2014 Massachusetts General Election Candidate Guide

2014 Massachusetts General Election Candidate Guide

Vote on Tuesday, November 4th!

Register to Vote by October 15th!

Polls are open 7:00 AM—8:00 PM

Your Election Information If you registered at: Rosie’s Place Your Polling Location is: Orchard Gardens Community Center 2 Dearborn Street - Boston, MA 02118 If you registered at: Woods Mullen or Pine Street Inn Your Polling Location is: Cathedral High School 1336 Washington Street - Boston, MA 02118 If you registered at: Long Island Shelter Your Polling Location is: Harbor Point Technology Center 15 Harbor Point Boulevard - Boston, MA 02125

If you are registered to vote at a different location, please call the city elections department at 617-635-3767 or www.cityofboston.gov/elections/voter, to find out your district and polling location. You can also get this information from the Rosie's Place Public Policy Program.

Useful contacts for voters Secretary of State: 800-462-8683 ww.wheredoivotema.com Boston Elections Department: 617-635-3767 www.cityofboston.gov/elections/voter Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights: 886 –OUR VOTE (687-8683) 888– VE Y VOTA (839-8682)

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Table of Contents Sample Ballot

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Ballot Questions

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Candidates for: Governor

7

Charles Baker (R)

8

Martha Coakley (D)

11

Evan Falchuk (UI)

14

Scott Lively (I)

17

Jeffery McCormick (I)

20

Candidates for: Attorney General

22

Maura Healey (D)

23

John Miller (R)

25

Candidates for: Secretary of State

27

David D'Arcangelo (R)

28

Daniel Factor (GR)

30

William Galvin (D)

33

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Table of Contents Candidates for: Treasurer

34

Deborah Goldberg (D)

35

Mike Heffernan (R)

39

Ian Jackson (GR)

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Candidates for: Auditor

43

Suzanne Bump (D)

44

MK Merelice (GR)

47

Patricia Saint Aubin (R)

50

Suffolk County Sheriff

51

Hassan Smith (I)

52

Steven Tompkins (D)

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Candidates for State Senator in General Court (2nd Suffolk District)

55

Sonia Chang-Diaz (D)

55

David Wyatt (R)

55

Candidates for: US Senate

56

Brian Herr (R)

57

Edward Markey (D)

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SAMPLE BALLOT (In alphabetical order)

Massachusetts General Election US Senate

Edward Markey Brian Herr

(D) (R)

Representative in US Congress

(7th Massachusetts District) Michael Capuano

(D)

Governor

Charlie Baker - Karyn Polito Martha Coakley - Steve Kerrigan Evan Falchuk - Angus Jennings Scott Lively - Shelly Saunders Jeffery McCormick - Tracy Post

(R) (D) (UI) (I) (I)

Attorney General

Maura Healey John Miller Warren Tolman

(D) (R) (D)

Secretary of State

David D'Arcangelo Daniel Factor William F. Galvin

(R) (GR) (D)

Treasurer

Deborah Goldberg Mike Heffernan Ian T. Jackson

(D) (R) (GR)

Auditor

Suzanne Bump MK Merelice Patricia Saint Aubin

(D) (GR) (R)

(2nd Suffolk District) State Senator in General Sonia Chang-Diaz Court David Wyatt

(D) (R)

State Representative in General Court

(9th Suffolk District) Byron Rushing

(D)

Suffolk County Sheriff

Hassan Smith Steven Tompkins

(I) (D)

Ballot Questions

Question 1: Eliminating Gas Tax Indexing Question 2: Expanding the Beverage Container Deposit Law Question 3: Expanding Prohibitions on Gaming Question 4: Earned Sick Time for Employees 5

Ballot Questions: Rosie’s Place has taken an official position on all four ballot questions. This is how we encourage our guests and supporters to vote:

Question 1: Vote NO. Eliminating Gas Tax Indexing: Do you think the gas tax should stay at the same level, when transportation costs rely on the gas tax,?

Rosie’s Place recommendation: The costs of transportation, roads and bridges keep going up. If the gas tax doesn’t keep up with inflation, we will be charged more later on for public transportation and to fix roads and bridges.

Question 2: Vote YES. Expanding the Beverage Container Deposit Law: Do you support expanding the 5¢ bottle deposit law to include water and juice bottles?

Rosie’s Place recommendation: This will allow more bottles to be recycled for 5¢ back for each bottle, a source of income for many of our guests.

Question 3: Vote YES. Expanding Prohibitions on Gaming: Do you support banning gaming casinos in Massachusetts?

Rosie’s Place recommendation: Expansion of gambling will harm people who struggle with gambling addiction. Cities in other states that have casinos have seen their local businesses hurt, leading to a loss of jobs in non-casino businesses. Only casino owners will benefit from casino expansion.

Question 4 : Vote YES. Earned Sick Time for Employees: Do you support the right for employees to earn paid sick time?

Rosie’s Place recommendation: We believe no one should be forced to choose between working when they are sick or need to care for a sick family member or losing their wages or their jobs.

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Candidates for Governor (in alphabetical order)

Charlie Baker Martha Coakley Evan Falchuk Scott Lively Jeffery McCormick

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(R) (D) (UI) (I) (I)

Candidate for Governor Charles Baker (R) Karyn Polito - Lieutenant Governor

1. What are the top three policy priorities of your campaign, and how would they impact the lives of poor and homeless women? If elected, where would you find the funding to realize these priorities?

The top three priorities of my campaign are great jobs, great schools and great communities for all of Massachusetts. I want every child to have access to a great school, everyone who wants to work to be able to find a job, and every community to be a place where people believe tomorrow will be better than yesterday.

I am concerned about the increasing inequality in our state and want to increase opportunities for all, including poor and homeless women. I have proposed increasing the minimum wage in combination with an increase in the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit. The EITC is a proven way to help lift people out of poverty, particularly single, working mothers.

As Secretary of Health and Human Services and Secretary of Administration and Finance under Governors Weld and Cellucci, I oversaw a number of reforms that improved service and care for program recipients, while increasing efficiency.

For example, we were able to reduce the number of homeless families living in hotels and motels to zero. I believe there are a number of ways we could improve our human and social service programs without compromising the service the state provides.

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Candidate for Governor 2. With federal cuts to the Section 8 housing program and stagnant levels of living wage jobs, low-income individuals and families are experiencing homelessness at unprecedented rates. How would your administration tackle the growing problem of individual and family homelessness?

While the failure to properly address the issue of homelessness in our state has become a financial problem, it is first and foremost a human tragedy. It is heartbreaking to think that the average age of a person experiencing homelessness in Massachusetts is 8 years old. We can and must do a better job of helping these struggling families and individuals get back on their feet and rebuild their lives. The status quo is simply unacceptable.

I am the only candidate for governor to release a comprehensive plan to address family homelessness. Short-term strategies should include triaging families currently in motels and developing individual plans, giving greater flexibility to providers, and expanding HomeBASE so that families can live with relatives.

Longer-term strategies include increasing access to and availability of affordable housing, empowering regional service networks with flexible state funding and reforming regulations that remove families from housing.

I worked on addressing homelessness as Secretary of Health and Human Services and Secretary of Administration and Finance under Governors Weld and Cellucci. During the Weld-Cellucci administration, we were able to reduce the number of families living in motels to zero, and I was proud to receive the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance’s Public Servant Award in 1997.

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Candidate for Governor 3. Among others, many low-wage/part time workers depend upon Massachusetts safety net benefits – SNAP, TAFDC, Medicaid, SSI, Child Care and more – to make ends meet. Current administrative practices result in procedural errors and the disruption or loss of benefits through churning. Massachusetts lags others states in reforming these practices. What is your vision for the administration of safety net benefits, in terms of efficiency, accountability and transparency?

I support a strong safety net for Massachusetts workers and families. I believe we owe it to those who rely on these services to ensure that the programs are administered properly and efficiently. Preventing and rooting out abuse is important to not only the integrity of the programs, but also to ensuring the oftenlimited funds for these programs are going to those who truly need them.

For temporary assistance programs, I would support reforms that better help recipients to transition off assistance and to economic independence. I recently announced my welfare reform priorities, which include investing in measures to get people back to work and give them the tools to achieve economic stability, and stopping abuse, so that welfare provides a true safety net for those who need it. Increasing funds for childcare subsidies, tax credits for employers who hire DTA program recipients, and a Pathways to Self-Sufficiency Program are just a few of the ideas I support.

As a former Secretary of Health and Human Services, I also know how important it is to have great, competent teams managing these safety net programs. As governor, I will make sure the agencies which administer these programs work together to ensure the best possible service to those who need assistance.

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Candidate for Governor Martha Coakley (D) Steve Kerrigan - Lieutenant Governor

1. What are the top three policy priorities of your campaign, and how would they impact the lives of poor and homeless women? If elected, where would you find the funding to realize these priorities?

As Governor, I want to help build a Commonwealth that reflects the values of equality, opportunity, and fairness. To me, that means building an economy that works for everyone, including raising the minimum wage and providing more training opportunities to help connect workers with good jobs. It also means transforming our education system so that every child has the best possible chance to reach his or her full potential, regardless of their family’s income. Finally, an issue that is personal for me, I believe that we need to do a better job caring for individuals struggling with mental illness or substance abuse. I believe strongly that our budget should be a reflection of our values. We must start with identifying our priorities and then making strategic investments to reach our goals.

Addressing each of these challenges is critical to empowering poor and homeless women. By raising the minimum wage and expanding access to good job opportunities, we can help lift women out of poverty and enable them to save for the future.

By changing our education system, including expanding learning time and introducing dedicated students support counselors, we can not only empower young people, but we can 11

Candidate for Governor reduce the burden on parents who may already be working two or three jobs. Finally, by doing more to address mental illness and substance abuse, we can get at one of the root causes of homelessness and poverty, and help people hold a job and remain in their homes.

2. With federal cuts to the Section 8 housing program and stagnant levels of living wage jobs, low-income individuals and families are experiencing homelessness at unprecedented rates. How would your administration tackle the growing problem of individual and family homelessness?

It is unacceptable that, in state as prosperous as Massachusetts, thousands of families still spend every day wondering where they will sleep at night. There is no silver bullet to address the problem of homelessness, but there are concrete steps we can take to both catch individuals and families before they become homeless, and to help those who are currently homeless successfully transition into permanent housing.

Nationally, more than a quarter of people who are homeless are living with a severe mental illness, and more than a third have a chronic substance abuse problem. I have called for greater funding for community-based behavioral health services, which will help us to identify at risk individuals, and families, and connect them with services before they become homeless, rather than after.

We also need to do a better job ensuring that people can successfully transition out of homelessness. One potential strategy is to expand the development of “supportive housing,� which incorporates affordable, permanent housing with on-site services to help connect residents with jobs, counseling, and health care. By providing these services, we can make it easier for the previously homeless to get back on their feet, and reduce the likelihood that they will fall back into homelessness.

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Candidate for Governor 3. Among others, many low-wage/part time workers depend upon Massachusetts safety net benefits – SNAP, TAFDC, Medicaid, SSI, Child Care and more – to make ends meet. Current administrative practices result in procedural errors and the disruption or loss of benefits through churning. Massachusetts lags others states in reforming these practices. What is your vision for the administration of safety net benefits, in terms of efficiency, accountability and transparency?

I believe that everyone who needs these benefits should have easy, consistent access to them. It is inexcusable for families to lose their benefits because of poor communication or administrative errors. I have spoken about the importance of updating technology in state government and improving interagency communication, and nowhere is the need for those improvements more evident than when it comes to providing crucial benefits. We also need to ensure that the benefits we are providing are going to those who really need them; as Attorney General, my office has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in waste and fraud in our Medicaid system, money that went back to families who need the critical medical care that Medicaid provides.

I also believe we need to ensure that families don’t lose their benefits for other reasons beyond their control. I recently indicated that, as Governor, I would support gap funding for families that lose their early education vouchers because a parent loses their job or is forced to leave school, a risk currently faced by more than 15,000 children in Massachusetts.

While improving the delivery of benefits is important, it cannot be our only focus; we must also make it easier for people to get on the ladder to success. By emphasizing the priorities I outlined earlier – promoting economic opportunity, transforming education, and improving behavioral health care – we can empower individuals and families who are currently reliant on safety net benefits to climb out of poverty and reach the middle class.

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Candidate for Governor Evan Falchuk (UI) Angus Jennings - Lieutenant Governor

1.

What are the top three policy priorities of your campaign, and how would they impact the lives of poor and homeless women? If elected, where would you find the funding to realize these priorities?

My top three priorities are: (1) Lower health care costs by stopping hospitals from merging into giant, monopolistic systems that charge way too much for care. (2) Increase affordable housing by making it easier for people to build much more housing. (3) Increase funding for education and job training.

The reason I picked these three priorities is because they are all linked together as part of the solution to the incredibly high cost of living in Massachusetts, and to make the economy grow.

It's become so expensive to live in Massachusetts that people can fall into homelessness because they lose a job, they or a family member get sick or something else unexpected happens.

Making it cheaper to live here will make it easier for women working so hard to get by to actually get ahead.

To pay for these initiatives, we must change the way the state spends its money. For example, the state gives out big tax breaks to big companies. The state also spends an enormous amount of money in ways that are wasteful. A line-by-line review of our state’s budget will find the money that is being misspent and use it to support pre-K education, job training, better funding for schools, more support for affordable housing, rental housing vouchers and other supports.

