Lunenburg resident Jen Benson, a Democrat, and Boxborough resident Kurt Hayes, a Republican, are candidates for the 37th Middlesex District’s state representative seat being vacated by Jamie Eldridge in his bid to replace Pam Resor in the state Senate. With the fall election fast approaching, the candidates will be meeting in several upcoming area forums, and also agreed to answer a set of questions posed by the Press. Here, in their own words, are the candidates:

Q: Why are you running for state representative?

Benson: I am running for state representative because as School Committee chairman, I have seen firsthand the struggles our towns face as the economy weakens. It is imperative that someone with municipal experience advocates for the town services and for the state support necessary to provide them.

Hayes: Beacon Hill is broken and unaccountable to the voters of Massachusetts. I am running to drive change that makes sense for our towns, cities, and the commonwealth. I want to be a voice of common sense on behalf of my constituents in Harvard, Shirley, Lunenburg, Acton, Lancaster, and Boxborough.

Jen Benson (Courtesy photo)

Growing our state economy through increases in business and job creation is vital...state aid has dropped in the last six years. Inflation is at a 17-year high, and when you combine that with skyrocketing energy costs and healthcare costs, our towns struggle to simply maintain services. —Jen Benson

Kurt Hayes (Courtesy photo)

I helped drive a [ballot question so] voters will be able to let their newly elected state representative know if they want state lawmakers to vote in favor of legislation distributing $450 million from the ‘rainy day’ stabilization fund, originally due to [cities and towns­ for] property tax relief. this represents $860,532 to Harvard. —Kurt Hayes

Q: What special qualifications or experience do you bring to the job?

Benson: I have served on many different committees in town government, including a School Building Committee, Capital Planning Commitee, and six years on the School Committee, with two years as chairman. This has given me a well-rounded understanding of municipal finance.

Hayes: I bring 20 years of experience in the private sector and IBM to the job of state representative. I want to take that real-world knowledge and background to Beacon Hill to serve the people. We have a State House full of attorneys and politicians, and it is clear that they have mismanaged our state. We are at the point where voters have lost trust in the state government to look out for their best interests. I have the drive, know-how, and ability to work with others to get the job done. This is the result of many years of working directly with, and serving the needs of, customers, business partners, and IBM colleagues.

Q: What do you see as the three most important issues for the district? For the state?

Benson: Attracting and retaining business, increasing aid to our towns in order to reduce the burden on local property taxes, and investing in infrastructure, such as roads and public transportation.

Hayes: The three most important issues I am hearing from voters as I meet them on their doorsteps or at events in the towns of the 37th Middlesex District match the top three priorities I’ve had since the beginning of my campaign. Those are:

• Protecting state aid for all the schools in our towns
• Providing relief for our vulnerable seniors
• Reforming our government to hold the line on taxes

The three top issues I see for the state are a critical and urgent need to:

• Create a business-friendly environment that will retain existing and attract new businesses, workers, and families needed for a healthy state economy.
• Instill fiscal discipline that stops adding to the tremendous debt load and unfunded liabilities we carry as a state. We must not continue to pass this debt burden on to future generations.
• Manage the ‘universal coverage’ healthcare system we have created in Massachusetts to make it affordable in the long term.

Q: What are the issues you’re hearing about from voters on the campaign trail?

Benson: The issues I mention above come from the voters of this district. I have spoken with many people and these are the issues I have heard about the most. Voters want to know how we can grow the economy and provide support to town services.

Hayes: While each person has their own issue specific to their situation and town, many of those come down to a simple lack of trust in Beacon Hill. There is overwhelming agreement among voters that we need new leaders to provide balance and accountability to the State House. Voters realize we need to break the single-party rule in Massachusetts if we are going to end the back-room Beacon Hill style of politics that serves the special interests over our interests.

