[Editor's note: The following is a Letter to the Editor from Stoneham Republican Town Committee chairperson Don Smith.]

To the Editor:

As chairperson of the Stoneham Republican Town Committee, I would like to inform Stoneham Republicans that the Stoneham Republican Town Committee at its most recent meeting unanimously voted to endorse Al Turco of Wakefield for re-election to a four-year term on the Massachusetts Republican State Committee. The State Committee election will be held on March 6, the same day as the Presidential Primary in Massachusetts.

Turco now serves as a Wakefield Selectman and is a long-time Republican activist. He joined the Wakefield Republican Town Committee in 2000 and chaired that committee from 2004-09. In 2004, he chaired Richard Tisei's successful State Senate re-election effort against Democratic candidate Katherine Clark.

In 2006, Turco coordinated the volunteer effort for Lt. Governor Kerry Healey's campaign for Governor in this senate district. In 2010, he worked with Essex County Sheriff Frank Cousins as regional co-chairperson of Charlie Baker's gubernatorial campaign. In all of these capacities, Turco was an unpaid volunteer.

The Republican State Committee is the institutional presence of the Massachusetts Republican Party. Its goal is to recruit and support Republican candidates for state and federal office. Its members—one man and one woman from each State Senate district in Massachusetts—are elected in Presidential Election years.

Turco stated, "Members of the State Committee should be sensible and responsible people. We passionately believe that Massachusetts would be a better place in which to live if we had a vibrant two-party system that would better address the concerns of our citizens. I want to do my part as an active volunteer to make that happen."

Turco has been endorsed for re-election to the State Committee by both Baker and Tisei. House Minority Leader Brad Jones also supports Turco's re-election effort. The Wakefield Republican Town Committee, the Reading Republican Town Committee and the Republican City Committees in both Malden and Melrose have also endorsed him.   

Personally, I've worked on many Republican campaigns with Al Turco. I can say from experience that no one works harder than Al or is a more dedicated volunteer. We on the Stoneham Republican Town Committee want to keep Al as our representative to MA GOP.

Turco is a retired lawyer who specialized in business law. He's a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Harvard College and a Cum Laude graduate of Harvard Law School. In the past, he served on the Wakefield School Committee and as Wakefield's Town Moderator. Currently, in addition to being a Wakefield Selectmen, he is a Director of Wakefield Cooperative Bank and a Director of the Wakefield Chamber of Commerce. He and his wife Joanne live in Wakefield.

Sincerely,

Don Smith

Chairperson, Stoneham Republican Town Committee