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Candidate for Governor 2. With federal cuts to the Section 8 housing program and stagnant levels of living wage jobs, low-income individuals and families are experiencing homelessness at unprecedented rates. How would your administration tackle the growing problem of individual and family homelessness?

Helping individuals and families experiencing homelessness must be one of the most basic jobs of government. For starters, we must end the inhumane practice of making a family prove they spent a night someplace not meant for human habitation before being allowed in a state-funded shelter. We must also end the practice of housing families in hotels and motels. People experiencing homelessness can be helped in many ways, but putting them in these situations is wrong.

Dramatically increasing the supply of housing in Massachusetts will help many people at risk of homelessness by making rent that much cheaper. Growing the economy and creating lots of new jobs will create more opportunities for work. And funding mental health and substance abuse programs, as well as job training and other educational programs, will help people experiencing homelessness get back on their feet and stay there.

3. Among others, many low-wage/part time workers depend upon Massachusetts safety net benefits – SNAP, TAFDC, Medicaid, SSI, Child Care and more – to make ends meet. Current administrative practices result in procedural errors and the disruption or loss of benefits through churning.

Massachusetts lags others states in reforming these practices.

What is your vision for the administration of safety net benefits, in terms of efficiency, accountability and transparency?

When most politicians talk about welfare reform they tend to focus on fraud and abuse. What’s missing from the discussion is how to fix the broken welfare system so that people who legitimately need access to benefits get them. There have been too many cases where people lose their benefits unfairly, and because of that are not able to feed and take care of themselves and their families.

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Candidate for Governor I believe the government's job is to make the system work for the people. To do this, state agencies need to work together and share information in a timely way to avoid the unnecessary disruption of benefits.

Second, we should be taking a look at the process of applying for benefits to be sure it is simple and makes sense, and that laws governing benefits don't make the lives of people harder than they already are. We also need to be sure that benefits are keeping up with the rate of inflation. This is particularly important given the fact that the cost of living continues to rise so rapidly in Massachusetts.

Finally, we are not doing nearly enough to fund job training programs for the people who would like access to them. Increasing funding for strategic job training programs will allow so many more people to better themselves and their families, and in the process, help Massachusetts as a whole.

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Candidate for Governor Scott Lively (I) Shelly Saunders - Lieutenant Governor

1. What are the top three policy priorities of your campaign, and how would they impact the lives of poor and homeless women? If elected, where would you find the funding to realize these priorities?

First of all, the voters should know that I am a Missionary Pastor and Attorney who runs an inner-city mission in Springfield which serves the homeless as one of our core constituencies. My running mate, Shelly Saunders is herself a homeless African-American woman, currently housed at Friends of the Homeless here in Springfield. She is an intelligent and talented woman who simply fell on hard times, a Christian mother of six and now a grandmother. I chose her for my running mate specifically for her knowledge and experience in addressing the issues of the inner-city both as a resident and a worker in the social services.

Our top priority for addressing homelessness is to restore respect for Biblical values in Massachusetts, especially the importance of keeping marriages and families together. The best and most secure home for a woman is with a good and honorable husband who loves her and wants to provide for her and her children. The government is a sad and inadequate substitute for a husband or father, and government policies all too often provide incentives for marriages and families to break apart rather than stay together.

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Candidate for Governor We would make family stability/reunification the top priority for the social services, especially at DCF, and add both marriage counseling and family-style drug and alcohol recovery programs to prevent divorce where possible.

2. With federal cuts to the Section 8 housing program and stagnant levels of living wage jobs, low-income individuals and families are experiencing homelessness at unprecedented rates. How would your administration tackle the growing problem of individual and family homelessness?

The Lively/Saunders administration would work to liberate innercity families from government dependency by teaching and promoting the philosophy of self-sufficiency and entrepreneurialism in conjunction with micro-financing for startup businesses, similar to programs used in Africa. Every family rescued in whole or in part from government dependency would reduce the drain on the public treasury and free up money to expand this program and to fund our other policy proposals.

In existing and continuing subsidy programs we would borrow methodologies and structures from housing and food cooperatives to help recipients become stakeholders with a share of responsibility for maintaining the facilities they live in, and launch sweat-equity programs to reclaim and restore unused real estate which would in time convert to private ownership of the participants.

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Candidate for Governor 3. Among others, many low-wage/part time workers depend upon Massachusetts safety net benefits – SNAP, TAFDC, Medicaid, SSI, Child Care and more – to make ends meet. Current administrative practices result in procedural errors and the disruption or loss of benefits through churning. Massachusetts lags others states in reforming these practices. What is your vision for the administration of safety net benefits, in terms of efficiency, accountability and transparency?

We believe that both of the major political parties are guilty of perpetuating a culture of political patronage in Massachusetts that has resulted in unnecessary redundancy and duplication in the administration of social services. There are simply too many cooks in the kitchen, too many hands in the cash register and no incentive by those in power to fix the problem. As Independents with a Christian missionary worldview, we would enthusiastically and diligently end these corrupt practices and streamline the entire system to maximize efficiency and save money.

We believe that citizen oversight is the best remedy and preventative for government waste, fraud and abuse, and we would explore pubic/private partnerships to create effective systems for such oversight, so we would never end up in this situation again.

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Candidate for Governor Jeffery McCormick (I) Tracy Post - Lieutenant Governor

1.

What are the top three policy priorities of your campaign, and how would they impact the lives of poor and homeless women? If elected, where would you find the funding to realize these priorities?

The top three priorities of my campaign are job growth, fiscal responsibility and creating a 21st century approach to government for all residents of the Commonwealth. I believe these priorities are not necessarily a matter of increased funding, but working smarter with innovative ideas and state of the art technology. Our state government has left Massachusetts with the dubious distinction of having the second highest cost of doing business of any state in America. We will change that, and by so doing, we will create more jobs and bring more revenue into our state and local budgets.

2.

With federal cuts to the Section 8 housing program and stagnant levels of living wage jobs, low-income individuals and families are experiencing homelessness at unprecedented rates. How would your administration tackle the growing problem of individual and family homelessness?

I am a strong proponent of data based solutions as a means to addressing complex problems. The housing and homelessness challenge has no “one size fits all� solution.

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Candidate for Governor As a state, we spend a great deal of money combating homelessness and sadly we still have a large number of families living in hotels and motels. We must focus on shifting the dollars to prevention and supporting residents before they become homeless. In addition, we must provide wrap around support services such as job training, counseling, and access to childcare.

This is a more effective, healthy, and supportive way of tackling homelessness.

3.

Among others, many low-wage/part time workers depend upon Massachusetts safety net benefits – SNAP, TAFDC, Medicaid, SSI, Child Care and more – to make ends meet. Current administrative practices result in procedural errors and the disruption or loss of benefits through churning.

Massachusetts lags others states in reforming these practices.

