With both longtime State Representatives retiring, organizations representing specific constituencies are inviting candidates to speak to members and respond to relevant questions. The Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of Greater Boston hosted two forums on Wednesday, August 7, with the six candidates — three running for Kay Khan seat in the 11th Middlesex District, and three running for Ruth Balser’s seat in the 12th Middlesex District (including four Brookline precincts). Both Rep. Khan and Rep. Balser are Jewish and have worked with the JCRC and its partner organizations. The evening’s emcee, FayeRuth Fisher, JCRC’s Chief of Public Affairs and Community Relations, emphasized that the program was meant to serve as “a robust conversation” giving the audience “a better understanding of who [the candidates] are.”
For the JCRC and its partner organizations, priorities include: support for Israel; combating antisemitism; advocating for increased Commonwealth resources to serve immigrants, seniors, and people with disabilities; advocating for a wide array of supports for immigrants; and protecting abortion access. Ms. Fisher explained that the coalition shares these values but represents a diversity of ideas and legislative priorities. She noted that even before Hamas’s October 7th attack on Israel, Massachusetts was sixth in the nation in number of antisemitic incidents, with a significant increase following the attack, thereby heightening focus on this community and the legislature.
Fisher said questions for the candidates would relate to matters that were specifically within the purview of the state legislature. She highlighted that the forums were not debates, and the candidates should address their own positions and not those of the other candidates.
In advance of this event, the JCRC sent a questionnaire to all the candidates, asking their positions on eight issues – most of which were included in the two candidate forums. (See the questionnaire and responses, and watch videos of the introduction, the 11th Middlesex forum, and the 12th Middlesex forum.)
Here are highlights from the August 7 forums featuring the candidates from the 11th Middlesex and then the 12th Middlesex races.
11th Middlesex
Alex Jablon, Vlad Yanovsky, and Amy Sangiolo, the three candidates for the open 11th Middlesex district seat, participated. Jablon and Sangiolo are candidates in the Democratic primary, while Yanovsky is the only Republican candidate.
After opening statements, during which the three candidates stated the cases for their candidacies, Fisher posed questions to the candidates.
The first question related to the recently enacted legislation on housing called the Affordable Homes Act, signed into law by the Governor in Newton last week, and it asked candidates about favored elements of the legislation and about any provisions that they felt were missing.
Sangiolo said she strongly supported the legislation and called housing “a human right.” She expressed disappointment that the legislation did not include a real estate transfer fee, saying that such a fee could help fund an affordable housing trust. Yanovsky said he opposes all legislation related to housing and suggested that people who could not afford to live in Newton should look in Lawrence, Methuen, and Lowell, where, he said, there is plenty of affordable housing. Jablon said he strongly supported the legislation though he cautioned that while the legislation was a good start, it was only a start, and much more would be needed. He also favored a real estate transfer fee and was disappointed that it was not in the bill.
The second question addressed actions to combat the rise of antisemitism in Massachusetts. Yanovsky said that education had failed, and would continue to fail, to stop antisemitism. He said the only option to combat antisemitism were strong and proud Jews with firearms. Jablon said that education was a valuable tool to combat antisemitism and favored including the discussion of antisemitism in school curriculum. Sangiolo condemned the October 7th atrocities in Israel and supported classroom curriculum to teach about awareness and understanding of diverse cultures, particularly those that have been marginalized.
Responding to a question on immigration, Jablon said that he supports welcoming more people to the Commonwealth and to the U.S. He criticized the federal government for failing to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Sangiolo said that she went to the border to monitor children held in detention camps. She favored the “right to shelter“ law and said it needed more funding. Yanovsky stated that the opioid epidemic was the result of illegal immigration. He opposes the “right to shelter” law and continued that Massachusetts should stop illegal immigration, which he called a source of murder and of transmission of diseases.
