Affordability and the Seniors of Winchester and Stoneham

When I talk with seniors across our community, the message is remarkably clear: Massachusetts is becoming too expensive for too many people.

Seniors who worked their entire lives, raised families, paid their taxes and contributed to their communities are watching property taxes, energy bills and everyday expenses continue to climb. At the same time, many are wondering whether their children and grandchildren will even be able to afford to build a future here.

Will they be able to buy a home? Raise a family? Find a good-paying career and remain in Massachusetts?

Those are not abstract policy questions. They are kitchen-table questions affecting families in Winchester and Stoneham right now.

As a longtime civic advocate, veteran and candidate for State Representative for the 31st Middlesex District, I am running because I believe Beacon Hill needs to start treating affordability as the serious problem it has become.

State and local taxes, fees and the cost of government all affect whether people can afford to remain here. Residents of Winchester and Stoneham have seen property taxes rise while our communities struggle to fund schools, public safety, infrastructure and other essential services.

The average single-family property tax bill in Winchester is now more than $18,000.

Think about that for a moment. How did a property tax bill exceeding $18,000 become something families are simply expected to accept?

Our communities also need a serious discussion about local aid.

Chapter 70 is Massachusetts’ primary education-aid program. In FY2026, Chapter 70 education aid and Unrestricted General Government Aid provided approximately $13.3 million to Winchester and $12.5 million to Stoneham.

Meanwhile, Massachusetts collected approximately $43.7 billion in state tax revenue in FY2025.

Our state collects enormous amounts of money, yet communities like ours continue struggling with rising costs and increasing pressure on local property taxpayers.

We should be asking a simple question: Are Winchester and Stoneham getting the state support they truly deserve?

And taxpayers have every right to demand transparency about how their money is being spent.

In 2024, Massachusetts voters overwhelmingly approved Question 1, giving the State Auditor authority to audit the Legislature. Michael Day opposed Question 1’s approach and later opposed efforts to implement the State Auditor’s direct audit authority, arguing that it violated the constitutional separation of powers.

I disagree.

The voters spoke. Beacon Hill should listen.

When government is spending taxpayers’ money, taxpayers have a right to accountability. They have a right to transparency. And they have a right to know where their money is going.

Affordability also follows families from one generation to the next.

Massachusetts imposes an estate tax when the applicable estate exceeds $2 million. That threshold can affect families who have spent decades building financial security, particularly in communities where home values have risen dramatically.

Seniors should not have to wonder whether rising taxes will eventually force them from the homes and communities they helped build.

And their children and grandchildren should not have to leave Massachusetts simply because they can no longer afford to live here.

We cannot keep accepting the same policies and expecting affordability to somehow improve.

Our seniors deserve the opportunity to age in place with dignity. Our working families deserve relief. And our children and grandchildren deserve the opportunity to build their futures here.

On November 3, I am asking for your vote for State Representative.

I will fight for stronger local aid, greater accountability on Beacon Hill, property-tax relief and reforms that put the taxpayers of Winchester and Stoneham first.

Your Money. Your Right to Know.

I’d be honored to earn your vote, and I want to hear from.

TernulloForRep.com