(Gazette Photo by Peter Shanley) U.S. Sen. Scott Brown gives Cecilia Blacker a high-five.
U.S. Sen. Scott Brown toured Roslindale Village April 27 to meet with local residents, taking photographs with many of them and signing autographs for others.
The senator made many stops along the way, including the Blue Star Restaurant, the Fornax Bread Company and Tony’s Market. Tony DeBenedictis, owner of Tony’s Market, made sure Brown knew he was a lover of opera, smiling as a score played overhead.
Brown met many residents along the tour, including West Roxbury resident Rachel Blacker. The senator stopped to give Blacker’s daughter a high-five.
“I think it is really exciting,” Blacker said of Brown’s visit. “We weren’t expecting it. We were trying to see what all the hoopla was about. It’s nice to see him reaching out to the community.”
Asked by the Gazette at the end of his tour what impression local residents had made on him, Brown replied, “They have been thankful for me coming here and bringing media attention to the rehabilitation of this part of the city.”
Brown began his tour at Sullivan’s Pharmacy, where he was questioned by reporters about his tax returns that were released that day. The senator filed joint tax returns with his wife Gail Huff, a television reporter. Returns showed that the pair earned more than $1.3 million the last two years.
“Gail and I are blessed,” said Brown.
He said they are a two-income family who has worked hard and saved. Brown added, “I want those opportunities for everyone.
The senator also said he was blessed to have his autobiography “Against All Odds” come out, which added to an increase in his income. Brown said he his a problem-solver who has helped pass recent legislation, such as the Violence Against Women Act and the insider trading bill.
“I’ve been solving problems—what [the Democrats] haven’t been doing for decades,” he said.