What is your vision for the administration of safety net benefits, in terms of efficiency, accountability and transparency?

It is imperative that those who are in need of benefits are receiving them. But we also need to make sure that people who are abusing the system or committing fraud are held accountable. Benefits fraud not only wastes taxpayer dollars but also takes away from the people who are receiving benefits legitimately. I believe we can apply technology to the administration of benefits to better track, deliver, and verify benefits for those eligible. We will use data from these delivery systems to verify and confirm that the benefits are going to those who truly need them. This will also increase transparency in the system.

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Candidates for Attorney General (in alphabetical order)

Maura Healey John Miller

(D) (R)

Political Parties D: Democrat R: Republican

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Candidate for Attorney General Maura Healey (D)

1. What labor violations do you see are the most pressing to low wage workers, particularly women and immigrants, and how would you tackle them if elected?

In my career as a civil rights attorney and as a leader in the Attorney General’s Office, I have fought for low wage workers and against discrimination and abuse. In Massachusetts today, far too many women and immigrants are harmed by unfair and unsafe working conditions. I hope to have your support so that as Attorney General, I can make sure that every employer in Massachusetts provides fair pay and a safe space for every worker.

2. Massachusetts is facing one of the worst drug epidemics of its time. If elected, how would you use the office of the Attorney General to tackle this problem?

As Attorney General, I want to treat drug abuse as a disease and not as a crime. We are putting too many people in jail who really need treatment instead. I will stop drug trafficking into Massachusetts and use technology to provide doctors with better information to keep patients safe. I also support more education to the public and to children about the dangers of prescription drugs and opiates, including heroin. We also need to change the law so that you cannot get into trouble for helping a friend who has an overdose. I will fight to make these changes happen.

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Candidate for Attorney General 3. Low income Massachusetts residents are targeted by predatory financial institutions such as check cashers, payday lenders, pawn shops, imposing higher costs on poor urban communities for goods and services. What do you propose to mitigate these practices?

For many years, I have fought big banks and lenders to stop abuse and discrimination. I led a program to help people keep their homes and to stop foreclosures. This is one of the most important things the Attorney General does. I will build on those efforts and take on new threats, including online payday lenders, and abusive for-profit schools and student loan providers.

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Candidate for Attorney General John Miller (R)

(from candidate’s website) Tackling Crime Openly and Honestly: One of my first acts as the next Attorney General will be to organize and host a Crime Summit with broad participation from the public and from across government. [Community leaders, the District Attorneys, the Police Chiefs (Association), the State Police, the Sheriffs, the Department of Public Safety, the Commissioner of Probation, the Inspector General, the Department of Public Health, and the criminal defense bar.] We need to openly discuss and identify ways to better serve and protect the public safety of citizens across Massachusetts. On behalf of them, we need to do a better job of sharing information and implementing new technologies to fairly and effectively implement a Fact-Based Justice system. Far too many of our six million citizens and families are personally touched by crime and by drug abuse. It’s time for an Attorney General who will lead an open dialog with the public and with leaders from across the state’s law enforcement team. We need to pull together, using 21st century technology and communications to wisely tackle crime and its effects on all our citizens.

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Candidate for Attorney General Illegal Immigration: Massachusetts is now a border state and it’s time to act like one. As Attorney General, I won’t blindly sit by and let the federal government release illegal immigrants into our state without first protecting the civil rights of Massachusetts residents and citizens.

State laws establish requirements and taxpayer funding for public health, safety, and for the education of Massachusetts kids. Scarce property tax dollars should not be taken, in a few of our cities, from health, safety, and education budgets to fund this federal failure. As your AG, I will hold the federal government accountable for monies taken from Massachusetts citizens, cities, and towns to fund this federal responsibility. You are the client. I will fight to protect you from seeing scarce tax dollars diverted to fund a federal obligation.

Political Corruption: Beacon Hill is a mess. Too often we open the paper or see on T.V. another politician, vendor, or official arrested. For many years the AG has been part of a Beacon Hill culture unwilling to tackle public corruption. This culture has led to fraud, waste, and abuse of taxpayer dollars. That culture ends when I am elected. One of the primary reasons I’m running is to re-establish what existing law already provides — a heavy penalty paid by politicians and officials that abuse their power or convert taxpayer dollars for their own benefit. You’re the client and your tax dollars will not be wasted on contracts given out without proper review from your lawyer, the Attorney General. I am not a member of the Beacon Hill Club and never will be. I will never hesitate to attack corruption wherever it is found. Only the Attorney General has the independent constitutional authority to clean up the mess.

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Candidates for Secretary of State (In alphabetical order)

David D'Arcangelo Daniel Factor William Galvin

Political Parties D: Democrat GR: Green-Rainbow R: Republican

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(R) (GR) (D)

Candidate for Secretary of State David D'Arcangelo (R)

1.

As Secretary of State, would you support Election Day Registration and No Excuse Absentee voting? Why or why not?

I will be an advocate for all Massachusetts voters. My priorities for voters include a more modern election system that makes it easier for people to register to vote while ensuring the integrity of our election process. With current technology we have the capability to have voters register and cast their ballot with greater efficiency and in a timelier manner than we have done over the past 20 years of the current Secretary’s reign. As your next Secretary of State I will install and oversee a process that provides and allows more flexibility for all voters to exercise their decisions at the ballot box while increasing transparency and accountability for all of our citizens.

2.

Voting can be a difficult process for citizens who are poor and homeless as they face shelter curfews, mandated program meetings, unstable housing and unsafe living conditions. As Secretary of State, what would you do to ensure fair and accessible voting practices for poor and homeless voters?

As someone who has a disability I am keenly aware and sensitive to issues impacting our citizens that face challenges. As Secretary I will make sure that all of our citizens are treated with dignity and and respect. This would include regular and continued outreach to the homeless community through interaction with case workers, 28

Candidate for Secretary of State shelters and other social service agencies to ensure that all of our citizens are empowered with accurate information about elections and voting. I would also institute programs to work with at least two specific populations; our homeless veterans and our homeless population struggling with mental illness.

3.

Given recent Supreme Court decisions regarding secret and unlimited private spending on elections, what would you do to increase election spending transparency and ensure those who lack financial resources have an equal voice as large donors and special interest groups?

I have long been an advocate for reforming our elections process and for making our system more transparent and open to the public. Unfortunately, our current Secretary of State is responsible for Massachusetts receiving the grade of “F� when it comes to transparency in government. Further, our current Secretary has amassed a Campaign Warchest that exceeds $5,500,000, $5.5million, dollars, which represents a who’s who of large donors and special interest groups. As your next Secretary of State I will adopt reforms to create a more level playing field and ensures transparency for all of our citizens.

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Candidate for Secretary of State Daniel Factor (GR)

1.

As Secretary of State, would you support Election Day Registration and No Excuse Absentee voting? Why or why not?

