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Quick Facts
Personal Details

Education

  • PhD, Clinical Psychology, New York University, 1980
  • AB, Psychology, University of Rochester, 1969

Professional Experience

  • PhD, Clinical Psychology, New York University, 1980
  • AB, Psychology, University of Rochester, 1969
  • Clinical Psychologist

Political Experience

  • PhD, Clinical Psychology, New York University, 1980
  • AB, Psychology, University of Rochester, 1969
  • Clinical Psychologist
  • Representative, Commonwealth of Massachusetts House of Representatives, District Twelfth Middlesex, 1999-present
  • Candidate, Commonwealth of Massachusetts House of Representatives, District Twelfth Middlesex, 2020
  • Member, Newton Board of Alderman, 1988-1995

Former Committees/Caucuses

Former Vice Chair, Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets Committee, Commonwealth of Massachusetts House of Representatives

Former Member, Joint Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee, Commonwealth of Massachusetts House of Representatives

Former Member, Joint Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development Committee, Commonwealth of Massachusetts House of Representatives

Former Member, Joint Veterans and Federal Affairs Committee, Commonwealth of Massachusetts House of Representatives

Former Member, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Committee, Commonwealth of Massachusetts House of Representatives

Former Vice Chair, Public Health Committee, Commonwealth of Massachusetts House of Representatives

Former Member, Technology and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee, Commonwealth of Massachusetts House of Representatives

Former Member, Ways and Means Committee, Commonwealth of Massachusetts House of Representatives

Member, Womens Political Caucus, Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Current Legislative Committees

Chair, Joint Committee on Elder Affairs

Religious, Civic, and other Memberships

  • PhD, Clinical Psychology, New York University, 1980
  • AB, Psychology, University of Rochester, 1969
  • Clinical Psychologist
  • Representative, Commonwealth of Massachusetts House of Representatives, District Twelfth Middlesex, 1999-present
  • Candidate, Commonwealth of Massachusetts House of Representatives, District Twelfth Middlesex, 2020
  • Member, Newton Board of Alderman, 1988-1995
  • Member, American Jewish Congress
  • Member, Appalachian Mountain Club
  • Member, Green Decade Coalition
  • Member, Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action
  • Member, Jewish Community Relations Council
  • Member, Massachusetts Psychological Association
  • Member, New England Region Friends of University of Haifa
  • Member, Newton Conservators
  • Member, Newton Democratic City Committee
  • Member, Newton League of Women Voters
  • Former Chair, Ward 8 Committee

Other Info

— Awards:

