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Democratic State Rep Candidates Debate Issues on GMP
By Andy McKeever, iBerkshires Staff
12:21PM / Thursday, August 18, 2016
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Challenger Michael Bloomberg and incumbent Tricia Farley-Bouvier battled it out on 'Good Morning, Pittsfield' on Thursday.


Challenger Michael Bloomberg said Farley-Bouvier hasn't done enough in the state house for the city of Pittsfield and is calling for a change.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The two candidates for the Democratic nomination for state representative clashed Thursday morning in their second debate before the primary.
 
John Krol, host of "Good Morning, Pittsfield," moderated the hourlong debate on his radio show in Taconic High School's WTBR-FM studio between incumbent Tricia Farley-Bouvier and challenger Michael Bloomberg.
 
The Democrats are vying for the nomination in the Third Berkshire District, comprised solely of Pittsfield.
 
The two wove through about a dozen questions showing their different perspectives and positions. Right off the bat, they tied up loose ends from the prior debate at Berkshire Community College, clarifying the other's criticism, and then settled into a robust conversation on other issues.
 
Bloomberg kicked it off by denouncing Farley-Bouvier's previous claims that he had a lack of job experience and retention, and explained his work history. After being raised in Pittsfield, he went to the University of Massachusetts and then worked for the Olympics. He headed to New York City following that, where he says he was putting in upward of 100 hours a week working in finance — first for a startup hedge fund and then with a larger firm. 
 
"What I took from that really is a look at the other side. How do these big financial firms look at cities and towns?" Bloomberg said.
 
He found an interest studying big cities that had been built around single industries — such as Cleveland and Detroit — and then moved back to Pittsfield and re-enrolled at UMass to study urban economic development. It was his studies there that led him to run for state representative in his hometown, he said. 
 
"I came back not to run for office but to study urban development in Amherst and that's what led me here," he said. 
 
At the previous debate, Bloomberg criticized Farley-Bouvier for not bringing back as much money to the city of Pittsfield as other representatives have to their districts. 
 
"All we have to do is look across the driveway at the new Taconic High School," Farley-Bouvier said, and then listed getting the release of $9.7 million for the Berkshire Innovative Center, $1 million for the turf field at Berkshire Community College, the funding for the years of streetscape work on North Street, 2,400 trees being planted this summer through the Greening the Gateway Cities program, and the First Street Common. 
 
Billwise, she said she was part of crafting the state's bill to tackle opioids, equal pay act, and fixing gas leaks. And, she says she was able to get the home rule bill passed to allow the city to change its charter, as voted on just a few years earlier. 
 
Bloomberg countered, saying the BIC funding was earmarked before Farley-Bouvier took office, as was the planning for the new high school. The Common construction came from the executive branch and the city's Department of Community Development. And Bloomberg said when it comes to the Taconic project, the funding doesn't directly translate to revenue for the city.
 
"The City of Pittsfield is now broke so how are we going to continue to pay it off?" he said. 
 
Blooomberg says he wouldn't stop the project at this point because it does make sense for the city overall, comparing the prices of a renovation versus a new build. However, he does oppose the program of building schools across the state, which is administered through the Massachusetts School Building Authority and funded with a penny on the sales tax.
 
"Bricks and glass doesn't teach kids. It is the programs and that's what I want to focus on," Bloomberg said, adding that in his opinion school districts are struggling financially and the program to build new schools allows an incentive for districts to cut back on maintenance and then just build new. He says the money should instead be spent on funding the school districts. 
 
Farley-Bouvier responded by saying that building helps create the robust vocational education that the employers need to grow their businesses. The new modern technology and state of the art facility is eyed to bolster the educational pipeline of workforce — the recruiting of highly trained and qualified workers has been cited numerous times as an issue among employers in those sectors.
 
"The Taconic project was one of the best investments we could have made in Pittsfield," Farley-Bouvier said. "This is what our employers have been asking for for years."
 
She added that some $30 million is generated in Berkshire County from that penny on a sales tax to fund the MSBA so it is about time the city "received its fair share." When it comes to the programming in schools, Farley-Bouvier said educational reform should be focused on getting rid of standardized testing and focus on curriculum and professional development.
 
"I think we are testing too much. I think we spend so much time on testing that we don't have time to learn," she said.
 
When it comes to charter school education, both candidates say they oppose raising the cap to allow for more and both cited the funding mechanisms as a major reason why the cap should not be lifted.
 
"We're sending $12,000 per student there," Bloomberg said, adding that a student who used school choice to go to another district only charges the sending district $5,000. 
 
Nonetheless, Bloomberg said there is a role for charter schools to experiment and try different ways of teaching and learning but that should be folded into the public school system.
 
"I support bridging the gap of what is working in charter schools and bring it into the public schools," he said.
 
