The Townsman asked the candidates for Andover's state senate seat three "Yes/No" questions. Candidates then had an opportunity to further explain their answers. The state primary, to choose one Democrat and one Republican who will be on the general election ballot, is Sept. 14. Registered Democrats vote in the Democratic primary, registered Republicans vote in the Republican primary, and unrolled or independent voters can choose in which primary they'd like to vote.
Do you support allowing casinos in Massachusetts?
Please explain your views on whether to allow expanded gambling and what limits, if any, you support (up to 100 words).
Should Andover and other communities be able to choose the health-care plan offered its employees without union bargaining?
Please explain your views (up to 100 words).
Do you support Question 2 to eliminate Ch. 40B, the state's primary affordable housing law?
Please explain whether you would seek to change part or all of this law and why or why not (up to 75 words).
DEMOCRATS
Barry Finegold
Casinos: NO
Massachusetts has the most successful lottery in the nation and Andover is dependent on local aid that comes from the lottery. For every dollar spent on the lottery, 24 cents is kept for the state; for every dollar spent in a casino, only 2 cents goes back to the state. We need these dollars for our schools and public safety. We need to creat jobs but I believe the area that is most sustainable is in renewable energy. I helped start the North Shore Clean Energy Collaborative, which brings people from both the private and the public sector together todiscuss their needs and plans of moving forward.
Health-care plan choice: UNDECIDED
Different situations require different tools. When the city of Lawrence needed help from the legislature, we required all the employees to go into GIC, which saved the city $6 million. In other communities, there have been creative solutions where employees went into a self-insured plan that saved their communities money. We need contracts that are sustainable and affordable. There needs to be shared sacrifice when revenues are declining. Public employees need to be flexible and willing to do what is necessary to make ends meet. This is why I personally gave up my pay raise and per diem because of the difficult economic situation the state is in.
Affordable housing law: NO
40B needs changes, but eliminating the law is not the best way to fix the problem. Andover has done well by being pro-active with affordable housing and I hope that in the future there can be more affordable housing for seniors. Too many residents want to stay in Andover, but they cannot afford the taxes or want to down size. We need to give residents more options to stay in Andover and other communities where they have lived for many years.
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Deb Silberstein
Casinos: NO
Casinos and slot machines are the wrong way to bring jobs into Massachusetts. This is another example of a 21st Century government in a 19th Century mindset. The revenue is regressive and unsustainable. It is an expensive expansion of government that depends on no-bid contracts and non-renewable licenses. None of the jobs benefit this senate district. We must use Massachusetts' enormous resources and talent to create and sustain innovative, growing industries and support entrepreneurs. Every minute the legislature spends on this puts us further behind the road to progress and more positive and sustainable economic development.
Health-care plan choice: YES, but...
...only as a last resort after making every effort to work collaboratively with unions. Health care costs are strangling communities and reduce needed services. Plan design changes can slow the rate of increasing costs, but unless done properly - collaboratively with labor - this can be another legislative, short-term fix to a long-term, structural problem. As School Committee chair, I worked collaboratively with unions on major plan design changes during two difficult contract negotiations. Because there was mutual agreement, changes were understood by employees, and significant cost reductions were sustained. As senator I would work to address this immediately.
Affordable housing law: NO
Massachusetts is an expensive place to live. The law allows seniors, working families, veterans, and persons with disabilities to live in communities where they have worked and built their lives. The law creates construction jobs and helps businesses so that employees can live where they work. As a community, we have a responsibility to provide affordable housing to seniors and working families that need it. We cannot afford to eliminate 40B.
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Jack WilsonCasinos: YES
Private sector job creation is my top priority. Too many construction and skilled workers have been unemployed for far too long. Expanded gaming will bring an estimated 15,000 jobs and $400 million in new revenue to the Commonwealth. This legislation is not the silver bullet to solve all the state's economic problems, but it is a necessary step until we can create an atmosphere for real economic development and get the state economy back on track. As state senator, I will ensure that the new revenues are allocated to the top priorities of public safety, public education and public health.