While I’m out on the campaign trail this summer, I hear most often from voters about:

• The obvious waste, inefficiency and even corruption they see on Beacon Hill. The voters are tired of having their hard-earned tax dollars squandered on wasteful spending and inefficiency we see revealed in the newspaper and on TV news every day.
• High prices. Skyrocketing energy prices have now impacted all aspects of the economy. People are having a hard time, since income is not even close to keeping pace with increasing prices for everything from healthcare to food to gas. Most are very concerned about the upcoming winter heating oil prices.
• High taxes and the refusal of the State House to live within its means as families must do, especially in these difficult economic times.

Q: Many small towns like Harvard are suffering under an increasing tax burden as they strive to maintain excellence in the schools. The skyrocketing taxes threaten to force seniors and others out of their homes. What would you propose to provide tax relief and more education funding to communities like Harvard?

Benson: This is the single biggest issue in this district. Growing our state economy through increases in businesses and job creation is vital. The reason our property taxes have risen is because our state aid has dropped in the last six years. Inflation is at a 17-year high, and when you combine that with skyrocketing energy costs and healthcare costs, our towns struggle simply to maintain services. Our state aid figures have not kept up with these increases, resulting in a higher percentage of overall town revenue coming from the residents. This impacts our senior and young families the hardest. Increasing state aid figures reduces the burden on property taxes, giving our residents the ability to keep up with their own rising costs.

Hayes: I helped drive a question onto the 37th Middlesex District ballot for the Nov. 4 election. Voters will be able to let their newly elected state representative know if they want state lawmakers to vote in favor of legislation distributing $450 million from the “rainy day” stabilization fund, originally due to the cities and towns of the commonwealth, for residential property tax relief. This represents $860,532 to Harvard.

I support this initiative because this money was intended for the cities and towns of Massachusetts. While we’ve faced budget shortfalls, dips into our own town and family “rainy day” funds, divisive override votes, and escalating property taxes, the state “rainy day” fund has ballooned to twice the state’s own recommended level. In the long run, the Lottery funds should be uncapped so that the revenue goes to the towns and cities as originally intended. (See www.450million.org for more information.)

Q: What are your views on Chapter 40B legislation?

Benson: We know we need affordable housing, since this is vital to attracting and retaining our workforce, but I know there are better ways to partner with our towns, rather than penalize them, to increase affordable housing options. Reform of 40B is necessary. Chapter 40R is a good alternative to 40B, allowing towns more control over development as well as the ability to receive funds from the state to defray infrastructure costs. We have had great success in Lunenburg with this affordable housing alternative.

Hayes: Part of attracting and retaining workers to Massachusetts is the availability of affordable housing. We rank near the bottom in affordable housing compared to other states. Clearly, the noble goal of providing affordable housing is not being met by the 40-year-old 40B legislation, which is allowing developers to overstep town bylaws for their own profit.

It is time we end 40B and place more focus on incentive-based alternatives such as 40R, to enable towns to establish Smart Growth Zoning Districts (SGZD’s). This alternative allows towns and developers to work together, while enabling towns to retain control of future development.

Q: What’s your position on Devens disposition?

Benson: It is essential that the state legislature support the disposition process in Harvard, Devens, Ayer, and Shirley; but the bottom line is the decision should ultimately be made by the residents of the affected communities. This is clearly a local control issue and the state or a legislator should not dictate the outcome.

Hayes: I am listening to the voters and leaders in the towns impacted by the current and future disposition of Devens. We need to balance the needs and interests of the families and businesses on Devens with the needs and interests of the towns with lands that became part of Fort Devens.

Q: What would be your strategy for bringing more jobs to Massachusetts?

Benson: We know a lot about economic development through many good studies that have been conducted. There are several items a corporation looks for in locating or expanding facilities. They are: infrastructure, education, cost of living, and public safety. Infrastructure includes not just roads and bridges, but high tech infrastructure such as broadband Internet access and public transportation, as well. Having a ready and educated workforce is attractive to employers, which is why our investment in all levels of public education will pay off in the long term. Keeping our cost of living in Massachusetts reasonable is critical in retaining workers. Providing property tax relief and building up our affordable housing stock will keep us competitive. And finally, offering corporations and their employees a safe and healthy environment to live in and raise their families is a basic and essential component of our attractiveness.

