image description
Kevin Towle, an aide to the late state Rep. Gailanne Cariddi, is one of four Democratics vying to succeed her. He and the other candidates spoke to the Wiliamstown Democratic Committee recently.

Q&A: Towle Talks About Building on Legacy in Williamstown Forum

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
Print Story | Email Story
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Kevin Towle wants to continue the legacy of deceased state Rep. Gailanne Cariddi, a legacy that he helped her build as her legislative aide over the past year.
 
Towle, who got his start in electoral politics as a high schooler, is one of four Democrats running to fill out the unexpired term of Cariddi, who died early this summer.
 
On July 25, Towle participated in a public forum hosted by the Williamstown Democratic Town Committee. The entire forum can be seen on WilliNet here.
 
He discussed a wide range of issues and offered some insight about how his experience working for Cariddi, he believes, makes him uniquely qualified to follow in her footsteps.
 
"The Legislature is a very different animal from most government," Towle said. "There are 160 personalities you need to contend with. Having been in the position of Gail's aide has acquainted me with the Legislature and the people in the Legislature you need to know to get things done. I've worked with the Speaker's office."
 
iBerkshires.com will transcribed those sessions. This is the last in a series of four Q&As sharing the thoughts of the four candidates, who will share the same stage on Sept. 18 in Lanesborough.
 
Opening statement: I'm still working to advance the legislation we filed, and I'm working on municipal issues.
 
I first decided to run for this office when the Monday after Gail's passing, I returned to work. That's what she always wanted. It was always about business.
 
So I went back to work.
 
Shortly after I started, about a year ago now, we had installed a whiteboard in the office where we kept track of the legislations and projects we were planning on doing. I sat there for a few days and weeks and saw all the time we invested and realized that could all go away if the next person who came in didn't share those interests.
 
That got me thinking. I talked it over with my family and some well-known people, confidants of mine, and we decided the best thing was for me to run.
 
I worked closely with Gail, obviously. My job in the office was organizing the legislative agenda for us. The two of us, before the session started in January, went through 5,000 pieces of legislation that had been filed to decide our agenda, what we wanted to advance and what was best for the district. Once we did that, we wrote our own legislation … and I also was responsible for leading the budget effort for that office.
 
Our Boston staff person left several months ago, and I had to take the responsibility for running both offices.
 
I have a bachelor's in history and political science from the College of St. Rose. And I'm about three weeks away from completing my master's in government at Johns Hopkins.
 
My campaign is about education, economic development, families and energy.
 
I serve on the Lanesborough Economic Development Committee and Energy Committee, so I've worked in this sphere before.
 
We're doing a comprehensive study of economic development for Lanesborough, and I want to take some of what I've learned to Boston because that's one of the top needs. I have … a comprehensive legislative agenda for economic development for the district focusing on everything from agriculture to education to transportation because it's all connected. The reason I did this is that I want it to be very clear where I stand on these issues and show that I have concrete ideas about how to address these issues legislatively.
 
You just made a statement about all your interests being related. I wonder if you'd expand on this.
 
Towle: What I've noticed in my time on the Economic Development Committee in Lanesborough and in our office in North Adams — Gail is the former vice chair of the Economic Development Committee in the House of Representatives — is that the tendency is to address economic development issues as they arise. We all know the need to address transportation in the Berkshires. We know there's a need to address transportation issues. But the problem is typically we respond to situations as they come. We're reactive to things. We do a great job coming up with solutions to problems, but it's important that there's a top-down approach.
 
Creating a task force, for example, to look at jobs, it ignores the issues of transportation and education that are related to jobs. People need to be able to get to their job, they need to have an education for their job. And they need a place to live. That's all related.
 
And agriculture, in particular, I've learned a lot about because of the recent committee appointment. There's a new industry out there called agri-tourism, which I think is really great for the Berkshires. Basically, there's a market of people who are interested in traveling places to see farms, tour farms and purchase locally produced goods. We have so many great farms in the Berkshires, and if we can get
people to come here for that purpose, that increases their spending, it benefits the hospitality industry. We have the cultural attractions already, so what we need to do is work on expanding the other areas related to tourism where people will come to the Berkshires and want to stay in the Berkshires.
 
That's just one example of how agriculture is related.
 
Is this part of your overall plan for where you want to go?
 
