Beverly Special Election Candidates Share Differing Visions For State House Priorities

BEVERLY, MA — The two candidates on the ballot to represent Beverly and Wenham in the special election for state representative shared contrasting views on the role of state government when it comes to businesses, housing and services during a Greater Beverly Chamber of Commerce forum ahead of the May 13 vote.

Republican Medley Long said his priorities on Beacon Hill would include lowering the tax, utility and regulation burden on small businesses, as well as advocating for more affordable housing, while Democrat Hannah Bowen talked about the role of government in using tax revenue to provide necessary services while promoting sustainability and other initiatives that benefit the collective of residents.

"We are losing so many businesses in Massachusetts right now," said Long, a small business owner who is also the president of Beverly Homecoming and former Director of the Chamber of Commerce, "where they would rather go 20 minutes north to New Hampshire where they don't have the tax burden that small businesses are facing right now in Massachusetts.

"Beacon Hill needs to stop treating our small businesses like piggy banks and start treating them like partners so we can all continue to thrive as small businesses and continue to grow our economy."

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Bowen said her view of public-private "partnerships" is determining how to best use the taxes that individuals and businesses pay to benefit society the most.

"We are all contributing to things that we can't do on our own," the At-Large City Councilor said. "None of us can fund all the road work that we need, and the school systems that we need, and the healthcare safety net that we need, on our own. So we contribute (in taxes) and we have to use those resources responsibly.

"But it's not just a cost. It's an investment in each other. When we talk about tax rates and the tax burden, then we have to talk about the type of benefit that we get out of the investments we make."

On the MBTA Communities Act, which requires cities and towns with access to public transportation to provide more "by right" multi-family and high-density housing or lose state grant funding, Long said the law needs to be changed to promote more affordable housing and be more collaborative with communities, while Bowen said she supports policies that promote housing development.

"We have seen the value of that kind of development among other strategies for housing," she said. "Our downtown has benefited from that. Our thriving downtown is supported, in part, from the foot traffic of the people who live here. So I think the idea of making that a broader policy is smart."

"I understand why '3A' was implemented," Long said. "However, it is not about affordable housing. It's about more housing in general. Fair-market housing right now is not affordable. ... We need to reassess. That is a role that a state rep can play. We are not going to be able to change it. But we can advocate for different practices within the 3A ordinance."

On energy, Long said he will push for the "all-of-the-above" approach to energy production, while Bowen said she supports making the most efficient use of the existing energy grid through conservation efforts.

Bowen said she would break with some of the Democratic legislators who are opposing a legislative audit that citizens supported during the last statewide ballot process, while Long said he voted for the audit ability and would also push to implement it against the opposition of the majority party.

"We just need to get our priorities straight on Beacon Hill right now," Long said. "We need to focus on the people of Massachusetts who have paid the price and who have built this state. We are giving free community college right now to immigrants, yet we don't for our veterans. ...

"I am about accountability and affordability and transparency on Beacon Hill. I am hoping that we can send a message that an outsider, not from politics and not a polished politician, can go in there and do the work."

"This campaign has been great to elevate some ideas in the city and help us think about what we want to see from our state government that we control through our representatives," Bowen concluded. "I have absolutely loved being one of your At-Large City Councilors and working with you at the city level to address the daily challenges, headaches, and the opportunities that we see together.

"I am running for this office based on that track record."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)