Rep. Eldridge announces candidacy for reelection with campaign kickoff tour

Rep. James Eldridge (D-Acton) announced his candidacy for reelection on Saturday, May 1st, with a campaign kick-off tour, making an announcement in each town that he represents in the 37th Middlesex District, as well as the Devens community.  His main themes in each town were his strong commitment to reform within the House of Representatives, the positive results that have been achieved through that reform, and his promise to continue to fight for good schools, quality health care, a safe environment, and economic development.

Rep. Eldridge started out in his hometown of Acton, in front of the historic Jones Tavern in South Acton Village, one of the locations for the Acton Cleanup Day, which Eldridge played a key role in organizing for many years.  Senator Pam Resor (D-Acton) introduced him, calling him “The Clean candidate – first he cleaned up Acton, then he was the Clean Elections candidate, and now he’s cleaning up the House of Representatives.”  Eldridge noted how he grew up just down the street from South Acton Village, on Stow Street, and that “the values I learned from my parents, and the community of Acton, are the main reasons that I’m here today as your representative.”  He emphasized his commitment to constituent services by pointing out his Acton District Office, located on Main Street, and the results he’s brought back to the district by looking back at the South Acton Commuter Rail, and the new express train service that the MBTA now provides.

Eldridge talked about his first term in office, proclaiming, “On the day I was sworn in as your state Representative, I cast my first vote, which still remains my proudest – against Tom Finneran for Speaker of the House.”  He emphasized his continued commitment to reform within the House of Representatives, including helping stop the Speaker’s pay raises for some of his top lieutenants.  “The main reason that I support opening up the democratic process in the House is that the current leadership is not adequately addressing the problems of the Metro West – North Central Massachusetts regions.  The Chapter 70 education formula does not provide adequate state aid for our schools, health care costs are hurting small businesses and municipalities, and the environment is not a top priority on Beacon Hill.”  Because of the efforts of rank and file legislators such as myself, however, Eldridge argued, “We have a just-completed House budget that better reflects the priorities of the 37th Middlesex District.”

Eldridge showcased these priorities by the locations at which he made his campaign announcement in each town. 

In Boxborough, Eldridge supporters gathered in front of the Blanchard Elementary School, where Eldridge lauded the Legislature and Treasurer’s proposal to reform the School Building Assistance (SBA) program, which provide state payments up front to towns that need to build new schools for their children.  He also highlighted education achievements in the budget, including level Chapter 70 aid, increasing the special education circuit breaker by $80 million, and adequately funding regional school transportation costs.

In Harvard, Rep. Eldridge chose to make his announcement at the site of the Route 2 west Rest Area in Harvard.  There, Eldridge announced that an amendment he filed to help close down the rest area in response to Harvard residents’ public safety concerns has passed in the House budget as a study ordering the Mass Highway Department to analyze the issue.  In addition, he announced his and other legislators’ successful efforts in rejecting an attempt by a coalition of mayors to raid the state Community Preservation Act (CPA) fund as part of the House budget.  Eldridge underlined that these and other efforts were reflective of his commitment to protect the rural character of the communities of the 37th Middlesex District.  He vowed to fight for more funding for environmental protection, which has been slashed in the last couple of years.

At the former military base Devens, Eldridge stood in front of the now-developing downtown Devens, a development which would not have been possible without Senator Resor, Representative Bob Hargraves (R-Groton), and Eldridge’s efforts to pass special legislation to provide two additional liquor licenses to the downtown Devens developer.  Rep. Eldridge also noted his support for extending the state Investment Tax Credit from three years to five years, in order to help businesses looking to construct manufacturing facilities, and his vote against increasing the levy that municipalities could wage against business property owners, because it would create additional costs for small businesses.

In Shirley, Eldridge made his announcement in front of his second district office, which he shares with Senator Resor.  After showcasing a brand-new sign in front of the old Hazen Library that serves as his district office, Eldridge emphasized his accessibility to his constituents, holding frequent office hours in cafes and town halls, sending out a questionnaire to all town officials, and of course having two district offices to serve the needs of all the towns’ residents in the 37th Middlesex District.  His ability to deliver for the towns in even a state fiscal crisis is exhibited in his ability to obtain mitigation funds for the past two years for the town of Shirley, given that it is a prison-host community. 

In Lancaster, Eldridge stood in front of the Dr. Franklin Perkins School, which provides a variety of services to several specialized populations of children, adolescents, adults and senior citizens.  He spoke of his strong support for social services, “to care for needs that aren’t obvious throughout the 37th Middlesex District, but that are absolutely critical for many families, seniors, and children.”  He noted his votes to override some of the Governor’s vetoes for the Council on Aging (COA), Department of Mental Retardation (DMR), and youth services (DYS).  Eldridge also happily announced an increase in the line item for Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT), money which states distribute to towns like Lancaster that have a lot of state property, to help defray costs not covered by tax-exempt property.

Finally, Rep. Eldridge finished up his tour in Lunenburg, at the sight of the future new Lunenburg Library.  Eldridge voiced his support for libraries, highlighting his opposition to Governor Romney’s proposed elimination last year of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC), and this year’s elimination of the library Technical Resources Account.  He also pointed to the Lunenburg Eagle House, to announce that the House budget included full-funding for the state Prescription Advantage program that provides low-cost pharmacy drugs for seniors.