Intelligence report

Local candidates for state rep, state senate, and clerk of courts confront the big issues of election 2000

by Chris Kanaracus

QUITE AN ELECTION year so far. The unlikeliest race -- Mayor Raymond Mariano and incumbent Loring Lamoureux's battle for the obscure job of Superior Court Clerk -- has drawn the most attention, in part due to Mariano's high profile, but also because of the striking differences between the candidates, from their personalities to clashing views of what the job should entail.

On the city's West Side and in Paxton, no less than four Democratic candidates jumped at the chance to fill the 13th District seat of state Representative Harriette Chandler, and so far, the four-way race remains too tight to call.

Chandler, a three-term incumbent, made a sudden move of her own. When well-liked 1st District state Senator Robert A. Bernstein announced he wouldn't seek another term, she relinquished her 13th District seat to run against lawyer Joe Early Jr. (whose father is former US Representative Joe Early) for the Democratic nomination. Like the 13th District race, Chandler vs. Early may come down to a photo finish.

In March, 14th Worcester district state representative William McManus dropped out of the Democratic Party. He'll run as an independent against the winner of the primary battle between lawyer James Leary and venerable Worcester politician Timothy J. Cooney. McManus's move, which may have been prompted by run-ins with area labor organizations and his close relationship with Governor Paul Cellucci, is a shrewd one. He's laid low since his announcement.

Beyond the usual machinations, there's been no shortage of hot issues this election year, from health care to debate over the proposed access road to Worcester Airport. On many issues, the candidates have been in agreement, but each offers plenty of subtleties of character and belief. To amplify the understanding of area voters, we asked candidates in each of these races to respond to questions drafted with input from business leaders and grassroots activists.

Some of the questions are familiar and self-explanatory. For more complex matters, we've included the following background information. See you at the polls.

-- Chris Kanaracus

City Council Candidates

Ray Mariano
Loring Lamoureux
Jim Leary
Bob Spellane
Joseph Spillane
Harriett Lebow
Brian O'Connell
Harriette Chandler
Joe Early
Abandoned buildings

Besides claiming the lives of six city firefighters, the December 3, 1999, fire at the Worcester Cold Storage warehouse cast a grim, chilling light on the dangers of abandoned property. According to a task force convened earlier this year by city manager Tom Hoover, there

are 214 abandoned or condemned buildings within city limits. Many are commercial properties like Worcester Cold Storage.

Beyond tragedies such as the fire, abandoned buildings generate little tax revenue, scar neighborhoods, and encourage vandalism.

A report released in August by the Worcester Municipal Research Bureau contains a number of proposals to combat the problem: posting the names of landlords who own troubled properties; streamlining the permit process for rehabilitation efforts; and, among others, improving the city's computer database for tracking such properties.

With public awareness of this problem at an all-time high, legislators will be called upon to advocate at the state level and work with city officials to ensure progress is made.

Airport access

Perhaps no issue this election year (and during last year's municipal contest) has been more heated than the proposed access road to struggling Worcester Airport. One proposed route -- said to be preferred by Massport -- would cut through the Hope Avenue neighborhood, requiring the removal of 45 homes. A grassroots activist group, Residents Opposed to the Access Road, or ROAR, has swelled to 2000 members, and is voicing consistent and heated opposition to the road.

But the debate over whether a road is needed, and where it should be built, is sure to intensify -- Massport figures indicate higher passengers counts at the airport since the quasi-public state agency took over the operation earlier this year. Local legislators will certainly play a delicate, but crucial role in the months to come.

Brownfields

In addition to an unfortunate wealth of abandoned buildings, Worcester plays host to about 200 brownfields -- unused, chemically contaminated plots of land. Recent steps have been made to challenge the problem. This summer, a private development group unveiled plans for Gateway Park, a $2.25 million initiative to remake up to 55 acres of land off Prescott and Grove Streets as sites for commercial development. Such projects have been helped along by legislation, passed in 1998, that eases clean-up requirements for business use.

But other brownfields clean-up efforts have been compromised. In August, Governor Paul Cellucci vetoed $239,000 in funds for the struggling Central Massachusetts Economic Development Authority. CMEDA board members say the agency could be forced to close if the money is not restored.

To be sure, other avenues for brownfield clean-up exist: private interests and the state Department of Environmental Protection, to name but two. Regardless, effective advocacy for brownfields funding will continue to be a crucial task for the local delegation.

Education reform

A wide-ranging education-reform bill passed by the state Legislature in 1993 has pumped an additional $6 billion into public schools. The legislation has brought with it a number of controversial issues. One of the most talked about is the upcoming review of education reform's funding formula -- the need-based method used to distribute money to communities around the state -- which has funneled more new aid to poor communities. Middle-class and affluent communities are griping that as their populations grow, funding hasn't been adjusted accordingly. Others counter that education reform is intended to help needier students.

Education reform has become a heated and divisive issue. In the coming sessions, legislators will have to grapple with it.

MCAS testing

Massachusetts law states that all public-high-school students must pass the MCAS, or Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, tests by 2003 to graduate. Supporters assert that MCAS is needed to improve student performance. In 1998, more than half of the students who took the exam failed.

Critics say the test is unfair to students in under-funded schools, who don't do well on tests in general, and students who have special needs. Additionally, they say, the "high-stakes" atmosphere created by the test causes undue pressure on students and could shift teaching practices towards rote memorization.

Centrists say, if anything, MCAS should be used as a diagnostic tool to assess individual student needs.

Patients' Bill of Rights

In July, Governor Cellucci signed into law legislation that placed HMOs, or health maintenance organizations, under new and stronger scrutiny by state government. The reform bill also created a "patients' bill of rights," which, among other things, lets patients see specialists and visit emergency rooms without clearance or referrals from their providers.

The new law was spurred by a successful initiative placed on the November ballot by the grassroots Coalition for Health Care. The coalition's plan, though, calls for two things that aren't included in the new law: the right of patients to sue their HMO and the provision, by July 2002, of state-provided universal health care. Nor was immediate help provided for the 600,000 Massachusetts residents who lack health insurance. Legislators have said these matters require additional study.

The reform package offers new and substantial benefits for residents. But there is much work still to be done.

Prescription drugs

The escalating cost of prescription drugs, especially those needed by senior citizens, has been one of this year's most talked about political issues. According to the Associated Press, 23 states currently offer some type of prescription-drug assistance to senior citizens.

Both presidential candidates, Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore, have unveiled prescription-drug plans as part of their campaigns. Bush's plan would put $48 billion into state programs; pay all costs for low-income seniors; and allow others to choose from a Medicare-based or private prescription plan, to be paid for on a sliding scale. Gore's plan, which would offer more uniform coverage for all income levels, focuses heavily on bolstering the Medicare system.

Another solution, spurred by a report by Boston University professor Alan Sager, proposes that New England, New York and Pennsylvania band together to buy drugs in bulk, thus lowering costs. According to Sager's report, 10 million people, or 23 percent of the population of the eight states, lack any prescription drug coverage.

School vouchers

A growing number of states, led by Wisconsin, have endorsed the use of school vouchers, which allow parents to use funds earmarked for public schools to pay for private schooling. Proponents say school vouchers promote competition with public schools, and ultimately will improve them. Critics counter that vouchers take money from public schools and encourage separatism. Talk about school vouchers has escalated in Massachusetts.

Primary day is Tuesday, September 19. Polls are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. If you have any questions about your specified polling place, call the Worcester Elections Commission at (508) 799-1134.

Seth Gitell can be reached at sgitell[a]phx.com.