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First-time candidate Chris Oates says he was surprised and a little depressed to find out how much of campaigning has turned out to be "just getting people to pay attention to the fact that there is a race."
Oates, a Somerville Democrat, is running in a three-way primary for the House seat Rep. Christine Barber is giving up to run for state Senate. It’s one of the most crowded legislative races on the Sept. 1 ballot, with Oates, who has a background in political risk analysis, up against Somerville City Councilor Will Mbah and Medford School Committee member Paul Ruseau.
While frustration with Beacon Hill drives a busy ballot-question cycle, the summertime campaign season is once again sleepy on the legislator front. Almost 60% of House and Senate races are uncontested.
Making the case that the state's notoriously uncompetitive elections breed stagnation, Oates is pushing a menu of 10 policies he says would deliver a jolt to democracy in Massachusetts. The ideas include electoral reforms, an independent commission to organize debates, reworking how lawmakers get paid, and one move that voters here actually backed three decades ago: term limits.
Term limits would represent a huge change, take years to get approved as an amendment to the state Constitution and, Oates says, ultimately force incumbents to challenge each other.
"Currently what we have is that nothing happens for years at a time, and then there's a huge scramble for a bunch of new seats like musical chairs," Oates said. After the music stops and new lawmakers take their oaths, it can be years and years before a seat opens up again.
Term limits, unsurprisingly, have never proved popular with the people who would be legislating themselves out of a job by approving them. But thanks to a wave of voter-passed laws, mostly in the 1990s, 16 states have term limits for their legislatures today.
Massachusetts was almost one of them. A term-limits ballot question passed with 52% of the vote in 1994, and a bipartisan quartet of statewide officeholders at the time — Gov. Bill Weld, Lt. Gov. Paul Cellucci, Treasurer Joe Malone and Secretary of State Michael Connolly (who you may have seen this year in a super PAC’s ad encouraging Sen. Ed Markey to move along) backed the idea.
But the Supreme Judicial Court overturned the term-limits law in 1997, before it took effect, finding it a violation of the state constitution. A bid to pass term limits as a constitutional amendment fell short the next election year, without enough voter signatures.
The term-limit dream of the 90s lives on with challengers looking to distinguish themselves from entrenched incumbents and newcomers envisioning a different way of doing things.
Do you have a plan to jump-start democracy in Massachusetts? Or maybe a favorite 90s trend (political or otherwise) you’d like to see make a comeback? Tell me about it at [email protected].
Healthcare workers continue to suffer assaults and other incidents of workplace violence. The Massachusetts Nurses Association, the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association, the Massachusetts Division of 1199SEIU, the Massachusetts Emergency Nursing Association and the Massachusetts College of Emergency Physicians have come together to support meaningful, measurable and enforceable legislation addressing workplace violence in our healthcare facilities. Pass H.4767 - Learn more.
HAPPENING TODAY
9:00 | Fraud Fighters, a "multi-agency anti-scam effort led by Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden," holds a presentation for Dorchester residents. Joined by members of the Boston Police, Boston Housing Authority, Vine Street Community Center, Hebrew SeniorLife | 151 Hallet Street, Dorchester
11:30 | U.S. Senate candidate John Deaton holds a town hall forum, as part of a statewide listening tour | American Legion Post 151, 100 West St., Leominster
12:00 | Candidate for governor Brian Shortsleeve and candidate for lieutenant governor Shawn Oliver unveil their economic plan for the South Coast | Black Whale Parking Lot, 104 Co Op Wharf, New Bedford
1:00 | STEM Advisory Council meeting. Lt. Gov. Driscoll joins Education Secretary Zrike, Economic Development Secretary Paley, Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Jones and education, industry, and government leaders | Britebound, 33 Arch Street, Suite 2100, Boston | RSVP to [email protected]
6:00 | MassDOT hosts a virtual design public hearing on a proposed project meant to improve Wareham Street and Wood Street from the intersection with North/South Main Street to Tiger Drive on Wood Street in Middleborough | More Info and Register
6:00 | MassDOT holds a public informational meeting to discuss a proposed project that involves constructing a shared-use path for bicyclists and pedestrians along the north side of Route 2A between Colrain Road/Robbins Road and Shelbourne Road/River Street in Greenfield | John Zon Center, 35 Pleasant Street, Greenfield | More Info
