Will Merrimack Valley Gas Explosions Play A Role On Election Day?

ANDOVER, MA -- Local officials have mostly gotten high marks for their response to the Sept. 13 gas explosions that damaged or destroyed 131 buildings and left thousands without heat or hot water in the three communities. But none of them will be putting their job on the line in Tuesday's election; Andover Town Manager Andrew Flanagan and North Andover Town Manage Andrew Mayler are appointed and Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera isn't up for re-election until 2021.

Other officials, however, might stand to benefit -- or suffer setbacks -- as a result of the disaster and the recovery effort, which is now expected to stretch into 2019. Here's a look at how the disaster is playing out in key races in Tuesday's election.

Governor

Incumbent Gov. Charlie Baker was in Lawrence in the wake of the explosions and widely lauded for his decision on Sept. 14 to declare a state of emergency and replace Columbia Gas with Eversource as point utility on the recovery effort less than 24 hours after the first explosion. But that hasn't stopped his challenger, Democratic nominee Jay Gonzalez, from using the disaster as a talking point.

"The fact that this has now been delayed for an extra month is a real problem," Gonzalez said in their final debate on Nov. 1, which came just days after Columbia Gas said it would miss a Nov. 19 deadline to restore gas service to thousands of customers in the Merrimack Valley. "There are going to be people who can't be in their homes during the cold and it's not OK. I think we need many more people, obviously, getting all these houses ready."

Gonzalez said he would have hired more inspectors and criticized Baker for being "too trusting" of utility companies. Baker has defended his response to the disaster, but the challenger's argument might be starting to resonate with voters in the Merrimack Valley, many of whom are still without gas service.

"I voted for Baker last election, but he won't be getting my vote this time around," one resident posted Monday on a closed Facebook group for people still dealing with the crisis. "I felt he just skimmed around the edges of this whole disaster."

Senate

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Republican challenger Geoff Diehl don't agree on much. But the Merrimack Valley gas explosions were one of the few places where they found common ground in their contentious debates. Warren and Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) have pushed for Congressional hearings on the matter.

"This is really about getting to the bottom of what happened here, getting to the question of how safe natural gas is," Warren said, calling for a moratorium on new gas pipelines in the state until the investigation is closed.

Diehl said gas workers have raised concerns with him about the safety of gas pipelines throughout Massachusetts. But he differed with Warren, questioning whether the state could afford a moratorium like the one Warren proposed.

Third Congressional District

Democrat Lori Trahan, Republican Rick Green and independent candidate Mike Mullen all said it was important to assign culpability during a debate last month. But while Trahan and Mullen pushed for using the disaster as a catalyst to invest in renewable energy sources, Green called for more regulation.

"Renewables are fantastic, but the sun doesn't shine at night and the wind doesn't always blow," Green said. "There's no reason gas can't be an inherently safe technology... The question is who's watching it and what are they doing."

Sixth Congressional District

On Sept. 14, Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) was one of the first to place the blame squarely on Columbia Gas, criticizing the utility's slow response after it "let one person die."

"People need to feel safe in their homes," he said. "And right now the people of Andover, North Andover and Lawrence don't feel safe in their homes...We need to make sure this never happens again."

Moulton is facing GOP nominee Joseph Schneider Tuesday. The two had one debate, in which the gas explosions did not come up.

State Representative - 18th Essex District

Democratic nominee Tram Nguyen and incumbent Rep. Jim Lyons (R-Andover) have not met in a debate, but at a candidate's forum the subject of the gas explosions came up. The district represents Andover, North Andover, Boxford and Tewksbury. Nguyen argued that Lyons "stands alone" on many issues and the recovery effort requires a collaborative effort.

But Lyons has gotten high mark from some constituents for his efforts in the seven weeks since the explosions. He has posted his personal email address and phone number on social media sites and has asked residents to call him if they have had problems getting a response from Columbia Gas.

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Gov. Charlie Baker addresses the media in Lawrence on Sept. 14. Photo by Jenna Fisher/Patch.

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