  • MassAccess -- State Legislator of the Year -- 2016
  • Trauma & Learning Policy Initiative of Massachusetts Advocates for Children and Harvard Law School -- "Legislative Champion Award" -- 2015
  • Transformation Center -- "Ally Award" -- 2015
  • Clubhouse Coaltion -- "Legislative Leadership" -- 2015
  • Equal Justice Coalition -- 2014 Beacon of Justice Award -- January, 2015
  • The Massachusetts Neuropsychological Society -- Outstanding Legislator of the Year -- 2013
  • Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee -- Certificate of Appreciation -- to Rep.Ruth Balser "Tireless Advocate for the Rights of Persons with Psychiatric Histories" -- February 2013
  • Equal Justice Coalition -- 2012 Beacon of Justice Award -- January, 2013
  • Providers' Council for Caring Communities -- Special Recognition -- 2012
  • National Association of Social Workers (NASW) -- Elected Official of the Year -- 2009
  • Women's Bar Association of Massachusetts -- Legislator of the Year -- 2009
  • Fire Chiefs' Association of Massachusetts -- In Recognition of your Untiring Effort in sponsoring "The Forgotten Fire Bill" -- 2009
  • National Organization of Women (MA Chapter) -- Legislator of the Year -- 2008
  • NAMI Massachusetts -- Heroes in the Fight -- 2008
  • Massachusetts Coalition for Addiction Services -- Ending Insurance Discrimination Champion Award -- 2008
  • Riverside Community Care -- Leadership Award -- 2008
  • Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology -- Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters -- 2008
  • Labor Assistance Professionals of Massachusetts Recognition Award -- "In recognition of your outstanding contributions, helping those with substance abuse problems in the community and in organized labor." -- 2007
  • Massachusetts Mental Health Counselors Association -- Outstanding Service Award -- 2007
  • Hope House -- Spirit of Hope Award -- 2007
  • Massachusetts Family Planning Association -- Family Planning Leadership Award -- 2007
  • Massachusetts Association of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors -- "For outstanding legislative actions contributing to treatment of the chemically dependent." -- 2006
  • Riverside Community Care -- Leadership Award -- 2006
  • Massachusetts Behavioral Health Partnership -- "In recognition and appreciation of outstanding leadership, advocacy and support on behalf of consumers of behavioral health services." -- 2006
  • Disability Law Center -- Legislative Leadership Award -- 2006
  • Massachusetts Coalition for Addiction Treatment -- Certificate of Appreciation -- 2006
  • American Psychological Association -- State Legislator of the Year -- 2006
  • The Recovery Homes Collaborative -- "For your integrity and your keen sense of responsibility to the community for seeking the value in recovering individuals, and supporting our efforts we thank you." -- September 14, 2006
  • Massachusetts General Hospital Endowment for the Advancement of Psychotherapy -- Leadership Award for the Advancement of Mental Health -- 2006
  • National Alliance on Mental Illness Greater Boston Consumer Advocacy/Affiliate Network (NAMI GB CAN) -- Representative of the Year -- 2006
  • MassPIRG -- The Global Warming Hero Award -- June, 2006
  • MassPIRG -- Public Interest Champion -- 2006
  • The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services Department of Mental Health -- Certificate of Appreciation -- 2006
  • The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services Department of Mental Health -- Distinguished Service Award -- 2005
  • The ARC of Greater Boston -- Outstanding Legislator Award -- 2005
  • The Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics -- Child Advocate of the Year Award -- 2005
  • The Massachusetts Psychological Association -- Ezra Saul Psychological Service Award -- 2003
  • The Massachusetts Council of Human Service Providers -- Legislator of the Year Award -- 2003
  • The Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council and Association for Retarded Citizens Massachusetts -- Legislator of the Year Award -- 2002
  • The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill -- Legislator of the Year Award -- 2002
  • Work, Community, Independence (WCI) -- Legislator of the Year Award -- 2002
  • The Massachusetts Association of Jewish Federations and the Jewish Community Relations Council -- Legislative Achievement Award -- 2002
  • The Newton Conservators -- Environmentalist of the Year Award -- 2001
  • Greater Boston Association for Retarded Citizens -- Outstanding Legislator Award -- 2001
  • The Newton Parent Advisory Council for Special Education -- Distinguished Service Award -- 2000
  • The American Psychological Association -- Presidential Citation -- 2000
  • The American Psychological Association -- Karl F. Heiser Presidential Award -- 2000
  • Riverside Community Care Leadership Award -- 2000
  • The Environmental League of Massachusetts -- Environmental Honor Roll Award -- 2000

Policy Positions

Massachusetts State Legislative Election 2000 National Political Awareness Test

Abortion

Indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning abortion.

1. Abortions should always be illegal.
- No Answer

2. Abortions should always be legally available.
- X

3. Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy.
- No Answer

4. Abortions should be legal when pregnancy results from incest, rape or the life of the woman is endangered.
- No Answer

5. Abortions should be limited by waiting periods and notification requirements as decided by each state government.
- No Answer

6. Prohibit the dilation and extraction procedure, also known as "partial-birth" abortion.
- No Answer

7. Support "buffer zones" at abortion clinics by requiring demonstrators to remain at least 25 feet from doorways and driveways.
- X

8. Prohibit public funding for abortions and organizations that advocate or perform abortions.
- No Answer

9. Other
- No Answer

Budget and Tax Issues - Part 1

State Budget: Indicate the funding levels you will support for the following general categories.

1. Education (Higher)
- Slightly Increase Funding

2. Education (K-12)
- Slightly Increase Funding

3. Environment
- Slightly Increase Funding

4. Health care
- Slightly Increase Funding

5. Law enforcement
- Maintain Funding Status

6. Transportation and Highway infrastructure
- Slightly Increase Funding

7. Welfare
- Slightly Increase Funding

8. Other
- Slightly Increase Funding

Budget and Tax Issues - Part 2

State Taxes: Indicate the tax levels you will support.

1. Alcohol taxes
- Greatly Increase

2. Capital gains taxes
- Slightly Increase

3. Cigarette taxes
- Greatly Increase

4. Corporate taxes
- Slightly Increase

5. Gasoline taxes
- Maintain Status

6. Income taxes (incomes below $75,000)
- Maintain Status

7. Income taxes (incomes above $75,000)
- Maintain Status

8. Inheritance taxes
- Maintain Status

9. Property taxes
- Eliminate

10. Sales taxes
- Maintain Status

11. Vehicle taxes
- Maintain Status

12. Other
- No Answer

13. Should Internet sales be taxed?
- Yes

14. Do you support a flat tax structure for state income taxes?
- No

15. Would you support returning any operating surplus to Massachusetts taxpayers?
- No

16. Would you support placing any operating surplus into a "rainy day" fund?
- Yes

17. Do you support establishing a state income tax deduction for charitable donations?
- No

18. Do you support providing state funds to pay for site cleanup costs associated with the Boston Red Sox stadium construction?
- No

19. Do you support lowering the state income tax to 5%?
- No

The Big Dig Financing

1. Do you support using taxpayer revenue to pay for any future cost overruns resulting from the Central Artery/Third Harbor Tunnel Project (the Big Dig)?
- Yes

Indicate which principles you support (if any) to address any future cost overruns from the Big Dig.

