While it is nice to know that area legislators who represent Franklin County say they work well together, as was reported under Friday’s front page headline, “Western Mass. delegation works as one voice,” that shouldn’t be enough for The Recorder or the public.
The press should be more than stenographers fawning over self-promoting legislators seeking to reassure the public they are doing a great job on our behalf. What about the specifics that an informed democracy requires and should demand of a free press? What exactly have they done or are doing together for Franklin County? How are they doing it? What are their priorities and why? Are they consistent with the public’s priorities? What should the priorities be? What are they doing about the chronically underfunded maintenance of our infrastructure, for example? What are their challenges?
It should also be noted that the Western Mass. delegation is much larger than Senators Adam Hinds and Jo Comerford, and Representatives Paul Mark, Natalie Blais, and Susannah Whipps. It also includes: Senators Anne Gobi, Donald Humason, Eric Lesser, and James Welch. On the House side, the delegation includes: Brian Ashe, Nicholas Boldyga, Daniel Carey, Mindy Domb, Tricia Farley-Bouvier, Michael Finn, Carlos Gonzalez, Thomas Petrolati, SmittyPignatelli, Angelo Puppolo, Lindsay Sabadosa, Todd Smola, Jose Tosado, Aaron Vega, John Velis, Joseph Wagner and Budd Williams.
Do they all work cooperatively together for Western Mass.? Or does the southern region work against the northern region of Western Mass.? It seems to me that the public doesn’t know what the public needs to know, and that makes a legislator’s job a whole lot easier.
Michael Seward
Shelburne Falls