Massachusetts mayoral candidate goes viral over unfortunate name: 'I am proud of it'
Geoff Epstein, 77, is a father of two who is hoping to secure the votes of 73,000 residents in Framingham, 22 miles outside of Boston.
Despite the slight spelling variation, he is candid about his name's unfortunate similarity to the other Epstein, a disgraced financier and sex offender who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking.
But Australian-born Geoff - who was also born on September 11 - insists that he won't change his name or when he celebrates his birthday.
'No way,' he told HuffPost. 'I like my name and I am proud of my family.
'That other one is a dead American and I am a [living] Aussie.'
He insists he could not be further from his namesake and has spent his time in Framingham trying to make it a better place.
'I have lived my life trying to be straight up and improving things,' he told the outlet.
Geoff Epstein, 77, is a father of two who is hoping to become mayor of Framingham, located 22 miles outside Boston
He unfortunately shares a namesake in Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and sex offender who died in jail in 2019
And another Epstein, who is also a politician, encouraged Geoff to stay proud of roots.
NYC councilman candidate Harvey Epstein - who shares a first name with predator Harvey Weinstein - told Politico: 'My advice to Geoffrey would be to lead with your values and who you are as a candidate.
'People will support you if you do the work and follow through.'
Geoff was drawn into public service while living in Newton, Massachusetts, where his son was attending primary school and he noticed he was struggling with math.
He later ran for the school committee on a science and math platform and won.
He was a member from January 2008 to December 2013, his LinkedIn showed.
'I learned that if you go out to the community and tell them the facts and what you're about that really works,' he said in an interview posted to his YouTube.
Epstein moved to Framingham in 2014 and joined the school committee in January 2018, despite his two children being grown. He left in December of 2021.
Despite the awkward similarity, Geoff (left) - who was also born on September 11 - has no intention of changing his name or when he celebrates his birthday
The father-of-two is hoping to upset incumbent Charlie Sisitsky (pictured)
The senior then shifted his focus to the city of Framingham, which led to his campaign this year.
He is running on a platform promoting education, bettering the infrastructure, protecting the environment, and better manage the city's finances.
'Either I leave or I stay and fight and I decided I would stay and fight,' he said.
The father-of-two is hoping to upset incumbent Charlie Sisitsky.
As for whether or not his name is helping or harming his campaign, he is unsure.
'No one locally cares about that at all,' the former theoretical physics professor told Politico.
Daily Mail has reached out to Geoff for comment.
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