What a total crock!

Flip talks about why he quit

By Will Collette

I should just be happy that Charlestown state Rep. Blake “Flip” Filippi is leaving and not dwell on the reasons why. However, Flip just came out with his “reasons” and once again, I can’t helped but being sucked into his craziness vortex.

Here’s the lede from Bill Seymour’s article in the current issue of the Independent:

“State Representative Blake Filippi said he will not seek his State House seat again so that he can continue leading the fight against a special committee controlling nearly $50 million for special-interest projects.”

What? So Flip, with no warning to his party, decides just a few days before the election candidate filing deadline that he’s quitting so he can carry on a lawsuit that he is bound to lose like he loses most of his lawsuits about an issue no one but him seems to care about?

Flip claimed:

“My private polling showed that I could easily win” but that “I can’t do the case and run for representative.  I can’t do both…fixing JCLS is fighting a cancer at the highest level of government.”

Further, he says:

“I am left with having to do this myself. The case is coming up and so far I’ve put over $100,000 worth of work into the case.”

He filed his lawsuit two years ago when Nick Mattiello was Speaker of the House.

Sorry, Flip, but this is bullshit. Throughout the eight years we’ve known you, you’ve picked up lawsuits and then either lost or dropped them.

You’ve taken on causes that started out being ever so important but then you got distracted by something shiny and walked away. Like the way you botched the shoreline access bill. Like the way you botched Charlestown’s requested legislation on quarries year after year for the past eight years. Like you have with just about every piece of legislation you ever sponsored.

Steadfastness to ANY cause – other than your own glorification – has never been your strong suit.

If you had said you were leaving the House to marry one of your cows, or to turn Ballard’s into a casino, or to join a militia group in Idaho or to run away with the circus, that would be more credible.

I am convinced the real reason why Blake Filippi abruptly decided to end his legislative career is something a lot more interesting than his desire to follow through on some arcane bit of litigation. Frankly, Flip’s explanation is pretty lame and obviously a distraction.

But the truth will come out.