Farley-Bouvier agreed with both statements, adding that it is the responsibility of charter schools to communicate with the local districts. But that's not happening. She also said there is a lack of accountability with charter schools that needs to be addressed.
 
"They send kinds back to the district if it is not working for them," Farley-Bouvier said. "The public schools in Pittsfield don't get to say we won't educate this student because it is tough."
 
Shifting gears, Krol moved the debate onto the opioid crisis. In two questions he asked what needs to be done — whether it be an opioid task force like created in Greenfield — and whether or not the state is doing a good job separating addicts from criminals.
 
Farley-Bouvier boasted of the state's opioid bill that she said restricts the number of prescription pills being given out and emphasizes treatment options. She added that the state is already behind the times and the issue should have been addressed years ago on a "crisis level."
 
"We were able to bring more opioid treatment beds to Berkshire County," Farley-Bouvier said, later adding "this has to be addressed as a public health crisis."
 
Bloomberg agreed with restricting prescription medication which he said is the root of 80 percent of heroin users addiction. But, he said there are other types of pain that users are trying to address: the pain of poverty and unemployment. It's the psychosocial stress those in poverty are struggling with and he calls for a focus on addressing economics as a way to reduce it.
 
"One of the biggest problems we have in Pittsfield is the rising crime rates," Bloomberg said, and that is driven by a mix of drug abuse and poverty. 
 
When it comes to development projects, Bloomberg has been outspoken against the proposed Walmart Supercenter. He says the development of the William Stanley Business Park shouldn't be the responsibility of the small Pittsfield Economic Development Authority. He would like better resources being deployed to develop the park.
 
Farley-Bouvier hasn't taken a stance on the project yet but says she will support what is best for the city of Pittsfield. She said she's been meeting and talking to PEDA and city officials, businesses, and the neighbors. She sees her role in the project as asking "probing questions" of the developer to make sure there is a strong understanding of the plans and expectations.
 
"My role is to support the city. My role is to ask good questions. And my role is to listen," Farley-Bouvier said. 
 
Farley-Bouvier has taken a stance on the Berkshire Innovation Center, which is also eyed for another parcel on the William Stanley Business Park. On Wednesday, she urged PEDA officials to phase in the project and start construction.
 
"I believe this project can be phased in or broken down into a smaller piece," she said. "I want to see if they are able to get this done or not."
 
There is a funding gap BIC officials are currently looking to close before breaking ground. Farley-Bouvier said she admittedly is putting pressure on the nonprofit to start construction and get the program off the ground.
 
Bloomberg called that plan "absolutely irresponsible." He said the BIC is not just a building but a collaborative of businesses, educational institutions, and organizations. The organization needs to have all pieces of the business model — including the construction of the building — sorted out before construction, he said. If the entire plan doesn't work, there is a 15-year clawback, or financing, provision from the state that could require the city to pay back the $9.7 million authorized for the project if it fails.
 
"If the model doesn't work, we have to repay the state," Bloomberg said. "It is absolutely irresponsible and it could cost the city dearly [if construction starts before the gap is closed]."
 
The debate then switched to bills in the State House to investigate implementing a single-payer health insurance system. Bloomberg said he supports single-payer but believes more needs to be done on the federal level. He says young people, who use health care less, will "vote with their feet" and move elsewhere if the cost to implement it is too great. He is calling for a federal program. 
 
"I think that is the future," he said, supporting the state's bill to study the implementation.
 
However, he took a shot at Farley-Bouvier for not sponsoring that bill when the other three Berkshire representatives did. He promised to be the fourth Berkshire sponsor.
 
"Whether your name is on a bill or not doesn't mean you don't support it," Farley-Bouvier responded.
 
Farley-Bouvier said she does support the study because "health insurance is absolutely a budget breaker." To address costs, she said there are other things the state can do to bring them down. She voiced support for holding hospitals accountable for readmission and focus on keeping people healthy instead of paying per visit.
 
On the other side of the ledger, Farley-Bouvier said there are revenue troubles looming — especially for transportation infrastructure. She filed a bill to pilot a vehicle-miles traveled tax, which could have ultimately replaced the gas tax. That bill, however, received tremendous scrutiny and was vetoed by the governor.
 
"We have a crisis when it comes to transportation infrastructure revenue. As cars get more and more efficient, which is a really good thing, we are not collecting the revenue we need to do the very basics of taking care of our roads and bridges," Farley-Bouvier said.

Incumbent Tricia Farley-Bouvier asked voters to put her resume and endorsements up against Bloomberg's and decide who is better suited for the job. 

Farley-Bouvier said those who can afford electric cars will be paying nothing toward the transportation infrastructure while someone who needs to drive a truck from job to job will be footing the entire bill through the gas tax.

With more and more efficient cars coming onto the market, less is being generated from the gas tax and all of the infrastructure repairs are being shifted to those who drive older model cars or work trucks, she said.

