollini also took exception to Moniz's comment about community values. "Things like that don't make any sense," he said.

The Governor's Council position pays $26,025 annually and usually meets on Wednesdays, according to George Cronin, administrative secretary to the board. According to mass.gov, the council meets weekly.

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Candidate skips debate, complains about media coverage

By Curt Browncbrown@s-t.com

August 16, 2012 12:00 AM

FALL RIVER — Nicholas D. Bernier stressed his legal experience and Walter D. Moniz emphasized his community involvement Wednesday night as the Democratic candidates for Governor's Council squared off in a debate.The third Democrat in the race, Oliver P. Cipollini Jr. of Barnstable, the brother of the incumbent, Republican Charles Cipollini of Fall River, did not attend the debate, saying he didn't think he would receive a fair shake from the Fall River Herald News.The winner of the Democratic primary on Sept. 6 will face Charles Cipollini, who is running unopposed in the GOP primary, in the general election Nov. 6.The debate, held at Bristol Community College, was sponsored by the Fall River Democratic City Committee and attended by about 75 people.Bernier, a 27-year-old lawyer from Swansea, said if elected he would thoroughly scrutinize the governor's appointees to the state bench and to clerk magistrate positions in the courts.He said the Governor's Council must be "careful" in its appointments since judges can serve until age 70.However, he said he would not make inquiries about race or sexual orientation of judicial nominees. "Appointments should be about the qualifications and their ability to serve us," he said.He said his top priority would be "temperament and past conduct" and he would contact their former litigants when considering appointments to the bench.Bernier said he also wants to look at political contributions. "We have to make sure these positions aren't being bought," he said.Moniz, an aide to former New Bedford mayor Frederick M. Kalisz Jr., said he wants judges who will be tough on criminals who commit gun and drug offenses and crimes against the elderly.He said confirming "the right judges helps community development and economic development" and leads to developers bringing jobs to a community.He vowed not to represent "the status quo" and said he would encourage more women and minorities to apply for judgeships and clerk magistrate positions.He said he also wants a process where a judge's performance will be reviewed every five years.Bernier said he's the only lawyer in the race and believes his background will enhance his abilities on the Governor's Council.He said he will read a judge's legal opinion when considering appointments to higher courts. "I believe I can make a difference from day one," he said.Moniz said he has never worked in the court like Bernier or Oliver Cipollini, a former juvenile clerk magistrate. He said his lack of experience will bring a fresh perspective to the position.Oliver Cipollini, reached for comment Wednesday night, criticized the editorial department at the Fall River Herald News for its coverage of him and his brother."The Herald News has demolished the Cipollini brothers. No matter what I say, I'm going to lose," he said, explaining his absence. "The Fall River Herald News has not been good to the Cipollini brothers."Lisa Strattan, editor of the newspaper, made a brief statement Wednesday night in response to the criticism."We have long established strict policies that guide our political coverage and we adhere to those for all candidates, including the Cipollinis," she said.

SouthCoast Today

Governor’s Councilor Charles Cipollini could face his brother in a rematch

By Brian Boyd

bboyd@s-t.com

April 04, 2012 12:00 AM

Charles and Oliver Cipollini are again running for the same seat on the Governor's Council, offering what Charles described as "insurance" that one of the brothers will get to champion socially conservative views on the board.

Two years ago, Republican Charles Cipollini of Fall River beat his younger brother, Oliver, of Barnstable, who was the Democratic nominee, in the race for the council's District 1 seat. The incumbent Cipollini said he is running for re-election, while his brother is again seeking the Democratic nomination.

In case his brother doesn't win the Democratic primary, Charles Cipollini said he himself could still win the final election and represent "the conservative view" on the council, as he has done the last two years. "We have two Cipollinis that represent traditional family values and one of them is going to win," he said.

The two run in tandem "as insurance in case one didn't get elected," he said.

