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| By G. Michael Dobbs Managing Editor In the last days leading to the finish line of the Second Hampden District race for state representative, Longmeadow Select Board member Brian Ashe is pulling out the big Democratic guns endorsements from Gov. Deval Patrick and Lt. Gov. Tim Murray. Ashe, who has been a selectman for the past eight years, is facing fellow Select Board member William Scibelli for the seat being vacated by Mary Rogeness. Speaking with Reminder Publications, Ashe brushed off accusations made by Scibelli that Ashe is trying to avoid debating his Select Board colleague. "He's the one ducking debates," Ashe said, who added that his campaign is the one that has scheduled two out of the last three debates. He said the next one would be onTV22 next Friday. While Ashe described making such claims as "desperate measures," he said he had promised to keep his campaign clean and to promote his views. Ashe has been an employee at the Hampden County House of Corrections for the past 15 years. He works as a unit manager. Ashe believes his time on the Select Board prepared him for time in the House and to grapple with the problems caused by decreasing state revenues. He said he appreciates the cuts Patrick has already made. "It's important what the governor is doing now to lessen the blow a little bit," he said. "The blow" is the future cuts Patrick may be forced to take to the current budget. When asked what cuts he would support if he were in the Legislature, Ashe said it's difficult to say from "this side of the table." He did say that essential services such as funding for police, firefighters, senior services and teachers shouldn't "suffer too much." The formula for Additional Assistance the money municipalities receive beyond designated school, highway funds and shares from the state lottery has to be examined, Ashe said. Longmeadow gets a small amount of this money and relies heavily 97 percent on revenues from property taxes. He said unfunded mandates on local schools have created problems for suburban communities, but "it's a tough time to ask the state to kick in." He applauded efforts made by State Rep. Sean Curran in trying to introduce a new formula that would bring parity to Western Massachusetts. The mortgage crisis is affecting what are considered to be affluent communities such as Longmeadow and East Longmeadow, which he described as "working class." "There are different situations but the same results," he said. Ashe said that Western Massachusetts could rebuild its economy with the help of marketing its advantages to firms in other parts of the state. The region has an advantage in its available land for growth, something he said many parts of eastern Massachusetts doesn't have. Making the area even more attractive would be a commuter rail system linking the Springfield area to Boston. Ashe supports that rail line as well as the proposed commuter rail project for Springfield, New Haven and Hartford, Conn. On the campaign trail, Ashe said that people are most concerned with issues involving the economy. From gasoline prices to heating their homes to job security, the voters in the district are "looking at the future." |