State Rep. Candidates Speak to Needham’s Seniors in Final Debate

Senior citizens, traditionally among the highest voting demographic, had the chance to ask the final questions of State Representative candidates before the primaries next week when the Needham Senior Center hosted its very own candidate's forum on Sept. 7 afternoon.

All five candidates hoping to replace Lida Harkins on Beacon Hill, Jerry Wasserman, Joshua Levy, Gary McNeill, Denise Garlick and John O'Leary, took to the Center for the final debate before Sept. 14, taking questions from the audience of seniors in the process.

Health care was a subject raised several times by moderator Lianne Relich and members in attendance. To Wasserman, the biggest problem with the existing system is the disparity between larger providers and smaller ones.

"Larger providers get to negotiate much better rates and the smaller ones are in trouble because of that. We need to protect the smaller providers," he told the crowd, adding that he also advocates a local option.

"(A local option) will prevent private companies from charging whatever they want," Wasserman said.

Calling health care a "very complex issue," O'Leary stated that he likes expanding coverage for residents, but that the current system does not contain cost well.

"I'm very concerned about the federal health care system," he said. "I think that Massachusetts should have been able to fix its flaws first. No one knows how this will pan out."

O'Leary's Republican opponent, Joshua Levy, believes that the state could do more to make the current system more cost efficient, citing an MRI machine that the state took 18 months to approve for Beth Israel Deaconess as an example of unnecessary expense.

"We can't have these roadblocks," he said.

McNeill related that it was "great" to have 97% of the state covered by health insurance now, but that more cost effective ways must be found to manage it.

"Too many companies are wrangling for what's best for them," he said, "not for us."

Last to speak on the subject was Garlick, who said that health care right now is "broken," stating that her experience as a registered nurse would aid in her work with the issue.

"As a nurse, there's no one better to talk about how to contain costs and see where the money is going," she said. "You need someone who's been at your bedside to carry over to the State House."

Wasserman, who worked as a unit manager at Brookdale Hospital in New York, was quick to say that being an administrator "doesn't mean you're not at the bedside. I traveled around and really understand how an institution works."

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On the topic of how best to clean the environment, O'Leary spoke of raising the price of petroleum products and increasing the gas tax.

"It encourages people to drive smaller cars and it makes alternative forms or transportation more attractive," he related.

Levy said that he supports green technologies and that he is comfortable paying more to do so. However, he also stated that he would like lawmakers to look closer at cost versus environmental benefits when deciding which clean energies to use in a certain area. McNeill, meanwhile, acknowledged difficulties in making green technology more cost efficient, but that he wholeheartedly supports the overall idea of going green.

Wasserman said that he has "worked very hard" on this issue and cited initiatives like pushing for a wind turbine in town, getting the town to replace many of their official vehicles with hybrids and conducting a television show on energy audits as proof.

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Crossing party lines is often a necessary means to accomplish a goal Relich insinuated before asking the candidates, "How would you work with the opposite side?"

"I have the political courage to see all issues through and hear all voices," Garlick said, mentioning the Senior Center Exploratory Committee and the many options it has explored. "We've heard all points of view and have kept our eyes on the prize, which is getting the town a new senior center."

McNeill said that working with varying groups and discerning opinions is a great strength that he brings to the table, citing his work with different groups of people at 3M.

"I'm a firm believer that we can not do things individually. It's a team effort," McNeill said. "I have the ability to listen and help build a report and champion good ideas."

Working under former Governor Mitt Romney, O'Leary saw himself as a Republican in a "mostly Democratic Beacon Hill."

"I really had to reach across the aisle," he said, citing a medical plan that he bought to Republicans and Democrats, as one example. "I got everyone on board and we were able to produce better health care at the same cost."

In many committees, said Wasserman, people don't get along as well as they should. "When you're able to speak with one voice, you can get more done," he related.

Levy told those gathered at the Senior Center that he prides himself on being able to talk to every person the same way.

"If I'm lucky enough to be the State Representative, I represent all of you," he said, "not just the Republicans and not just the Democrats."

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Asked about English as a second language and its effectiveness, Levy stated that being bilingual is a huge asset in this country and one that can open a person up to a world of other experiences.

"It's something that needs to be promoted more," said Levy, who also speaks French. "Foreign language is not promoted as much as other subjects in this state."

O'Leary told the crowd that he spent time in Los Angeles and that the education system there encourages English proficiency among those who speak another language, on top of foreign language classes, which better allowed them to participate in an American society. To come up with one program for all of Massachusetts, though, was tough, he said.

"There are so many differences in the communities across the Commonwealth," O'Leary stated. "It's hard to offer a one-size-fits-all fix."

Wasserman's grandparents spoke only Russian, he recounted, and that often limited his father in school. But taking English as a Second Language (ESL) courses helped pull him through.

"He kept going to pre-med school," Wasserman said. "ESL is extremely important."

McNeill agreed that ESL was vital to a school system, but that "we also need to make sure that students are proficient in English, as well."

Levy came back to the microphone to add one more point.

"Speaking English does not preclude the ability to speak other languages," he said. "I don't think we should discourage people from speaking the language that they speak at home."