Oliver Cipollini said he believes his brother is doing a good job on the council but insists he is running to win his brother's seat. He said he had sought the office before his brother Charles did, in an unsuccessful bid in 2008. "I'm the first one to run," Oliver said. "He jumped into the race the last time to make sure there was going to be a conservative candidate."

The council approves the governor's nominations for judge, notaries and justices of the peace, as well as commutations, pardons and payments from the state treasury. District 1 covers all of Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket counties along with parts of Bristol and Plymouth counties.

Two other Democrats have already announced they will seek the nomination — Walter Moniz of New Bedford, who lost in the primary two years ago to Oliver Cipollini, and Nicholas Bernier of Swansea.

The Democratic Cipollini, who touts his experience as a retired clerk magistrate, said he attends about 40 percent of the meetings already.

He and his brother sometimes meet halfway on the way to Boston and take one car the rest of the way, using the HOV lane, Charles said.

"I'm going to be a spokesperson for the people," Oliver Cipollini said. "I want to do the wishes of my district. I want to serve them well."

His brother Charles said he has worked hard at the job and scrutinized each judicial nominee. He said he believes that marriage is between a man and a woman, and he considers himself pro-life when it comes to abortion.

"I have a good chance to win (re-election) but I wouldn't mind if my brother won," he said. "He has experience in the courts and I think he will serve well."

If roles were reversed, he said he might travel to Boston as an observer just as his brother does now.

For his part, Oliver Cipollini emphasized he is looking for judges who will impose tough sentences.

"I believe that we have too much recidivism and sentencing is not appropriate to the offense," he said. "There has got to be consequence to our actions."

Fall River Herald News

Candidates tout their experience at Governor's Council forum; Cipollini absent

By Will Richmond

Herald News Staff Reporter

Posted Aug 15, 2012 @ 09:57 PM

Last update Aug 16, 2012 @ 12:28 AM

FALL RIVER — Two of the Democrats seeking to become a member of the Governor’s Council representing District 1 offered their views on what the position entails during a forum held Wednesday.Candidates Nicholas Bernier and Walter Moniz started off the night by succinctly explaining the position. When asked what they could bring to the seat, which is primarily responsible for confirming judicial nominations, the pair of contenders pointed to their own backgrounds.As an attorney, Bernier said he has experience in the judicial system, especially from his time serving as a law clerk in the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office.Through that position, Bernier noted observing a New Bedford judge who he thought knew how to properly balance being tough versus showing compassion. He said he became interested in running for the seat after watching the current council deliberate the qualifications of Supreme Judicial Court nominee Barbara Lenk and focusing too much time on her sexual orientation.“That’s not what it should be about,” Bernier said.Moniz said that, as an aide for former New Bedford Mayor Frederick Kalisz and a current small business owner, it’s important to appoint judges that will benefit communities by putting drug dealers and violent criminals behind bars.“Those are the needs of communities like Fall River and New Bedford,” Moniz said.A third Democrat, Oliver Cipollini, was not in attendance at the forum moderated by the Rev. Robert Lawrence and hosted by the Fall River Democratic City Committee at Bristol Community College.Bernier said he would speak to the attorneys who opposed nominees in court in his effort to vet candidates. He said he also wanted to review campaign contributions from nominees. The winner of the Democratic nomination will take on incumbent Republican Charles Cipollini in November.“I hope the days of buying judicial and magistrate posts is long over, but it’s something we have to remain vigilant of,” Bernier said.Email Will Richmond at wrichmond@heraldnews.com.

Oliver Cipollini will run again against his brother for Governor's Council
Read more: http://www.heraldnews.com/news/x826295505/Oliver-Cipollini-will-run-again-against-his-brother-for-Governors-Council#ixzz248TspHqA

Oliver Cipollini, left, a Democratic candidate for Governor's Council, will once again face off against his brother Charles Cipollini, right, the Republican incumbent.