Fisher asked candidates how they would ensure access to family planning and abortion care. Sangiolo favors legislation requiring insurance companies to cover all aspects of maternal healthcare. She highlighted a need to keep medical abortion safe and accessible. Yanovsky proclaimed his elation when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, describing abortion as a systematic genocide of Black children. Jablon called the Supreme Court’s decision on Dobbs v. Jackson, which overturned Roe v. Wade, to be a travesty. He said that a woman’s health care decision should be determined only by decisions by the woman and her doctor and called for the protection of the right to in vitro fertilization (IVF).
The final question addressed each candidate’s most difficult decision in their public service careers. Yanovsky said that he did not have a public service career, rather that he served his community and family. Jablon said he did not have a public service career, per se, but highlighted his work at Raytheon on Israel’s “Iron Dome” defense. Sangiolo spoke about an instance at the state Attorney General’s office, where, despite best efforts, she was unable to prevent a military veteran from being evicted from his home.
Finally, all candidates made three-minute closing statements regarding their candidacies.
12th Middlesex
All three candidates in the 12th Middlesex race — Bill Humphrey, Rick Lipof, and Greg Schwartz — are Democrats, with the September 3rd primary election determining the State Representative-elect.
At the outset, all three established their connections to the Jewish Community. Mr. Humphrey, who is not Jewish, said that in his role as a City Council member and candidate, he has had an opportunity to meet with, listen to, and learn from members of the Jewish community. He shares many of JCRC’s priorities, he said.
Mr. Lipof’s mother was the senior rabbi at Temple Ohabei Shalom in Brookline, and his family members have been involved in a wide range of local Jewish businesses including a day camp and a cemetery. He has been a member of several local temples.
Dr. Schwartz’s grandparents and parents were involved in establishing Jewish congregations in New York, where he grew up, and his parents were engaged in trying to mitigate the gentrification of New York’s Upper West Side.
Of last week’s signing of the Affordable Homes Act in Newton, Dr. Schwartz applauded it as a beginning, but he noted that Massachusetts needs much more affordable housing, particularly ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units) and state support for more middle-income housing. Mr. Lipof said that the Act provided for bonding of 45,000 units when at least 200,000 are necessary. He advocates for public/private partnerships to meet housing needs. Mr. Humphrey’s concern is that provisions will languish in the state legislature. He wants to be sure the authorizations are allocated.
Citing Jewish law regarding the treatment of strangers (Exodus 22:20 and Leviticus) requiring Jews to love the stranger as themselves, Ms. Fisher asked all three candidates about Immigration. Mr. Humphrey supports both the Safe Communities Act and shelters without time limits. He warned of repeating past mistakes, such as the M.S. St. Louis, a ship carrying many European Jews, which the United States and Canada turned away in 1939, leading to the extermination of many of the passengers. Dr. Schwartz charged the federal government with failure to deal with the border issues and termed the relocation of immigrants a matter of both morality and self-interest. “We also need to provide more services to immigrants,” he said. Mr. Lipof declared himself proud that Massachusetts is a “Right to Shelter” state, but he noted that government has to make “tough decisions” about capping shelter time limits. “The government needs to live within budget constraints,” he said.
In presenting their appeal to voters, each candidate noted that they have served or are serving on the Newton City Council. Mr. Humphrey, a Ward Councilor, cited his constituent services and his endorsements by a number of unions and advocacy groups with whom he will work if elected. He said he challenges the “business as usual” State House legislative model. Dr. Schwartz had been the chair of the Land Use Committee and worked for two Congressmen and a member of Parliament. He is both a physician and lawyer, and said that he understands healthcare imperatives and the way laws are made and implemented. Mr. Lipof has been vice president of the City Council and chair of Land Use. He noted that he started a real estate appraisal business thirty-three years ago, which gives him an appreciation of the needs of small businesses.
In Fig City’s coverage of the upcoming State Representative elections, Alan Spatrick covers the 11th Middlesex District and Martina Jackson covers the 12th Middlesex District.
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