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SOUTHBOROUGH, Mass. — The Daily Voice recently sat down with Marty Lamb, the Republican who is challenging state Rep. Carolyn Dykema (D-Holliston) in the 8th Middlesex District.
Who will you support for state representative?
View ResultsWho will you support for state representative?
-
Carolyn Dykema (D)
30% -
Marty Lamb (R)
70%
The Daily Voice: What in your past experience qualifies you for this seat?
Marty Lamb: My main focus is that I’m coming, not as a professional career politician, not as an insider in politics, but as a father, a husband and a small business owner. And it’s the perspective from that point of view of what’s actually happening to real people I real situations. I’m in real estate law, and what I see on a daily basis is that the real estate market is in a real depression right now. But there’s also people who are struggling with their business finances, with their home budgets, and we’ve had many discussions on that.
I’ve also been involved with a non-profit called New Jobs For Massachusetts. We’ve been working with a bipartisan coalition on Beacon Hill, looking at the laws that inhibit job growth in Massachusetts.
DV: We’ve heard a lot lately about unfunded mandates and their impact on communities. Do you think unfunded mandates are a problem? If so, how would you address them?
ML: Absolutely. In schools, that typically has to do with the pension obligations that the towns are now required to pay off for years without the funding behind them. In Holliston, we’re struggling with that right now. Clearly, we can’t turn our backs on the teachers and firefighters and the police who have already put into the system. We’re obligated to pay them and we have to come up with the funds. Going forward, the state has to look at many things, such as pension reform. I’d like to see a limit for one state pension per person. There’s many people who end up with more than one pension because they jump from one bureaucracy to another.
If the state is going to force anything on the towns, we need to figure out first how the towns are going to pay for them. We can’t, as a state, say, “Hey, here’s something you have to do, but good luck finding the money.” That just isn’t right.
DV: Can anything be done to increase Chapter 70 funding for our schools?
ML: From my point of view, it is essential that we maintain the wonderful schools that we have within the district now. We have to, from a state point of view, maintain and if possible, increase local aid. The schools are struggling. I can speak from my own personal experience in Holliston with two kids who are special needs, who went through the school system, and we were fighting with the school system on a regular basis to get adequate services. I only have top praise for the administration and the teachers, but the problem was that they truly didn’t have the proper funding. And they were honest.
DV: Where would the funds come from?
ML: We have abuse and waste at the top that we need to address. One of them is looking at the top administrations in the state. What we did with the Mass Pike Authority by combining that into the Department of Transportation saved hundreds of millions of dollars. We need to look at each and every administration and see where else there’s that type of redundancy where we can combine forces and save a lot of money. And when I say save money and cut back I’m always looking at the top, never at the bottom where the service providers are. Because they’re the ones who typically get the shaft.
We have a lot of state owned properties and land. We should take an inventory to see what we can either sell or lease out, whether it be old court houses or properties on highways.
DV: As a Republican, how will you work with the Democratic majority to enact your proposals?
ML: First of all, the only way to get things enacted is to bring common sense solutions to the floor. Nobody is going to come in and change the world overnight, Democrat or Republican. From my point of view, I’m looking at the Democratic side, and they typically vote right with the Speaker of the House. There’s an agenda set at the top and they all follow suit. Rep. Dykema has voted about 95 percent of the time with the Speaker. I don’t see that as effective representation of the people.
One of my role models, as far as freshmen Republicans from 2010, is Shaunna O’Connell out of Taunton. She brought forward an EBT reform bill and sat down with members on both sides of the aisle. It got watered down, but she was able to go in with something that everyone could sign onto as a common sense piece of legislation that had a major impact on EBT fraud and abuse. It saved the taxpayers a lot of money. Plus, we want to get the services to the people who need it.
DV: You're running to represent several communities. How will you make sure that you are representing the residents of all of your communities, especially those that are split, like Westborough.
ML: Right off the bat, I plan on having weekly district meetings rotating between the towns. I’m going to sit down with each of the members of the boards in the different towns and get to know each other.
I give out my cell phone number to everyone and anyone, and make it known that I have an open door policy throughout the district. I’m listed in the Holliston phone book. I want people to know that my phone can ring at any time—hopefully not three in the morning—but I’ll always sit down with somebody whether it’s at their kitchen table or mine.
Comments (14)
Hello all,
I truly fear for Mr. Roney's mental health, and general well being. His constant vitriolic rants, which have littered 8th district blog's for months, are analogous to the ramblings of one afflicted with sever fever. He obviously holds a tenuous grasp on the facts surrounding this race; in addition to consistently displaying his ineptitude with each post.
