Michael Kushmerek 's campaign website highlights the following issues:

North-central Massachusetts is home to a wealth of strong public K-12 school districts. Mike has been a strong education advocate during his four years on the Fitchburg city council, where he made investing in our students a top budget priority. In the Senate he will fight for educational advancement opportunities to be made available for all. We need to expand programs like the Upward Bound college prep course at Fitchburg State that teaches essential academic skills to students. The regional success story that is Monty Tech provides a template for how Upward Bound and similar innovative ideas can be scaled with input from the whole district, to serve the whole district.

North-central Massachusetts contains a broad range of communities from rural to highly developed, each requiring a unique approach from first responders and public safety officials. Towns in the district whose emergency response forces consist primarily of volunteer and part-time staff must not be left behind. Mike believes that the state must do more to help foster and support mutual aid arrangements between communities.

Access to broadband internet is essential when conducting business in the twenty-first century economy. During his time on the Fitchburg City Council and in concert with Governor Baker's office, Mike has fought successfully to bring Comcast and Verizon broadband access to previously unserved areas of Fitchburg. He will work in the Senate to bring equal high-speed access to the entire district.

Mount Wachusett Community College is a perfect example of how the education system can strengthen our workforce and local economy. Accessible professional training programs for jobs in skilled manufacturing and nursing provide a path to full employment, without the price tag of a large university or liberal arts school. These programs benefit immensely from input by companies like Nypro and local medical facilities. Mike will endeavor to build new relationships with local businesses to strengthen these public-private partnerships and attract further investment to the district.