Residents will vote in the primary Sept. 14 to choose the candidates who will represent each party in the general election. Voters not registered in any party can choose which party ballot they would like to fill.
In the 18th Essex District, which is made up of precincts 1, 7 & 8 in Andover, plus areas of Boxford, Georgetown, Haverhill, Methuen and North Andover, state Rep. L'Italien, is seeking reelection, and running unopposed in the primary.
Republicans Jim Lyons and John Thorlin, both Andover residents like L'Italien, will face off in the Republican primary to see who will challenge L'Italien in the general election.
The Townsman asked each of the candidates in the 18th Essex race the following questions about the Massachusetts sales tax:
Do you support an annual tax-free weekend?
Do you support the recent increases in the state's sales tax?
Do you support the recent sales-tax increase on alcohol?
Do you support a citizen initiative to lower the sales tax rate from 6.25 percent to 3 percent?
Each of the candidates was then given up to 150 words to further elaborate and to answer the question "In general, what are your opinions on the state's sales tax policy?"
Republicans
John Thorlin
Do you support...
Tax-free weekend: YES
Increased sales tax: NO
Alcohol tax hike: NO
Lowering sales tax to 3%: YES
In general, what are your opinions on the state's sales tax policy?
Thorlin: The sales tax is bad policy for our district. Any candidate who wishes to represent our interests should advocate cutting it as far as possible. It should not even be a partisan issue. I believe in cutting state spending and allowing citizens to spend more of their own money. However, even if one wanted to maintain or increase state spending, a high sales tax is an economically wasteful way to reach that goal. The presence of sales tax-free New Hampshire mere minutes away from our district means that increases in the sales tax here drive would-be customers of the businesses in our district to the Granite State. That hurts our businesses and reduces any gain in tax revenue since the tax base shrinks. Given the current weak economy, we can't afford to have our legislature giving economic stimulus to New Hampshire through a tax levied on only Massachusetts citizens.
Jim Lyons
Do you support...
Tax-free weekend: YES
Increased sales tax: NO
Alcohol tax hike: NO
Lowering sales tax to 3%: YES
In general, what are your opinions on the state's sales tax policy?
Lyons: I have been campaigning door-to-door on my 5-5-5 Tax Rollback platform. My tax rollback plan has been greeted warmly by voters who have "had enough" of sales, meals, income, and beverage tax hikes. Voters understand that the Legislature's 25-percent sales tax hike, from 5 percent up to 6.25 percent, punishes businesses in the Merrimack Valley, where our entrepreneurs face stiff competition from "tax free" New Hampshire.
The unprecedented sales tax on consumers of alcoholic beverages also hurts locally owned stores. It almost seems as though the Democrat power-brokers want to encourage job creation and business growth - across the border in New Hampshire.
I will vote for the two tax-reduction ballot measures and against the Beacon Hill tax hikes. We need legislators who understand the connection between tax relief and job creation and economic growth.
Democratic Incumbent running unopposed in primary
Barbara L'Italien (D)
Do you support...
Tax-free weekend: YES
Increased sales tax: YES
Alcohol tax hike: UNDECIDED
Lowering sales tax to 3%: NO
In general, what are your opinions on the state's sales tax policy?
L'Italien:I have supported the annual sales tax holiday when the issue has come before the state legislature.
While no one wants to pay additional taxes, I voted to support the penny and a quarter sales tax increase in 2009 (the first increase in 30 years) as part of a plan to close a $5.1 billion FY'10 budget deficit (following a $2 billion cut in Oct. '08 and Jan. '09) to try to hold local aid harmless, fund transportation and restore human service budget cuts.
I voted for the alcohol tax in 2009 and against in 2010.
Cutting the sales tax by 3.25 percent would cost $2.5 billion annually ($900 Million in Jan '11) and would be devastating to Andover local aid (education, senior services, and public safety) and Massachusetts in general. The state has now closed a cumulative budget gap of over $10 Billion in 18 months' time.
