Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

Lieutenant Governor forum: what do you want to know?

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Don’t forget: this Sunday, May 21, starting at 2pm, the local lefty blogosphere is co-sponsoring a forum featuring all four Democratic candidates for Lieutenant Governor.  This is a big deal for the blogosphere ’round these parts, which to my knowledge has never played this kind of a role in a political campaign before (heck, before this year’s campaigns, we didn’t really have a blogosphere here).  So mark your calendars, and please show up if you can – we’d love to have a big blogosphere turnout.

And since I’m one of the three panelists who gets to ask questions of the candidates, I need your help.  What do you want to know from these folks?  I know that lots of you, like me, are as yet undecided in this race.  What will help you decide?  Drop your questions in the comments!

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Comments

  1. Part of this is to get it “on the record”, and part to satisfy my own curiosity.

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    1.  What is your stance as a public official regarding Cape Wind?

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    2.  What can we expect you to do in your role as lieutenant governor with regard to your position in question 1?

  2. What do they think of the Regional Greenhouse Gas initiative?

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    What would their ideal health care plan for Massachusetts be (putting aside considerations of what they could get through the legislature)?  And do they support the health care constitution amendment?  Would they support it if it didn’t have the Finneran provision requiring going to the ballot?

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    What are Massachusett’s strong points?  What do we do well, what’s good about this state, why do people who want to live here want to?

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    We have a boatload of private universities, including several of the world’s best, but our public university system is so-so and well behind many other states.  Is that okay?  If it’s not okay, how high of a priority is it?  What should we do about it?

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    Charter schools, public schools, pilot schools: What’s your opinion about how they each fit in to the system?  What do you think of the charter school cap, and attempts to lift it?

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    What is the first thing you’d do upon taking office?

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    If you could write one bill and be assured that it would pass, what would it be?

  3. My question would be a little different, but I’d like to know why is there even a campaign for LG?  Why not take a page out of the other team’s playbook and have the Gubernatorial candidates select a running mate? (In lieu of a campaign, of course, not in addition to already declared candidates.)

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    I really like all four LG candidates, they are all strong, qualified folks, but let’s face it, come November nobody is voting for or against any of them (or Reed Hillman, for that matter).  In my opinion, this particular race diverts resources and attention from other, more important campaigns.

  4. I think it is worth following up on the candidates’ position on the MCAS and where they think ed reform will go. Mayor Murray is a product of the Worcester schools and head of the School Committee, so his perspective on why he as an urban mayor, supports the MCAS (and having more money for tutoring). Deb Goldberg, as we know, is supporting the actions taken by the New Bedford School Committee against the MCAS. I would be curious if the MCAS is the reason she’s chosen to have her children in private school, versus the strong public school system in Brookline?

    • I don’t know if Sam Kelley has kids and if they are in the public school system.

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      And Andrea Silbert is a product of the Brookline schools and has kids in public school because she doesn’t have the income to send her kids to private school (not that she would, I mention this because she explicitly mentioned it when I saw her speak last).

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