Larry West Still NEEDS YOUR HELP!

First, THANK YOU!

If you added me as a friend, thank you! If you put me as one of our Top Friends, Extra Thanks! If you added one of my banners to your MySpace page awesome! If you reposted one of my bulletins, awesome! If you posted your own bulletins and blogs about me, INCREDIBLE!!!

But the support shouldn't, and can't, end there! We're getting ready to make and sell, if not just give away, t-shirts, buttons, and flyers! Right now, the estimated total to do all of this is $500; We found Punkbuttons.net who will make 500 buttons for $55, a deal so that we can give them away! We plan on silk-screening our own shirts, and the cost of that is around $200 for 100 shirts (ROUGH estimate), and we're looking at YoFlyers.com for our Flyers, and that's $170.00 for 2500 flyers, CHEAP!

We're looking at Stickerguy.com for stickers. We can get 500 stickers for $60, and that's pretty sweet! That, along with buttons, are the cheapest, and COOLEST, things to give out!

PLEASE Donate to the campaign! We REALLY need your help! Our web fees right now are $15 a month for both the web site and online store, and we need more cash to help pay for the freebies!

Please donate whatever you can to the campaign!

If you can spare $10, $5, or even $1, that would help!

Again, thanks for all of your help thus far! Keep up the great work!

NOW, if you can't afford to give, but you do live in Philadelphia, here's what you can do:

http://www.larrywestformayor.com/refuse/index.html

You can call, write, and e-mail everyone on City Council to change the law stating only 25-year-olds can run for Mayor and City Council and lower it to 21!

Want more? PRINT OUT A PETITION AND START GETTING SIGNATURES!!

We need as much help as possible with that!

So, again, thanks a million for all the help thus far!

-Larry West

I Shoveled Sidewalks for Campaign Contributions!

Someone on a message board I go to recently asked which Mayoral Candidate they should give money to. Since I tend to post on that board a lot, I thought I would chime in:

Everyone else running for office already have a million and a half contributors. Nutter is a great guy and I wish him the best! But me? I'm just a normal guy, just like everyone else, and I have no real way of getting funds for my campaign right now short of stuff like this; Being very direct and asking people for it. I've raised about $200, and $100 of that is from shoveling sidewalks this weekend! So I literally work for campaign contributions! Lol!

I'm trying to hold rallies and demonstrations and have giveaways, but I just don't have the funds for it. So if you could contribute even $10 to my campaign, I would be incredibly grateful!

Again, thanks in advance if you do, and if you don't, then I wish the person you did give money to the best of luck!

So, there you have it. I'm not asking for much, but I would love to get something! Right now, the plan is to raise $500 ina week. $100 will help pay for buttons to give away, and I'm looking into ways to get t-shirts. I know how to silk screen and a screen wouldn't cost too much, maybe $50 at the most, and another $50 for the 3 cans of ink I would need. T-shirts could be bought for about $5 a shirt, if not sheeper. They may need to be sold until we raise enough funds to allow us to do it for free. Again, thanks to everyone who has shown their support thus far! I really need it, and any possible money you can contribuite will greatly help!

http://www.larrywestformayor.com/contribuite.html

-Larry West

...And it Just Get's Stranger...

Mohawks and Megadeth

Seeing how he's too young to even get on the ballot, Larry West's chances of getting elected mayor are worse than both Queena Bass and Milton Street. Still, Philadelphia seems to love the Mt. Airy 22-year-old, who burst onto the scene at last week's Milton Man March.

Metro's Brian X. McCrone has an interview with the mohawked West today. West hopes to run as an independent in the November general election. He said he plans to lobby City Council members to start into motion a charter change to lower the age to run for mayor from 25 to 21.

While West has some serious ideas — he wants to reinstate the power to recall a mayor and provide public access TV — our favorite part of his candidacy is that it's driving traffic to the blog from a forum dedicated to Megadeth,where West posts as LuvataciousSkull.

Meanwhile, I got a message from Good Day Philadelphia this morning — they're trying to track West down. This kid's about to go big time.

UPDATE: A Philly Blog poster points to the City Charter's rules for recalling elected officials.

READ THE POST!

Mayor with a mohawk?

PHILADELPHIA - Larry West knows all about Roosevelt’s New Deal.

Larry West still needs to find a way around the Philadelphia law that requires the city’s mayor to be at least 25 years old. (Photo: Rikard Larma/Metro)

He’s versed in the “broken windows” crime-fighting tactics championed by Rudy Guiliani.

But West also knows his death metal.

Destined to be mislabeled as a political outsider because of his age — he’s 22 — and his hairdo — a thin mohawk — the well-spoken Mount Airy man who declared his intent to run for mayor last week even has to explain his cultural stylings.

Described by some as “the punk rock candidate,” the well-spoken, heavy metal fan running as an Independent has a long way to go in knocking down stereotypes.

Let’s start with the basics. How much is in the campaign coffers?

