Election 2018: Candidate Profile Of Mike Mullen

This is one in an occassional series looking at candidates running in contested races on November 6. Today we profile Mike Mullen, an independent candidate in the three-way race for the third district seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

MAYNARD, MA -- Mike Mullen is a 49-year-old Maynard resident running to replace Rep. Nikki Tsongas (D-Lowell), who is not seeking reelection, for the 3rd Congressional District. The District is geographically divers, and includes all or parts of Acton, Andover, Chelmsford, Concord, Marlboro, Sudbury and Westford.

Mullen is, by most definitions, a political neophyte, having run for office only once before: a bid for the Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee in 1991. He has spent more than 20 years working in IT for healthcare and, not surprisingly, he sees healthcare as one of the most important issues in the race.

Mulen lives in Maynard with his wife, a 16-year-old son and a 14-year-old daughter. The following are responses Mullen gave to questions Patch posed to all candidates running in the race:

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Access to healthcare is the most important issue because it encompasses the opioid crisis including access to mental health services, the economic costs of insurance both for employers and employees and the quality of care when compared with other industrialized nations.

I'm in favor of a Medicare for all system where having a single payer would reduce complexity, improve negotiating power and ultimately help coordination of care. Related to the opioid crisis I would push for removing barriers for Medically Assisted Treatment (MAT) and ensure that we have parity when it comes to mental health and substance use services. To help address quality of care I support providing incentives for outcomes-based care, such as Accountable Care Organizations (ACO's) instead of the fee for service model we have today. We also need to do a better job of "right-sizing" care provided.

For example 23 states today allow Nurse Practioner's to have full practice authority where they do not need doctor supervision for a number of the services they provide. In these states, the quality of care is the same but can be offered at a lower cost and on a more broad basis. Expansion of telehealth and "minute" clinics are another example where we can achieve cost reduction and expand access to care at the same time.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

As an independent, I won't be subject to party influences that other candidates will experience. Instead of being pressured to follow a party line I will evaluate each issue on its own merits and look to find common ground regardless of who proposes the solution. My background in healthcare and technology will allow me to play a leadership role in designing better payment systems. Work I have done with Artifical Intelligence pilot programs gives me insight into the changing nature of work and will allow me to help ensure our laws are proactive in this area.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

As an independent candidate, political reform is a very important issue to me. I decided to run as an independent because I believe the current system is too divisive and big money is putting our democracy at risk. I support reversing Citizens United and reducing the role of corporations and big money in politics. I believe we need to enhance and enforce the current disclosure laws we have today.

I support non-partisan redistricting to help ensure everyone has an equal voice in the political process. I believe we should move to a Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) system. This type of system promotes majority representation, less divisive campaigns, and greater voter engagement. These are important because I view them as foundational where if we can't fix the political system itself it will be very difficult if not impossible to address the other important issues that face this nation.

On the economic front, I believe we should be moving to a stakeholder model where all parties can better participate in the benefits of capitalism. Instead of tax cuts for the wealthy, I believe we should make investments in infrastructure and education that will pay long-term dividends for all. As highlighted by the recent UN report need to take urgent action in the area of climate change and make investments in energy, transportation, and other areas impacting CO2 levels to prevent catastrophic events in the future. Immigration is an area that has been used to divide us as a nation. We need to provide a "reset button" and have comprehensive reform that would address modernization, enforcement and a path to citizenship.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Professionally my role as an IT director requires me to bring varied constituencies together to maximize our resources and deliver valuable systems and solutions. I have had operational and strategic responsibilities so I understand both the importance of a bold vision and the need for a tactical plan to get there. All the while needing to "keep the lights" on and deliver the day to day services that customers and constituents expect.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

Take action. By this I mean if there is something you can do right away to move a solution forward you should do it. If immediate action is not feasible or warranted, you should only wait as long as you need to get value out of moving forward. This doesn't mean being reckless, but it does mean taking calculated risks and making iterative progress is usually the best way to make progress.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I believe that we are more powerful when we act as a broad community than as individuals or small groups. I believe we have more in common than what divides us. I believe that there is a great opportunity for us to improve our nation and our lives but that we must act now and put country above party.

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Photo submitted by Mike Mullen. Used with permission.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).