There are three men running in the hotly contested gubernatorial race: Chris Gabrieli, a venture capitalist; Deval Patrick, a corporate lawyer; and Tom Reilly, the current Attorney General and former District Attorney of Middlesex County. Reilly has the experience as well as the strength of character to be the next governor of Massachusetts.
A Springfield native, Reilly has spent his life fighting for and attaining results for the people of the commonwealth. No other candidate in the race can match his record, period. As Attorney General, he has taken on the tough cases, making health care more affordable and accessible, keeping schools safe, protecting the environment, and lowering the costs of gas and utilities. He has also been a businessman, running his own law practice for eight years, which makes him the only candidate who can offer experience both in business and representative government.
Reilly is also an independently minded, fiscally responsible Democrat who has drawn the line against raising taxes on businesses and families. He is the only candidate in the race who has committed to the tax rollback the people of Massachusetts voted for over six years ago.
Reilly understands his constituency, because he is the only candidate who lives among them. For the past two years, Massachusetts has been the only state to lose population. What is most troubling to Reilly is that talented young people with bachelors and masters degrees are leaving because they can no longer afford rent.
Reilly can empathize; he still rents an apartment in a two-family home in Watertown, making Reilly the only candidate who will treat the housing issue not as an occasional talking point, but as an imperative. Reilly can provide the leadership needed to forge a new compact between state government and cities and towns to resolve this issue.
As a student, I studied the education plans of all three men before I committed to work on a campaign. The plan Reilly laid out is by far the most comprehensive and the most visionary of the three.
He will donate $500 million to the University of Massachusetts over the next five years ($400 million in public funds and $100 million in matched funds from the private sector). This will reinforce the public-private bond necessary to grow the innovation-based economy in Massachusetts. This investment will make UMass. competitive with the top 25 colleges and universities in research and development.
Democrats, we cannot forget that it has been 15 years since one of our own has been elected governor. Republicans keep winning because voters in Massachusetts care about fiscal responsibility; they feel overtaxed. If Democrats are going to take over the corner office, we need to offer a candidate who respects and shares the concerns of voters: someone who will take action, someone who is committed to bettering the commonwealth. Reilly is that candidate.
None of the past four governors have served two complete terms. Massachusetts deserves a man who will finish the job. Reilly is running for governor to make this state stronger and a better place to live, work and start a business - not to launch his national career. He is the best candidate for the job and the only candidate who can win in November.
I encourage you to visit the Web sites of all the candidates (www.tomreilly.org, www.gabrieli.org, and www.devalpatrick.com) although I do believe you will reach the same conclusion.
So when you are killing time between classes today, head to the voting booths. Not to sound trite, but your vote does count, and it can make a difference. If you should have any questions about voting procedures or questions about where to vote, call the Reilly campaign at 617-292-4866.