Currently about $101, about one more dollar than the Republicans. [Laughs.] Actually, I almost have about $4,000 to $5,000 to go toward the campaign.

Really. What do you do for a living?

Well, currently I manage my mom’s estate. In 2004, when I was only 19, [Judith West] suffered a brain aneurysm. In June 2005, she passed on.

What about if someone were to say you’re the punk rock candidate?

I’ve heard that quite a bit already on MySpace. I was added to someone’s friend list called Punks for Politics or something along those lines. They said, “Punk rock mayor coming through.” If it works, it works. I mean, the reality is, I’m more of a metal guy myself, but I like the mohawk.

What are the first initiatives you would take as mayor if elected?

The first thing is reinstate the right to recall the mayor. No one can do that now. The Rizzo recall incident some 30 years ago was unconstitutional. ... I want Philadelphia to have a public access channel. Channel 48 got bought out by TBN and I would like Philadelphia to own that station so people can get on the air and televise their opinions.

This is the tough one. You’re 22, right?

Yes, I am.

I have some bad news for you —

You have to be 25 to actually get on the ballot.

Right.

Yes, you have to be 25. ... I plan on doing things to challenge that. I’m going to knock on doors at City Council, see who’s there, and ask them to lower it to 21. Because honestly, the policies and politicians of the past have failed.You have people in their 30s, 40s, 50s, running for office. And most of them have lost their drive.

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READ THE FULL METRO ARTICLE HERE!

I Accept Your Challenge to a Debate!

Hello!

My name is Larry West. You may remember me from yesterday; I was the guy with the sign that said "Stop Milton Street" and the mohawk. Mr. Milton Street took me by the shoulder and asked me, "Why do you hate me?" Within that, I told him I was running for mayor as well. He then challenged me to a debate, and I am more than happy to do it! I told him "any place, any time," and I will now hold him up to it, only I have chosen the place and time!

March 10th, City Hall, Delworth Plaza at 12PM.

It's a debate and a battle of the bands! Mr. Milton Street, please come down! I will pay for the stage and permits, all $425, myself and we can get as much media out there as possible! We debate for 30 minutes to an hour, then we face in a battle of the bands! Your keyboardist and your vocal chops against me and my guitar! You can sing gospel and I'll shred away with something special on my guitar!

Again, I'LL pay for the stage so you don't have to worry about the bill. I'll organize everything myself, but I just need you to help with contacting the press to show up. I just need you to show up.

So, I look forward to this debate! I really do! REALLY! I need to know by Saturday, though, so I can start making and posting flyer's, as well as file for the permit first-thing Monday!





-Larry West
http://www.larrywestformayor.com

Well, a funny thing happened on the way to a protest...

Milton Street was suppose to have this huge rally today, stating that if 5000 didn't show up, he would not run for office. Since I believe that we as citizens have the right to protest and peacefully assemble, I took my right to go out there and protest. I had a sign, still wet after an hour, stating "No Criminals in City Hall! / Stop Milton Street!" Since he currently is under indictment for $2 million and was arrested 2 weeks ago for unpaid parking tickets, I think my sign was more than appropriate.

After getting to the rally, I held my sign high and proud and reporters and camera people began to come over to take photos. I was, as it seemed, the only person protesting. There were only 100 people there, and only 10 of them were there to support Milton; the others were reporters, people interested in his policies, and people making fun of him. From what I could tell, the later of which was the majority.

Then, Milton Street himself took me by the shoulder and asked me, "Why do you hate me?" I had a massive smile on my face and felt a little humbled; it takes courage to ask someone that type of question, and I was more than happy to tell him why. "No offense, Mr. Street, but your currently under indictment for $2 million, and if we're trying to end corruption, I just don't think you should run." He then asked me about my idea for stopping crime, and went straight to point #1 on my Anti-Crime policy: Putting into effect the same ideas of Rudy Guiliani, namely having the CompStat program put into effect."

At the same time, about anyone and everyone there from the press gathered around. I took this chance to do exactly what I wanted; "I, Larry West, am officially running for Mayor."

For the next hour, I was surrounded by reporters asking various questions, namely why I was running, why I was against Milton, what my platform was, and what motivated me to run. Someone even asked me if someone put me up to this, and I could only laugh! Interviews and video is forthcoming, as well as any and all articles.

So the race of Larry West for Mayor begins! I didn't plan this, I didn't think it would get this big, but it did. I guess all that's left is waiting to see what happens.

Philadelphia Weekly Article:
http://willdo.philadelphiaweekly.com/archives/2007/03/milton_man_marc_1.html

Philadelphia Inquirer/ Philly.com Blog:
http://blogs.phillynews.com/inquirer/live/2007/03/street_rally_im_staying_in_the.html

Quickie on CBS3

Philebrity.com Does an ARTICLE!

Wherein the Philadelphia Mayor's race is decided with a Battle of the Bands

THE Assosiate Press Writes one line about me:
A man with a mohawk held a sign that read "Stop Milton Street."