Cahill talks issues in Western MassDate: 10/18/2010 Oct. 18, 2010
By G. Michael Dobbs
Managing Editor
WESTFIELD -- While media reports over the defection of a running mate and staff members have dominated the news around Treasurer Tim Cahill's bid for governor, Cahill wanted to get back to basics last week and speak about the issues.
Cahill did just that at Industrial Precision, Inc. on Thursday. The Westfield-based firm manufactures parts for the aerospace and aircraft industries and Cahill toured the facility, speaking with company president Douglas Smith and vice president Steven Hitchcock about what they do and the business conditions they face.
Industrial Precision, Inc. was founded in Westfield in 1974. Smith and Hitchcock were both former employees who bought the company in 2005. The firm employs 50 people.
Over the din of various cutting and milling machines, Smith showed Cahill some of the items the company makes. In one humidity controlled area, Smith noted the products that are fabricated there are within such exacting standards that "low budget" countries can't match them, for now.
Smith showed Cahill with pride a part the company makes for the A320 Airbus that gave the maneuverability for Capt. Chesley Sullenberger to land his plane on the Hudson River in 2009.
After the tour, Cahill summed up the challenges small businesses, especially those in Western Massachusetts, face: a high unemployment tax, other businesses taxes and less ability to receive incentives for investment in machinery.
Recognizing the role small business plays in the region and the state, Cahill said, "The more types of businesses we can support will lead our way to recovery."
He said that his "first thing" as governor would be a freeze on the rates of unemployment insurance tax businesses pay. The current rate is supposed to increase $258 a person. He added he would create a means to review what a business is paying for unemployment insurance with those companies that lay off less paying less.
He believes that employers do not have enough choice when buying health insurance plans, which contributes to high cost. H would like to increase choice and establish a specialized health court as part of tort reform. He noted that other states have taken that step.
He believes that small businesses should be allowed to buy health insurance as part of a group in order to get a discount that would hold down costs.
When it comes to the choice of job growth or retention, Cahill sees the role of governor encouraging both. He doesn't believe that job growth should be based on enticing companies from other states, but rather from "organic growth."
Cahill said he is the only candidate among the three men vying for the job who would sign the casino bill passed by the house.
"Going back to the table doesn't create jobs," he said of the stalled bill.
He noted there are more than 300,000 people out of work in Massachusetts "and you're not going to employ them with a stroke of a pen, but there are a lot of little things you can do."
The controversies created by the defection of his choice for lieutenant governor, Paul Loscocco, the defection of staffers and his campaign manager quitting "have distracted [voters] from the issues," he said.
The money poured into an advertising campaign largely targeted at him by the Republican Governor's Association (RGA) is an example of a "strategy employed by Washington D.C. insiders -- both Republican and Democrat -- to motivate their base," he asserted.
Cahill believes that his message of fiscal conservatism is appealing to the middle class and small business owners in the state.
"If they [the RGA] had left me alone, my message would win .they are afraid of that," he said.
Despite a recent poll that gave him 10 percent of the electorate, Cahill is committed to carrying his campaign through Nov. 2.
"It wouldn't be in my background to walk away at this point," he explained.
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Cahill then made a campaign stop at Romito's in East Longmeadow where he greeted supporters.
He said, "I used to own a small lunch place before I got into politics, so it's always good to see how business is going. You learn a lot about how the economy is going based on retail businesses and mom-and-pop type places. A delicatessen like this can give you a sense of whether people are eating out, as opposed to bringing their lunch."
Bringing up one of the political controversies that have grabbed headlines -- his lack of a running mate -- he said, "I don't know if I need do have one. I don't know what the law says. It won't be Paul Loscocco, for sure. If they tell me I need someone, we will. I think we can do without a lieutenant governor. Seven other states don't have them. We can save the money. That's the first place we can start saving money."
On his commitment to Western Massachusetts, he said, "I was the first statewide elected official to open an office in Springfield. There are only a couple people out here, but you don't have to go to Boston if you have a retirement issue. If you have questions about treasury or state government, you can get them answered here. That will continue under the Cahill administration.
"I put my money where my mouth is in terms of where the treasury is involved in Western Massachusetts," he continued. "It's not just about visiting Western Massachusetts. It's about what you're thinking about when you're back in Boston. When you're working out in Eastern Massachusetts, are you thinking about Western Massachusetts? Are your people here? And they have been.'
"I would ask people to say, 'Alright, there has been a lot of talk. What has he done since he's been treasurer? How focused has he been on Western Massachusetts versus Patrick and versus Baker?' Baker doesn't even come out here. He's not even pretending to be focused on Western Mass. But I am and it's not pretend. It's real."
Chris Maza also contributed to this story.
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