Taunton Fair Housing Commission, 1999-present
Chair, Northeast States Association for Agriculture Stewardship, 1999-present
Executive Committee Member, Massachusetts Democratic State Committee, 1993-present
Co-Chair, Southeastern Massachusetts Legislative Caucus, 1993-present
Task Force, Growth and Change, Southeastern Massachusetts-Vision 2020, 1998-present
Former Member, Joint Economic Development and Emerging Technologies Committee, Massachusetts State Senate
Former Member, Joint Export Development Committee, Massachusetts State Senate
Former Member, Personnel and Administration Committee, Massachusetts State Senate
Chair, Senate Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change, present
Chair, Senate Committee on Post Audit and Oversight, present
Chair, Global Warming and Climate Change Committee
Member, Intergovernmental Affairs Committee
Member, Joint Committee on Elder Affairs
Member, Joint Committee on Higher Education
Chair, Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight
Vice Chair, Joint Committee on Telecommunication, Utilities and Energy
1. Do you consider yourself pro-choice or pro-life?
- Pro-choice
2. Should abortion be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy?
- No Answer
3. Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape?
- Yes
4. Should abortion be legal when the life of the woman is endangered?
- Yes
5. Do you support requiring parental notification before an abortion is performed on a minor?
- Yes
6. Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor?
- Yes
7. Do you support sexual education programs that include information on abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention methods?
- Yes
8. Do you support abstinence-only sexual education programs?
- No
9. Other or expanded principles
- b) Roe vs Wade
1. Education (higher)
- Slightly Increase
2. Education (K-12)
- Greatly Increase
3. Environment
- Greatly Increase
4. Health care
- Maintain Status
5. Law enforcement
- Slightly Increase
6. Transportation and highway infrastructure
- Maintain Status
7. Welfare
- Maintain Status
8. Other or expanded categories
- Greatly Increase
1. Alcohol taxes
- Slightly Decrease
2. Cigarette taxes
- Maintain Status
3. Corporate taxes
- Maintain Status
4. Gasoline taxes
- Maintain Status
5. Property taxes
- Slightly Decrease
6. Sales taxes
- Slightly Decrease
7. Income taxes (low-income families)
- Slightly Decrease
8. Income taxes (middle-income families)
- Slightly Decrease
9. Income taxes (high-income families)
- Slightly Increase
10. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer
1. Tapping into Massachusetts' "rainy day" fund
- Yes
2. Issuing the early release of certain non-violent offenders
- Yes
3. Increasing tuition rates at public universities
- No
4. Instituting mandatory furloughs and layoffs for state employees
- Yes
5. Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients
- No
6. Privatizing certain government services
- Yes
7. Other or expanded principles
- d) for management staff onlyf) As long as quality standards are tried and Transparency and Accountability are part of the process and the taxpayer saves money.
1. Individual
- Yes
2. Political Action Committee
- Yes
3. Corporate
- Yes
4. Political Party
- Yes
5. Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits?
- Yes
6. Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information?
- Yes
7. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes?
- Yes
2. Do you support alternatives to incarceration for certain non-violent offenders, such as mandatory counseling or substance abuse treatment?
- Yes
3. Should the possession of small amounts of marijuana be decriminalized?
- No
4. Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult?
- Yes
5. Should a minor who sends sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges?
- No Answer
6. Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police?
- No Answer
7. Other or expanded principles
- e) Depends - it would depend on content age etc. f) I believe a national immigration reform law would be best but Massachusetts should enforce the laws we have.
1. Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector?
- Yes
2. Do you support the expansion of state-regulated gaming?
- Yes
3. Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers?
- Yes
4. Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits?
- Yes
5. Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation?
- Yes
6. Do you support increased spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation?
- Yes
7. Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure?
- Yes
8. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Do you support national education standards?
- Yes
2. Do you support requiring public schools to administer high school exit exams?
- Yes
3. Do you support using a merit pay system for teachers?
- No
4. Do you support state funding for charter schools?
- No
5. Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid?
- Yes
6. Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Massachusetts high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
- No
7. Other or expanded principles
- c) only if it is negotiatedd) only if Funding is not cut in other schools
1. Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy?
- Yes
2. Do you support state funding for the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)?
- No
3. Do you support providing financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops?
- Yes
4. Do you support state funding for improvements to Massachusetts' energy infrastructure?
- Yes
5. Should municipalities be allowed to take control of their electric infrastructure through the use of eminent domain?
- No Answer
6. Do you support state funding for open space preservation?
- Yes
7. Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change?
- Yes
8. Other or expanded principles
- e) need more information
1. Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns?
- No
2. Do you support requiring background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows?
- Yes
3. Do you support allowing individuals to carry concealed guns?
- Yes
4. Do you support requiring a license for gun possession?
- Yes
5. Other or expanded principles
- c) if licensed to do so.
1. Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option?
- Yes
2. Do you support expanding access to health care through commercial health insurance reform?
- Yes
3. Do you support interstate health insurance compacts?
- Yes
4. Should individuals be required to purchase health care insurance?
- Yes
5. Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits?
- No
6. Do you support legalizing physician-assisted suicide in Massachusetts?
- No
7. Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes?
- Yes
8. Other or expanded principles
- e) I am willing to look at longer but how do you place a limit on life limb etc.
1. Should marriage only be between one man and one woman?
- No Answer
2. Should Massachusetts continue to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples?
- Yes
3. Do you support state funding for stem cell research?
- Yes
4. Do you support state funding for embryonic stem cell research?
- Yes
5. Do you support the state's use of affirmative action?
- Yes
6. Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Massachusetts' anti-discrimination laws?
- Yes
7. Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Massachusetts' anti-discrimination laws?
- No Answer
8. Other or expanded principles
- a) Our state constitution recognizes marriages between a man + women as well as same-sex couples.g) I am opposed to discrimination of any kind. I would need to see language before I comment on whether or not a law should be amended.
Please explain in a total of 100 words or less, your top two or three priorities if elected. If they require additional funding for implementation, please explain how you would obtain this funding.
- I didn't wait for a recession to talk about creating jobs and improving our economy. I've been working to expand industrial parks, attract new businesses, and help existing businesses. I will continue fighting to create quality jobs.
Investing in education is also critical. I helped bring a state-of-the-art Math & Science Center to Bridgewater State University so that people our region can compete for the jobs of the future.
Rail access for our region is also a key economic development initiative that I believe is crucial to help connect our regional economy with the rest of the state.
Type: bill Chamber: upper
Type: bill Chamber: upper
Type: bill Chamber: upper