PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Democratic candidates for governor and lieutenant governor were guests at a forum sponsored by the Berkshire Brigades on Sunday at a crowded Itam Lodge.
The nominees were hoping to introduce themselves to the region and drum up support among local Democrats going into the state party convention next month.
The candidates were allowed a brief time to speak about themselves and their positions, 5 minutes for those running for lieutenant governor and 10 minutes for the gubernatorial nominees.
Running for governor are Joseph Avellone, Donald Berwick, Martha Coakley, Steven Grossman and Juliette Kayyem; lieutenant governor, Derossa, Jonathan Edwards, Steven Kerrigan and Michael Lake.
All of the candidates stressed their various experiences at the state, local and federal level; the need for partnerships between agencies, business and eduction; and confidence in the ability for government to do good.
Below is a summary of the nominees' comments, along with short biographies, in the order in which each group spoke.
Nominees for Gubernatorial Race
Age 65, lives in Wellesley.
Current: Senior vice president of Parexel, an international biotech company that develops drugs.
Education: Bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College, 1970. Holds medical degree from Harvard Medical School. Also earned a master's degree in public administration from John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.
Military: Navy Reserves.
Public/political service: Health care adviser to Rep. Paul Tsongas; finance committee for John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign. Former Wellesley Selectman.
Private sector: former CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. Started Veritas Medicine.
Joseph Avellone
The former surgeon said his experiences with the struggles of his patients — from families trying to deal with medical crises to the "heartbreaking tragedy of violence" — lead him to management and leadership roles as a better way to help people.
Avellone said he has visited 129 cities and towns over the past year and heard the stories of citizens caught in an "agonizingly slow recovery" from the recession."
"You know the recession is still very close to us in some parts of the commonwealth," he said.
He called for the state to adapt to new technology and to create tens of thousands of jobs in smart and precision manufacturing, telecommunications, health care, alternative energy and life sciences.
"We have to think big and differently," he said, to create "fertile ground" for business, including partnerships with educational institutions, such as technical schools, to create a skilled work force. "Companies will go and they will stay where the skills are there and where the work force is there."
Too many young people's future are defined by "where they were born or where they grew up," he said, pledging to move forward with a "bold plan" to improve the K-12 education system to eliminate the achievement gap. "We are failing these kids and we have to do better... in my administration, we will do better. Its my highest priority."
Avellone also pointed to his experience in the health care and insurance fields. The state had made achievements in the field but health care costs continue to climb, taking 40 percent of the state's budget.
"I know I can deliver affordable health care for our citizens," he said.
Why is he running?
"I am really running on the basis of my private sector background, which I think is really timely for the problems going forward — namely the new economy and health-care cost control."
Priorities:
Avellone supports moving away from "fee for service" and instead focus on preventive and early detection that Health care cost containment to lower health-care costs.
Avellone wants to focus state resources on increasing science technology, engineering and math education in the state college system. He believes there are modern manufacturing companies that will need the skilled workers and the education system needs to prepare the future workers for those jobs.
Bio-Tech Industry Leader Running For Governor 05-09-2013 - Joe Avellone of Wellesly is running for governor. PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Gubernatorial candidate Joe Avellone says he has exactly the right skills needed to lead the...
Age 67, lives in Newton.
Most recent: Appointed by President Obama as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, began implementation of Affordable Care Act. Left after 17 months when it was clear Senate Republicans would oppose full confirmation.
Education: Holds a medical degree from Harvard Medical School and a master's degree in public policy from John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.
Public/political service: Established nonprofit Institute for Healthcare Improvement, which brings health-care professionals from all over the world together to optimize health-care delivery.
Private sector: Practiced as a pediatrician.
Donald Berwick
Berwick has confidence that government can be a force in aiding the welfare of the populace, despite recent polls showing the nation's faith in its ability has dwindled.
"This is the country that got to the moon first, that built the interstate highway system, set up the Marshall Plan," he said. "We need hope and confidence in this country. We can do things together and use government as a tool to do that."
The pediatrician was depressed by the partisanship that's driven Washington, but "enthralled" by Massachusetts' good government - in marriage equality, health care coverage and in alternative energy.
"My values are about social justice and equity," he said, adding that health care is a human right. But he, too, noted the difficulties in a "broken" system that is taking away dollars from investment in education and the state's "on the rocks" transportation system.
He pointed to his experiences as pediatrician and executive specializing in health-care innovation. The nonprofit Institutes of Health Care Improvements he started 25 years ago is now a $40 million organization in dozens of countries and as director of Medicare and Medicaid, oversaw an $820 billion organization.
"This system is not working for us," he said. "I am the only candidate who has put a single-payer system on the table for this state."
Berwick also called for more investment in early education initiatives and support of higher education and the corrections system, which he said is worse than Alabama's.
"When we lose faith in our government we're losing faith in ourselves, and that's not good."
Why is he running?
He believes causes of sickness — such as poverty — can be fixed through government intervention.
"I would like to be governor to bring that kind of thinking about proper management, commitment to the poor, total commitment to children and continue swinging the bat at health care. I think I can do that and I'd like a chance to try."
Priorities:
Berwick says he wants to lower costs of health care by focusing on keeping patients healthy instead of a pay-for-service system. Coupled with that, Berwick says he wants to focus on education, ending poverty and overhauling the energy policy.
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Age 60, lives in Medford.
Current: Second term as state attorney general; first elected 2006.
Education: Graduate of Drury High School and, in 1975, Williams College. Holds a juris doctorate from Boston University School of Law.
