GOVERNOR ROMNEY SEEKS FEDERAL DISASTER RELIEF FOR DANVERS

Asks for Small Business Administration loans to help victims of industrial explosion

November 27, 2006

Governor Mitt Romney today requested a Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster declaration following the Nov. 22 explosion in a Danversport neighborhood. The early morning blast at a chemical plant impacted nearly 100 homes and businesses and left almost 400 residents homeless.

“The peaceful routines of neighborhood life were shattered by this violent and so far unexplained event,” said Romney. “In seeking federal assistance, our aim is to obtain maximum financial support as soon as possible for the residents and businesses devastated by this explosion.”

To help residents and businesses rebuild, the Governor requested that the Small Business Administration (SBA) declare Essex County a disaster area for Physical and Economic Injury. SBA loans would provide an important source of financing for uninsured or under-insured commercial and residential members of the community.

A survey of 153 families and businesses, conducted by the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) over the Thanksgiving weekend, estimated that the damage exceeds the SBA’s criteria of at least 25 primary residences and/or businesses with uninsured losses of 40 percent or more of their estimated replacement value.

“MEMA will continue to work with the Town of Danvers and private business partners to provide important support services and assistance to all impacted homeowners owners, tenants and businesses throughout and beyond the loan application process,” said MEMA Director Cristine McCombs.

If approved by the SBA, low interest infrastructure loans of up to $200,000 could be granted to credit-worthy business or homeowners, helping them to bridge gaps that may exist in their insurance coverage. Similar loans for personal property are capped at $40,000.

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is the state agency responsible for coordinating federal, state, local, voluntary and private resources during emergencies and disasters in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The agency provides leadership in developing plans to respond to hazards, disasters or threats, trains emergency personnel to protect the public and provides information to the citizenry. Additionally, MEMA helps individuals, families, businesses and communities prepare for and recover from natural or man-made disasters. For additional information, visit the MEMA website at www.mass.gov/mema.

COMMONWEALTH PAC ANNOUNCES SOUTHEASTERN SENIOR ADVISOR

November 27, 2006 - Governor Mitt Romney’s Commonwealth PAC today announced that long-time South Carolina political strategist J. Warren Tompkins, III has joined the PAC in a Senior Advisor for the Southeast region.

“Few people know the Southeastern political landscape better than Warren Tompkins,” Romney said. “I am pleased that he has joined our team. For nearly 20 years he has been an influence in South Carolina and the region.”

J. Warren Tompkins, III is a long time political strategist who has helped with many local, state and national races. Tompkins burst onto the political scene in 1978 by helping re-elect South Carolina’s Senior Senator, Strom Thurmond. In 1980, the Reagan-Bush campaign sought Tompkins’ advice and made him the campaign’s Executive Director for South Carolina – a role he would repeat in 1984.

Following his work for Reagan’s campaign in 1980, Tompkins was appointed Executive Director of the South Carolina Republican Party in 1981. Under his leadership voter registration exploded and the number of Republican Legislators in the South Carolina Statehouse doubled. In 1986, then Congressman Carroll Campbell tapped Tompkins to help him become only the state’s second Republican governor.

In 1988, Tompkins was a strategist for George H.W. Bush’s presidential campaign.

More recently, Tompkins helped Lindsey Graham win the U.S. Senate seat once held by Strom Thurmond. He also advised Senator Jim DeMint’s successful campaign for the Senate. In 2004, Tompkins was the Atlantic Region Chair for the Bush-Cheney ’04 campaign.

For the Commonwealth PAC, Tompkins will serve as a Senior Advisor for the Southeastern Region as the PAC shifts its focus to help state and local Republican organizations following the mid-term elections.

Copied from Mitt Romney's Commonwealth PAC.