6:00 | MBTA hosts a virtual meeting to hear public feedback on the changes proposed to bus routes under the Bus Network Redesign | More Info and Register
8:00 | Lt. Gov. Driscoll speaks at an event called “Which Side Are You On?: A Protest Music Teach-Out”, a concert and discussion series celebrating and exploring protest music | Boston Lyric Opera Community Space, 15 Channel Center St., Fort Point, Boston
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Program Analyst — NEW!, Massachusetts Housing Partnership |
Senior Investigator, AOI, Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General |
Associate, Shepherd Strategies |
Project Accountant, Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) |
Public Affairs Manager, Bentley University |
Director, Toxics Use Reduction Institute, UMass Lowell |
Legislative Affairs Manager, MassHousing |
Legislative Coordinator, Massachusetts Municipal Association |
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FROM BEACON HILL
ON THE DOCKET: The state Senate is gearing up to debate a $325 million economic development bill that includes money for AI and the defense sector, e-bike regulations and a major zoning change that would automatically allow duplexes on residential lots. | Eagle-Tribune
AI POLL: The Senate’s bill would also stand up new guardrails for artificial intelligence, proposing a framework that new polling shows is popular with Massachusetts voters. A majority of respondents told the MassINC Polling Group they want to see Massachusetts lead on AI safety rules, rather than waiting for other states or the feds to act. | GBH News
RIDESHARE RULES: Former Boston Police Commissioner William Evans wants state lawmakers to pass a bill this month to specifically criminalize rape of a passenger by a rideshare driver, which supporters say would close a loophole in existing law. A Lyft spokesperson says the company supports the legislation. | WCVB
NEWS NEXT DOOR
FAIR TIDINGS: Donna Festinger, a Greenfield woman who filled her Toyota's trunk with coloring books and local maple syrup samples then drove to Washington, D.C. to represent Massachusetts as a volunteer at the Great American State Fair, reflects on the experience. Without any official state presence at the event, Festinger said people from all over the state stepped up to showcase Massachusetts. | Greenfield Recorder
THE KAREN READ RACE: In the seven-candidate primary for Norfolk District Attorney, the office's handling of two high-profile cases — the trying of Karen Read over the death of her boyfriend, John O'Keefe, and the 2021 death of Sandra Birchmore — is a hot issue. | Boston Globe
PRESSING PAUSE: A federal judge ordered movie giants Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery to hold off on their merger temporarily while a court reviews a lawsuit filed by 12 states, including Massachusetts. | Associated Press
COURTHOUSE SUIT LATEST: The lawsuit over the planned new courthouse in Springfield, set for an August hearing, features high-powered attorneys and allegations of state ethics law violations. The suit from losing bidders challenges the selection of a team that includes John Barros, interim executive director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, and Conan Harris, U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley's husband. | Western Mass Politics & Insight
HARVARD PROBE: The U.S. Justice Department is investigating Harvard to see if the university is accepting gifts from China-based sources to fund financial aid programs that give preference to students from particular countries. | Harvard Crimson
POLICE REVIEW: The state's Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission suspended the certification of a Boston police officer over misconduct allegations. Another Boston cop's certification was suspended last week. | Boston Herald
Colorectal cancer is largely treatable and preventable. Mass General Brigham is encouraging routine screening for patients over age 45 with a wide range of test options. Our providers treat every patient interaction as a chance to educate and offer screening.
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Do you have an open role you'd like to feature here? Click here to place a job board order, or email Dylan Rossiter, Vice President of Affiliated News Services, at [email protected].
Managing Editor, CommonWealth Beacon
Chief Financial Officer, Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office
Court Administrator, MA Supreme Judicial Court
Executive Director, LivableStreets Alliance
Organizing Director, City Life/Vida Urbana
Senior Counsel – Workers’ Compensation and Employee Benefits, Massachusetts Water Resources Authority
Capital Projects & Procurement Manager, MetroWest Regional Transit Authority
