One of the state's most passionate opponents of gambling, Andover state Sen. Sue Tucker, will leave office in January 2011. Counter intuitively, that could be terrible news for those hoping to bring casinos to Massachusetts.
With Tucker declaring last Friday she will not run for reelection, she says she is now free to focus "like a laser beam" on fighting casino gambling - and on a handful of important Andover-specific issues that will hit the jackpot or crap out based on what happens during the next 10 months. There will be no reelection campaign to eat into her time.
"I'm just beginning to think about how that with play out," she said. "Instead of being out here setting up a campaign headquarters, I'll be able to be up there [at the Statehouse] focusing like a laser beam.
"I have always called it like I see it. In terms of freeing my up politically there's no effect," she said. "But from a time point of view and an energy point of view, it's definitely freed me because [a senate race] is a full six-month campaign."
Local politicians, including those interested in Tucker's senate seat that represents Andover, and parts of Lawrence, Tewksbury and Dracut, have praised Tucker for her work since becoming Andover's state senator in 1999. She is perhaps best known for her work that earned her a Pioneer Institute Better Government Award - targeting auto-insurance fraud, which lowered insurance rates significantly for people throughout the state and especially in Andover in Lawrence. But the Andover Chamber Community Service Award winner is also known for voting against the recent tax hikes, and work to provide housing support needy children and elders and promote more streamlined, customer-focused service in departments such as motor vehicles and health and human services.
While she has joined about 30 state Democrats in planning to leave office in Massachusetts, she said her decision is not out of fear of anti-incumbent backlash.
"I would like to do something that's less intense." That includes visiting her sons, Mark and David, and her 1-year-old granddaughter, Secoya, in California.
Until then, some of the Andover-specific issues at the top of her agenda include:
Interstate-93 interchange
It's been decades in coming and it will be years before a shovel hits the ground, but Tucker sees this as a pivotal time for the Interstate-93 interchange project that will bring a ramp into southern Andover, opening up to development 700 acres in Andover, Tewksbury and Wilmington. As am experienced senator representing both Andover and Tewksbury, Tucker expects to help shepherd this project between federal, state and local officials.
"It will not die. It will not be built. But it will either move forward or not progress for a long, long time," depending on what happens during the next 10 months, she said.Town yard
Tucker also plans to focus on getting state smart growth or 40R money to help the town move its town yard from the downtown and open the area to development. The state can award a money for every child who moves into new "smart growth" housing. The town-yard project will be viable without the money, but with the movement of the town yard and development of the area estimated at between $10 million and $20 million, Andover would welcome help from the state, said Tucker.
"It's not a deal breaker, but I'm hoping I can deliver that to the town," said Tucker. "Right now, the governor raided that fund, so it will be a challenge - but it's very high on my agenda."
Health plans
On Jan. 11, Andover selectmen sent Tucker and Reps. Barry Finegold and Barbara L'Italien a letter saying a top priority is to have the state give municipalities the ability to choose health-care plans for employees, a move expected to save towns like Andover significant money. While avoiding specific commitments, Tucker acknowledge that the issue will be an important one during her last year.
"I support giving them much more control over health plan design - whatever form that might take," she said. "There is growing recognition that the state has to give communities serious relief on the health care costs - and I can't say more than that because everyone has different ideas of what 'serious relief' is."
TUCKER ON...
Endorsing a successor?
"No. At this point. It's going to be a huge field and a robust field."
In Andover alone, outgoing School Committee Democrat Deb Silberstein and Republican resident Jamison Tomasek have both announced they are candidates for Senator of the Second Essex & Middlesex District, and Andover state Rep. Barry Finegold is "seriously considering running" and expects to make his decision within a few days. Tomasek had expected to run against Tucker.
What to call her decision
"Not a retirement. New challenges. I fully expect to do other things."
Reason for stepping down
Tucker said that neither the anti-incumbent feeling nor support for Republicans like Scott Brown that seems so prevalent in the state affected her decision. She simply is ready for something "less intense" than her elected Statehouse job.
"I enjoy campaigning. I like to get out and remind people what I have done and what I intend to do," she said. "The truth his, when you're more concerned with winning than losing, then it's time to leave."
Women in politics
"Common wisdom was women couldn't run because they couldn't raise the money," said Tucker, who in 1982 became Andover's first female state representative. "Politics has become more negative and caustic and I think a lot of women don't want to put their families through that. I thought as more women became involved in politics, we could elevate it a bit."
Traveling now
Her first priority is seeing her new granddaughter in California.
"You can get airline fees cheaply," she says, "except not when I can go, which is school vacation weeks, when the legislature is not in session."
Tucker says she and her husband are also looking forward to visiting South Africa, Ireland ("which I've never seen") and more of the national parks.
