State Rep. John C. Velis, right, with Gov. Charlie Baker. (File Photo)
BOSTON – State Rep. John C. Velis, although a registered Democrat, crossed political party lines once again this week by supporting six amendments from his Republican counterparts on bill H4087, An Act Relative to Campaign Finance.
“The greatest threat to our nation is not some foreign country like China, Iran, or North Korea,” said Velis. “The greatest threat here in America is that we have a political system dominated by two political parties who vehemently refuse to compromise on anything. I find it disgraceful.”
The bill overhauls the campaign finance rules for legislative candidates, changes the reporting system, and changes the way the director of the Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF) is chosen.
During debate, amendments were made by Republican representatives to keep the current director selection process in place.
According to a press release from Velis’ staff, the current commission includes both party chairs in the process of choosing a new director. This bill would create a new commission that would not have input from either party, causing concern among Republicans that this is a “power play” to reduce the voice of the minority party.
Two amendments were filed to strike the commission entirely and continue with the current process of unanimous voting versus the majority vote posed in the original bill.
“Many of the Republican Representatives argued that the Democrats were continuing to marginalize and disenfranchise the minority party that already has small numbers,” states the release.
Velis believed this was reminiscent of Washington D.C. politics and Massachusetts done a good job of avoiding the hyper political nature of Washington.
“We should make sure we know how that director is being picked, so that there is transparency in this process,” he said. “Keeping political neutrality would aid in this effort.”
Velis has crossed party lines in the past with the best interest of his Westfield constituents in mind, he said.
Velis voted with the Republicans on six of the amendments to H4087. His voting record continues to demonstrate his willingness to promote the neglected idea of bipartisanship, wrote his legislative aid.
“The greatest threat is our inability to push past this partisan political culture that has festered,” Velis said. “We need to get to a place where ideas are brought forward and considered on principle alone. When someone files a bill, your first question shouldn’t be ‘are you a Democrat or a Republican?’ – it should be whether it is a good idea or a bad idea.”
Velis’ bipartisan support continued this week when he participated in the Better Angels of Hampden County event at Southwick Town Hall Sept. 30. The local chapter of the national organization has a goal of promoting civil discourse in politics.
When asked why the issue was so important to him, Velis lamented the current state of national politics that is beginning to trickle down to all levels of government.
“When you think about it, elected officials today belong to the only profession in the world where compromise is not done on a routine basis. It’s just wrong. And I intend to do everything I can to push back against this dangerous cycle,” he said.