1. Increase drivers license fees.
- No Answer

2. Increase car registration fees.
- No Answer

3. Increase tolls on the Massachusetts Turnpike.
- No Answer

4. Implement tolls on the Central Artery.
- X

5. Other
- No Answer

Crime

Indicate which principles you support (if any) to address crime.

1. Increase state funds for construction of state prisons and for hiring of additional prison staff.
- No Answer

2. Support contracting with private sector firms to build and/or manage state prisons.
- No Answer

3. End parole for repeat violent offenders.
- No Answer

4. Implement the death penalty in Massachusetts.
- No Answer

5. Implement penalties other than incarceration for certain non-violent offenders.
- X

6. Inform communities when a convicted sex offender moves into the community.
- No Answer

7. Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
- X

8. Decriminalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
- X

9. Strengthen penalties and sentences for drug-related crimes.
- No Answer

10. Lower the blood alcohol content limit defining drunk driving.
- No Answer

11. Prosecute as adults, youths accused of a felony.
- No Answer

12. Increase penalties for crimes committed on school grounds.
- No Answer

13. Require that crimes based on gender, sexual orientation, or disability be prosecuted as hate crimes.
- X

14. Support programs that provide job training and placement services for at-risk youth.
- X

15. Ban the use of racial profiling by law enforcement officers.
- X

16. Allocate all profits from property seized in drug-related crimes to a drug treatment fund.
- X

17. Require the state to prove that property was used to commit a crime before it can be seized.
- No Answer

18. Other
- No Answer

Education

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding education.

1. Increase state funds for professional development of public school teachers and administrators.
- X

2. Encourage private or corporate investment in public school programs.
- No Answer

3. Provide parents with state-funded vouchers to send their children to any participating school (public, private, religious).
- No Answer

4. Support charter schools where teachers and professionals receive authorization and funding to establish new schools.
- No Answer

5. Increase state funds for school capital improvements (e.g. buildings and infrastructure).
- X

6. Increase state funds for hiring additional teachers.
- X

7. Endorse teacher-led voluntary prayer in public schools.
- No Answer

8. Support posting the Ten Commandments in public schools.
- No Answer

9. Support national standards and testing of public school students.
- No Answer

10. Support teacher testing and reward teachers with merit pay.
- No Answer

11. Provide state funding to increase teacher salaries.
- X

12. Implement stricter eligibility requirements for admission into special education programs.
- No Answer

13. Other
- No Answer

14. Should the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System exam (MCAS) be required for high school graduation?
- No

Employment and Affirmative Action

Employment: Indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning employment.

1. Provide low interest loans and tax credits for starting, expanding, or relocating businesses.
- No Answer

2. Reduce state government regulations on the private sector to encourage investment and economic expansion.
- No Answer

3. Support limits on cash damages in lawsuits against businesses and professionals for product liability or malpractice.
- No Answer

4. Increase funding for state job-training programs that re-train displaced workers or teach skills needed in today's job market.
- X

5. Other
- No Answer

Affirmative Action: Which of the following state agencies should take race and sex into account when making employment decisions?

1. College and university admissions
- Yes

2. Public employment
- Yes

3. State contracting
- Yes

4. Other
- No Answer

Environment & Energy

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the environment and energy.

1. Encourage further development and use of alternative fuels to reduce pollution.
- X

2. Support "self-audit" legislation which creates incentives for industries to audit themselves and clean up pollution.
- No Answer

3. Require a cost/benefit analysis to determine the economic impact of proposed environmental regulations before they are implemented.
- No Answer

4. Require states to fully compensate citizens when environmental regulations limit uses on privately owned land.
- No Answer

5. Support funding for recycling programs in Massachusetts.
- X

6. Request added flexibility from the federal government in enforcing and funding federal environmental regulations.
- No Answer

7. Suspend participation in un-funded, federally-mandated, environmental protection legislation.
- No Answer

8. Other
- No Answer

9. Should state environmental regulations be stricter than federal law?
- No Answer

Government Reform

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding government reform.

1. Do you support limiting the number of terms for Massachusetts Governors?
- No

2. Do you support limiting the number of terms for Massachusetts State Senators and Representatives?
- No

3. Individual
- Yes

4. PAC
- Yes

5. Corporate
- Yes

6. Political Parties
- Yes

7. Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information?
- Yes

8. Do you support imposing spending limits on state level political campaigns?
- Yes

9. Do you support partial funding from state taxes for state level political campaigns?
- Yes

10. Do you support voting on-line?
- Yes

11. Do you support on-line voter registration?
- Yes

12. Do you support prohibiting jailed felons from voting?
- No

13. Do you support the 1998 Clean Elections Law?
- Yes

14. Other
- No Answer

Gun

Indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning gun issues.

1. Ban the sale or transfer of semi-automatic guns, except those used for hunting.
- X

2. Maintain and strengthen the enforcement of existing state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- X

3. Ease state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- No Answer

4. Repeal state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- No Answer

5. Allow citizens to carry concealed guns.
- No Answer

6. Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks on guns.
- X

7. Require background checks of gun buyers at gun shows.
- X

8. Require a license for gun possession.
- X

9. Prohibit the attorney general from using the Consumer Protection Act to regulate gun sales.
- No Answer

10. Other
- No Answer

Health

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding health issues.

1. Provide tax incentives to small businesses that provide health care to their employees.
- No Answer

2. Ensure that citizens have access to basic health care through managed care, insurance reforms, or state funded care where necessary.
- No Answer

3. Transfer more existing Medicaid recipients into managed care programs.
- No Answer

4. Use state funds to continue some Medicaid coverage for legal immigrants.
- X

5. Limit the amount of damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.
- No Answer

6. Support a patient's right to sue his or her HMO.
- X

7. Support a patient's right to appeal to an administrative board of specialists when services are denied.
- X

8. Guaranteed medical care to all citizens is not a responsibility of state government.
- No Answer

9. Require health insurance companies to provide contraceptive coverage for women.
- X

10. Provide state funds to ensure that all Massachusetts state residents have health insurance.
- X

11. Prohibit the conversion of non-profit hospitals, HMOs, and health insurance firms to for-profit status.
- X

12. Prohibit health insurance companies from using genetic information to determine health care policies and coverage.
- X

13. Allow the state public health commissioner to establish needle exchange programs.
- X

14. Other
- No Answer

Social

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding social issues.

1. Provide tax credits for businesses that provide child care for their employees.
- No Answer

2. Increase state funds to provide child care for children in low-income working families.
- X

3. Deny or suspend state-issued permits and licenses to parents who are delinquent in paying court-ordered child support.
- No Answer

4. Increase state funding for Head Start in order to serve additional children and/or increase services from a half to a full day.
- X

5. Increase state funding for community centers and other social agencies in areas with at-risk youth.
- X

6. Support state funding of programs for at-risk youth such as guaranteed college loans, and job training and placement.
- X

7. Allow cities and towns to prevent landlords from converting subsidized housing into market-rate housing.
- X

8. Prohibit dog racing as a form of gambling.
- No Answer

9. Extend health benefits to same-sex partners of state employees.
- X

10. Use the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund to finance paid leave for new parents.
- X

11. Prohibit employers from requiring genetic test results from being used as a criterion for employment.
- X

12. Other
- No Answer

13. Should physician-assisted suicide be legally available in Massachusetts?
- No Answer

14. Should Massachusetts include sexual orientation in its anti-discrimination laws?
- Yes

15. Should Massachusetts recognize civil unions between same-sex couples?
- Yes

16. Should Massachusetts restrict marriage to a relationship only between a man and a woman?
- No

Welfare and Poverty

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding welfare.

1. Maintain the 2-year limit on receiving welfare benefits.
- No Answer

2. Maintain the requirement that able-bodied recipients work in order to receive benefits.
- No Answer

3. Increase employment and job training programs for welfare recipients.
- X

4. Provide tax incentives to businesses that hire welfare recipients.
- No Answer

5. Provide child care for welfare recipients who work.
- X

6. Increase access to public transportation for welfare recipients who work.
- X

7. Allow welfare recipients to remain eligible for benefits while saving money for education, starting a business, or buying a home.
- X

8. Limit benefits given to recipients if they have additional children while on welfare.
- No Answer

9. Eliminate government-funded welfare programs.
- No Answer

10. Redirect welfare funding to faith-based and community-based private organizations.
- No Answer

11. Use federal TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) funds to expand state services to include the working poor.
- X

12. Allow education and training to be counted toward work requirements needed to receive TANF benefits.
- X

13. Other
- No Answer

Legislative Priorities

Please explain what your two main legislative priorities will be if elected. Please explain how you would obtain any additional government funding needed to implement these priorities.
- No Answer