Transparency in Government
I hope everyone has recovered from that great win by the Patriots. Our team may have won but it looks like we still have a tough fight ahead of us with the weather and pending storm.
Throughout all of the snow, Governor Baker and his team were working hard to address the budget deficit that hangs over our heads. The administration announced their strategy this past week. The governor and his team have rolled out a solid plan to close the $768 million deficit that we as a state are currently facing. Keeping to his campaign promises, Governor Baker will not raise any taxes and I applaud him for this action – the taxpayers of this state are already burdened enough. The people are still recovering and our economy is too fragile to impose more taxes. Governor Baker has also promised not to cut local aid, which is excellent news for our cities and towns. Instead, the situation will be remedied through cuts to grants and programs – of which a large majority have not yet been initiated or implemented.
Aside from cuts, the governor will be diverting funds that were scheduled to go to the state’s rainy day fund. This requires legislative action, and I’m looking forward to working on this legislation with my colleagues this week. Diverting close to $131 million from the stabilization fund would prevent us from having to take directly from it. Rather than spending the extra money and putting more burden of the deficit on the taxpayers, the state government needs to live within its means and must be responsible for managing its finances. The governor has chosen to cut his own budget by 10 percent, a move that shows me he understands how big this issue is. As I’ve said through both of my campaigns, the taxpayer is already burdened enough. It’s time to clean up our mess and spend smarter.
One of the biggest cuts will be made to spending on Medicaid. The new administration will be going through the Medicaid budget with a fine-toothed comb to make sure that each dollar is spent accurately and responsibly, and will analyze whether the people benefitting from these services are truly eligible for them. This is a practice that I believe we will be seeing more of in this upcoming session – digging into the programs and services the government of the Commonwealth operates and shining a light on the practices of these programs and the people that they serve. We hear so much about the corruption and abuse of the system, and it creates disgust and distrust in the political process.
Apathy over the political process has never been so high. I can’t even begin to tell you how many doors I knocked on in both of my campaigns for state representative where I heard Westfield residents expressing their outright disgust with the political process.
On the campaign trail, I heard over and over again that the results of elections do not matter, that “nothing would change anyway.” Or that elected officials of both political parties are so corrupt it doesn’t matter what political party controls power.
I also heard countless Westfield residents express to me their serious concern over the “lack of transparency in government.” The concern over the lack of transparency in government is something I agree wholeheartedly with. I would make the argument that this lack of transparency in government is one of the biggest, if not the main cause, of voter apathy today, because when people feel they are not connected to a process they are turned off by it. And each and every day, I work to change that.
One of the ways I’ve chosen to increase transparency in government is with the creation of the Legislative Advisory Committee. One of the main goals of the committee is bringing what’s happening on Beacon Hill back to Westfield for discussion about how this city and its residents are impacted. The advisory committee has already had some great discussions about everything from education to drug addiction to issues facing older adults. I’m looking forward to future meetings and working with this great group of people for the betterment of Westfield. Please feel free to contact me if you’d like to join.
I have frequently made the statement that I want to be known as the most accessible politician in all of Westfield. If someone has a concern about their state government I want to hear about it. But it goes further than that. I want to know what people think and get their opinions on votes that I’m going to be taking, votes that I have taken, and legislation that the people of Westfield would like to see me support. I often will receive an email from a Westfield constituent giving me their opinion on a vote that I took or am about to take. I always look forward to and welcome constituents’ questions, comments, and suggestions. As I have said many times before, it is the collective opinions of my constituents in Westfield that determines how I vote in Boston.
I strongly encourage everyone to call me, email me, or come to my office at 52 Court Street to share your views with me. If you want to get in contact with me or my aide (Neesha Suarez) the best way to get us is on our personal cell phones: My cell phone number is 413-627-8722, Neesha’s cell phone number is 978-406-5856. Have a great week!
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not the staff, editor, or publisher of this publication.
