Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy. Because the main obstacle to voting is not being registered, I support election day voter registration (EDR). People, especially working people, lead busy lives and may not have time to register or even focus on the issues of an election until election day. EDR removes deadlines that vary from state to state and are difficult to track. Because voters can register on the day of the vote, they will give accurate, up-to-date information and not be precluded from voting due to name change, which disproportionately impacts women, or change of address, which disproportionately impacts renters, financially disadvantaged people, and people of color. Where there is EDR, voter participation increases.
Solar and wind are key to limiting carbon emissions, powering our future, and boosting economic benefits. The state must take the necessary steps now to increase resilience and prepare for climate-related disasters by supporting a robust disaster relief fund. The state must educate public school students about the climate crisis by curriculum reform. The state must preserve its coastal marshes, wetlands, and forests because they take carbon out the atmosphere. The state must incentivize electric vehicles and home improvements including heat pumps and improved building envelope.
The legislature must increase housing production as extremely limited housing makes life far too expensive for our residents. Pushed farther from places of work, they drive onerous distances that contributes to carbon emissions from vehicles. Housing should be in downtown areas to reduce vehicle miles traveled and, to the extent possible, we should convert existing building stock, including Class C office space for which there is no longer a market in historic districts where the building itself is protected. These policies will build housing while preserving green space. We must also increase the limit on affordable housing so that middle class families can apply. Without housing, we cannot grow our economy or workforce.
My ancestors immigrated from the Azores to Falmouth, and immigrant rights must be protected. When migrants were flown to my district I made sure they had the basic necessities including housing, healthcare, and education for the children. Immigrants bring a range of needs across the subject matter areas into which state government is normally divided, such as housing, health, education, and employment. Only a coordinated effort at the state level and vigilant oversight can harness all of the state’s resources needed to address immigrant needs.
The biggest bridge infrastructure project in the country is in the heart of my district and the next State Senator must be laser focused on replacing the Bourne and Sagamore bridges in a manner that meets the needs of local residents. For my district, rail service including the Cape Flyer, should also be a priority, as well as thoughtful reconstruction of the two Cape bridges for multimodal transportation options like bikes and walkways, as they undergo needed repairs. Transportation must be developed sensibly to place transit close to where people live and work. Without world-class transportation, our state cannot be a world-class economy. I will continue to support the development of affordable, environmentally friendly transportation.
I am open to the idea of same day voter registration, but I am sympathetic to concerns voiced by town clerks about the administrative burden that it would place on their offices. When tracking voters, it is important that we have the technology to track whether a person is registered in two places, is a valid citizen, and things of that nature. If we could get the technology and administrative side of the proposal right, I think it could be a good idea. As of now, the current system of using provisional ballots is perfectly adequate and does not disenfranchise new voters and voters who have recently moved.
We need an all-of-the above energy approach. Pigeonholeing us into one form of energy, or drafting arbitrary mandates for when the Commonwealth should use certain types of energy sources are counterproductive. The best way to combat rising temperatures is to innovate. From wind, solar, natural gas, nuclear and several other forms of energy, businesses across the country are working quickly to provide clean energy solutions. We should encourage them to do this, not make it harder! And of course, with the recent incident off the coast of Nantucket, we can't let our clean energy goals be rushed! The safety and security of residents cannot play second fiddle to eager developers who can end up harming our environment more than they help it.
There is a housing crisis in the Commonwealth, pure and simple. There isn't enough housing, and it keeps the cost of buying a home -- and keeping a home -- simply too high. I support responsible development and working with municipalities to chart a course for new development that makes sense for them. In addition, we shouldn't oversimplify this issue via mandates...we need to look at the root causes of our high cost of development...things like construction costs, materials costs, and a permitting process that puts unnecessary administrative hurdles in place.
We need to make sure we're putting Massachusetts residents first, particularly our veterans who need access to our emergency shelter system. That has been my top priority in the last several months as a State Representative, and we've been successful in pushing the Governor to take on these reforms. As new immigrants come to the Commonwealth, legally, we should be working with our communities to ensure that our towns have the resources to serve these new residents. Can our schools house them? Can our hospitals handle them? Can our social services afford this influx? I support any plans that ask these questions and put our residents first.
There are a number of important transit priorities, including the continued need to improve service on the MBTA and commuter rail. In our district, that means continuing to support GATRA and advocate for more funding to improve service. In addition, we need to keep up the fight to re-open Plymouth station at Cordage Park.
