Campaign Corner: July 19-31

It's campaign season, which means candidates send out a deluge of photos, op-eds and press releases announcing endorsements, events and candidates' stances on current issues. Each week, Melrose Patch will provide a round-up of these releases in the Campaign Corner. Everything below is taken directly from material provided by each candidates' respective campaign and edited for length.

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Estevez Blasts Board of Education Decision

State Representative candidate Eric Estevez is voicing his disapproval over the recent decision by the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to replace the Commonwealth's public school curriculum with the federal "Common Core" curriculum.

"This vote was nothing more than election year politics by the Patrick administration and Massachusetts Taxpayers should be outraged by this poor decision." stated Estevez.

The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted to abandon the system that has worked so well and made Massachusetts a leader in public education. Over the past 15 years Massachusetts has spent billions of dollars developing our own top-notch curriculum and as a result our students are ranked among the best in the nation. Now the federal government will design the curriculum to be taught here in Massachusetts, which most likely will "dumb-down" the standards that Massachusetts public school students and teachers have become accustomed.

Moreover, Estevez was critical of the decision because the federal government does not substantively fund Massachusetts K-12 public education and is placing an incredibly onerous unfunded mandate on the state that is already struggling with a faltering economy. It is also important to note that the Massachusetts teacher unions received unprecedented increases in pay and benefits due in large part as a trade-off for teaching to world class standards. Now that our world-class standards have been scraped Massachusetts teachers should be expected to forgo any raises and may even be subject to giving back a sizable amount of the billions of dollars in pay and benefits that they have received.

"As your next State Representative I will file a bill to take on the teachers unions and restore our educational standards," stated Estevez. "once again my opponents are silent on another important issue and I have taken the lead to speak out about this poor decision."

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Brodeur Calls For Progress on Stalled Legislation

Melrose Alderman and candidate for State Representative for the 32nd Middlesex District Paul Brodeur expressed disappointment today that so many important pieces of legislative have not been acted upon with only a few days left in the session.
 
"When I joined the Board of Aldermen, one of the first things the Board did was pass a series of rules reforms I proposed to ensure that no orders could be buried in committee," Brodeur noted.  "As a result of these reforms, orders automatically come before the full Board in a timely fashion, allowing members to act on these orders and for the public to speak about these orders during public participation."
 
Given the number of important bills still pending as this legislative session winds down - health care cost containment, the sales tax holiday, automotive right-to-repair, CORI reform, bulk gun purchases, closing loopholes in the sex offender registry law - it is clear that the process must be reformed," stated Brodeur.  "These other measures deal with important issues regarding jobs, economic development, and public safety and will all die without votes on July 31.  While I support casino gambling in Massachusetts, there are many other initiatives needed to create jobs and help our cities and towns.  I urge the House and Senate leadership to bring a compromise bill on gambling to the floor for an up or down vote and promptly act on the other important legislation," Brodeur added.

Brodeur concluded, "The public is best served when important legislation receives an open public hearing and deliberation rather than a series of late-night 'sprint to the finish' votes.  By opening up the process in the future like we have done on the Board of Aldermen, we can create better legislation and restore the public trust."

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Op-Ed From Mike Day for State Senate

Election year politics too often means that tough votes are dodged and that legislation is put on hold until, as one Representative recently put it, "after we find out who's still here and who's not." Election year politics also brings with it a multitude of promises from politicians who seek to curry favor, and money, from special interest groups and organizations, and a slew of photographs and press releases of politicians accepting endorsements from the very groups attempting to influence legislation in the State House.

To truly move Massachusetts forward, we must reduce the power and influence of special interest groups in our campaigns, insist on the highest standards of ethics and transparency in our Legislature and hold our elected officials accountable by giving the public access to votes and action taken on legislation.

If we are going to start bridging the growing divide between our communities and the Legislature, we must demand that our leaders campaign in a different way. As candidates for elected office, we must insure that our campaigns are about the problems and concerns of our neighbors. When the endorsement of a particular interest group or a number of groups becomes the highly of any candidate's campaign, the public interest takes a back seat. I am proud to have earned the support of firefighters, electricians and laborers, stay-at-home parents, seniors and students, and others from all walks of life during this campaign. I earned this support by pledging to listen to the concerns of the people of our communities and to propose and promote legislation that will most positively affect our neighborhoods and families.

If we are going to restore the public's trust in government, we must insist that our elected officials follow through on promises made on the campaign trail and in the press to clean up the way things are run on Beacon Hill.

In 2009, in the wake of the indictment of the third Speaker of the House in a row, and on the heels of multiple scandals in the State Senate, the Legislature passed what it labeled "sweeping ethics reform." As part of that reform package, the Legislature created a commission to study the creation of an office of public accountability. This would logically combine the oversight and enforcement of ethics and campaign finance laws under one, independent office. This was a positive, if small, first step.

But the commission, which by law must deliver its recommendations by July 31, 2010, never met until the press took notice about a year after the ethics law was passed and reported on the lack of action this past June. It does nothing to address the public's legitimate concerns that a culture exists on Beacon Hill that values "membership in the club" more than it does holding legislators accountable when they break the public trust.