By Will Richmond

Herald News Staff Reporter

Posted Apr 03, 2012 @ 10:43 AM

Last update Apr 03, 2012 @ 11:35 AM

Two years after losing to his brother, Oliver Cipollini will try again for a seat on the Governor’s Council.Cipollini, of Barnstable, announced late Monday that he is officially entering the race for the Democratic nomination. Cipollini has made numerous attempts for the District 1 position in the past and lost two years ago to his brother Charles Cipollini, a Republican.The Governor’s Council is responsible for vetting and voting on judicial nominees, the issuance of pardons and payments from the state Treasury.
“I enter this process as an advocate for the vitality of our state government’s Constitution and governing process,” Cipollini said.Cipollini is facing a potential field for the Democratic nomination that includes Walter Moniz of New Bedford and Nicholas Bernier of Swansea. Charles Cipollini, who actively campaigned for his brother in 2010, has said he is also likely to seek reelection.The District 1 seat represents communities from Swansea to the Cape and Islands, as well as sections of Plymouth County.Email Will Richmond at wrichmond@heraldnews.com.

3 Democrats to contend for Cipollini's seat on Governor's Council

By Will Richmond

Herald News Staff Reporter

Posted Mar 13, 2012 @ 11:49 PM

From left, Nicholas Bernier, Oliver Cipollini and Walter Moniz are candidates for the Governor's Council in District 1.

The field of candidates for Governor’s Council is emerging, but may not include District 1’s current representative.Current Governor’s Councilor Charles Cipollini said he has not decided on a run for a second term.“I am a probable candidate,” Cipollini, a Republican, said. He failed to elaborate on his current indecision.While Cipollini is debating his future, three Democrats have confirmed they are running for the seat, including Cipollini’s brother.Oliver Cipollini narrowly lost the race two years ago to his brother. Oliver Cipollini said Tuesday that he is running, but declined further comment.In addition to Oliver Cipollini’s candidacy on the Democratic ballot is the presence of Walter Moniz, who also ran for the position two years ago, and Nicholas Bernier, a 26-year-old Swansea resident who attempted to capture a state representative seat four years ago.Moniz is poised to kick off his campaign this evening at the Century House Restaurant in Acushnet. After running for the Democratic nomination two years ago, Moniz, a 38-year-old New Bedford businessman, said he has concerns about the way Charles Cipollini has represented the district.“I think he’s done a horrible job,” Moniz said of the incumbent. “The reason I’m running is because there is a big movement on the Cape, on the SouthCoast and in Plymouth County to oust Cipollini for voting against the governor’s nominees. I’m not going to be there to rubber-stamp nominees, but I want to apply fairness to the process.”Charles Cipollini has been criticized for voting against nominees because of factors beyond their potential effectiveness as a judge, including criticizing 2011 Supreme Judicial Court nominee Barbara Lenk, who is openly gay, by saying her presence on the bench would run counter to his traditional family values platform.Bernier is also critical of Charles Cipollini’s votes.“Instead of looking at their qualifications he is looking at things like a candidate’s sexual orientation,” Bernier said. “I want to judge them on their character and the quality of their work.”The Governor’s Council’s main responsibility is to confirm judicial nominations. The group also acts on payments from the state treasury, in addition to criminal pardons and commutations. The District 1 seat stretches from Swansea to the Cape and Islands and includes sections of Plymouth County.Both Moniz and Bernier said they also see the position as an advocacy role for the region, in part, because of the opportunity to meet with the lieutenant governor weekly.An attorney in the Providence law firm of LaPlante Sowa Goldman, Bernier, who is kicking off his campaign on March 20 at Entourage in Fall River, said he brings the background needed to properly serve in the position.Moniz said he has been working the past two years to capture the seat.
“I have worked hard for the last two years. I’m committed, this is not just a decision I made yesterday,” Moniz said.Email Will Richmond at wrichmond@heraldnews.com.