Health-care plan choice: YES
Plan design deals with one segment of the state's population. All savings realized should be distributed evenly between the employee, in the form of reduced co-pays and/or premiums, and the municipality. Plan design should not come at the expense of quality of coverage. The bigger challenge is reducing the overall costs for everyone in the Commonwealth, including municipal employees, while maintaining quality coverage. As state senator, my focus would be on bringing down overall health care costs through a comprehensive effort involving the legislature, administration, insurance companies, and health care providers. In the absence of true cost reform, the only winners are the insurance companies.
Affordable housing law: NO
I do not support the outright repeal of Chapter 40B, which has been successful in providing the opportunity for thousands of hardworking and deserving first-time homebuyers to purchase homes in the communities in which they grew up or currently work, but otherwise cannot afford. That said, the state needs to do a far better job monitoring the program through regular financial and performance audits to ensure that the program is not being abused or otherwise mismanaged.
REPUBLICANS
Patrick Rahilly
Casinos: YES
I support no more than 2 casinos in Massachusetts as well as no more than 5 slot machine parlors. The casinos and parlors should be put through an open bidding process and not awarded to locations solely because they currently engage in gambling activities.
Resort casinos will produce jobs such as waitstaff, bartenders, consierge services and other blue collar labor, as well as provide a secondary benefit to surrounding communities. Casinos are by no means fix-all plan for the state's economic troubles. I see casinos and slot parlors merely as a cog in Massachusetts' economic wheel.
Health-care plan choice: YES
Communities should be treated like private entities and allowed to design and negotiate their own health care plans. This will help the community more accurately project their budgets, rely less on local aid from the state and help eliminate the constant proposition 2 1/2 requests.
It is impossible to say how much each community will save but by allowing the community to design and negotiate with the communities needs in mind, the savings should be substantial.
Affordable housing law: YES
I believe in the spirit of the law however, it's application is seriously flawed. The current application allows a contractor to enter a community and build a housing development with little regard for planning or zoning ordinances. Should Question 2 fail I would propose an amendment forcing developers to take into account community planning and give these boards more power to regulate the size and population of the new development.
Jamison Tomasek
Casinos: YES
People of this district want gaming. There is an estimate that over $950 million is spent in Rhode Island and Connecticut by residents of Massachusetts. Our state should get some portion of that, which would create gaming related jobs. Additionally the state would get associated taxes and fees from operators. Note that this revenue should not be used to fund more spending. I believe that if a solid majority of the district wants gaming, especially as it is already available in a different format via the lottery, its legislator should not oppose it.
Health-care plan choice: YES
Passing legislation to allow municipalities to change their health care plans is one of several specific measures, the others being allowing privatization and not requiring prevailing wages, which the legislature can pass to save us money. Plan design will save Andover an estimated $1 million annually, and save more that $100 million statewide. It will give the town flexibility to save more in the future. Everyone should note that this would bring town employees comparability not only with what individuals in the private sector expect, but also with what employees of the state currently accept in their benefits.
Affordable housing law: YES
Massachusetts is 48th in affordability so the law doesn't work. It requires an expensive state supporting bureaucracy. These government officials can override Andover's zoning laws and the decisions of our boards. The law distorts the free market and results in uneconomical housing projects. Hundreds of attempts to improve 40B never got out of committee to be debated or voted on, illustrating the problems of our current Legislature, and why there is ballot question.
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INDEPENDENT
Jodi Oberto
Casinos: NO
I personally, as a citizen do not feel building a casino(s) is the right thing for Massachusetts. I do understand that gamblers will travel wherever they need to o satisfy their desire to gamble and the state could use the revenue. If it can be proven to me as your state senator that this endeavor will be worth the cost, then I would reconsider my answer, but from what I understand to be true now, I cannot support casinos.
Health-care plan choice: YES
I am all for individual choices. I have to believe that individual communities would make the best effort to make cost effective decisions for themselves.
Affordable housing law: UNDECIDED
I am not knowledgeable enough about all the details of 40B to make that decision at this time. What I understand is that 40B is not working as it should. I personally do not like the fact that the developers can circumvent the zoning boards by guaranteeing a percentage of units as low income units. I believe 40B needs changing, I am just not sure that it needs to be eliminated at this time.
