10th Middlesex District debate produces lively exchange

10th Middlesex District representative primary candidates Newton city councilor Alison Leary and incumbent Rep. John Lawn engaged in a lively debate Tuesday afternoon hosted by the Charles River Regional Chamber. The debate was moderated by CRRC’s public policy and government affairs manager Max Woolf and covered a wide range of topics including affordability, environment, healthcare and housing.

Re-pedestrianization for Moody Street

The pedestrian-only plan for Moody Street that was in place in 2020 was struck down by the City Council once again this year. During the debate, both candidates were asked whether they supported the re-pedestrianization of Moody Street. 

Leary said she supports making Moody Street pedestrian-only again, and was disappointed it was not revived this year. She said she enjoyed spending time on Moody Street after door-to-door canvassing in the area during her 2020 campaign.

Lawn said it was a question of balance, and that consideration needed to be taken so that both residents and businesses are happy.

“It’s not one-size-fits-all for Moody Street,” he said. “Outdoor dining needs to be limited to where it is appropriate.”

Additionally, Lawn said he made sure money was given to Waltham in the state budget to revitalize Moody Street for pedestrians, and had been collaborating with the mayor and city councilors.

Support for duplexes and zoning

Lawn said that he wants local governments to continue to have a say on zoning in their cities. He said he helped to pass the “Yes in God’s Backyard” legislation, which prevents additional zoning requirements to allow multifamily housing on religious institutions’ land. He also said he feels single-family house zoning is appropriate for some areas and not appropriate for others. Lawn said allowing the construction of duplexes in single-family neighborhoods could affect neighborhood character.

Leary said the MBTA communities law has been successful, and that she had received an endorsement from Abundant Housing Massachusetts. She said she is not concerned about duplexes changing neighborhood character and that they could be thoughtfully designed to fit the style of the neighborhood.

“Every community should have opportunities for multi-family housing and more diverse housing options,” Leary said.

Efficiency and transparency on Beacon Hill

When asked whether he thought the State House has an efficiency or transparency problem, Lawn said no. He cited the fact that all hearings and votes are made public, and said that he is in support of the Expanding Public Records Law ballot question. Lawn said that bills take a long time to pass through the State House because it is very complex, but does not think there is an efficiency issue. 

Leary stated that she thought there was an efficiency problem due to the high number of legislators and staff in comparison to the low number of state-wide bills that are passed.  

“There’s a lot of complexity, but we should have the ability to get more done,” she said.

She also acknowledged the State House’s recent decision to make committee votes public, but said that wasn’t enough. She accused Lawn of not taking transparency seriously, citing a statistic from Beacon Hill Compliance Tracker that says that only 5% of bills passed through the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing, which Lawn chairs, met Lawn’s own transparency requirements. Additionally, Leary said that Lawn has not filed the required OCPF paperwork for campaign finance transparency.

Lawn stated that he follows the laws and policies put forth by OCPF, and pointed out that Leary had made a charge to her campaign’s credit card that was not campaign related. Leary stated she had mistakenly used the wrong card and reimbursed her campaign immediately after realizing the error. After arguing back and forth about the specifics, Lawn asked Leary, “So mistakes are okay to make?” 

“Some mistakes happen, but it happens to you a lot,” Leary said, referencing Lawn’s OCPF campaign finance audits.

Endorsements and visibility

Lawn stated that four of Leary’s fellow city councilors have endorsed his campaign, as have several other state legislators associated with Newton. Leary said she wasn’t worried about that because she has been working on getting endorsements from other organizations as well as connecting with voters.

“They want a representative who shows up, who talks to them, who responds to emails. The voters of the 10th Middlesex are my priority,” she said.

When asked whether he felt he was visible enough in his community, Lawn said that he doesn’t attend events “just for the sake of putting stuff on social media.” He also shared that his family responsibilities and building relationships with colleagues at the State House keep him busy. He said “all the neighborhood groups” associated with where Leary lives have endorsed his campaign.

Leary explained that because the neighborhood associations that Lawn was referencing didn’t share her values, they didn’t endorse her. She clarified that she remains on friendly terms with the groups and plans to continue working with them.

“They don’t want housing, they don’t want immigrants. Many of them are Republicans. They don’t share my values or my politics,” she said.

“You owe the people of Nonantum an apology,” Lawn said in response. “Those are the people she represents, and I don’t know how you’d represent an entire district if that’s what you’re saying.”

Balancing environment and business

When asked how she planned to protect the environment as well as the business community, Leary said she didn’t see the two goals as being in conflict. She cited restoration and cleaning efforts for Boston Harbor and the Charles River as success stories that attracted businesses and residents to the area. 

“People don’t want to live next to polluted rivers,” she said.

Leary also cited reducing greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning away from natural gas as environmental priorities.

In response to the same question, Lawn acknowledged that it is a challenge to balance utility costs while reaching climate goals. He cited an upcoming bill that would address that issue. He also said that he has been endorsed by the Environmental Council of Massachusetts.

Cuts to Mass Save

Lawn said that he was in favor of making cuts to the Mass Save program because of its high cost. Leary said that she was not in favor of cuts because the program generates money for the state, helps keep the state on track for climate goals and helps to support low and middle income families with their utility bills. She said that the real issue was expensive gas development projects. Both candidates said they were in support of bills that would make polluters pay for their contributions to climate change.

Medicare for all

Lawn said he supports national Medicare for all. He cited his work on a State House committee and his attendance at forums on the issue, and wants to conduct a study to see if a single-payer Medicare system was possible for Massachusetts. Leary agreed, saying she noticed that healthcare is a large portion of the City of Newton budget. She said she became involved in the Medicare for all movement because she feels health care costs could be reduced.

Repealing marijuana legality

Lawn simply said “no” when asked if Massachusetts should repeal the legality of marijuana. Leary echoed his answer, stating she thinks regulations around the industry should actually be reduced. 

“It’s been a godsend to a lot of communities who are getting essential taxes out of it, and a lot of jobs,” she said.

The debate concluded with closing statements from both candidates, with Lawn highlighting his continued commitment to making communities better and Leary promising to be accountable to voters instead of colleagues or lobbyists.

“I always like a lively conversation,” said Leary. “And we got one tonight.”