Former New York Governor George Pataki was in Boston on April 18 to launch a petition that proposes to repeal the Obama administration’s healthcare overhaul.

He was leading a rally staged by Revere America, an organization working to advance public policies rooted in freedom and free markets. The petition-signing event kicked off its national campaign to gather the signatures of one million Americans who want to repeal and replace “ObamaCare.”

The event coincided with the 235th anniversary of Paul Revere’s famous ride for freedom.

“Just as 235 years ago our freedoms were in danger, they are now as well,” the former governor said at the rally, quoted by NECN.com, a news website.

“We can’t wait until 2012 to take back this country. We have to do it in 2010, and every single day this year counts,” he added.

The next day, Pataki was continuing his campaign for signatures in Iowa, where he explained why he decided to return to the national stage.

“I was happy as a private citizen,” he said, quoted by Radio Iowa, “but when I see what is happening in Washington over the course of the last year and a half, like most Americans I believe we are seeing a government that is dramatically headed in the wrong direction.”

Pataki is chairman of Revere America and served as the 53rd Governor of New York from 1995 to 2006.