Marty Lamb is a man of honor and integrity, a man who I would be proud to have represent me on Beacon hill. The level of honesty, and consistency, which Mr. Lamb has displayed has been exemplary. If anyone out there wants to vote for a suit to represent you on beacon hill; then Dykema, and her blue pants suits, are there for ya! She is as ably gifted to handle legislation, and our representation, as a .college freshmen. She went from Grad school, to an environmentally destructive planning board; and then slithered her way into Beacon hill. Mr. Roney, I have some advice for you.... General Washington said " It is better to remain silent, and have others think you a fool, then to open ones mouth; and remove all doubt." You should seriously consider these words of wisdom.
Grant Borman
Masters in Public Administration Graduate.
Who are you going to believe, someone whose identity is clear or a fake name that's probably another alias of Marty Lamb's campaign manager, Desiree Awiszio?
I've never to my knowledge had a comment removed from the Metrowest Daily. Desiree has been putting this lie out for a long time. It's still not true, although it's possible someone - probably her - has abused the Report Abuse button.
I have never made any extreme comments. I leave that to the Lamb brigade.
Marty Lamb wants us to do as he says, not as he does. He runs on fiscal responsibility, but he filed for bankruptcy because he failed to run his law firm well when times were good and ran up $226,000 in consumer credit. This is relevant, clearly, since he took a bailout that was charged to the rest of us. It's a matter of public record. And he's trying to run as a successful small business owner, when he's pretty much the opposite.
Marty publicly accused me of impugning his religion. This was a base lie on his part. I have never done so. Never.
You simply cannot trust Marty's campaign, and that's a good reason by itself to give your vote to Carolyn Dykema, who has integrity.
It's just way too funny that Mr. Roney says a New York Times owned newspaper has "lost its mind". He only says that if a Republican is endorsed. Otherwise, as long as they only endorse Democrats, all is right with the world in his eyes. Laughable.
In addition, Mr. Roney continues to engage in the petty, childish name calling and lies about personal background. This is why his comments have been repeatedly removed from Metro for abuse. They are inflammatory to the extreme.
This is what happens when Democrats like Mr. Roney can't argue with the facts. They instead make personal attacks. That's all they've got.
Thankfully, Marty Lamb who has been an unenrolled voter for most of his life, has the true independence to read the bills and vote properly in the best interests of the district. Ms Dykema, on the contrary, does not. She's a partisan Democrat who votes 95% with the Speaker from Winthrop which has nothing to do with the district. She is also in line with labor union special interests. So, it's no wonder why the SEIU and MTA unions send out mailers for her. One hand washes another. They donate to her campaign, and she votes the way they want.
It is really surprising that the Worcester Telegram has lost its mind. I guess they believed Marty's Etch-A-Sketch act. Oh, right, he says so, so he must be a common sense moderate now. Never mind that just two years ago he was an extremist who signed a pledge that stated that the Federal government was not allowed to create Social Security or Medicare.
Does the Telegram expect all politician to treat their platform like a product, the way Marty did? Doesn't sell, then retool, and who needs core convictions.
In Carolyn Dykema, we already have a real common sense Rep. (who brings her MBA and successful business experience - in fact, a record of success in everything she's done). We already have someone who thinks carefully and weighs policy against reality.
Marty Lamb would be a bad choice in any district. Carolyn Dykema is a good choice for us, and we should re-elect her overwhelmingly.
Texas, number one! Not.
We can't emulate Texas because we don't have any oil. We don't have rangeland that big. Nor can other states. It's a problem for CNBC's rankings that Texas is so perennially high.
We have our ideas, our educated people, and our entrepreneurial culture.
CNBC also won't tell us how it changed its metrics in the past year, and it should.
Because for every single heading, Massachusetts is just as good or better than 2011.
What happens when Progressive policy dominates a state government?
BOSTON (WWLP) - Massachusetts is no longer ranked one of the top 10 most business-friendly states in the country.
The state has fallen from being sixth to 28th on a list ranking the most business-friendly states in America.
According to the CNBC survey , Massachusetts made the “biggest decline” this year out of all the 50 states. The business-focused cable news station ranked Massachusetts second-to-last in cost of doing business and fifth from the bottom in infrastructure and transportation.
http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/news/politics/state_politics/massachusetts-loses-business-friendly-ranking
In addition to being endorsed by Citizens For Limited Taxation and the National Federation of Independent Business, Marty Lamb was endorsed Wednesday by the Worcester Telegram.
http://www.telegram.com/article/20121024/NEWS/110249918/1020/opinion#.UIjKTMXA-Ud
They speak of the need for more balance on Beacon Hill.
In part they say,
"But we continue to believe that greater political balance holds the promise of a more bipartisan and moderate fiscal policy, as well as hope for deeper reforms. Too often, the pace of change on Beacon Hill has been too slow, too timid and too beholden to special interests."
and they say.....
