In their own words: Framingham state representative candidates

Three candidates, Jim Pillsbury, Jim Rizoli, and Chris Walsh are vying to represent the 6th Middlesex district. Walsh beat incumbent Pam Richardson in the Democratic primary election in September, while both Pillsbury and Rizoli are running as independents.

Jim Pillsbury, Independent
Age: 57
Family: two adult daughters, four grandchildren, married in my heart
Occupation: Self-employed

Political and civic experience:
For more than two decades I have helped shape public policy. In the mid 80's I stood up to the D.A.R.E. program and exposed its failure in reducing drug use in schools. In the 90’s I worked on numerous campaigns, like mandatory minimums, and medicinal marijuana. In 2000 I helped author and put on the ballot in Framingham the first public policy question ever. The question, which sought to decriminalize marijuana, passed by 65% of voters. In 2008, that same language was used in Question 2 on the state ballot and passed by nearly 65% or almost 2 million voters.

What qualifies you for the office you seek?
In 20 years, I have testified on Beacon Hill many times for and against bills, and have attended many hearings. Last year I wrote a bill that was introduced in the Senate and referred to the agriculture committee. That legislation would bring back the commercial use of industrial hemp.

I am a Town Meeting member and serve as Precinct 6 Chair and on the Rules Committee.

I understand the system and its faults and know things have to change. I am a leader, not a follower, and have a history of representing the will of the people. I will be a catalyst for change.

What are the two most important issues in the Commonwealth and how would you address them?
The state's economy, with unemployment numbers so high, is the most important issue facing the Commonwealth today. Our revenues may never be as they once were and jobs continue to leave our state. Companies that receive tax dollars or incentives must not be allowed to ship jobs out of the state. I believe the state should aggressively pursue green tech employers by offering incentives for any renewable energy company considering settling here.

We should build one casino now and cut in half the salaries of the legislators on Beacon Hill. While aggressively going after medical and insurance fraud and eliminating the financial abuses, we must also aggressively pursue new revenue without increasing established taxes. I would support new revenue sources in the taxation and regulation of cannabis, industrial hemp, and open road tolling on routes 93, 3, and 95.

Equally as important is ethics reform. Voters’ distrust of Beacon Hill is at an all-time high with very good reason. Without trust, voters will always wonder and have little faith in decisions made on the Hill. I will seek common ground with those just elected who believe in a completely open and ethical State House. I believe the majority of the recently-elected representatives want to earn back the trust of the voters in passing what voters want, an all-inclusive ethics bill. If the House leadership opposes the majority in its efforts to pass immediate ethics reform, new House leadership that supports the will of the voter should be elected.

Jim Rizoli, Independent
Age: 58
Family: Single
Occupation: Semi-retired, I have a carpet cleaning business.

Political and civic experience:
Been a Town Meeting member for over three years and a town activist fighting the evil powers in Framingham who have turned the town into an illegal alien slave labor camp.

What qualifies you for the office you seek?
Common sense, guts, determination, and the understanding of why Framingham is on the verge of bankruptcy and what to do about it.

The other candidates are tiptoeing over the major issues facing the town and refuse to look at the elephant in the room. I'm not afraid to speak out on the most controversial topics and let the chips fall where they may.

What are the two most important issues in the Commonwealth and how would you address them?

The two biggest that I see are not only facing Framingham residents but also the Commonwealth are.....

1. Illegal Immigration

I feel that illegal immigration and the outrageous costs it is bringing to Framingham, Milford, Marlborough, and many other towns is a huge problem, not to mention the crime associated with it, the court costs, and the safety issues of the citizens.

Is it fair that we are spending $25 million dollars a year to educate the children of illegal aliens in Framingham and over $200 million or more in the state?

Is it fair that our children have to pay for busing when the children of illegals get it free, and not only that, get free lunches, free health care, and in some cases, free or greatly-reduced housing? What really make this a crime is their parents, on many occasions, send large sums of money back home to their countries of origin to their extended families there, and many don't even plan to stay here.