The VMT pilot would study the impacts of a new tax system and Farley-Bouvier said if those proved not to be beneficial for Pittsfield, then she would vote against implementing it.
 
Bloomberg countered by saying the bill shouldn't have been filed by a Western Massachusetts representative in the first place.
 
"That's exactly what it is, a tax. It is a plan for a new form of tax that doesn't tax a negative externalities. It doesn't tax use of gasoline, something that harms our environment. It blows my mind that this would be a priority for a Western Mass legislature," Bloomberg said. "Does this make sense in Boston, probably. Is this something a Boston rep would put forward, probably. Would I vote for it, no."
 
The focus of the 3rd Berkshire representative should be on economic development, he said. Bloomberg said he wouldn't be seeking to find new taxes but instead "looking at how we can better spend the money we already have."
 
Regarding local revenues, both candidates rejected a bill that would require non-profits which buy buildings currently on tax rolls to ease its way to tax exempt. If a non-profit bought a building it would be required to pay the full property taxes in the first year, less in the second, less in the third, and then move to fully exempt in the fourth. The goal of the bill would be to ease the transition for the municipalities.
 
"I wouldn't want these small nonprofits to not be able to grow because of this," Farley-Bouvier said. 
 
She believes a "one size fits all" approach like that wouldn't best serve all of the various types of non-profits. While such a bill would make sense for a place like Harvard University, it wouldn't make sense for small ones in the Berkshires she said.
 
Bloomberg said he wouldn't support it anywhere. But he said the issue facing Pittsfield is that there is a lack of private sector growth to counter balance the growth in the nonprofit sector. Because of the third highest commercial tax rate in the state, Bloomberg said there is a large financial contrast for the costs of a nonprofit to move into a new building versus a private entity. 
 
Another bill in the legislature is what is being called the "millionaires tax." The bill would add an additional tax on income over $1 million in a year. Farley-Bouvier said in Pittsfield it would impact "18 people" and moves toward a more progressive tax system. 
 
"This is one way we can address difficult budgets," Farley-Bouvier said.
 
Bloomberg, however, said while he supports moving toward a graduated income tax, the bill is far from being the boon estimated by officials. 
 
"When you institute a tax on somebody's earnings, there are many ways around it," Bloomberg said. "These people have sophisticated managers who are able to move money around."
 
The debate concluded in the same place it started — and the same place the last one ended. Bloomberg led off the closing statements saying Farley-Bouvier hasn't been an effective legislator and that is shown through the economic turmoil facing Pittsfield and an exodus of young professionals because of a lack of opportunities. He said he's seen the signs in cities that have waited until "hitting rock bottom" to address the same concerns and he hopes voters elect for change to start doing so now before it is too late. 
 
"If a computer is broken, saying you've used computers for 30 years is not the solution. Having somebody who knows how to fix a computer is," Bloomberg said. "We need to make this change because if we do not, if we do not, then nothing is going to change. This is absolutely necessary."
 
He also countered Farley-Bouvier's criticism of his background.
 
"I want to make it very clear that I grew up in this city. I went to Pittsfield High School. My family has been here for a long time. My grandparents opened a store which was right next to Tricia's grandparent's store. That is Pittsfield. We all know each other in some way," Bloomberg said. "I was active in the community when I was growing up here. I was the president of the Pittsfield Youth Commission. I was a student representative to the School Committee. This is the city I love. This is the city I want to be able to raise my children in. I want my friends to want to come back here."
 
Farley-Bouvier is plenty supportive of Bloomberg raising a family in Pittsfield — like she has — but not while working as state rep.
 
"I would like to you see you settle here in Pittsfield. Get a job that is your passion. For example, urban planning is one of your passions. Let's get a job in that, talk to the mayor and get on some boards and commissions, learn about what's going on in the neighborhoods, learn about what's happening in the business community. And importantly, let the people in Pittsfield get to know you. The state rep job is not an entry-level position," Farley-Bouvier said. 
 
The incumbent called on voters to match resumes as she boasts of her work as a teacher, running a non-profit, city councilor, director of administration, and then being elected as the state representatives. She added to look at her "references," which in politics is "endorsements" in which she reeled in the support of environmental groups, teachers, civil rights activists, unions, women's rights groups, and social workers. 
 
"I have 30 years professional experience in education and serving the people of Pittsfield. I've taught in the public schools here. I've run a nonprofit. I've been a city councilor and I've been your state rep. I have a proven record as being an effective, proven legislator," Farley-Bouvier said. "Mike Bloomberg is a fine young man, well spoken, a lot of energy. But he just doesn't have this experience. In his experience we see the two professional jobs that he has had since graduating college, he has only been there eight months. That is troubling. When you look at employment, you look at commitment. My commitment to the city of Pittsfield is proven."
 
The primary election is on Sept. 8 and the winner will take on Independent Christopher Connell in the general election.
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