DiDomenico, Bush Debate Mass. Issues

With nearly two weeks remaining until the election for the State Senate seat, Democratic candidate Sal N. DiDomenico and Republican candidate Barbara T. Bush continue to spar over the issues facing Massachusetts.

DiDomenico, who became state senator in May after winning a special election, said that he has “done a lot in a small amount of time,” especially with regard to jobs, education, and health care.

On the other side of the aisle, Bush, a newcomer to politics, said her fresh perspective will resonate with the electorate.

“People are concerned about the same things as I am,” she said.

IN THIS ECONOMY

In an interview, DiDomenico recounted actions taken by the State Senate since he took office to tackle unemployment, namely “an economic development bill which allows local funding to let businesses grow.”

DiDomenico said he plans to use federal stimulus funds “which is in the hands of the big banks who don’t seem to want to lend to small businesses” to encourage access to loans for small businesses, which he said would increase and retain jobs.

“We want to make sure that the money is given to the right hands,” DiDomenico said.

But, according to Bush, giving government more power over money might not lead to more jobs.

“We need to make sure that the government is not taking too much money,” Bush said. “I think we need to have a smaller government and lower taxes.”

While Bush said that investment in police and fire departments is necessary, she said that, in general, the government should “let the private sector take care of the rest.”

“Individuals spend their money more wisely than the government because the government has no limit,” Bush said.

FUNDING EDUCATION

For DiDomenico, who is himself a graduate of Cambridge Rindge and Latin and has two sons in public schools, education was another crucial issue.

“Early education is a priority for me,” DiDomenico said.

Because of the achievement gap between white and Asian students and other minority students, DiDomenico said it was important to address education issues at the elementary level.

During his time in office, he co-sponsored several amendments for early education funding.

According to Cambridge City Councillor Leland Cheung, DiDomenico has also fought shrinking budgets, large class sizes, and teacher lay-offs in schools.

For Bush, it was more important to look at other aspects of education such as the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, an annual statewide standardized exam.

Even though Bush said she has “talked to teachers who think that the MCAS system is working well,” she said that training teachers in preparation for the test costs the state.

But Bush cautioned against a sudden, drastic overhaul.

“We need to be very careful about jumping into a new approach,” Bush said.

AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE

DiDomenico said he has been working on making sure that the cost of “health care was capped and anyone who wanted to increase it has to justify the reasons.”

“Health care is the highest number in our budget,” DiDomenico said.

As someone who, in her words, is “not a fan of health care as legislated by the government,” Bush said that “when people do not pay to be part of a system, then they feel entitled to use it.”

Agreeing that health care is a large cost for the state, Bush said that charging individuals for use of services would insure that money is used more wisely.

“I could not tell you a specific thing that has to be done because it’s a huge expense for the taxpayers,” Bush said.

—Staff writer Rediet T. Abebe can be reached at rtesfaye@college.harvard.edu.