CIPOLLINI DAY AT CAMP USA

Written by Patriot Staff

Jul222011

CONTRIBUTED PHOTOCIPOLLINI DAY AT CAMP USA – The unique political story of the Cipollini brothers was told recently at Camp USA in Pocasset, itself a unique program that immerses middle school students in “the power and possibility of politics,” according to a press statement. Pictured flanking Camp USA Founder and Director Caroline Shinkle are Governor’s Council member Charles Cipollini (a Republican) and his brother, Oliver Cipollini, Jr. (a Democrat), who ran against each other for the job. The Cipollinis shared their family story with the campers.

Brother runs as election insurance.

Cipollinis campaign in both parties for Governor’s Council

Oliver Cipollini (left) and his brother Charles, both candidates for the Governor’s Council, placed a sign for Oliver outside a Plymouth house. (Aram Boghosian for The Boston Globe)

By Stephanie Ebbert

Globe Staff / September 13, 2010

The competition is so thick for the Governor’s Council in Southeastern Massachusetts that seven candidates are vying for the open seat — including two brothers with similar names.

Oliver P. Cipollini Jr., 58, faces four opponents in tomorrow’s Democratic primary.

Charles Oliver Cipollini, 68, faces one opponent in the Republican primary.

But the brothers Cipollini are not bitter sibling rivals. Instead, they are campaigning pretty much as a ticket. The like-minded brothers think they have found a way to double their odds of familial victory, by running on both ballots.

“He was my best man and he’s my best friend,’’ Oliver Cipollini said. “We’re really trying to make our community and Southeastern Massachusetts a better place. Two shots are better than one.’’

Charles Cipollini’s first-ever campaign has raised just $100 — a donation he made. He spends his time campaigning for his brother and posting campaign signs for him in their hometown of Fall River, where he still lives.

The Republican thinks of himself largely as election insurance. If his brother loses, perhaps he has a shot of putting a Cipollini on the ballot.

“I have the same views as my brother. I’m like a fallback,’’ said Charles Ci pollini.

It’s an unorthodox campaign for a low-profile position on an advisory panel that pays $26,000 a year and meets once a week, to review judicial nominations, commutations, and pardons, and state spending. But Oliver Cipollini has approached the post with determination. When he unsuccessfully challenged longtime incumbent Councilor Carole A. Fiola two years ago, he spent $59,000 of his own money. Fiola spent less than $36,000 that year.

In recent years, Oliver Cipollini, who lives in Barnstable, has run unsuccessfully for other local posts, including town council, water commissioner, and tax collector.

He is aiming for the Governor’s Council with an eye toward judicial appointments and tough sentencing. “We’re too soft on crime and society is becoming a huge victim,’’ he said.

A retired first assistant clerk-magistrate at Barnstable Juvenile Court, he previously worked as a systems network manager for the state and as a social worker and a counselor. Among his accomplishments he includes an honorable mention for a state budget-cutting suggestion he proposed under William F. Weld, former governor: limiting state employees’ Internet access, for a savings of $100 a worker.

Charles Cipollini, also retired, was a math teacher at Fairhaven High School. He served as a delegate to the 1992 Republican National Convention in Houston, where he voted for Patrick Buchanan over George H.W. Bush and booed Weld’s speech urging the party to embrace abortion rights. He opposes casinos and a liquefied natural gas facility in Fall River.

Familial cooperation is the norm for the Cipollinis, Charles said. His grandfather came from Italy and opened a chicken and turkey farm with his uncle, who lived next door, he said. Charles still lives in the house where he grew up.

Their father died before Oliver Cipollini was born. “My mother never remarried and she taught us to help each other. That’s what we’ve been doing all our lives,’’ said Charles Cipollini.

While Charles Cipollini has just one rival in the Republican primary — Joseph Ureneck, a father’s rights advocate from Dorchester — his brother faces four Democrats.

They are Jeffrey T. Gregory of Fall River; Thomas J. Hallahan of Oak Bluffs; Walter D. Moniz of Fairhaven; and Patricia L. Mosca of Bourne, who won Fiola’s endorsement.

