Chicopee Comp student sets sights on Buoniconti's senate seat

Date: 2/23/2010

Feb. 24, 2010.

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor



CHICOPEE -- A Chicopee Comprehensive High School senior is making his debut in politics by running for the state senate seat currently held by Stephen Buoniconti.

Joel McAuliffe, a Republican, said he believes the seat will be vacant as he anticipates, as many local pundits do, that Buoniconti will run for Hampden County district attorney.

The district McAuliffe would like to represent covers parts of Chicopee, Springfield, Agawam and West Springfield.

McAuliffe is the president of his class at Chicopee Comp and is a delegate from the city to the Republican Convention.

A supporter of Senator Scott Brown, McAuliffe said, "This is a great time to run because he has energized the base and energized independents."

"Do no let my age be a factor in this race. True, I am young but not ignorant. I know the daily hardships we the people endure and I am committed to fighting for you. Yet, let my age be a qualification because I am not hindered by the political machines," he said.

McAuliffe is now gathering signatures to secure his place on the ballot and said he is at the halfway mark.

His campaign will focus on three issues, he told Reminder Publications: education, taxes and job creation.

If elected, McAuliffe would work to lower the tax burden in the state.

"I'm not foolish -- we need taxes, but we're overtaxed," he said.

He would like to lower the sales tax to three percent and seek to decrease other taxes to make the state more appealing to businesses.

On job creation, he would work on initiatives to increase jobs in the high tech and green energy categories. While he admitted as one person he doesn't have all of the answers for job creation, he wants to be part of a group of people to focus on this issue.

Although he acknowledged the work Gov. Deval Patrick has done in job creation, he said it hasn't gone far enough. McAuliffe believes work should be done in the green energy field as he has an open mind about the existence of climate change.

On education, McAuliffe would work to impose a five-year moratorium on Massachusetts Comprehensive System (MCAS) testing in districts with high scores in order to allow state education authorities to focus efforts on districts with low scores.

He supports charter school, school vouchers and current legislation that would allow teachers to continue their education tuition free in state schools.

McAuliffe would like to see the creation of boards of teachers at each school to help run it.

Although he has been accepted to Lasell College, McAuliffe said if he were elected he would attend college on a part-time basis.

"It's important to get an education regardless of the situation," he said.

"I promise to be your voice, not my voice, not the Republican's voice, but you the people of this great Commonwealth," he said.

McAuliffe has posted many of his campaign positions on his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/group.php?v=app_2373072738&gid=311588620181.