Voters to fill rare opening in 7th Essex

The most notable feature of this year's race for state representative in Salem may be the name that is missing from the ballot.

After 30 years in office, state Representative J. Michael Ruane is retiring at the end of this term.

Three candidates, Democrat John D. Keenan, Republican David B. Summer, and Green-Rainbow Party member Richard H. Grabowski are vying for Ruane's Seventh Essex seat. The district encompasses the city of Salem.

The contest marks the first time since Bruce McLaughlin was elected in 1976 that Salem has seen a race for an open House seat. Ruane, who was first elected in a separate district in 1974, went on to defeat McLaughlin in 1978 in an election that resulted from legislative redistricting.

Much of the interest in this year's race focused on the Democratic primary duel between Keenan, a former Salem city solicitor, and Councilor at Large Joan B. Lovely. Keenan defeated Lovely and a third contender, Michael P. Blatty.

The final election has drawn less notice because it is viewed as less competitive. Keenan had a strong showing in the primary and his work as city solicitor gives him a relatively high profile in Salem, which has a tradition of electing Democrats.

Still, Keenan, 39, who mounted an energetic door-to-door campaign in the primary, is continuing to reach out to voters, primarily by attending neighborhood forums and other public events.

Summer, 33, has been knocking on doors and attending meetings of neighborhood groups. Grabowski, 56, has been speaking to voters in front of the post office, stores, and other public places. He also has a show on Salem's cable access station.

Keenan, who maintains a small law practice, spent three years as city solicitor before leaving that post in March because of the campaign. He was previously assistant city solicitor for five years and an assistant Essex district attorney. Keenan, who is McLaughlin's son-in-law, lost bids for City Council in 1987 and for state Senate in 1994.

''I have a proven track record of delivering results for the city both in my capacity as prosecutor and as a city attorney the last eight years," he said. ''And I will continue to deliver." He said he has also been ''very active in the community," including having served on the boards of the Salem Chamber of Commerce and the Salem Rotary Club.

He highlighted his involvement as city solicitor in issues surrounding the Salem Harbor power station. Keenan supports keeping the plant open but also ensuring that it meets environmental regulations.

Keenan said he also would be an advocate for public education, including helping Salem State College with its efforts to secure university status and to create a performing arts center. In addition, he said he would work to make health care more accessible and affordable.

A lawyer, Summer worked as a tax consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Boston from 2001 until this past March, when he opened his own law practice. He formerly practiced law for two Boston firms.

''We need to change government for the better," said Summer, a first-time candidate.

His platform includes support for an immediate rollback of the state income tax from the current 5.3 percent to 5 percent. He believes that by making the ''right choices" on spending, the state could provide needed services, even with the lowered tax rate.

He said that includes implementing Governor Mitt Romney's reforms, which he said make ''a lot of sense."

Grabowski and Keenan oppose the rollback of the income tax to 5 percent, though Grabowski said he would consider it as part of a negotiation effort that would include eliminating some corporate tax cuts.

Keenan said rolling back the income tax would be ''fiscally irresponsible" given the state's continuing budget crunch. He said he would rather see available funds placed in the state's rainy day account and returned to cities and towns to help reduce pressure on property taxes.

Keenan, meanwhile, said the Republican message of ''change and reform . . . just doesn't fly" in the Seventh Essex District.

''We certainly are going to have change after 30 years," he said, referring to the election of a successor to Ruane.

On another issue, Summer said he supports having the Salem Harbor station remain open, but with measures taken to clean up its emissions. He said, however, the city ''can't stake its economic future" on the plant since there is no assurance it will always be there.

Grabowski owns and manages a residential real estate management firm. He previously worked for 13 years as a data processing analyst and consultant. He lost a bid for city councilor at large in 2001. He has been active in local environmental issues and helped lead the successful effort to place a question on the 2002 ballot in the Seventh Essex asking the district's representative to oppose the reelection of Thomas Finneran as House speaker.

He said the state's recent budget cuts point to a need to increase state revenues. He proposes several ways to do that, including taxing ''intangible property" such as stocks and bonds, and expanding the sales tax to cover, for example, lobbyist and legal services.

Grabowski also would like to make the income tax more progressive by providing greater opportunities for lower-income people to deduct the costs of meeting ''basic survival" needs.

His overall goal is to provide for a ''more uniform and fair tax system."