This is the elephant in the room that the politicians are not addressing in an honest and straightforward manner, and we the people are suffering the consequences of it.

2. Out of sight health care cost particularly in Framingham

We are in the process of spending $250 million to $300 million on OPED
(Other Post Employment Benefits), or as most know it, Health Employment Benefits for Retirees.

Where is this money going to come from? State wise, it's costing us $1.4 billion dollars for retiree benefits. I believe this one of the biggest costs we have.

So we are faced with two scenarios to deal with the problem.

Massive Layoffs.
Increased taxes.

It's not fair that Massachusetts has the highest debt per capita of all the states. It's time to rein in excessive spending.

I believe we have to seriously deal with these two major issues and then go from there.

Chris Walsh, Democrat
Age: 59
Family: Married – 2 Children
Occupation: Architect

Political and civic experience:
Associations
American Institute of Architects
National Council of Architectural Boards
Central Massachusetts American Institute of Architects- Current President
Massachusetts AIA Legislative Affairs Committee
MetroWest Leadership Academy – Class of ‘92 Alumni Board Member
Framingham Democratic Town Committee
MetroWest Chamber of Commerce

Community
Framingham Public Library Trustee
Amazing Things Arts Center – Board Member
Framingham Town Meeting, First elected in 1992: Ways and Means Committee, Government Study Committee, Planning and Zoning committee, Capital Budget Committee
Historic District Commission (Chair)
Framingham Preservation Trust (Founding Member)
Downtown Rail Crossing Committee
Open Space Committee
Historic Reuse Committee
Framingham Historical Society, Past President
Framingham Improvement Association, past Board member
Framingham Civic League, past Board Member
Framingham Charrette 1997 (Founding Member)

Recognized in 1998 by the Framingham Historic Commission for “outstanding contributions to the Historic Preservation Movement in Framingham”

What qualifies you for the office you seek?
I have been involved in the civic life of Framingham at many different levels for 20 years. In these capacities I have had the opportunity to work on issues that are critical both to the functioning of a good government and to the qualities that are important for creating a high standard of community life. As an architect (and because I have lived in many different types of communities) it is my business to pay attention to the difference between successful communities and those in disarray; these differences can be subtle but have huge consequences in resident’s lives. The skill set that an architect develops is a mix of envisioning change and the pragmatic problem solving skills necessary to bring that change into reality.

What are the two most important issues in the Commonwealth and how would you address them?
Job creation and retention are critical and intractable problems throughout the Commonwealth. The MetroWest is the second largest economy in the state with a 11 billion dollar payroll and 180,000 jobs. Comparatively we have good job retention and Framingham in particular is a net jobs importer (more jobs than people). What we don’t have is an even distribution of jobs across all the employment sectors (MetroWest Economic Research Center’s 2010 report). One job sector that is lagging is hospitality and arts. Redevelopment of our older urban areas into places that cater to arts and hospitality businesses would round out a multi-tiered economic picture and create a broad jobs base. By working with the State economic development office and using funds collected by the new MetrtoWest Tourist Bureau (a platform in my 2008 campaign) to create specialized economic zones, target existing brownfield sites (CSX yard) with programs that will attract private redevelopment which will fuel smaller projects in the existing infrastructure

The second issue facing the entire Commonwealth is the pressure, both economic and social, that the middle class is under. The wealthiest Americans have excelled at shielding themselves and their money – often paying less tax than middle income families.

On the other end of the political spectrum, there is a continual expansion of the legal boundaries of laws and programs under a civil rights umbrella which are mandated but not funded. Between these two extreme poles the middle class is funding more while receiving fewer services, making it increasingly difficult to stay afloat. As a State Representative I will insist that programs mandated by the state have both an economic impact assessment and a budget proposal. Promises to fund the “special education circuit breaker” or removal of the turnpike tolls must be honored or fair alternatives offered. Binding legislation such as the collective bargaining agreement ( Section 19 of Chapter 32B MGL) have, over time, created unsustainable economic straitjackets in affected communities and I will work to build a level of flexibility and common sense into legislation that will allow municipalities to cope with the particular circumstances of their community.