I will do everything in my power to institute Election Day Registration and No Excuse Absentee Voting, but we also must go further to remove all obstacles to democracy.

Enabling democracy means making it easier for groups to organize.

More public spaces must be created so that groups may gather, we must keep net neutrality, we must end indiscriminate spying and the installation of cameras in our streets, and we must teach about inclusive democracy in our public schools. These efforts create a democracy that truly represents everyone.

To further enable democracy, we need to put an end to the tremendous number of uncontested elections in Massachusetts, and open up the system to allow a more diverse group of people to run for office. As Secretary, I will take an active roll in encouraging individuals to run for office by including materials that encourage and explain how to run for office in our yearly town census. Multicandidate elections should be held using instant run-off voting and proportional representation, and voting rights must be expanded to documented and undocumented immigrants, prisoners and all individuals age fifteen and older.

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Candidate for Secretary of State My goal is that the poor and homeless will not only be politically engaged, but that they will give us candidates who will challenge incumbents that deny people their basic dignity. In this way, it will be the poor and the homeless, along with all of us, who will play a crucial role in the abolition of poverty and homelessness altogether.

2.

Voting can be a difficult process for citizens who are poor and homeless as they face shelter curfews, mandated program meetings, unstable housing and unsafe living conditions. As Secretary of State, what would you do to ensure fair and accessible voting practices for poor and homeless voters?

Rules must exist to preserve the safety of shelter residents and allow individuals to sleep in peace, but shelter curfews which impose undue burdens on civil liberties should be ended by state legislation. Surely shelter residents should be able to vote, work, stroll, or assemble no matter the time of day. Program meetings should not be allowed to take place on Election Day and public transportation should be free not only on Election Day but 365 days per year.

We must go further, however, and abolish poverty and homelessness altogether through an Economic Bill of Rights that states every single person deserves dignity, respect and love, and that every person has the right to healthy food, clean water, decent private shelter, single-payer healthcare, equal education and the right to live in a healthy environment.

We must never forget that poverty is a human-created problem and can be ended by in a matter of weeks if we choose. This can be done by ending the trillions of dollars spent on wars of empire, and creating a statewide graduated income tax.

There is a saying "empty bags do not stand up.", i.e. that a hungry person cannot have political rights until she has economic rights.

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Candidate for Secretary of State 3. Given recent Supreme Court decisions regarding secret and unlimited private spending on elections, what would you do to increase election spending transparency and ensure those who lack financial resources have an equal voice as large donors and special interest groups?

As Secretary, I will increase election spending transparency to the maximum level by ensuring all campaign expenditure records are available to the public online as soon as the expenditure is made.

However, transparency alone doesn't stop our democracy from being hijacked by big money. Fortunately Massachusetts has been able to maintain election spending limits. To protect our democracy, we must ban all independent election expenditures and establish public financing for elections. We must also enact the proposed constitutional amendment which states that "Corporations Are Not People" and "Money Is Not Speech". Political advertisements must be limited to public service announcements which provide information about all candidates in an equal time format. This will enable a candidate who is not supported exclusively by the wealthy to run a proper campaign.

Until we have public financing of campaigns, I urge my opponents and all those running for office in Massachusetts to self-regulate their campaign by following these rules that all Green-Rainbow Candidates pledge to: 1. I take no contributions from registered lobbyists OR from officers and political action committees (PACS) of for-profit corporations that employ registered lobbyists.

2. I strongly oppose attempts to influence the election by independent expenditure organizations (such as "SuperPACS") which evade normal donation limits or keep their donors and expenditures secret until after the election.

Until we can enact public financing of all elections, I urge all to only vote for candidates who are willing to take this Green-Rainbow Party Team pledge of integrity.

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Candidate for Secretary of State William Galvin

(D)

1. As Secretary of State, would you support Election Day Registration and No Excuse Absentee voting? Why or why not?

I have vigorously supported expansion of absentee voting and I will be enthusiastically implementing the new early voting law. I support same day registration provided that there are adequate funds to provide online access in every precinct to the Central Voter Registry.

2. Voting can be a difficult process for citizens who are poor and homeless as they face shelter curfews, mandated program meetings, unstable housing and unsafe living conditions. As Secretary of State, what would you do to ensure fair and accessible voting practices for poor and homeless voters?

My office has worked with shelters to register voters allowing them to use the shelters as an address. I have also administered an address confidentiality program to assist victims of domestic violence maintain their voter status.

3. Given recent Supreme Court decisions regarding secret and unlimited private spending on elections, what would you do to increase election spending transparency and ensure those who lack financial resource have an equal voice as large donors and special interest group?

I would support full and immediate disclosure of all Super PAC and independent expenditure campaign contributions.

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Candidates for Treasurer (In alphabetical order)

Deborah Goldberg Mike Heffernan Ian Jackson

(D) (R) (GR)

Political Parties D: Democrat GR: Green-Rainbow R: Republican

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Candidate for Treasurer Deborah Goldberg (D)

1. The state’s payments to meet our debt and pension obligations are a significant portion of the state’s budget. What reforms do you propose that would ease the restrictions on the state’s discretionary funding, while fulfilling the state’s obligations to state retirees and to the state’s debtors?

First, we must remember that our retirees pay 10-12% into their retirement and receive no social security. A 2009 Special Commission showed that our self-funded system actually saves the state significant dollars, helping prevent increased pressure on discretionary funds. Additionally, in the last five years Massachusetts has undergone a series of pension reforms that closed loopholes, preventing gaming of the system and requiring new employees to work longer. Anticipated savings from these reforms is in excess of $5 billion over the next thirty years.

As Treasurer, I will insure proper implementation of these changes.

Additionally, I will effectively manage our public pension system, which will also take pressure off of discretionary funding. We will accomplish this with a controlled growth strategy and by also managing our assumptions as the market goes up and we exceed estimated rates of return, enabling us to lower targets for future returns and move toward a more fully funded system. We will do so, taking into account variations in the market and doing actuarial analysis on an on going basis.

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Candidate for Treasurer Debt places less pressure on discretionary funds because it is a controlled liability. The legislature authorizes the borrowing but the Treasurer works with Administration and Finance as to timing based upon what the state needs are. As Treasurer, I will also work with the debt management team to continuously monitor rates and swap any debt that can be replaced at a lower rate, which will then cost the state less, freeing funds for other expenditures.

2. How would you expand the Treasury’s financial literacy resources to be relevant to poor households, whose earned and unearned income combined below 200% of the federal poverty level?

One of the primary reasons I am running for Treasurer is to give every woman, man, and family the financial power and skills they need to move ahead in today’s tough economy. Today the Treasurer’s office has a Financial Literacy Fund that only has capacity to give out grants. I intend to create a robust, comprehensive statewide financial literacy program that meets all needs beginning in elementary school and continuing through to our elder citizens.