Hayes: I would work tirelessly to drive out inefficiency and waste from our state government. In particular, streamline the permitting process and onerous regulatory red tape that keeps new businesses from coming to Massachusetts to create jobs, drive our economy, and provide new revenue for the state. We compete with other states for the employers and employees that are key to a healthy economy and ‘revenue’ for the state. If we do not serve those business ‘customers’ well, they will go elsewhere.

Q: What are your views on funding infrastructure improvements to expand passenger service on Massachusetts railroads?

Benson: In a period of economic downturn, investments in infrastructure improvements make good fiscal sense, as well as providing a service that is in high demand. The transportation bond bill which passed this session is a great example of how investing now creates jobs today and sets us up to grow more jobs in the future. But this current bond bill does not go far enough in public transportation. We have to ensure our rail service is convenient and accessible. We can do this through shuttle service to our stations to reduce the demand on parking and open accessibility to outlying towns. Improvements in scheduling, reducing travel time, and creating reverse commute options are all part of the discussion on updating and streamlining our rail service to the 37th Middlesex District.

Hayes: We need a top-to-bottom overhaul of the public transportation bureaucracy here in Massachusetts. This is a prime area to root out waste and inefficiency. Those savings will help fund infrastructure improvements to expand passenger service on the Fitchburg line. People will be attracted to public transportation that is easy to access, fast, and reliable.

Q: What initiatives would you propose to help Massachusetts communities become more sustainable?

Benson: Towns like Harvard need state support in a few areas which would go a long way toward aiding sustainability. Changing the funding mechanism for special education, creating a direct line of funding from the state for students in need, rather than those costs being absorbed by each individual town, protects the needs of the students while allowing towns to better forecast budgets. Defraying energy costs through infrastructure improvements, with support from the state, similar to our School Building Authority, would allow towns to save on an increasing area of their budgets. And growing the state economy will allow more state aid into our towns to reduce burden on the property taxes. We need to be thinking in terms of long-term solutions rather than band-aid fixes in order to maintain services and keep our towns viable.

Hayes: The best way to make our communities sustainable in the long run is to face up to the bureaucracies and special interests that have permeated our state government. One example is the elimination of current requirements for police details at road repairs and projects. The elimination of waste and inefficiency at the state level will have a direct and positive impact on towns and cities. We must also look at economies of scale that can be realized by ‘regionalizing’ certain services where it makes sense while at the same time maintaining or improving services.

Q: What renewable energy projects should the state pursue?

Benson: Clean energy is the future. Wind projects, such as Cape Wind, are vital and should be encouraged throughout the state. Mount Wachusett Community College has done a lot of work in renewable and cost-efficient energy production. This is a great example of how renewable energy choices can help state agencies. We must encourage and help our towns and citizens make good energy choices.

Hayes: We have a moral responsibility to be good stewards of our environment and the tax dollars we are elected to spend for the benefit of the citizens of Massachusetts. As the leading world economic power, we depend on tremendous supplies of energy and resources to keep the engines of our economy and society running and growing.

We must provide motivation to our universities and Massachusetts companies to lead the development of truly renewable energy sources and to make Massachusetts the leader in new ‘green’ industries.

Our leaders should not just go to Washington to ask for more heating oil assistance; they should also call for increases to the domestic oil supplies. I support a balanced energy policy that makes Massachusetts the leader in the renewable energy industry of tomorrow while also supporting policies that make energy more plentiful and affordable today.

Q: What are your views on providing credits to Massachusetts homeowners who invest in making their homes more energy-efficient?

Benson: It’s a win-win. It reduces green house emissions while supporting our investment in “green collar” jobs in the commonwealth. It also has the added benefit of helping people save money. Everyone benefits.

Hayes: I support tax credits for homeowners who make investments in more energy-efficient appliances and windows to make their homes more energy efficient.