Mike Costello, Ed Cameron and Tom Jones have my unwavering political support.

Why you should ask? “Five Bald Guys and a Barber,” that’s why.

“5 Bald Guys and a Barber”
For large photo please press here.
Courtesy of Susanne Cameron

Thursday, in my completely ditzy way, I forgot all about the Newburyport Bed Race (Yankee Homcoming).

After writing Mike Costello (no kidding, really) an email wailing about how the new state Health Reform Act could not possibly be working, because the new rate hike for my health insurance was a whopping 43.7%. (Now “low” double digit inflation is bad enough, but mid-range double digit inflation. Good grief. I figured maybe the health insurers were hoping for the self-employed and small business owners of a certain age, just to pass into the word-work from shock, when they found out what the plans for their new health insurance premiums were going to be.) Possibly more whining about the dubiousness of this new Health Insurance Act for all?? from moi, on the Newburyport Blog.

So here I am wandering the neighborhood, wondering where everyone is (it’s sweltering hot, I figure everyone’s getting cool in front of the AC or a fan), and low and behold, a whole lot of the neighborhood and a whole lot of people (Federal Street looked like a hopping block party, lots of fun) were watching the “Bed Race.”

And seeing Mike Costello, Ed Cameron and Tom Jones running and sweating down Federal Street as “5 Bald Guys and a Barber,” (I’m not sure what the male version of “ditzy” would be, maybe “wild and crazy guy?”) made me stop thinking about the 43.7% health insurance rate hike, and actually cheered me up and calmed me down a whole lot.

“5 Bald Guys and a Barber”
Left right—Ed Cameron, Peter Bart, Rich Herman, Mike Costello, Tom Jones, Foreground—Esther Sayer
Courtesy of Susanne Cameron

With that kind of sense of humor and, let’s face it, a certain amount of chutzpa, how could anyone not get all kinds of things done in the political arena. Right?

I even decided that I wanted Tom Jones to be the new Newburyport City Council president (I’m assuming he is going to win as one of the Newburyport City Councilors at Large) (Sorry Tom O’Brien, you didn’t run in the bed race, I don’t think), provided that he always wears a tee-shirt as Newburyport City Council president that says “5 Bald Guys and a Barber, and I’m proud.” (The design of course is up to him.)

Ed Cameron has got to beat Erford Fowler in a tight Ward 4 race and Federal Street is in the wrong ward (Ward 2). Oh well. But hey, this counts as major political points/stuff in my book. (And then he’s got to wear the same tee-shirt too.)

And Esther Sayer looked pretty cute pretending to be a bald person in the middle of the bed. I don’t know who cooked this one up, but I LOVED it.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport