The Bay State Banner endorsed Warren Tolman for Attorney General and Steve Tompkins for Suffolk County Sheriff on Wednesday:
As a former state representative and state senator, Warren Tolman has extensive contacts on Beacon Hill. This experience will help him push his agenda in the Legislature. And what is more important, the issues of greatest interest to Tolman are gun violence and putting an end to mandatory sentences for non-violent drug offenses, matters of great concern to the community.
Tolman has earned the hostility of the National Rifle Association with his advocacy of a law to require that guns sold in Massachusetts must be so-called “smart guns” — those with a personalized trigger mechanism. He also wants to establish a direct AG outreach to assist district attorneys in violent neighborhoods.
With a highly professional, racially diverse staff, Tompkins manages vocational training programs to prepare inmates for jobs that he has obtained for them upon release. Other programs encourage at risk youth to make right decisions about their activities. Tompkins is helping to reduce crime by diverting citizens from the commission of criminal activity.
A vote for Tompkins for sheriff is a vote for a safer Suffolk County.
http://baystatebanner.com/news/2014/aug/06/smart-choices-public-safety/
Good luck to your candidate, striker.
I was surprised and disappointed to see The Banner endorse Warren Tolman, especially for the reasons given. Maura Healey also supports “smart gun” technology and repealing mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenses, and her plans to reduce gun violence and reform the criminal justice system are more comprehensive overall, with a strong emphasis on bail reform and keeping people out of the system in the first place.
In a real point of contrast, she also opposes casinos, which are often associated with drugs and crime
Maura Healey is a civil rights attorney who is passionate about ending discrimination. She’s taken on formidable adversaries like big banks and the federal government. The Attorney General is the state’s chief lawyer and Healey has a great track record devising legal strategies and winning cases in court. Thanks to her seven years in the AG’s Office, she has already supervised about half of the attorneys there and knows exactly how to leverage the powers and resources of the Office.
When I had the opportunity to hear both candidates speak at a forum, I was impressed by her thoughtful approach.
I’m excited to have someone like Maura Healey in the race, dedicating her talents to public service instead of the private sector.