And if we are to truly hold our elected officials accountable, we must shine some light on the backroom deals and votes that transform legislation overnight. The Legislature is now hammering out the details on the future of legalized gaming and casinos in a conference committee that voted unanimously to close its session to the public.  The State Senate actually shut down debate on new legislation dealing with illegal immigration after a handful of Senators made a midnight deal to put the matter to a quick vote.  Both the House and the Senate voted to keep their votes taken in committee inaccessible to the general public.

We can and must do better.

We can make government more responsive and accountable to our concerns.  We must start by making our candidates more responsive to us and hold them accountable for their promises once they take office. I look forward to listening to you on the campaign trail, and hope to earn your vote so that we can restore accountability in the State House.

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Mass. NOW Endorses Clark

The Massachusetts Chapter of the National Organization for Women Political Action Committee (Mass. NOW PAC) is pleased to announce its endorsement of Katherine Clark.  Clark, a current State Representative from Melrose and past Mass. NOW PAC endorsed candidate, is running for -election to the State Senate in the Middlesex and Essex District.    

Christina Knowles, State Director & Lobbyist for Mass. NOW, says:  "The Mass. NOW PAC is thrilled to endorse Representative Katherine Clark in her bid for State Senate.  During her time as a State Representative, Clark has been an incredible advocate for the issues Mass. NOW works on.  We look forward to electing her to the Senate and continuing our collaborative effort to advance the status of women and girls in Massachusetts."

The Mass. NOW PAC endorses candidates who are committed to NOW's mission and priority issue areas, including  reproductive freedom, racial justice, constitutional rights, economic justice, LGBT Rights, and ending violence against women.   In order to receive the support of the Mass. NOW PAC, candidates must go through a rigorous endorsement process, including a multi-issue questionnaire and an interview with PAC members.

The Mass. NOW PAC works ensure that women's rights and other social justice issues are given a voice on Beacon Hill; Representative Clark has repeatedly demonstrated her commitment to issues affecting women and girls.  During her tenure in the Legislature, Katherine has co-sponsored and actively supported several of Mass. NOW's priority bills, including legislation that would mandate 7 paid sick days for all employees in the Commonwealth, and a bill that would repeal archaic and unconstitutional statues pertaining to reproductive rights.   Clark was also a leading supporter and co-sponsor of legislation that strengthens Massachusetts anti-stalking and harassment laws.  This bill was signed into law by Governor Patrick in February 2010.

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Brodeur applauds Legislative Delegation and Governor for passage of Stone Place Legislation
 
Melrose Alderman-at-large and candidate for state representative for the 32nd Middlesex district Paul Brodeur applauded Governor Patrick and our legislative delegation for approving a tax deferral home rule petition that will allow the redevelopment of industrial property into residential housing.
 
Brodeur noted this agreement as an example of an effective public-private partnership that benefits the Melrose community in many ways.  "This project will dramatically improve the lower Washington Street corridor; will generate one time revenue as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars in new growth in property tax revenue.  In addition, the project is likely to create thousands of new jobs in construction and related services which is crucial in this economy," said Brodeur.  "This is the type of common-sense approach I have been focusing on during my tenure as an Alderman, and it is the same approach I hope to bring to Beacon Hill."
 
Brodeur also noted that this project is the epitome of smart growth development.  "For years, Melrose has been looking for ways to encourage responsible development.  I fully supported a zoning overlay in this area in 2008 in the hope of encouraging this kind of redevelopment.  As we have learned from Oak Grove Village, creating new residences close to the subway greatly reduces automobile use, helps our environment, grows our tax base, and maintains and improves the character of our community.  As state representative, I will work to encourage smart growth development policies."

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Team Goes To Bat For the Mike Day Campaign

The (6-1-1) HighLife Baseball team, of the Wakefield men's Twilight League, showed their support for the Mike Day Campaign last Wednesday at Moulton Field at the West Side Social Club. Player coaches Mark Dinocco and Ryan Doyle, as well as veterans Anthony Caracciolo and Mike "Trip" Day (who ironically has no relation to the candidate), lead the Wakefield team. Players who usually wear goldenrod yellow jerseys opted for the celtic green "Michael Day" T-shirts in support of the Democratic Candidate for State Senate.

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Healthcare Workers of 1199 SEIU Endorse Clark

1199SEIU, the largest union of healthcare workers in Massachusetts, has endorsed Katherine Clark for state senate.  Katherine Clark earned the endorsement because of her clear commitment to supporting working families and promoting access to quality healthcare and home care services for Massachusetts families.  Clark participated in a regional candidates meeting hosted by 1199SEIU members last month.  1199SEIU is the most politically active union in Massachusetts and has more than 35,000 members working in hospitals, nursing homes, and home care programs across the Bay State.  Our mission is to ensure quality, affordable healthcare for all.

"As healthcare workers, we are proud to endorse Katherine Clark. She is the best choice for helping Massachusetts build a healthy future with affordable quality healthcare and quality jobs for working families," said Veronica Turner, 1199SEIU executive vice president.

"Katherine Clark is the type of leader our community needs in these difficult times," said Denise Leschernier, an 1199SEIU member and frontline caregiver. "As healthcare workers, we believe she is the type of candidate we can trust when important votes come up that impact our patients and neighborhoods. Katherine Clark is going to do what's best for care delivery and caregivers in our community hospitals, nursing homes, and home care programs."