TURNERS FALLS — Charles Garbiel II wants to be your next governor.
Garbiel, owner of the Shady Glen Diner and a member of the Gill Selectboard, is running as an Independent candidate for the top seat in Massachusetts, and is seeking 10,000 signatures by July 28 to get his name on the ballot.
“I would love to get my 10,000-plus [signatures] just to show that I’ve got the support with people who agree with me,” said Garbiel, 49. “Or just to say, ‘You know what, even if I don’t support you, because I believe in democracy, we should have more people on the ticket than just two people.'”
Garbiel first got involved in local politics as a member of the Gill Cable Advisory Committee in 2016, eventually making his way onto the Selectboard and Board of Health. He works for the town of Erving at the wastewater treatment facility, and he has a wife and daughter — all qualities he says make him part of the “common folk.”
“I work full-time. I run a small business. I’m married, I raise a daughter and we go to the local public school,” the Gill resident said. “I’m not this millionaire saying I’m going to fix everything, and I can relate to the common person.”
Garbiel said he was inspired to run for governor based on the handling of the November 2024 ballot question proposing a legislative audit that 72% of voters supported, citing his concern for transparency around government spending. He expressed concern over the House’s push to limit the scope of the audit, which a vote earlier this month approved while also creating a process to oversee public access to legislative records.
If he’s elected, Garbiel jokes that he’ll “knock the door down” to the Legislature to get the information out there.
“It’s the people’s money,” Garbiel said. “We’ve paid in, we should be allowed to see where this is going to and who’s it going to.”
Other parts of his campaign platform include a better energy policy that finds a middle ground on the push for renewable energy and fossil fuels, along with seeking a reformulation of Chapter 70 funding for public schools in the state. He’s supportive of the proposed Northern Tier Rail that would connect Greenfield to the eastern part of the state, which he thinks is an important point of access for residents.
Garbiel feels he falls between the Democratic and Republican parties, saying he agrees and disagrees with aspects of both. He said he sees the “shifting tides” of people finding themselves in this same mindset, further inspiring him to run for governor as an Independent.
Additionally, Garbiel contextualizes his stance on personal liberties, saying, “I’m totally fine with the gay married couple defending their marijuana plants with their shotguns,” adding that he respects the lifestyles and liberties of others.
“I’m not going to preach to you how you should be, and I expect the same in return,” he said.
Outside of his experience in local government, Garbiel said working with the general public and getting to know people as a restaurant owner in Turners Falls has prepared him for this campaign. He sees people from all walks of life come through the doors of his business, and the goal is always to have customers leave fed and entertained.
Now, Garbiel is on the hunt for 10,000 signatures from registered voters in Massachusetts by a July 28 deadline to certify his votes before his name can appear on the ballot.
Thus far, Garbiel’s working with fewer than 100 signatures, primarily from Montague, Gill, Erving and Greenfield. He plans to accept signatures at the Shady Glen Diner, and he said the best place for residents to see updates on his campaign will be via his campaign Facebook page at tinyurl.com/4d8n59ct.
When asked if he sees himself running the state like he does the Shady Glen Diner, Garbiel pulls from two lessons he’s learned that he said he would take with him to Beacon Hill.
“In the restaurant business, you learn A) the customer’s not always right, and B) you’ll never please everybody, so you just shoot for a high percentage number,” Garbiel said, “and that’s what I would have to do as governor.”
