Boldyga strategizes for upcoming term

Date: 11/14/2012

By Carley Dangona

carley@thereminder.com

AGAWAM — State Rep. Nicholas Boldyga was elected for a second term on Nov. 6, defeating opponent Samuel Di Santi in the race to represent the 3rd Hampden District, which is comprised of Agawam, Southwick, Granville and Russell.

During a post-win interview, Boldyga outlined his plans for Reminder Publications.

"I am going to continue to focus on the need for jobs," Boldyga said. "People are still trying to get back to work. We need to get out of the way of businesses. There needs to be incentives for businesses to hire."

He gave an example of suspending commercial vehicle registration fees temporarily as one incentive. His reasoning is that with more capital, businesses can afford to hire employees, who will pay taxes, which will be returned to the Commonwealth.

Another topic at the forefront of Boldyga's agenda is the issue of "rampant fraud and abuse" in the MassHealth system.

Boldyga explained the findings. "Recently, the state auditor found millions of dollars in fraud within the system. People from out of state are receiving benefits. Within the state, people whose income disqualifies them for the program are also receiving MassHealth," he said.

"Everything is backward on Beacon Hill. [The Commonwealth] wants to raise taxes, but that just means more money will be poured into waste and fraud. We have a lot to do [refine] before tax hikes are implemented. Money from our hard-earned paychecks is being stolen out of our pockets," Boldyga added.

Boldyga cited constituent service his main priority in addition to his legislative goals. He added that he is always accessible, noting that residents can utilize all forms of social media in addition to the traditional method of the telephone to reach him. He wants to increase the feedback he receives so that "more people can regularly tell me their needs and concerns," and is currently researching "different avenues" to achieve this desire.

"I want to get more people involved," Boldyga added. "I want to illicit more information — increase the level of input. I understand that residents are working and busy, but it's good to hear from them."

During the next term, Boldyga will also continue distributing information to the public on a regular basis through his monthly column and regular press releases to the media. He is planning to add another form of publication, but has not yet decided upon a medium.

"I'm available and working. I want to give as much information to the public as possible. It's important for people to know what's going on," Boldyga said.

Boldyga stated that he "appreciated the overwhelming support" in the election and that is his excited to continue working hard for the betterment of his district.