Kaplan Hasanoglu for Hopedale Select Board

05/12/2021

I want to congratulate Glenda once again, and thank all of my supporters for voting for me yesterday. The fact that so many people in Hopedale were behind me means quite a bit to my family and I, given that we've only been in Hopedale for about a year now. Special thanks to Mike Collins, Suzanne Macneil, Heather Jacobs, Greg Rogow, and so many others for their help with my campaign, garnering support, providing advice, helping to get out the vote, and so much more.

I look forward to continuing to serve the town on the Planning Board and Master Plan Steering Committee, and will continue to do what I can to encourage more political participation through the Step up for Hopedale 2021 campaign.

As for where we go from here. In my view, it is time for us all to throw our support behind Glenda and the rest of the Select Board. That doesn't mean blindly agreeing with everything they do. As I've said many times, it is a good thing to disagree as long as we can do so constructively, since hearing another perspective can expose blind spots in our own thinking. But the all too common us and them mentality we find in political disagreements these days is self-defeating. We are all a community, and to a large extent share the same fate, whether we like it or not. Will the worst effects of tribalism hit home here? That is largely up to us. I suggest that we keep our feelings in check and do what we can to not needlessly make things worse.

I know that plenty of people reading this are interested in helping out. So, if you are someone who wants to help change things for the better in Hopedale and make a constructive contribution, however small or large it may end up being, please reach out to me or another member of Hopedale's government to figure out where you might fit in.

05/10/2021

Election Day is tomorrow! I'm asking for your vote.

Please tune in to channels 8, 11 (Comcast), 26 or 29 (Verizon) today at 6 pm,(or else watch the video linked here) for a recording of the Candidate Q and A that I did on Thursday.

I'll need all the help I can get to win this seat. Please vote tomorrow and call your friends and family in town to encourage them to make it to the polls sometime between 12 pm and 7 pm. Thanks to everyone for all of your support!

Here Kaplan states why his running, some of his relevant experience and history, and then answers a variety of questions from folks participating in the Zoom...

05/06/2021

I wanted to give everyone an update about our efforts to get people to fill needed positions in town. Even though we've all worked for only a little over a month, we now have 8 people who are willing to step up. Our main focus was on the Planning Board, which has 2 (and, if I win the Select Board seat, 3) positions that need to be filled. That has been taken care of and so we shall have a full Planning Board during a critical time. We also have 3 committed volunteers for the Open Space Committee, and (though I will wait for final confirmation here) 2 volunteers for the Economic Development Committee. Crucial positions remain (Housing Authority, Zoning Board of Appeals, Capital Planning, Personnel) and the campaign shall be ongoing. Stay tuned for updates about the next steps, but I wanted to thank everyone involved for their efforts. We are already beginning to change things for the better in Hopedale.

I had a lot of help in making this happen, but I hope this illustrates the kind of energy I would bring, if elected. Election Day is May 11th and I am asking for your vote!

http://www.facebook.com/stepupforhopedale2021

This is an exciting time for Hopedale. Things are changing rapidly and the next few years will be critical. Sitting on the sidelines is not an option for those who are able to contribute. Will you join us in our efforts? We need more people to step up!

04/11/2021

Hello everyone! I'm excited to be running for Select Board once again! Since December I've joined the Planning Board, Master Plan Steering Committee, and also spear-headed a grassroots effort called Step up for Hopedale 2021 to fill needed positions in town. I have the skills and perspective needed to unite us in a time of increasing division. Please consider me as your next Select Board member as I'm eager to serve my community in this critical time. Election Day is May 11th.

This is a 2 minute recording that aired on MyFM 101.3/WMRC Milford on Friday 12/4/2020. (Released with their permission.) The pictures are some highlights fr...

04/07/2021

New lawn signs are in! Please let me know if you want one and I will drop one by.

04/02/2021

Hope to see you all tomorrow as we begin to enact positive change in Hopedale!

03/29/2021

(WANT A LAWN SIGN? Comment here and then DM me your address and I'll drop one by outside your house, contact-free, and you can put it where you'd like after that. Thanks for the support!)

Hi everyone! I'm running for Hopedale Select Board again. The election is May 11th. In the December Special Election I pulled 20% of the vote. I aim to build off that success here and win this seat.

Since I ran I have joined the Planning Board and Master Plan Steering Committee, and have tried to be an active contributor to both.

In tandem with my campaign, I'm also trying to coordinate a grassroots effort to increase political participation in town (the latter campaign will be ongoing, past May 11th if need be). Please like the page linked here!

https://www.facebook.com/stepupforhopedale2021

This is an exciting time for Hopedale. Things are changing rapidly and the next few years will be critical. Sitting on the sidelines is not an option for those who are able to contribute. Will you join us in our efforts? We need more people to step up!

12/09/2020

Congratulations to Glenda Hazard for winning the seat! I pulled 170 votes out of 846 total. 20% of the vote isn’t bad for a 3 person race with a former Select Board member on the ticket, plus the fact that nobody in Hopedale knew who I was just 6 weeks ago. I consider this a success. And I enjoyed every second start to finish. Thanks to everybody who voted for me and to all those who supported my campaign. This is just the beginning. Stay tuned.

12/08/2020

It is Election Day! Get out and vote anytime between 12 and 7 PM today at the Draper gym. Regardless of what happens today, this was an awesome experience.

12/07/2020

Last day of canvassing!! Election Day is tomorrow. Whatever happens, happens. But I know that I put in the work. It was a beautiful evening as I walked the rest of Mellen St. After that, I ended with some houses on Plain St. near Green Mountain Chocolate Company. As usual, plenty of folks said they appreciated me making the effort to connect, and they expressed frustration about the fact that their taxes keep getting raised. The very last door I knocked on (this is well over the 300th house I’ve visited since I began campaigning in November) was an interesting encounter. I spoke with a very nice gentleman and felt like he might end up supporting me. Then, out of nowhere, he said: “I’m sorry, I’m just very depressed right now because I’m a Jets fan.” He then started to shut the door, then opened it again very quickly and awkwardly, and locked the outer glass door, then shut the door without making eye contact. I feel for you buddy, there’s always next year. @ Hopedale airport

12/06/2020

Doing phone banking for the campaign! With the help of CMYD we made close to 200 calls tonight. I’m blown away by this support from some great, committed folks. Calling people is always interesting, but it went very well! I learned from one voter that she heard my 2 minute message on MyFm 101.3 on Friday and that that was what swayed her and her husband to vote for me. Super cool! I’m honored.