State Rep. For 18th Essex Tops Mass Fiscal Scorecard Rankings

ANDOVER, MA -- When it comes to stopping the buck, no state legislator did a better job than Rep. James J. Lyons (R-Andover), whose district includes parts of Andover, Boxford, North Andover and Tewksbury. Mass Fiscal Scorecard, which tracks and ranks how state lawmakers on spending bills, gave Lyons a score of 100%. The average House member scored 18%.

"Every two years legislative candidates across the Commonwealth pledge to make government more transparent, make fiscally responsible choices, and to hold the line on taxes. Have you ever wondered if they actually vote that way?" the group says in its mission statement. "The Key votes that appear on our Legislative Scorecard allow Massachusetts residents to hold their elected officials accountable. Find out how your local representatives and senators actually voted."

No other legislator in the 190th session received a perfect score. Lyons is currently serving his fourth term. He was first elected in 2010 on a government reform platform while promising to increase local aid to the cities and towns, according to his campaign Website.

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Photo by Jim Lyons.

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