CMassPolitics.com Interview: Jesse Reich, 1st Middlesex House District

CMassPolitics.com spoke with Jesse Reich (D-Ayer) about his campaign for state representative in the First Middlesex House District.

Tuesday roundup: Haller gives Mahoney a holla

Worcester Magazine reported Monday that Worcester city councilor Barbara Haller has endorsed John Mahoney (D-Worcester) in the six-way Democratic primary for the 13th Worcester House seat. In addition to other attributes, Haller appreciates that "JOHN MAHONEY likes people, babies, and animals. JOHN MAHONEY also likes hard work, public service, and attention to detail."

In his Election.net column today, Shaun Sutner looks at the ethnic and religious backgrounds of the six Democrats, one Republican, and one unenrolled candidate in the race.

Elsewhere around the region...

Second Franklin House District
The four Democrats running for representative debated on WWLP-TV in Springfield.

First Middlesex House District
The Sentinel and Enterprise profiled Jane Morriss (D-Groton), Jesse Reich (D-Ayer), and Tony Saboliauskas (D-Pepperell), the three candidates for the Democratic nomination.

Sixth Worcester House District
The bill sponsored by Rep. Geraldo Alicea (D-Charlton) that bans novelty cigarette lighters was signed by Gov. Deval Patrick and will go into effect in November.

Worcester County Sheriff
William Frisch, former Deputy Sheriff and supporter of Scot Bove (D-Holden) criticized Tom Foley (D-Worcester) in the Telegram, saying Foley "was found to be 100 percent medically disabled and obviously unable to perform the essential function requirements of his position." Foley countered that Mr. Frisch is "uninformed and totally unaware of the pressures that surround the head of the state police in Massachusetts.”

Legislative roundup: One candidate in, one candidate out

A couple of unenrolled candidates for the State House lead the round up of legislative campaign news today. One candidate in the 13th Worcester District bowed out of the race today, while a candidate in the Second Franklin District jumped back into the ring after dropping out a couple of weeks ago.

13th Worcester House District
First, to Worcester, where Worcester Magazine reports that Bruce Card (U-Worcester) is ending his campaign and endorsing Paul Franco (R-Worcester):

At a press conference today, [Card] added that he’s endorsing Paul Franco, the race’s lone Republican. Card said Franco’s attention to fiscal responsibility, intentions of “restoring integrity to Beacon Hill” and “goals of reviving the economy” mirrored his own platforms.

Franco has posted video of the event, held in a local restaurant. The maudlin music accompanying Card's speech gives new meaning to the term "swan song."

Second Franklin House District
Genevieve Fraser (U-Orange), who had dropped out of the race last month due to health issues, posted a note to her supporters that she has re-thought that position and will continue her campaign after all:

After months of heavy campaigning, including one session that lasted for over 12 hours in direct sunlight, I experienced a variety of symptoms that sent me scrambling to doctors for tests. Since then, the symptoms have cleared...but I now observe the warning and cover-up, and limit exposure to sunlight.

I look forward to resuming campaign activities and providing an independent voice regarding the many issues that face voters in the district.

Fraser had previously endorsed Roxanne Wedegartner (D-Greenfield) when she withdrew from the race.

Worcester and Middlesex Senate District
The Boston Globe suggests that Sen. Jennifer Flanagan (D-Leominster) is an example of a Democrat who is "tacking to the right" this election cycle. Their reasoning? Flanagan attended a Tea Party Forum in June.

Flanagan's bill to closely track prescription use to keep patients from shopping for doctors who will give them painkillers was signed Friday by Gov. Deval Patrick.

Ninth Worcester House District
Timothy Dodd (D-Westborough) attended the reopening of a Jiffy Lube in town. He was joined by fellow Selectman (and Middlesex and Worcester Senate candidate) George Thompson (R-Westborough) as well as Congressman Jim McGovern (D-Worcester).

Shaun Sutner of the Telegram continues his look at the voting patterns of challengers. Today he notes that Dodd was a Republican until July 2009, voting in every Republican primary this decade except for the Special Election ballot last December.

Rep. George Peterson (R-Grafton) accepted a copy of the U.S. Constitution from the Constitution Ride Across America.

Second Worcester House District
Rich Bastien (R-Gardner) posted an item to Red Mass Group criticizing Gov. Patrick for not signing the casino bill and allowing Wonderland Park to close.

Patrick Gerry (D-Gardner) won the endorsement of the MassEquality Political Action Committee.

Sixth Worcester House District
Peter Durant (R-Spencer) released a new web video calling for voters to send the state "in a new direction."

