VIDEOS: Salem Rep Candidates Address GOP

There were eight guest speakers at the July meeting of the Salem Town Republican Committee Thursday night, with all seeking elected office in Concord this fall.

Those eight are . They each spoke for about three minutes during a forum at the Kelley Library.

Gary Azarian, Ron Belanger, Patrick Bick, Bianca Garcia, Marilinda Garcia, Patrick McDougall, Joe Sweeney and John Sytek were the candidates who spoke.

Robert Elliott, Michael Flathers, Anne Priestly and John Manning, Jr. were the candidates not present.

In the videos above, hear and see some of what each candidate had to say. Here are recaps of the candidate's appearances:

- Azarian, an incumbent, said he was proud of serving on the Ways & Means Committee last session and brought in "very accurate revenue estimates that were responsible in crafting a balanced budget."

Azarian mentioned his work as , the expanded gambling bill that failed to pass last session, and warned of the "massive revenue drain" the state will experience without its eventual passage.

- Belanger, also an incumbent who has served for 22 years, said he wants to "continue to work hard" for the people of Salem. 

"I am pro-business and pro-development, to try and keep the taxes down," Belanger said. 

- Bick, who ran for U.S. Congress as a write-in two years ago, is a 30-year resident of Salem. He is a U.S. Navy veteran who later spent 36 years working for the Internal Revenue Service mostly in human resources.

"(Running as a write-in) encouraged me to continue, and I just thought I would try to pick it up this year," Bick said.

- Bianca Garcia, a new candidate for the House, said she believes "conservative Republican principles matter" and mentioned numerous important and not-so-important bills she's seen come through Concord over the years.

"If you get informed and active and vote in local elections, you will make a difference," she said.

- Marilinda Garcia, an incumbent and Bianca Garcia's sister, said she has worked to correct an "$800 million budget hole" left by previous legislatures. She said this session they reduced the budget by 11 percent and improved the state's ranking as a business climate.

"I'd like to be re-elected to help continue with our 'Live Free or Die' manifesto, if you will, of our state," Garcia said.

- McDougall, a Salem Zoning Board of Adjustment and Budget Committee member , alluded to the controversy by joking that he hoped while reading his speech "no one will need 911." He later alluded to it again by saying "when this concludes, the truth will prevail."

McDougall expressed his support for expanded gambling at , reforming state employee pension funds and finding "fair and affordable" school funding, and said he "has always put the people of Salem first."

- Sweeney, a 2012 Salem High School graduate and first-time candidate, said he would be "a legislator the people can trust" and that "integrity matters above all else" when it comes to elections.

He also expressed expanded gambling support and a need to examine all levels of state government "to make certain the burdens aren't getting in the way of helping people that need our state government for support."

- Sytek, an incumbent, called himself a "traditional conservative," and called state government the soil out of which "the flowers" of business grow.

"It's not our job to find the seed or tell the farmer how to grow it, but to provide a fertile climate," Sytek said, believing government regulation needs to be reined in.

The state primary election is Sept. 11.