Reminder Publishing sent questionnaires to both candidates for state senator in the Worcester and Hampshire District, which covers the towns of Hardwick, Ware, and several others to the east. Incumbent Sen. Peter Durant (R-Spencer) is facing a challenge from Sheila Dibb (D-Rutland). The two candidates were asked identical questions. Their responses have been edited only for spelling and punctuation.
- Are Massachusetts residents taxed too much or not enough? What changes will you advocate to ensure fairness?
Dibb: Some Massachusetts residents, specifically those in the top 1%, aren’t being taxed enough. The 4% surtax on incomes over $1 million was a step in the right direction, but we can do better to ensure that the wealthiest among us are paying their fair share. Some are being taxed too much, particularly at the local, municipal level. The state needs to fund its mandates [and] properly fund education. Senior citizens on fixed incomes should get some property tax relief — statewide. We need to offer more tools to municipalities to provide more rebates and write-off opportunities for residents struggling with property tax bills.
Durant: Massachusetts has a spending problem, not an income problem. High taxes and fees contribute significantly to making Massachusetts unaffordable to most residents. I support lowering the sales tax to 5%, which is especially important during periods of high inflation. I support an aggressive plan to reduce property taxes by increasing state aid to relieve pressure on local communities; I oppose raising the gas tax, creating a carbon tax, and open road tolling. I believe we need to change our priorities, and I have a proven record of voting to protect your wallets and ensure financial relief for residents. - What specific law will you work to repeal, amend or introduce during the next two-year term?
Dibb: Less a specific law, more a holistic topic — affordable housing. The MBTA Communities Act needs to be made more understandable to municipalities whose residents have been taught to fear it. More funding should be made available for converting old industrial and abandoned spaces into affordable housing. Our seniors need to be able to downsize, if they wish, into affordable housing that keeps them knit into the fabric of the communities where they raised their families and paid their taxes. We simply need to do more, in more areas, to fix this housing crisis — MBTA Communities is one category among many.
Durant: Over the past year, I have been working in a bipartisan approach with my colleagues to amend the Right to Shelter Law. This 1980s law was intended to help homeless families and pregnant women in time of need, but has made Massachusetts a magnet for those entering the country illegally. Massachusetts now spends more than $1.2 billion annually because of this crisis. That money could fund desperately needed local services. It is our goal to make sure that benefits provided under this law apply to legal residents first and not to those looking to take advantage of our generosity. - What legislation would you advocate in your first year that will add jobs or improve the economy in our section of Western Massachusetts?
Dibb: Probably the best and most wide-reaching legislation to bring the most long-term benefit for this part of the state, legislation that will both add jobs and improve the region’s economy, will be to move forward — and fully fund — state government investments in: 1) developing the clean energy industry, 2) developing the food science industry in collaboration with farmland protection and expansion, (in both cases here, building on existing industries and infrastructure already in place), and 3) to make real progress on the high-speed rail connection proposal from Boston through Albany. Our district, and this region, deserves this investment.
Durant: As a small business owner, I’ve created jobs and have the experience to help our economy. We must make small businesses a priority because they create three out of every four new jobs in Massachusetts. I will continue to support policies, such as a one-year adjustment period before a new regulation can take effect and require that a systematic cost/benefit analysis of regulations is conducted every five years, especially on new energy projects. Locally, I will build on our success with the crumbling foundation legislation, which I have gotten further in my seven months as Senator than ever before. - What role do state and local governments have to play in immigration policy or enforcement? Would you push for a change in state law on this topic, and if so, what would you change?
Dibb: Immigration has been an essential ingredient in the growth and development of Massachusetts’ economy for centuries, whether it was the Boston Irish, Lowell millworkers, farming, construction, health care, etc. … Right now, most municipalities are not equipped to deal with emergency shelters; our state needs to work with the federal government on a systemic approach to housing, health care and job training, and must unburden municipalities of these initial needs. People around the world wanting to come to Massachusetts is not the problem — it is a gift. There are short-term costs, for sure, but there is also a well-documented long-term economic benefit.
Durant: Our state currently has more than 50,000 migrants living in hotels costing taxpayers over $1 billion annually for housing alone. This figure does not include healthcare, education, public safety or generous relocation costs. This huge influx is directly attributable to a 40-year-old law intended to help residents in need. We are the only state in the country with such a law. As a result, taxpayers and those waiting for housing, especially the elderly and our veterans, are facing significant burdens. It is time to update this law so its original purpose is preserved for those who truly need help. - What specific belief, attribute or experience makes you a better choice for senator than your opponent in this race?
Dibb: My opponent voted, as promised, against: reproductive and LGBTQ rights, climate policy, affordable health insurance, voting access, unions, stopping out-of-state prisoner labor. His voting record isn’t for his constituents, but ideological purity. He mostly loses, but his extremism weakens our voice in Boston — i.e., the failure in conference committee to pass crumbling foundations [law]. I’m a pragmatist who will deliver for this district, unbound by some national political agenda. A daughter of an immigrant, a city kid, a parent, 13-year Rutland selectperson — I know what our rural, suburban, and urban communities need from Boston. I will always vote for common humanity.
Durant: My broad experience includes serving on the Finance Committee and Selectboard in Spencer, 14 years as state representative and most recently as your state senator. I have a proven, consistent record people can trust; opposing tax increases and higher fees, protecting sportsmen’s rights, and supporting small businesses. And our constituent services are second to none. I understand that a seat in the Senate is earned through hard work, not through political party affiliation or by riding a predecessor’s coattails. In my first year as your senator, I have never, and will never, stop working to earn your vote.
The Worcester and Hampshire Senate race will appear on state election ballots on Tuesday, Nov. 5. In-person early voting is available until Nov. 1.
