Local issues do not usually generate much interest on the Hill. But although the campus can feel separated from Medford and Somerville politics, Tufts is greatly affected by the outcome of elections in our surrounding communities. It is with that in mind that we offer our endorsement to Tufts alum Carl Sciortino (LA '00), an incumbent who is running a write-in primary campaign in the 34th Middlesex District, which includes almost all of Tufts' campus as well as other parts of Medford and Somerville.
In his two terms in office, Sciortino has fought for better public transportation and more affordable health care. He has also worked to strengthen the state's public transportation network, making the Green Line extension a top priority. When the project is completed, the Green Line will reach Tufts at the intersection of College Avenue and Boston Avenue. Having more tracks will offset pollution and global warming, and of course will make it easier for students to get to Beantown.
This process has been rigorous and marked by a number of political setbacks, as promises from the corner office have been overlooked or delayed, but state-level politicians like Sciortino have made sure that the extension has not been forgotten.
Currently, the state government is promising to meet a 2014 deadline for the extension. We feel confident that Sciortino will do his best to make sure that this happens.
As for health care, Sciortino was a leader in the campaign that led to universal coverage, and an ardent opponent of then-Governor Mitt Romney's duplicitous veto of parts of the legislation.
Romney rejected the part of the bill that would require employers who were then not paying for health care for their employees and employed 11 or more people to pay $295 per year, per full-time employee.
Sciortino called this opposition antithetical to the goal of universal health care.
"The Democratic-led legislature has achieved a delicate balance obtaining universal health care," he told the Daily in April 2006. "You can't take out one of the legs of the stool and have the stool still stand."
The legislature eventually overrode Romney on employee payments by an overwhelming margin.
This effort showed quite clearly that Sciortino has taken widespread beliefs held by Tufts students about health care and turned them into a legislative reality.
Massachusetts faces difficult problems. Bob Trane, Sciortino's opponent in the Democratic primary, has made procedural reform the central issue of his campaign. If elected, Trane, who serves as the president of Somerville's board of aldermen, promises ethics reform and property tax relief. He presents good ideas for Massachusetts, but what we really need in our leaders is innovation. In that field, Sciortino has him beat, proposing the bold ideas that our local communities will count on.
Tufts frequently talks about active citizenship. Through the Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Services, the university teaches our generation to effect change not only in the national and international spheres, but also in our own backyard. In the upcoming primary, we have the opportunity to cast our vote for an alumnus whose career embodies Tufts' commitment to civic engagement.
As a state representative, Sciortino has fought for the ideas that matter most to the Tufts community. We therefore give him our endorsement and urge all students registered to vote in his district to support him in the Sept. 16 primaries.
