Jim Caralis, 2008 State Rep Questionnaire Responses

Why should progressive Democrats consider you to be the best choice for state representative in this race? What have you championed and/or accomplished as an elected official that supports your claim?

The slogan "Democracy Demands Participation" is in many ways the foundation of my candidacy and the work I have done related to civic engagement. I believe we are all responsible for the current state of our government and perhaps more importantly responsible for its future.

I'm running a campaign that starts with being up front about my position on the issues. I have knocked on over 2000 doors in an effort to let people know where I stand and to better understand their concerns.

I believe we share common goals on many issues including marriage equality, a woman's right to choose, the restoration of local aid and of course civic engagement. I have been actively championing civic engagement and last year founded a not for profit web site www.openmass.org. Our goal is to promote government transparency and help spark civic engagement by making it simple and free to track legislation and legislators. OpenMass.org has been viewed over 1.5 million times in its first year.

What would be your top legislative priorities in your next term of office? What have you already done to demonstrate your commitment on these issues?

a. Restoration of Local Aid
Local aid is lower now than it was in 2003. In Medford we are still $800,000 below 2003 levels and have lost 40 million in aid or assessments over that period. Malden is also suffering from budget shortfalls. Options to restore local aid include some combination of efficiency, increased revenues, and program cuts.

My preference is to work those options in the order presented. We must first work to make government more efficient. Folks feel that we are not doing enough with the money we have and we need to prove that government can be a better steward of our money before asking for more.

I believe the first step in creating a more efficient government is to make our government more transparent and through my work at openmass.org I have helped raise its the level of transparency, but we still have a long way to go.

b. Education
Education in many ways is the silver bullet solution to many of the issues we face today. Graduating from high school with a quality education is the foundation upon which the American Dream is built. In addition to focusing on local aid I will work on programs to help keep low income students stay engaged in school.

I believe we can do this by extending the school day, work on programs to increase parental involvement and remove student fees associated with activities.

I currently volunteer as an instructor at the Cyber Cafe in Malden which provides low income children and adults access to computers and training.

c. Health Care
Quality, affordable health care is the hallmark of any great society. I believe the current "Connector" solution in Massachusetts is a step in the right direction, but there is much more work to be done. A crucial component of health care is affordability and we must through incentives, legislation and pressure, work with providers and insurers to reduce costs and improve service.

During the previous Republican administration, there were dramatic cuts in state funding for safety net services, higher education, and local aid. Thus far, there has only been limited success in restoring funding to address unmet need.

a) What program(s) or service(s) would be your highest priorities for funding restoration?

I think the foundation of all of those issues starts with increased local aid and specifically education funding. Medford schools may be facing a 3.2 million dollar shortfall next year with a level funded budget.

b) How would you propose to pay for restored funding for these and other priorities? If you propose spending cuts in other areas, be specific about the programs or services or staff positions that would be cut; if you propose to increase revenues, be specific about the sources of that revenue.

Push for continued GIC and PRIT participation, eliminate county government and work to reform pensions and promote further efficiency in government. I would also propose a tax or fee on advertising for casino gambling in Massachusetts as a means of recovering money lost to Connecticut - similar legislation has been proposed in New York.

Health care costs are continuing to break local and state budgets and we must do more to control these costs. Currently Senate President Murray has proposed new legislation that I support (SB 2660) to help contain these costs. SB 2660 has been engrossed in the Senate and is now before the committee on House Ways and Means.

If you propose spending cuts in other areas, be specific about the programs or services or staff positions that would be cut; if you propose to increase revenues, be specific about the sources of that revenue.

All over the country there are proposals to make it both harder and easier for people to cast their vote. What election reform proposals do you support or disagree with?

The three that seem to be getting the most attention are the national popular vote, identification requirements and election day registration.

I do not support the current means of achieving the national popular vote but I do support the end. I would prefer that we change the Constitution to achieve this.

I believe the requirements in place in Massachusetts are a sufficient means to prevent voter fraud and do not support further identification requirements.

I am hesitant to support same day registration as it may incur undue expense and delay. If upon further study, election day registration can be accomplished without delaying other voters and at a reasonable cost, I would support it.

The Green Line is slated to come to both Somerville and Medford. In Medford there have been many discussions about the challenges of bringing the Green Line in and some opposition. How do you feel about the extension to Medford and how would you support your position as a legislator?

I support the Green Line extension. The current plan does not call for any homes to be taken in Medford by eminent domain. I believe that the expansion of public transportation will reduce the number of cars on the road and help expand smart growth in the area.

Do you support bringing casino gambling and/or racetrack slot machines to Massachusetts? If so, how and why should it be done and what trade-offs would be involved? If not, why not?

I am the only candidate in this race that does not support bringing casino gambling or race track slot machines to Massachusetts. I believe there are better ways to spur economic growth and create good jobs. An example of this is the recent $1.5 billion bond bill to help improve our infrastructure.

I am also concerned that local businesses near casinos will be harmed and that residents close to the casino will endure increased crime and gambling addiction rates. As I mentioned above I would propose as a means of recovering "lost revenue" to Connecticut, legislation to tax or place a fee on casino gambling advertising in Massachusetts.