Towle: When I was 16, I took my first internship with the Massachusetts Legislature for my now former state representative, who was the representative for Agawam. Most people in public service, in my experience, wouldn't do this, but what she did was she took me in. She recruited me to be the intern in her office. She took me in, sat me down and told me everything I needed to know about the legislature. By the time I was 18, still working in the office, I was working on issues for constituents and seeing the impact it was having.
 
I've gone on to do other things since then. I've worked in municipal government. I've never been happier to go to work and more excited to go to work and about the difference we're making then when I drove to Gail's office in North Adams every day. The impact we could have in people's lives, whether it was helping them navigate bureaucracy or helping them with a piece of legislation that they were really in favor of. That was the impact we could have. In municipal government, you could have that too, but it was definitely not to the same level I was experiencing there.
 
I decided to get the advanced degree because I wasn't exactly sure where I wanted to go. I knew I was passionate about politics and government, but I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to do.
 
In the time I was working [in Cariddi's office], I had a few conversations with Gail about what would happen down the line when she decided she was done, and she seemed to be genuinely supportive of the idea of me running. Of course, I never thought several months later, I'd be here. It was very tragic. It hit me close to the heart, and it was obviously a very emotional decision. It was something I thought I would do down the line. That's why I went for the degree. I knew I was going to do public service; I didn't know what. But I wanted to be prepared.
 
Environmental topics … How do you think the State House is doing right now on environmental legislation, and do you think the State House can play the most important role or can Baker?
 
Towle: I would certainly say the Legislature is doing better than the governor's office. Obviously, with the super majority in the Legislature, anything the Legislature wants to do with the energy agenda, it can. I think we took huge step last year with the omnibus legislation that increased the capacity to generate from wind and hydro, but I don't think it's enough. There's a lot we can do, and our limitation is how big we can dream on that.
 
For me, personally, I'd like to see a new program where energy companies provide low- to no-cost solar panels to homes. Instead of taking agricultural land or open space and building massive arrays, we can offset that by putting smaller units on homes and businesses. By offsetting the cost of that, we're making up the capacity and providing a public service. And we're providing jobs because somebody has to build them.
 
Another piece of legislation I'd like to work on, and [state Rep.] Paul Mark sponsored this, is to create a green bank. It's a state program that exclusively lends to green energy businesses — to expand, hire new workers, generate new inventory, anything they need to be successful in producing energy. It's low- to no-interest loans that creates jobs and [moves state] toward 100 percent renewable.
 
There are several bills aiming toward 100 percent renewable, and I want to see that happen because we can do it. There are countries that have done it that are bigger than Massachusetts. There's no reason we can't do it. We've been pioneers before. We can do it again. And I want to make sure that happens.
 
We have a marijuana bill now. What do you think of the bill?
 
Towle: I was supportive of the ballot question from an economic development standpoint. I've been advocating for the [Berkshire Mall] to be a great location for a retail shop. It's out of the way. It has the facilities already. It's separated from school zones and residential areas.
 
The problem I had with the original ballot question was I didn't think the local tax was high enough. It was originally a 2.5 percent tax, and that was changed by the legislature. That's probably the only change I would have made, because I think towns need that money. I think that revenue's really important. Assuming the revenue is anywhere close to what it is in Colorado … Colorado has so much of its schools paid for that it's switching to infrastructure projects with the leftover revenue. We could do that here if we embraced it. I think the new language does well to settle [that question]. It was great compromise language.
 
… I believe it went up to 3.5 [percent]
 
What is it in colorado?
 
Towle: I don't know off the top of my head what it is in Colorado.
 
The main reason I voted against the bill was I didn't think we were getting a decent tax return on it. … So at the state level, the tax has been increased?
 
Towle: The excise level is set by the state, but each town that votes to open a facility can put a local tax on it as well. It was originally 2.5 percent; I think it's up to 3.5 percent or 4 percent now.
 
Where do you think [retail marijuana] needs to go in our district?
 
Towle: I would certainly suggest that towns that have the capacity to do it embrace it. I think every town in Berkshire County voted in favor of the ballot question. I recognize that there are zoning issues that need to be addressed, particularly related to school zones and residential areas. But in general, it's something that should be embraced.
 
I've advocated for a location at the Berkshire Mall.
 
