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We have a real problem of leadership on Cape Cod right now. While I work on getting the rest of this site operational and get people engaging in conversation, I would like to share some words that inspired me this morning:
False Promises or Sincerity!
We now have two candidates seeking our attention between now and November. I have dealt with both, but they would not know me if I walked up to them on the street and hit them with a quahaug.
One is the incumbent who has held his position for eight years representing most of the folks on Cape Cod and the Islands.
The other is somewhat new to the role of politics, and this will be his second chance at claiming our representative spot in the Senate chamber on Beacon Hill.
The incumbent is well known in political circles, having achieved the position of chief whip in the Senate. In this position he has great visibility with lobbyists who represent their clients in getting their special interests pushed through the sausage maker known as the legislature. This position has also afforded him great access to an ever-flowing revenue stream of political contributions from both companies located here as well as those with international addresses but local interests like those in the Sound.
The challenger on the other hand enjoys none of these luxuries but does possess advantages the incumbent is missing. First and foremost, he is married. He has children. He has his own business, and he deals with the folks who he hopes will become his constituency on a daily basis, face to face.
He also lives here on the Cape. He has children all of whom are dependent on receiving a meaningful education that will prepare them for high school, college and perhaps beyond. Receiving a scholarship would also be a blessing as it would for any family. For him, education would obviously be a priority. Being married, his decisions will be critiqued on a 365/24/7 daily basis, a critique many of us know so very, very well. He knows the meaning of a budget having both a home as well as a company budget that must be adhered too.
The incumbent has been addressing the issues of housing, drug addiction, mental health and the Capes environment issues since 2016 with no success to point to. When he first came into office, the average housing price was $365,000 on the Cape. It stands at $550,000 now. If it was a problem then and couldn’t be addressed, how will it be now? There is also no inventory of homes for sale. Drug usage and overdoses continue to rise with no end in sight. Money allocated to the Cape for addressing this issue by the State, has not been used except for Harwich which did use a token amount.
The new guy also recognizes these issues but has a different approach in mind to correct them. Reality tells me, he will find difficulty getting his plan put in action simply because he is playing against a stacked deck on Beacon Hill until it changes its party configuration. That said, the other reality is, the incumbent has delivered nothing in eight years even though he has the cards in his favor.
What the new guy has going for him with me is this: He hasn’t lied to me! He hasn’t aided and abetted the takeover of my neighborhood that will ultimately increase my real estate taxes. He hasn’t carved himself out as being representative of only a select demographic of his constituency leaving most of the rest to fend for themselves.
I know that if I call the incumbents office and my call arrives at the same time as one of his large contributors, that I will be the one put on hold.
Since the new guy will be in a small minority on the Massachusetts Progressive Plantation, he will be free to make his mark without any considerations of putting the parties needs first and ahead of those of his hometown constituents. Can this work? It has in Taunton and other cities where the minority party holds the reigns.
So, if your still with me, and if so, you might want to consider a psych evaluation, I think I’m going to throw in with the new guy. The old guy has done nothing to improve my quality of life. He denied me a break on the price of a gallon of gas during the fuel crisis in 2020. He made me wait until last in the State to get the first go around of Covid shots and when they did become available, I had to wait in my car for over 4 hours, in traffic, without access to a restroom facility because of a rushed and thoughtless distribution plan.
The new guy has not disappointed me, hasn’t lied to me yet, hasn’t disrespected me for my age or my military status and he seems to want to include me and others like me in his constituency round circle. I don’t expect him to do my bidding, but I do expect him only to do what the majority of us wants and not that of the favored few.
Go get him Chris! Lead the way!