37th Middlesex House District
Gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker stumped for Kurt Hayes (R-Boxboro) at a gathering of GOP women in Lunenburg.

First Middlesex House District
The Pepperell Republican Town Committee wants everyone to know that whoever was campaigning for Sheila Harrington (R-Groton) in the PRTC's name was doing so without its permission.

NARAL has posted it's list of endorsed candidates. Jesse Reich (D-Ayer) is the only Central Mass. candidate in a contested primary to receive an endorsement.

Wednesday State House Roundup: Debate days

Now that we are within a month of the primary, debate season has begun. We start in Ayer, where the Ayer Democratic Town Committee hosted a debate between the three Democrats vying for the First Middlesex District nomination. While Jane Moriss (D-Groton), Jesse Reich (D-Ayer), and Tony Saboliauskas (D-Pepperell) agreed on many issues they split over the proposed repeal of the affordable housing law known as 40B. From the Sentinel and Enterprise:

Saboliauskas, the lone supporter of the proposed repeal of the three candidates, said the well-intended law has been abused by developers over and over, failing to generate enough much affordable housing in many communities.

But both Morriss and [Reich] said they would not support a repeal of the law because creation of affordable housing is important.

The law should not go away "until we have reached a point where everyone in the commonwealth has a roof over their head," Morriss said.

13th Worcester House District
Shaun Sutner of the Telegram devotes most of his Tuesday ElectionNet column to the race. On the Republican side, he notes that Paul Franco (R-Worcester) just recently registered as a Republican and pulled a Democratic ballot in eight of the past 10 primaries going back to 1998.

Sutner also reminds readers that the Democratic candidates are debating tonight at Anna Maria College. He points out that two of the three moderators have ties either one of the candidates or the current office holder.

Second Franklin House District
The three candidates for the Democratic nomination faced off last night in Greenfield. Greenfield Community Television will broadcast the debate Friday afternoon at 5:00.

Fifth Worcester House District
Rep. Anne Gobi (D-Spencer) is calling for disclosure forms of government officials to be made available online.

Saturday roundup: McGovern keeps up the pressure on Afghanistan

Rep. James McGovern (D-Worcester) continued his anti-war advocacy with a column in Friday's Telegram. The congressman explained his vote against the $33 billion war appropriations bill:

I voted in 2001 to go to war in Afghanistan — to hunt down al-Qaida and eliminate their threat. I would cast that same vote today — in a heartbeat. Al-Qaida remains a threat, and we must redouble our efforts to destroy them wherever they are — in Pakistan, in Yemen, in Somalia, and elsewhere around the world.

But what we are doing in Afghanistan today is far beyond that original authorization. We are engaged in extensive, expensive “nation-building” in a very complicated, dangerous part of the world.

And frankly, given the level of unemployment and the severe economic situation we face in the United States, I’d rather do a little more “nation-building” here at home.

Speaking to the Attleboro Sun-Chronicle, McGovern laid out his support for allowing the Bush-era tax cuts to expire on families making over $250,000. "I'm sorry, if Donald Trump doesn't get a tax break it's not the end of the world," he said.

Elsewhere in the Third Congressional District, Robert Delle (R-Westboro) is calling for a boycott of New York City over the planned mosque and Islamic Cutural Center a couple of blocks from the former site of the World Trade Center. I can think of a dozen or more reasons to stay away from New York, but that wouldn't be one of them.

Fifth Congressional District
Rep. Niki Tsongas (D-Lowell) gave a detailed explanation of her vote against the Afghanistan military authorization.
 
Sam Meas (R-Haverhill) gets his second national profile in a week, as The Weekly Standard checks in on the campaign. Meas characterizes Tsongas as "so convoluted, she’s so out of touch."

13th Worcester House District
Margot Barnet (D-Worcester) introduces herself to the community at Blue Mass Group. She also revvealed that she is a longtime BMG member with a paper trail.

Ronal Madnick (U-Worcester) will be hosting a debate next week between the four candidates for sheriff. Shaun Sutner of the Telegram wonders if having a candidate in one race moderate a debate in another is a "possible election-season conflict of interest."
 
Second Franklin House District
For what it's worth, Madnick won't be the first rep candidate this cycle to moderate a debate for another office. David Roulston (D-Greenfield) hosted a debate between the Northwestern District Attorney candidates earlier this week.
 
First Middlesex House District
In his role as a member of Ayer's Finance Committee, Jesse Reich (D-Ayer) defended the agenda of the upcoming meeting of finance committees across the region.
 
Sheila Harrington (R-Groton) announced some upcoming events. She will be hosting a night of billiards in Ayer later this week, and giving away ice cream in Dunstable and Groton next month.