Public/political service: Assistant district attorney in Lowell; special attorney for the U.S. Justice Department's Boston Organized Crime Strike Force; 1989, chief of the child abuse prosecution unit for Middlesex County; elected Middlesex district attorney in 1999. Lost U.S. Senate in 2010 to Scott Brown.
Private sector: Clerked for Donovan & O'Connor in Adams while in school; was an associate with Parker, Coulter, Daley and White. She also practiced at Goodwin Procter.
Martha Coakley
The only Berkshires candidate (born in Lee, raised in North Adams), Coakley was quick to remind the audience that she "knows how to get here."
The current attorney general is focused on jobs and the economy, pointing to her successful efforts in going after investment and banking firms in the subprime mortgage implosion.
The banks and Wall Street got bailed out of the recession but not the people, she said, adding that the Berkshires has had a tougher time. "When the economy goes south it's farther and its tougher to climb out of it."
"I believe the next governor has to make sure we turn the economy around," she said. "We can do better education ... we have good health care but we need to bring the costs down."
Coakley also said health care has to also mean mental health services. Her brother refused to seek help for his bipolar disorder because of the fear it would prevent his ability to get a job, and he committed suicide at age 33.
"We need to reduce the stigma around behavioral and mental health and make sure it's provided," she said.
Coakley said government "needs to be fair," noting she was the first attorney general to challenge the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
She called for earned sick time for all workers and made a commitment to funding public transportation and broadband, and an investment in education.
"What we need to do is teach kids how to think and how to move forward," rather than teach to tests, she said, to compete in the global economy.
Why is she running?
"One of the reasons I'm running for governor is to make sure we continue progress in Massachusetts on the economic front but that we do it for everybody, not just for a wealthy few, and that we make sure that we modernize our education."
Priorities:
Coakley is basing her campaign on economic development, infrastructure and education.
Coakley supports longer school days and years as well as implementing programs that bring nonprofits and businesses together for job training programs. While education will be the driving force behind economic development, she says the state needs to work toward lowering health care and energy costs as well. She also supports continued investment into the state's aging infrastructure.
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Age 67, lives in Newton.
Current: Elected state treasurer in 2010.
Education: Bachelor's degree from Princeton University and master of business administration from Harvard Business School.
Public/political service: former chairman of the Massachusetts Democratic Party and later the Democratic National Committee. Lost a bid for governor in 2002.
Private sector: Worked at Goldman Sachs until joining the family business, Massachusetts Envelope Co., in 1974. It is now Grossman Marketing Group.
Steven Grossman
Why is he running?
"I am running for a very simple reason. I believe the people in this commonwealth want a proven leader that will leave no one behind."
Priorities:
Grossman is focused on education, particularly in STEM fields. He believes advanced manufacturing, life sciences and green technology jobs are the future of Massachusetts and vocational programs are needed to compliment it. He also wants to invest in early education to reduce waiting lists.
"That is the key to our economic future," he said. "There is no reason why manufacturing, which is in the bones, the DNA of this commonwealth for decades, generations — think Pittsfield, think Greenfield, think North Adams, think Chicopee, think Holyoke, think Fall River, think New Bedford — advanced and precision manufacturing. I've set a goal to create 50,000 new manufacturing jobs in this commonwealth in five years."
He also hopes to tackle the cost of health insurance, increase technical assistance, and improve access to capital for small businesses. He supports raising the minimum wage and earned sick time.
Grossman Talks Manufacturing, Minimum Wage 10-09-2013 - Grossman spoke at the Berkshire Brigades office on Wednesday after filming a television show with the Democratic group. PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Manufacturing is in the state's DNA so...
Current: Senior vice president of Parexel, an international biotech company that develops drugs.
Education: Bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College, 1970. Holds medical degree from Harvard Medical School. Also earned a master's degree in public administration from John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.
Military: Navy Reserves.
Public/political service: Health care adviser to Rep. Paul Tsongas; finance committee for John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign. Former Wellesley Selectman.
Private sector: former CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. Started Veritas Medicine.
Democrat
Bio:
Kayyem is currently a lecturer at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and columnist for the Boston Globe.
She graduated from Harvard University and later Harvard Law School. Kayyem's career began as a civil rights attorney before she moved into homeland security.
She served on the National Commission on Terrorism and later was appointed by Gov. Deval Patrick as the state's first undersecretary for Homeland Security, leading the state's push for security planning.
She moved back to the federal level as President Barack Obama's appointment for assistant secretary for intergovernmental affairs. There, she coordinated responses to major tragedies such as the BP oil spill and the H1N1 flu outbreak while also planning on issues such as immigration.
Why is she running?
"All of us on the Democratic side are going to talk to you about jobs, education and infrastructure. And that's good. I'm going to talk about raising the minimum wage and that's right. And paid sick leave and that's right. That's the bare minimum. What we need to prepare for is a stronger, resilient state in the future."
Priorities:
Kayyem is focused on making sure the state is prepared for the future. This is includes investing in infrastructure, education and focusing on STEM jobs. She believes the state needs a complete overhaul of the tax and criminal justice systems. The revenue projects, she says, are off and the state needs to sure up its tax system to provide the needed monies to invest in education and infrastructure.
She also proposed building infrastructure to stem the affects of global warming.
"I represent a new kind of leadership, a new generation that we saw represented in Boston race, where people like me, who have different skills — I know government but maybe politics is new to me — can actually provide a vision and a way of moving forward that is different and something people want to hear."
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