Thanks to your support, Christy is officially on the ballot! "The people of Massachusetts have spoken, and their message is loud and clear," Christy said after turning in petitions this afternoon. Of the 26,000 signatures submitted to the Secretary of the Commonwealth this afternoon, 18,193 were certified. Christy and John only needed 10,000 certified signatures to have their names on the ballot in November.

"I'm honored to be on the ballot this November with John Sullivan, and I know the two of us can make this Commonwealth a better place for all residents," Christy said. "I'm excited at this opportunity to represent Massachusetts, and I'm looking forward to meeting more residents, visiting more towns and discussing more issues this fall."

The candidates have appeared together numerous times, including in Williamstown on Aug. 7 at a gathering of the Massachusetts Teachers Association. Their familiarity with each other and their stances was evident last night, as they addressed each other by first name and maintained an air of collegiality.

In his opening remarks, Mihos, as befits the convenience store magnate that he is, offered a sales pitch complete with advertising slogan -- "Christy: Unbossed and Unbought" -- and a brand name -- Christy's Proposition 1 -- his local aid proposal that would send more state dollars to cities and town, and would cap home assessments so people wouldn't feel as strong a pinch from regressive property taxes.

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Mihos, a former Republican and businessman who has his own chain of convenience stores, experienced corruption firsthand, he said, and if elected governor in the fall, vows to makes sweeping changes in the government.

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Christy Mihos will clear the hurdle of 10,000 signatures he needs to submit to local elections officials by tomorrow's deadline, his spokeswoman said today.

"We are confident we will be on the November ballot," Mihos' spokeswoman Nicole Nionakis told me today. The signatures must be certified and then submitted to the Secretary of State's office next month.

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The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority chairman, under fire since 12 tons of falling concrete killed a woman in a Big Dig highway tunnel, resigned Thursday after weeks of pressure from the governor.

In an agreement with the state, Matthew Amorello has until Aug. 15 to clean out his office, but he will continue to be paid his $223,000 annual salary through February.

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Play the sound files below to hear Christy comment's on the Big Dig leadership crisis with WRKO's Howie Carr, July 26th, 2006.

Part One:
Part Two:

This past weekend, Christy appeared with CBS4 Boston's Jon Keller. Christy spoke with Jon about his campaign, accountability on the Big Dig, and his plans for the Turnpike Authority and the Commonwealth to move forward in the wake of the tunnel collapse tragedy.

Click here to watch Christy on Keller @ Large!