Comtois, Singer pledge to listen to residents
GOBI, ALICEA SEND REPRESENTATIVES TO SPENCER TAXPAYERS’ ASSOCIATION CANDIDATES’ NIGHT

By Matt Reynolds, Spencer New Leader

October 18, 2006

SPENCER – Disagreement was on short supply at the Spencer Taxpayers’ Association candidates’ night last Thursday, as Republican state representative candidates David Singer and Stephen Comtois held the floor for much of the night, while their Democratic sparring partners, Geraldo Alicea and Rep. Ann Gobi (D-Spencer), each opted to honor prior commitments.
     Singer and Alicea, both of Charlton, are vying for the Worcester 6th District seat being vacated by Rep. Mark Carron (D-Southbridge), while Comtois, of Brookfield, is challenging the incumbent Gobi in Worcester’s 5th District.
     Many audience members, including Spencer Taxpayers’ Association president Tim Leahy, felt slighted by the Democratic no-shows.
     “The STA is very disappointed in the turnout,” Leahy said.  He noted that in the past six years, only one other invited candidate had skipped out on the debate, “and that,” he added, “was for a legitimate reason.”
     Singer seized the opportunity to chastise Alicea for his absence throughout the debate.  When audience member Barbara Wilson said she was “disappointed with tonight,” Singer assured her he was “not a stunt double.”  Then, in his closing remarks, Singer took another jab at his opponent’s truancy: “This is a job interview, and I showed up for it.  I don’t take any of your votes for granted.”
     In an Oct. 13 press release, Singer said, “My opponent is not the incumbent with a proven track record.  He should have made it a priority to be there.  I hope the voters of Spencer and East Brookfield remember that I showed up and made them the priority.”
     Alicea sent campaign worker Tim Gagnon to the debate in his stead, while Gobi dispatched her campaign manager.  Each participate in the opening remarks period, sat in the audience to entertain questions and gave out contact information for their respective bosses, saying they would be happy to entertain any questions.
     Start said Gobi was attending an event in Hardwick, while Alicea was at a fund-raiser he had committed to prior of the scheduling of the candidates’ night.
     Singer and Comtois – both area small business owners – each presented themselves as hard-working and freethinking public servants.
     “I pride myself on being a hard worker,” said Comtois, portraying himself as a whirlwind of campaign trail energy.  “Hard work is going to get the job done.”
     The job of legislator “has to do with being proactive, not reactive,” Singer said.  “In a state where the Revolution started, we should be leading, not following.”
     Positioning themselves as crusading outsiders, both Republicans said they would represent the interests of local residents, rather than those of Beacon Hill insiders.
     “I’m not a typical candidate; I’m not a politician.  What I hear from constituents – that is what is relevant,” Comtois said.
     “Our state government has ignored us,” Singer said.  “We speak, and they don’t listen.”
     Singer vowed to remain accessible to the voters if elected, indicating he would sign a “declaration of representation” to guarantee adherence to the will of the people, regardless of party affiliation.
     He also pledged to appoint a legislative advisory committee, comprised of a bi-partisan group of voters from around the district, and meet with it periodically.  “It would give me the opportunity to listen to voters on a regular basis,” and to apprise 6th District residents of the goings-on in Boston, Singer said.
     Both candidates addressed citizens’ frustration with the alleged lack of responsiveness on Beacon Hill, citing the state Legislature’s refusal to allow a vote on a same-sex marriage amendment and to reduce the state income tax rate to 5 percent, as mandated by a binding referendum on the 2000 state ballot.
     “It was mandated six years ago to roll back taxes,” Comtois said.  “This is a question of honoring the will of the people and honoring promises made.”
     “My opponent,” he added, “claims to be in favor of the rollback when the time is right.  My opponent is not firm in her convictions.  It’s convictions – that’s what wins the day.”
     Comtois tried to hammer away at Gobi’s record throughout the evening, agreeing with the sentiments of one audience member who called her “the hometown girl who turned into the Boston politician.”  Gobi he said, voted with Massachusetts House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi (D-Boston) 96 percent of the time and received a 10 percent rating from Citizens for Limited Taxation.
     “We’re black and white; we’re on the opposite side of the aisle,” Comtois said.
     Paring down the budget on Beacon Hill and returning tax dollars to local communities were other top priorities for both Republicans.
     “All the money going to fund frivolous programs on Beacon Hill needs to be cut off,” Comtois said.  As a symbol of waste and mismanagement, Comtois cited the $31 million Rose Kennedy Greenway, which was originally suppose to be funded through private donations.
     “Our tax dollars need to come back to our communities,” Singer said.
     Pressed by an audience member to specify their spending priorities should local communities be outfitted with a greater share of tax revenue, Comtois mentioned funding education and upgrading the district’s roadways, while Singer discussed strengthening local infrastructure and the preservation of historical features.
     One audience member asked, as has Democrat Deval Patrick in his Gubernatorial campaign, whether Romney-era tax breaks were erased by corresponding fee increases.
     Lowering taxes has been proven to increase revenues, said Singer, who styled himself a “fiscal conservative.”  But he added, “Don’t hide behind lowering taxes and raising fees.”
     “Fees are just another word for taxes.” Comtois said.  “It’s our money.  I think they’ve lost sight of that.”
     At one point Leahy, clearly exasperated by Beacon Hill’s spending habits, posed this question: “Why should I vote for a Democrat?”
     He then said, “The Massachusetts government is the most corrupt organization in the free world.  Where has the money gone?”
     In his rejoinder, Gagnon promised Leahy he would “spend an hour talking about why you should vote for a Democrat” while they watched that evening’s college football contest between Boston College and Virginia Tech.
     On other hot-button issues – same-sex marriage, treatment of sex offenders, the state’s complex new health insurance requirement, gun ownership rights and the recent upswing in school violence – Singer and Comtois mostly nodded along with each other’s statements.
     A same-sex marriage foe tagged Massachusetts as the “laughingstock of the nation” and asked, “What will you do to bring back some sanity” back to the state?
     Both candidates reiterated their belief in a traditional definition of marriage, decried Democratic efforts to torpedo a vote on a proposed Constitutional amendment, and registered with the Supreme Judicial Court’s 2003 opinion legalizing same-sex marriage.
     “Our courts are supposed to uphold law, not make law,” Singer said.  “Our courts should not be deciding our religious beliefs.”
     Comtois praised the energy of the amendment’s signature-gatherers, saying the Legislature should give their petition fair consideration.
     On the financial feasibility of guaranteeing statewide health insurance, both Republicans applauded the Legislature’s willingness to tackle a tough issue but expressed skepticism as to whether bureaucratic planning could resolve it.
     “Any unfunded mandate is a problem,” Singer said, adding, “I don’t believe in universal health care; I don’t believe in socialized medicine.”
     “I commend Boston for dealing with the issue,” Comtois said.  “The direction they went in is wrong.”
     Even on issues such as state legislation to permit over-the-counter sales of hypodermic needles, on which Comtois attempted to distinguish himself, Singer would match him step-for-step.
     “Put a clean needle out there, and once it is used, it is dirty,” said Comtois, who would return to the subject on several occasions, warning especially of the danger to school children.  “You do not enable illegal activity, in my opinion.”
     But when asked by an audience member to clarify his stance, Singer agreed that the legislation was objectionable.
     Spencer precincts 2 and 3 will cast votes in both the 5th district races, while precincts 1 and 4 belong to the 6th District.