Get out and vote tomorrow - No excuses

GET OUT AND VOTE TOMORROW

By Bill Gouveia for the Sun Chronicle

Tomorrow is Election Day. Many reading this now may have already voted early.

While this writer does not endorse candidates for office, my columns often talk about them. In this election, there are many worth discussing on the national, state, and local level. Given space limitations, I’d like to discuss three races and sets of candidates that have made strong impressions on me.

In the race for state representative in Attleboro, the city cannot go wrong. Both incumbent Jim Hawkins and challenger Julie Hall are intelligent, articulate candidates with strong records of public service.

But Hawkins has been a great representative in the months since he defeated Hall in a special election. His knowledge of the issues is impressive, his handling of difficult political situations has been superb, and his humor and humility have made it easy to like and respect him. Win or lose, he has earned this re-election opportunity.

State Senator Richard Ross of Wrentham has been a huge disappointment. His refusal to debate his opponent, or even respond to invitations to do so, reflects poorly on the veteran senator.

I don’t know much about his opponent Rebecca Rausch, but she and the people of the district deserved better than this. Ross has not really explained his actions or reasoning, but he appears to be taking his voters for granted. He probably will win tomorrow — but doesn’t deserve the victory.

Perhaps the most fiercely contested local race is for state senate in the Bristol and Norfolk district, which includes part of Attleboro and many other Sun Chronicle area communities. In this battle, Senator Paul Feeney is in a rematch with Jacob Ventura, who has worked for state representative Steven Howitt in the past. Feeney edged Ventura last year in a three-way race.

Feeney has been a positive force in the area, very active in the district and working on real problems that the state can and should address. His record during his short time in office thus far is both impressive and undeniable.

Ventura is a bright, articulate gentleman who has worked very hard campaigning for the last year or two. But despite his claims, he has not been centered on the issues truly affecting the working-class people of his district. Ventura has relied heavily on negativity and distortion to try and discredit and defeat Feeney.

Backed by far right wing groups like the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, Ventura has tried to follow President Trump and ride “immigration issues” to victory. He falsely claims Feeney wants to turn Massachusetts into a “sanctuary state,” and of not supporting public safety agencies and officials.

Ventura has enough going for himself that he doesn’t need to resort to these tactics. It’s sad that he has continued to use them.

People will point out those I have praised here are primarily Democrats, like myself. But at this level, I find party designation to be irrelevant. It is much more about the individual candidates, which is why I give credit to Republican representatives like Jay Barrows of Mansfield who always serves his district well.

If you haven’t voted, please do so tomorrow. And if you don’t vote — don’t complain.

Bill Gouveia is a local columnist and longtime local official. He can be emailed at billsinsidelook@gmail.com and followed on Twitter at @Billinsidelook.