Letter To The Editor: Ehrlich Should Be Re-Elected

To the Editor:

As a supporter of Lori Ehrlich, It might seem strange that I encourage voters to take a look at Kate Kozitza's website.  But it is her own campaign website that most clearly reveals that her Tea Party slogans do not match up with her personal and professional backgrounds.  

On the issue of Education, Dr. Kozitza advocates for "finding alternatives" to public education.  Dr. Kozitza earned both her undergraduate and medical degrees at the University of Massachusetts, a top notch public university subsidized by taxpayer money.  She seeks to represent a district that boasts some of the best public schools in the Commonwealth.  This hypocrisy should outrage anyone who attends or sends their kids to Lynn schools, Marblehead Schools, Swampscott Schools, NSCC or Salem State.  She has failed to explain how  slashing their budgets would enable them to continue to offer high quality public education to residents of this district.   

Dr. Kotzitza told the media that she decided to run for this office when she got frustrated with the "red tape and regulations" of running a private medical practice.  But she does not offer even one specific policy suggestion that she thinks would improve the healthcare system.   And she's a doctor!  The reality is that as a "citizen legislator"  (a term she invented in an effort to avoid being called a politician) she will simply be adding a second job (and a $60k salary) to her already hectic practice.  The voters and her patients deserve a serious explanation as to how she would manage such a juggling act.

According to her online bio, before her recent move to Swampscott, Dr. Kozitza worked for North Suffolk Health Care Associates.  This is a large private healthcare practice whose multi-million dollar budget is largely funded by Federal and State agencies.  I'm in no way criticizing the kind of good work they do for the disadvantaged.  But the bottom line is that,  until recently, she earned a living from the kind of public healthcare spending that she now claims is wasteful.  

Lori Ehrlich did not enter public service on a whim or out of "frustration."  An experienced CPA, with an MPA from Harvard, her professional and educational credentials are perfect for the complex budget wrangling that is the centerpiece of  the Massachusetts legislature.  As she demonstrated during her first term, she is dedicated to serving her constituents "days, nights and weekends." She is experienced, analytical and realistic.  She absolutely deserves  to be both appreciated and enthusiastically re-elected.

Shannon Egan Casey
80 Lafayette Street
Marblehead