Mosca, a retired probation officer, said she has the experience and education to know what’s important in choosing a judge, and promises she would use her time on the Governor’s Council to bring constituent concerns to the lieutenant governor.

“To me, it’s a big opportunity to meet once a week with the lieutenant governor,’’ she said. The Governor’s Council, she said, is “only eight people and the lieutenant governor, so you definitely have his ear.’’

While it’s conceivable that the brothers Cipollini could both win their primary contests — and compete, brother against brother, in the general election — nobody expects that to happen.

Asked about his chances of winning the general election, Charles Cipollini repeated incredulously, “Winning?’’

“I hope not. ’Cause that means my brother loses,’’ Charles Cipollini said. “My brother’s more qualified than I, truthfully speaking.’’

Campaigning for the little-known post in such a broad district can be hard, said Fiola, who announced in the spring that she would not run again.

“It’s difficult to get the attention that the other races get,’’ Fiola said. “The geography is so huge. Ours happens to be quite large. It’s very difficult to get that word out. However, I maintain today as I did 10 years ago that it’s an important job. It is the public’s last stop to have any say in these judicial nominations.’’

The nine-member Governor’s Councilincludes the lieutenant governor and eight councilors who are elected from districts across Massachusetts.

District 1, for which the Cipollinis are vying, covers 45 communities from Southeastern Massachusetts to the Cape and islands.

All eight district seats have contests this year, and Fiola is one of three leaving seats open. The others are District Six Councilor Michael J. Callahan and District Seven Councilor Thomas J. Foley.

In District Six, Democrats Suzanne R. English-Merullo of Winchester and Terrence W. Kennedy of Lynnfield are competing for the nomination against Republican Paul A. Caruccio of Winthrop. Democrat Francis A. Ford of Paxton and Republican Jennie L. Caissie of Oxford are running for the District Seven seat. The incumbent councilors face contests as well.

Stephanie Ebbert can be reached at ebbert@globe.com.

Bay State man beats his own brother in Governor's Council race

Posted by Martin Finucane November 3, 2010 06:17 PM

Armoghosian for The Boston Globe

Charles, left, and Oliver shared a bench in September.

By L. Finch, Globe Correspondent

Talk about your sibling rivalries. A Bay State man squeaked by his own brother in an election for an open Governor's Council seat representing Southeastern Massachusetts.

Republican Charles Oliver Cipollini, 68, beat out his younger brother, Democrat Oliver P. Cipollini Jr., 58, on Tuesday. The elder Cipollini collected 139,251 votes, pushing him ahead of his brother by a thin 1,286-vote margin.

The win, along with a victory by Jennie Caissie of Oxford over Democrat Francis Ford, marked the first time in nearly two decades that the GOP will be represented on the advisory panel. The nine-member council, which includes the lieutenant governor and eight councilors elected from districts across Massachusetts, advises the governor on judicial nominations, pardons and commutations, and state spending.The like-minded brothers were far from bitter adversaries, they said today in a telephone interview. Instead, the two, concerned about judges being too soft on crime, viewed the campaign as a kind of joint ticket, increasing the odds of a Cipollini win. “It’s still a mission accomplished for us,” said Oliver Cipollini, who called his brother late Tuesday to congratulate him. “Whether he does it or I do it, the consequences will be the same.”The brother-versus-brother scenario was unexpected, they admitted. Charles Cipollini had faced one opponent in the Republican primary, while Oliver Cipollini defeated four Democrats. They said they planned to work as a team, regardless of the election’s official outcome. “We’re going to be working together,” Charles Cipollini said. “He’s going to be up at every meeting. The state’s getting two for one.” District 1, which Charles Cipollini will represent, encompasses 45 communities across Southeastern Massachusetts and the Cape and islands. “We have the same values, and we just wanted to get the same values incorporated into picking of the judges,” Charles Cipollini said. “And that we did.”