"The key for voters is to examine the candidates in each race less by their party labels than by their commitment to common-sense governance that balances the needs of their district and the state."
State Representative Marty Lamb is the recipe to restore balance and diversity on Beacon Hill, bringing his small business experience and fresh perspective, ideas and solutions. Clearly he's done his homework and has many significant plans and proposals, all common sense that are workable. It's time for much needed change and reform. Marty Lamb brings that. It's time to end the stagnation on Beacon Hill now.
Forbes Magazine - a conservative source - calls the Massachusetts economy a bright spot and rates number 18, along with rating our quality of life number one. First in the country.
We have a leadership role in almost every way. Our schools are the best, our people are very well educated, our economy is better than the national average, our healthcare is best, we lead in 21st century economic developments.
Yet Marty Lamb and his out-of-district fans can't see that, despite problems, we're in a good place.
People like Carolyn are making it better - and that improvement is what will keep us number one.
The Democrat party monopoly on Beacon Hill has served Democrats and their many little special groups handsomely, while at the same time creating one of the most hostile business environments in all of the fifty states. It's time we mixed things up in Boston, and had a legislature that looks out for what's best for all MA residents...not just those inside that cozy, comfortable, well funded circle of partisans that Democrats have fostered and profitted from greatly, at the expense of the rest of us.
No surprise, really, that the Lamb campaign would have to call in a GOP consultant from Northbridge to vote in an unreliable Internet poll. Marty just doesn't have that much support in the district.
Who's next, Todd Akin?
Marty Lamb has some great ideas I've spoken to him many times in the past and I believe his Common Sense will work well with the District.
Bruce Caissie
Lamb ran for Congress. How can he claim he's not a politician? Because he lost? Maybe because he has no effective experience at the local level, where good citizens put in long hours but don't get a paycheck...
My biggest question is, what does Marty really believe? He used to be unenrolled - all those years that he skipped Town Meeting in Holliston. He went to only 4 TMs in 16 years, counting the last two years! Sounds apathetic, but he gave money to Democrats.
Then in 2010, he decided to carry the most extreme Tea Party torch, signing pledges left and right (no, actually, just right-wing), such as the pledge that said Social Security and Medicare are unconstitutional! Apparently he learned to be a right-winger by failing at real estate law to the point of saddling society with his debts through bankruptcy. Now he's pretending to be a moderate, pretending to be fiscally responsible, pretending to have common sense, although all the same extreme people are working for him and supporting him.
Is Marty shaking the Etch-A-Sketch or is he just trying to hide it?
Thank you for such a great, straightforward article. Marty's workable plans and upstanding character really shows through. This article outlines some of the reasons why I will be casting my vote for Marty Lamb. If this article doesn't cover what you want to know, visit his website, www.electmartylamb.com. I did and liked what I saw.
Lamb is the only one with the economic revival plan, and organizations who are for promoting private sector job growth see that. Thus the endorsements from Citizens for Limited Taxation (CLT) and National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). Marty Lamb was also endorsed by the Worcester Telegram.
Wonderful endorsement for a man who truly represents what the vast majority of voters believe and want.
Marty Lamb was an unenrolled voter for decades. For him the independence is real, and proven and demonstrated.
A State Representative Marty Lamb is the independent voice we need to bring realism and common sense. He's a practical man with solutions.
Marty Lamb is a successful small business owner who has managed really well and made all the right decisions in a lousy economy. That takes a keen understanding of business and how the economy works. He has the business experience and the ideas. He knows what it takes to create jobs in the private sector which are jobs that last. About 80% of jobs are in small business.
Lamb is the one who brings the reality check to Beacon Hill, and that is sorely needed. He will bring private sector solutions to an institution that is stuck in reverse. We need to move forward with Marty Lamb and ideas that work !
Marty Lamb supports a family and runs a small business and is well respected. We know him. He has many people knocking on his door and calling him up, and he always makes time to deal with each and every case with the utmost sincerity.
This is the type of thinking we need on Beacon Hill. Someone who thinks outside the box and that's Marty Lamb. It will take fresh ideas and proposals and workable solutions to fix the financial mess we are in. It's time to replace the stagnation we have now. It's not getting us anywhere.
Marty Lamb as State Representative Marty Lamb is the man who will contribute to the turnaround we need in the economy with his economic revival plan. Beacon Hill needs some street smarts from a man who knows what it takes from experience, background, and his own ingenuity. Marty Lamb brings all the right ingredients. That's the recipe for Beacon Hill - State Representative Marty Lamb
The choice is clear - State Representative Marty Lamb who will represent and vote for the taxpayers' interests.