Issue Position: Issues

Issue Position

Massachusetts and the First Essex District face some difficult economic challenges in the years ahead. As your Senator jobs will be priority one. As Mayor I worked with Congresswoman Tsongas and our state legislative delegation and we developed Suntron, General Foods, FW Webb, Bank of New England, Irving, and Comfort Home Care, producing jobs and economic development. As a Senator nothing will be more important, and nobody will work harder to produce economic development and jobs for our people.
Massachusetts is a leader in renewable energy, which gives us such an advantage as we move away from fossil fuels. As Mayor I signed a contract for a brightfields project, a solar farm on our capped landfill, that was one of the first projects of that kind in this region. Further development of our leadership in renewable energy will produce positive change for the environment, and create jobs and economic opportunity for our people. Nobody will work harder to maintain and expand our state's commitment to renewable energy.

I am proud to have been a founding member of the Merrimack Valley Mayor's and Manager's coalition, which has allowed me to work, on a regional basis, with Mayors Kezer, Holaday, Fiorentini, and Dennis DiZoglio, to advocate for reforms and additional tools for our cities and towns. Whether it be in school building assistance, assistance for local education, assistance for our vast infrastructure and transportation needs, or to assist our communities with projects for our elderly, nobody will work harder for our cities and towns than I will.

As a manager I am proud of the fact that I left Methuen with the largest unused levy capacity under Proposition 2.5 in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Difficult times require difficult choices, and government is not exempt from having to make those choices. As a Senator nobody will work harder to protect the taxpayers of Massachusetts than I will.

As Mayor I was proud to have continued our fine heritage of providing first rate services to our Veterans. I fully support the Valor Act recently passed by the State Senate, and I can tell you that nobody will work harder than me to protect and expand our services to Veterans.

As a parent with a son in the UMASS system, and as a beneficiary of that system myself, I recognize how critical it is to our future to provide quality, affordable public higher education. We have, unfortunately, begun to slip away from that ideal, and I promise you that no one will work harder than me to maintain quality and affordability in public higher education.

There have been some major questions raised about safety at the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant. Senator Baddour was a leader on this issue, and I join Rep. Costello, Mayor Holaday, Congressman John Tierney, and the people of the District in demanding that answers are given in a transparent fashion before the NRC relicenses that plant.

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