To accomplish this, it will take time and collaboration. As a former elected local leader, I intend to do so with no unfunded mandates.

We will have a working group that includes school superintendents, school committees, legislators, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and experts in the field to develop programs, along with public / private partnerships to put funding mechanisms in place. We will also work with other states that have implemented successful programs already.

Our long-term goals are to have basic financial literacy skills begin as part of the elementary school math curriculum. By high school we want kids to have a clear understanding of managing a budget, balancing a checkbook, and avoiding debt.

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Candidate for Treasurer We also intend to provide culturally sensitive programs for adults in comprehending mortgages and value changes, costs of owning a home, and principles around savings and planning. And we will outreach to seniors as we do in the Unclaimed Property Division to educate on the predatory practices that target them, such as reverse mortgages and investment schemes.

3. Liquor stores are over-represented in low-income communities. What role do you see for the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission in reducing this disparity?

Liquor stores are exceptionally over-represented in low-income areas and Boston is a classic example. Roxbury has 26 liquor licenses, with 17 being liquor stores. The North End in a vastly smaller area has 99 liquor licenses, with the majority in restaurants. Liquor stores and fast food restaurants are the staple of low-income areas, exacerbating health disparities and preventing opportunity in areas of cities that need it most.

Local authorities govern the granting and transfer of licenses and are only limited by the number of licenses available for each community. The legislature determines the numbers, but the ABCC through enforcement guidelines, can impact distribution of those licenses.

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Candidate for Treasurer As a Selectman in Brookline, I was a leader in developing local policies and protecting vulnerable populations from aggressive marketing. An example was placements of coolers containing soda like alcoholic drinks that targeted younger people, moving them away from street view. I supported sting operations, helped create penalties for violations and developed hard guidelines on license transfers, focusing on the character of the licensee, while also keeping areas from over saturation of package stores, particularly near schools.

As Treasurer, I will continue the same kind of diligence, particularly scrutinizing character and fitness of new applicants for package store licenses. I plan to convene regular meetings with the House and Senate Chairs of the Licensing Committees, reporting violations by area, citing demographics and advocating for less new Section 15 package store licensing in inner cities, while pushing for stricter penalties for those who are in violation.

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Candidate for Treasurer Mike Heffernan (R)

(from candidate’s website) Improving Education Mike is the son of a Wayland High School guidance counselor and a graduate of Algonquin Regional High School, who worked his way through college and graduate school. He and his wife, Peggy, have three children who all have attended public schools. Mike believes every child, regardless of zip code, deserves a great education provided in a modern, connected school building.

As chairman of the Mass. School Building Authority, the Treasurer oversees the assistance to school districts in constructing new schools. As Treasurer, Mike will help improve the quality of school buildings in Massachusetts, increasing the number of new schools constructed with a special focus on affordability in underprivileged communities.

Mike supports the work of the School Building Authority, which is funded through a portion of sales tax revenues. As Treasurer, Mike will advocate for improvements in jobs and economic development policies, knowing that success in putting people to work will increase spending and sales tax revenue. A successful economic strategy will help the state afford to build more new schools.

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Candidate for Treasurer Financial Literacy As the chief financial officer for the Commonwealth, the Treasurer can play a leadership role in expanding financial literacy in our public schools and for families and individuals across the state.

Mike believes there is an opportunity to create a public-private partnership with the financial services sector in Massachusetts.

The knowledge and expertise available in the private sector could be brought to the public in various ways, including public school classes and public seminars. Mike would work with the state education officials to improve financial literacy courses available in public schools, colleges and online.

In the community, financial literacy programs should be tailored for all of our at-risk populations who lack opportunities for sound money management education. Programs taught by expert volunteers from the financial services industry will focus on the elderly, veterans, students, families on public assistance, and inmates preparing for release.

Supports Economic Development Generated by Casinos The real threat to local aid is not casinos, but the cuts to funding for cities and towns made by the Legislature. Since 2009, unrestricted state aid to towns and cities has been cut by $400 million while the overall state budget has grown more than $6 billion.

If we are able to grow our economy and create jobs, the state will see an increase in tax revenues. Those revenues can then be used to restore aid to cities and towns and offer relief from upward pressure on local property taxes.

Resort casinos will pump billions of much needed investment dollars into the most economically disadvantaged areas of Massachusetts creating much needed jobs. For this reason, Mike will vote against repealing the casino law. Should the law be repealed, Mike will work to formulate economic development plans to replace these lost investments.

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Candidate for Treasurer Ian Jackson (GR)

1. The state’s payments to meet our debt and pension obligations are a significant portion of the state’s budget. What reforms do you propose that would ease the restrictions on the state’s discretionary funding, while fulfilling the state’s obligations to state retirees and to the state’s debtors?

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has many obligations. The use of commonwealth in the official name was selected as a symbol of goal of the desire for us to come together for the common good.

The bonds and pensions are examples of obligations of the commonwealth. We have many obligations that have gone underfunded.

One reform is to implement single payer health care that will save the state 2 billion dollars. Consider the burden on people and businesses know the coverage of their health plan. Consider the challenge of changing jobs or starting a business when it comes down to understanding the differences in plans.

The other major reform would be to create a funding system for the state based on progressive principals. The funding sources for the state and our towns should not be based on a larger and larger degree of voluntary taxation based on the dream of a large pay out that disproportionately attracts the people with low income.

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Candidate for Treasurer 2. How would you expand the Treasury’s financial literacy resources to be relevant to poor households, whose earned and unearned income combined below 200% of the federal poverty level?

Financial education is important at all income levels.

A continued challenge is assisting people at all levels understanding credit cards. It is even more important at the lower incomes because they tend to get offers with higher interest rates and fees.

The Treasurer needs to use its office to insure that lottery which is also under the office of the Treasurer and other funding sources don’t disproportionately takes money from low income.

People need to be enabled to track their finances and assistance at going bank accounts to make payments without paying large amounts of their income.

3. Liquor stores are over-represented in low-income communities. What role do you see for the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission in reducing this disparity?

The over-representation of liquor stores in low-income communities is a challenge. The Treasurer must advocate for businesses that will provide services and food for the community.

The Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission and the Lottery Commission should use their regulatory and licensing authority to ensure that reasonable retail space exists for grocery and required services.

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Candidates for Auditor (in alphabetical order)

Suzanne Bump MK Merelice Patricia Saint Aubin

Political Parties D: Democrat GR: Green-Rainbow R: Republican

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(D) (GR) (R)

Candidate for Auditor Suzanne Bump (D)

1. If elected, what kinds of audits do you feel would have the greatest impact on the Commonwealth?

The real value of the State Auditor’s office lies in its capacity to help make government work better. Better government is more effective, more efficient, more accountable and more transparent. Better government provides better service, roots out waste, fraud and abuse, and builds public trust.

