Improving our Neighborhoods, Building Strong Communities

My name is Tim Flaherty and I'm running for state senate because hard-working families are struggling in these challenging economic times. As Senator, I will work to increase economic opportunities, create jobs, and keep our streets safe. This starts with improving public education, and helping to prevent youth substance abuse, which has wrecked so many lives. I've seen this among people I grew up with, and I see it when I go door-to-door in the communities of our district. I also want to provide every possible assistance to veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. These brave men and women have worked to defend our country, and deserve access to the job training, medical, and other benefits they deserve.

Tim Flaherty’s Five Point Jobs Plan lays out the following strategies:

• High-tech Manufacturing - Revitalize manufacturing investment by creating a 10% Investment Tax Credit for green energy and high-tech manufacturing
• Job Training - Double grant amounts for job training to small businesses and unions through the Workforce Training Fund
• Education and Research - Invest in clean energy education and research by funding a center for green power engineering through the University of Massachusetts
• Biotech – Increase funding for loans to promising biotech start-ups and double support for the Life Sciences Internship Challenge
• Entertainment – Continue to grow Massachusetts’ film industry by opposing the proposed cap on the entertainment industry tax credit

To download the Five Point Jobs Plan, click here.

Economic Development: I support incentives to spur innovation and entrepreneurship, especially in emerging areas such as biotech and clean energy. These provide well-paying jobs that are critical to local families, and also help generate economic activity in the community.

Education: Massachusetts has some of the best schools in the nation, but we also have one of the widest achievement gaps. Federal Race to the Top dollars can make a big difference in providing additional resources to school districts, and we must undertake targeted reforms to ensure every child has access to a world-class education.

Environment: In our densely populated district, it's critically important to protect all greenspace and ensure that any new development goes through a rigorous environmental review. We must also be vigilant about the potential environmental hazardsÑnot to mention homeland security issuesÑassociated with Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) tankers along the Mystic River and in Boston Harbor. I also strongly support the goal of a swimmable Charles River and Mystic River, which would make Boston not just a world-class city, but the best city in the world.

Health Care: Access to excellent health care should be a right for every Massachusetts resident. One of the biggest challenges besides access is the rapidly-rising cost of health care. Anyone who pays for health insurance has seen their premiums skyrocket in the past decade. I support innovative efforts to keep costs down by working with physicians to incentivize preventive care.

Housing: Housing prices in Massachusetts are among the nation's most expensive. We have to keep a focus on job creation so residents have the income to afford to live here. Additionally, the condition of many public housing developments is deplorable. As a former prosecutor, I believe strongly in the "broken windows theory," that the appearance of disorder often breeds further disorder. We must tap federal dollars and work to improve these conditions immediately, and ensure more broadly that our neighborhoods are kept clean and safe, protecting the value of many families' most important investment.

PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes): I will file legislation to change the PILOT formula that governs how much money universities pay to their host communities. Universities are an invaluable resource and an economic driver for this district, but when they secretly purchase land and take it off the tax rolls, that does have an impact and communities must be fairly compensated.

Public Safety: As a former prosecutor, I believe strongly in the effectiveness of community policing, and will work to strengthen it across Massachusetts. I also support an educated and professional police force, which is why I will work to restore funding for the Quinn Bill, which encourages law enforcement officers to seek college degrees. Finally, I'd like to replicate the success of the "Boston Miracle" of the 1990s, which dramatically reduced crime rates with a collaborative crime-fighting strategy known as the "Ten Point Coalition." I believe a similar effort across our district, linking clergy and police, could succeed in combating youth drug abuse.

Progressive Values: I'm a strong supporter of equal marriage rights and support the State House bill to protect transgender people from discrimination. I believe in a woman's right to choose, and have prosecuted Operation Rescue members who tried to interfere with women's access to clinics, and assisted in the successful prosecution of John Salvi, who murdered two clinic employees in Brookline. Finally, I've always opposed the death penalty, and as a former prosecutor, I'm proud to have won successful convictions and recommended life in prison.

Senior Citizens: The state must help senior citizens with two crucial needs they face: transportation, as provided by programs such as The Ride and SCM Community Transportation, and prescription drugs. The costs of these necessities can be overwhelming for people on a fixed income.

Transportation: I strongly support the Green Line extension, and am deeply troubled by the safety concerns raised about the Red Line. Those must be addressed as soon as possible. I believe we can improve our financially-strapped public transportation system through increasing the gas tax and also through earmarked dollars from renegotiating PILOT agreements with local universities.