Posted 10/27/08 By Salvatore M. Giorlandino
Member & Vice-Chairman, Southborough Board of Selectmen

Election Day is approaching on November 4th, and a number of Southborough residents have asked me who I support for President and in local legislative races. On Election Day, I will vote for Barack Obama for President; John Kerry for U.S. Senator; Jim McGovern for U.S. Representative; Jamie Eldridge for State Senator; and Carolyn Dykema for State Representative. I urge Southborough voters to do the same, and for those who live in former State Representative Steve LeDuc's district, I urge them to vote for Danielle Gregoire as his successor. 

I support Senator Obama, Senator Kerry, Congressman McGovern, Representative Eldridge, Ms. Dykema, and Ms. Gregoire because they genuinely care about people like my "Zia" Carmela, my "Zio" Nino, and my late parents. 

"Zia" and "Zio" mean "aunt" and "uncle," respectively in the Italian. Zia Carmela is my late mother's older sister and Zio Nino is their younger brother. Zia Carmela and Zio Nino have been a major part of my life and I am greatly indebted to them for what they done for me, wife, and daughters. 

Forty-eight years ago, Zia Carmela, my mother, and Zio Nino left Italy for the United States in search of better economic opportunities. At the time, Zia Carmela was 28, my mother was 26, and Zio Nino was 23. My mother was also pregnant with her first child. Her first child was born in New York City one month after John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960. Her first child was me. 

My father joined us one year later, as did Zia Carmela's husband and her seven year old son, Tony. Zio Nino remained single until the late 1960's when he married and then had three children. 

In the United States, Zia Carmela and Zio Nino settled in the Washington, D.C./Maryland area, where they still live. Zio Nino worked for many years in the construction trades and had a second job as a barber.

Zia Carmela and my mother worked for many years as seamstresses for men's clothing manufacturers, and each raised two children. In 1977, my mother became a single working parent when my father died of cancer.

During their careers as seamstresses, Zia Carmela and my mother stitched up

thousands of fancy men's suits for low wages. They also worked long hours while raising their families. Suffice to say, there was no such thing as a family vacation when my cousins and I were growing up, and going to the movies and eating out were considered extravagances. 

My mother worked until she retired at age 65 in 1999. She did not enjoy retirement very long; just five years later, she suffered a stroke and died one month after celebrating her 70th birthday. Zia Carmela and Zio Nino took my mother's death very hard. In their words: "Life is not fair; your mother worked very hard all her life and didn't get a chance to enjoy retirement."

Zia Carmela is retired but Zio Nino is still working as a barber. Zio Nino hopes to retire in several years. Just like millions of other senior citizens, Zia Carmela and Zio Nino are worried about paying their bills. If my parents were alive, they would be doing the same.

The Republican Party purports to care about people like my Zia Carmela, Zio

Nino, and my parents but actions prove louder than words. To date, I have yet to hear how Republican Presidential candidate John McCain cares about people like Zia Carmela, Zio Nino, and my parents. All he has done is to call Senator Obama names and talk about "Joe the Plumber"— someone who makes more money than my Zia Carmela and my mother ever did as seamstresses and appears to be content with the present unfair income tax system that makes seamstresses pay a higher percentage of their income than the wealthy. This has not been lost on my Zia Carmela. 

Recently, she asked me who I was going to vote for President, and I told her that I was going to vote for Senator Obama. Zia Carmela surprised me with her response; the woman who had voted twice for Republican Ronald Reagan for President and had strongly supported Hillary Clinton during the Democratic Presidential Primaries, expressed great disdain for Senator John McCain, and his running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

Zia Carmela said that Senator McCain is a war hero but does not seem to care about the plight of people like her. She said that all Senator McCain wants to do is to cut taxes for the rich. 

As for Governor Palin, Zia Carmela was most critical. Zia Carmela said: "Who is this woman? She's no female role model. Your mother was a role model, I was a role model, your wife is a role model, and so are millions of other women who have worked and raised their families." Right on Zia Carmela. I will be thinking about you on Election Day.