For the last three and a half years my office has prioritized audits of those agencies and programs where the risk of misspending or of poor service delivery are greatest. To do this, I have improved the information technology in the office and the professional skills of the staff. Increasingly, with these improvements, we are doing what are called “performance� audits which identify agencies and programs that are failing in their mission.

To date, I have identified more than $350 million in accounting variances, misspending, inefficiencies, and fraud. My audits also have brought about improvements in agencies across the broad range of government, from our court system to education, housing, human services, transportation, and health care.

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Candidate for Auditor 2. What types of audits would you conduct to highlight areas of inefficiency in state government that are barriers for eligible low income residents in receiving state support?

Performance audits that examine matters like delays in eligibility determinations, waiting lists for services, requirements that impose unreasonable burdens on persons who are seeking or receiving services are examples of audits which my office has conducted and will continue to conduct. Sometimes in these audits we discover that agencies do not have sufficient technology to enable them to service their customers quickly; other times they lack sufficient staff or staff are poorly trained or managed.

Sometimes policies or laws need to be changed.

All state agencies need to recognize their obligations to both taxpayers and those who rely on government services, whether that service is transportation or food stamps.

3. What role does the Auditor’s office have in protecting vulnerable populations - elders, the disabled, limited-English speakers, low income people?

As a Democrat, I believe that government has not only an ability but a responsibility to promote individual, societal and economic opportunity. I also believe in our moral obligation to maintain a strong social safety net.

I am committed to ensuring that these programs operate with integrity. When fraud and abuse go undetected, those who should benefit from these programs are cheated of scarce resources, and public support for them suffers. I advocate for integrity within these programs so that the public can support them with confidence.

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Candidate for Auditor On the other hand, I do not seek to create barriers for applicants or agencies in an exaggerated effort to appeal to those who would shred the social safety net. I will not scapegoat those who need support from their government in order to win favor with the antitax crowd. For instance, as a member of a panel charged with determining whether public assistance benefit programs should go “cashless,� I recommended against such a move since it would be detrimental to beneficiaries, expensive for the state, burdensome to businesses, and ineffective in preventing abuse of these benefit programs.

My audits also review the performance of private organizations that provide services to vulnerable populations under contract with state agencies. Many times, we have found that services are not being provided, that money intended for programs is used for other purposes, or that over-billing occurs. In those instances, we refer the matters back to the agencies so that they may protect clients from mistreatment or poor service and that money owed back to the Commonwealth can be collected.

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Candidate for Auditor MK Merelice (GR)

1. If elected, what kinds of audits do you feel would have the greatest impact on the Commonwealth?

I would pay close attention to the budget process. While much of the state budget is committed to such fixed costs as pensions, the auditing process can begin while the discretionary parts of the budget are being developed and debated. When special favors are granted to certain businesses in exchange for promises of job creation, for example, those favors can be challenged early in the budget process if past promises have been broken.

Some quick examples: It costs some $42,000 a year to imprison one person. Prisons have become a growth industry, but it does not nurture the growth of a large proportion of the population, especially Black males. That amount of money would better serve the future of the individual, the public, and the economy if it were invested in training and treatment instead of spent on incarceration and jails.

Much state-owned land (for example, along highways, at highway exit ramps, etc.) is basically unused. I would audit where such land is located and whether it could be appropriately used to grow local healthy food, build affordable housing, create a solar-energy farm or wind farm, etc.

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Candidate for Auditor 2. What types of audits would you conduct to highlight areas of inefficiency in state government that are barriers for eligible low income residents in receiving state support?

First, whenever the auditor authorizes a report on how a program or department is functioning, it is important to dig beneath the surface of raw data and ask why certain numbers are coming up.

Otherwise superficial and sometimes inaccurate conclusions are reached.

Second, fraud has many faces. While it includes uncovering those who abuse the system, it should also include finding those who are wrongly excluded, ignored, or overlooked by the system. Census data and public hearings can provide insight into the difference between state services and people’s actual daily circumstances that the state fails to serve.

Areas of interest include:  Safe, affordable housing. I am a founding board member of MAAPL the Massachusetts Alliance Against Predatory Lending — which focuses on preventing foreclosures, protecting tenants in foreclosed properties, and working with the legislature, with the court system, and in the streets to protect people’s homes. I’m also a board member of Brookline’s affordable housing CDC. I would audit how abandoned and derelict property could become a resource to end homelessness, how shelters can help identify ways to provide permanent housing, how the higher cost of placing homeless families in hotels can be better invested in more stable accommodations and preventing homelessness. 

The so-called health care system (actually a health insurance system) is stacked against people with limited resources. The insurance and pharmaceutical industries guarantee their profit -making ability. To help all people understand they deserve health care, the auditor can evaluate the effectiveness and cost of the current system.

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Candidate for Auditor 3. What role does the Auditor’s office have in protecting vulnerable populations - elders, the disabled, limited-English speakers, low income people?

With a background as a probing reporter for The Christian Science Monitor, I would go to those who are most knowledgable about the challenges they face. I would set up sessions around the state to learn about the concerns that are affecting people and to ask what impact current policies have and what ways they believe the state is responsible.

The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. said that poverty is produced. The Auditor can help people understand that poverty is not inevitable.

I would ask people what their dream is and what would help us achieve their dream. I would ask them to identify their strengths and abilities, understanding that we can make their dream work through teamwork. Together, we can develop ways for the state to function efficiently and effectively in the interests of people and the planet over profits.

I would work with other state departments (education, social services) to develop curriculum and training programs in personal finance and fraud avoidance.

I would ask people to audit and submit reports on the coverage of major media to make sure accurate stories are conveyed to the public. Vulnerable populations are most sensitive to discriminatory media stories that, even when unintentional, can have a damaging effect on determining the state’s priorities.

As an experienced department manager in both the non-profit and corporate worlds, I would create a sense of teamwork among all department members and engage them in identifying gaps in state services and thinking creatively about solutions.

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Candidate for Auditor Patricia Saint Aubin (R)

1. If elected, what kinds of audits do you feel would have the greatest impact on the Commonwealth?

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Auditor's responsibilities cover numerous state funded agencies. These agencies are supported by taxpayer's hard earned dollars. And taxes affect all walks of life up and down the social economic scale.

Likewise, female and male, young and old.

2. What types of audits would you conduct to highlight areas of inefficiency in state government that are barriers for eligible low income residents in receiving state support?

The various and numerous state funded agencies should be audited with the utmost of fairness and professionalism. All agencies should be audited equally and regularly. My background with a Bachelors in Accounting from Providence College and several years of Audit work for a major Boston bank allow me to hit the ground running and begin to work on more thorough and professional audits. Ultimately, the audits I will oversee when elected Auditor will save taxpayers money. All taxpayers.

3. What role does the Auditor’s office have in protecting vulnerable populations - elders, the disabled, limitedEnglish speakers, low income people?

As Auditor, my office will not be a rubber stamp; it will be an aggressive watchdog on behalf of the taxpayers.

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Candidates for Suffolk County Sheriff (in alphabetical order)

Hassan Smith Steven Tompkins

Political Parties D: Democrat I: Independent

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(I) (D)

Candidate for Sheriff (Suffolk) Hassan Smith (I)

(from candidate’s website) Hello my name is Hassan Smith and my plan is to become the next Candidate for Suffolk County Sheriff. I am a single father of three wonderful children. I have two young boys and a daughter who is getting ready to graduate from college. In my spare time I give, inspirational, public speaking engagements on how I overcame my past as a troubled youth as well as mentor young adults. I not only lead by example to my children, but to all of God's children. This is why I need the support of the people to help push the people's agenda: Turning convicted felons into tax payers instead of tax burdens.

When we allow the same people into office with similar mind sets and expect different results, we fall under the definition of insanity. Let's show Suffolk County that we have the power to improve our communities and we expect more from our community leaders. We want someone in the Sheriff's office that has experience, knowledge, also the will to turn convicted felons into tax payers instead of tax burdens.

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Candidate for Sheriff (Suffolk) Steven Tompkins (D)

(from candidate’s website) Care, Custody and Control As the Sheriff of Suffolk County, my primary responsibility is the care, custody and control of inmates (those already sentenced) and detainees (those awaiting trial) who are held within our facilities – the South Bay House of Correction and the Nashua Street Jail. Essentially, what this means is that I am mandated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to maintain custody – or guardianship – of inmates and detainees while providing a set standard of care, which encompasses the overall health and wellbeing, and personal safety of our population. Control is the element that allows us to redirect behavior and work to change the way a person thinks and acts.

When a person is incarcerated for any length of time, depending upon the programs and policies enacted by the institution or facility they’re committed to, that person is going to return to our neighborhoods and communities in one of three possible conditions: they will either be the same as they were when they came in, worse than when they came in, or better than they were when they came in. As the Sheriff of Suffolk County, I am dedicated to providing the kinds of programming and educational opportunities that can help them to reenter our communities in better standing as contributing citizens.

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Candidate for Sheriff (Suffolk) Domestic Violence Nationally, 1 out of every 4 women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime. Eighty-five percent of domestic violence victims are women. Having served within the Department for over a decade, I have witnessed firsthand the rise in the number of female offenders coming into the system, many of whom carry with them the physical and emotional scars of trauma as the underlying root of the illegal activity that has led them to incarceration. In an effort to address both the victims as well as the perpetrators of domestic violence, we are bolstering our existing programming around violence prevention and recovery, and reaching out to community organizations to form partnerships aimed at extending services to these citizens upon return to their communities.

Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Eighty-five percent of the inmates in our custody are committed for drug and alcohol related offenses. Approximately 42% of Suffolk County inmates present with some form of mental illness that ranges from mild personality disorder to major mental illness.

Of that number, approximately 26% suffer from a major mental illness. The percentage of mental illness diagnosed in female inmates is approximately 36% higher than in male inmates. To meet the considerable challenges presented by these troubling numbers, the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department has significantly increased inmate access to mental health services, but more resources are needed on the outside. I am advocating for more mental health and addiction recovery beds in our communities as both a means to actively support returning citizens in their successful reentry to the community, and also as a preemptive measure to prevent people from entering our facilities unnecessarily in the first place.

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Candidates for State Senator in General Court (2nd Suffolk District) (in alphabetical order)

Sonia Chang-Diaz David Wyatt

(R) (D)

Candidates did not submit responses for the Rosie’s Place guide.

Political Parties D: Democrat R: Republican

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Candidates for US Senate (in alphabetical order)

Brian Herr Edward Markey

(R) (D)

Political Parties D: Democrat R: Republican

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Candidate for US Senate Brian Herr (R)

(from candidate’s website) No good comes from reckless government spending. No good comes from huge deficits. The economy will continue to stagnate, our debt payments will overwhelm us, and even more Americans will be out of work if we continue to kick the can down the road.

We need leaders who will make tough decisions and do what is right for our country. Some of the things I would do: Reduce the federal workforce by 15% by instituting a hiring freeze of non-military personnel. This would not require layoffs -with natural attrition, the federal workforce would gradually decrease while still keeping the same level of service.

Eliminate duplicate and inefficient programs that produce waste, fraud, and abuse.

Pass a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution. Our elected officials in Washington have clearly shown that they will not balance the budget on their own.

Affordable health care is needed and attainable but should not be mandated nor managed through the federal bureaucracy.

I will vote to repeal and redirect Obamacare back to the states and allow them to draft health care plans that meet their particular needs.

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Candidate for US Senate Edward Markey (D)

(from candidate’s website) Ed is a passionate supporter of women’s rights and has a strong record of promoting gender equality in our country.

In the Senate, Ed Markey will stand up for women’s rights, especially when extremist Tea Party Republicans threaten to dismantle a woman’s access to affordable health coverage and preventive health services. He’ll work with President Obama to guarantee that women all across the country get the care they need and ensure equality in the workplace and in the economy.

Ed is committed to our seniors – that means protecting Social Security and Medicare and ensuring that every senior can retire with dignity and respect. Time and again, Ed has fought to protect Social Security and Medicare, which provide retirement security to more than one million people in Massachusetts. He opposes any changes to Social Security that would reduce benefits for our nation’s seniors, including misguided proposals to raise the retirement age or reduce cost of living adjustments.

And Ed will always fight against Republicans’ attempts to privatize Social Security.

Ed is the Congressional champion for protecting funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which helps low-income households meet their immediate home energy needs. Massachusetts seniors and other vulnerable populations rely on this funding to heat their homes through the winter.

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2014 Massachusetts General Election About Rosie’s Places Guides For every election, Rosie’s Place prepares a non-partisan voters’ guide on candidates and ballot questions for each election.

Rosie’s Place does not endorse any political party or political candidate. This is a service to the Rosie’s Place community our guests, staff, volunteers and supporters.

All candidates for each office were asked the same questions, and given the same word limit. Information from candidates’ websites were included for candidates who did not respond to the Rosie’s Place questionnaire.

For more information, contact the Rosie’s Place Public Policy program at 617-442-9322.

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“Community and democracy must work hand in hand, otherwise we have neither.”

-Kip Tiernan

Founded in 1974 by Kip Tiernan, Rosie’s Place was the first drop in and emergency shelter for women in the United States. Rosie's Place is committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment to help poor and homeless women maintain their dignity, seek opportunity and find security in their lives.

889 Harrison Avenue · Boston, MA 02118 617-442-9322 · fax 617-442-7825 www.rosiesplace.org October 2014 60