I think we should take an all-of-the-above approach to economic development at this point because if a business wants to come in, I don't think it's something we should turn away because we need the business and tax revenue.
 
I just googled Colorado tax rate. … It looks like local districts able to tax. Statewide it's 10 percent and may go up to 15 percent for state sales tax and in addition there's a local tax. … Question: As one member of the Legislature from the far west, how would you go about passing legislation?
 
Towle: The important thing is to build coalitions. Any representative is one of 160. So building that coalition is important. The experience I bring to that is I've worked with the other members of the legislature and their staff. I know exactly who I can go to on particular issues. For education, I can go to the chair of the Education Committee. I have a working relationship with their staff. And I wouldn't be starting from square one on building a coalition around that.
 
The other thing is working with other members of the delegation. I've obviously worked closely with them, so I know them very well, and I'm very confident in being able to build that coalition. A lot of the issues I'm looking to address have already been proposed and haven't gone anywhere, so adding another voice to that will incentivize that. I definitely have some original ideas that will require some work, but it's best to start with the low-hanging fruit and take what's there.
 
I have a working relationship within the Legislature, with staff and other members who I've met through work or other capacities, that I'm confident in being an effective legislator.
 
As a campaigner, you're going to be asked a lot about jobs. How do you answer that?
 
Towle: Working with Rep. Cariddi, we took some legislation she filed in another session and added some of my personal touches to it. It creates a program similar to the Startup New York program in Massachusetts. What it does is takes the authority to engage in that program out of the hands of the state university system, which was the issue in New York. That's where a lot of corruption came from. … What it does is it gives this state oversight and creates an authority to negotiate state tax agreements with businesses who decide to locate in Massachusetts. Businesses who come to Massachusetts or expand in Massachusetts could receive tax agreements on two conditions: No. 1 is they agree to provide at least 50 jobs for the duration of their tax agreement. No. 2 is they are required to create job-training programs so the local population is trained to take these jobs. So preference is given to the local population.
 
That's something New York didn't do. ... We're putting the power of oversight in the hands of the state and benefiting the local workers as well. At the local level, they're still paying taxes. They're employing local people, and by hiring local people, we're creating local taxpayers.
 
But what about for those small businesses that are here and people who have been long-term unemployed?
 
Towle: Responding to the question of existing businesses, as long as it creates 50 new jobs and does training, they'll qualify, as long as they expand. … That's not in the bill now, but I would add that.
 
What is your opinion on regionalization in school districts and gun control laws in Massachusetts?
 
Towle: On school regionalization, it depends on the situation in the school and ultimately it's up to the municipalities to make that decision. The Legislature doesn't have a role for the most part. I support regionalization for the most part because in the long run it saves money and makes school districts eligible for transportation reimbursement. But that's a personal preference.
 
As far as gun control, it's a fine line. There is a constitutional right to own firearms, but … no one needs to have high-capacity guns, and I think there are compromises to be made among reasonable individuals about background checks. Background checks and the waiting time could be expanded a little bit without affecting anyone detrimentally.
 
Just yesterday, a decision came from the Supreme Judicial Court in the case of an immigrant … that local communities have no obligation to be agents for federal government … How do you feel about this and where do you think it leads in terms of legislation like the Safe Communities Act?
 
Towle: I guess I'm going to start with a little government lecture on that.
 
In the Constitution, we have something called dual federalism, which separates the authority of the state and the federal government. … The states should under no circumstances be agents of the federal government, so I support the Supreme Judicial Court's decision in that.
 
As far as legislation, I'm supportive of the Safe Communities Act. I think it's beneficial for communities. … Embracing new people and new ideas does nothing but move a community forward.
 
I wanted to ask about automatic voter registration.
 
Towle: I'm very much in support of that. I wrote my master's thesis on voting, and that's one of the things I looked at. It's very early to tell what the actual effects are, but as far as creating a better democracy with more enfranchised citizens and more voices in the conversation, I think it's a fantastic idea and we should do it as well.
 
Do you think it will happen?
 
Towle: I see no reason why it wouldn't. I'm pretty confident it's something that would go through.
 
What are reasons it would not? Money?
 
Towle: I can't think of a reason. All of the studies show automatic registration saves money. … Once it's in place, it's more convenient to register to vote.
 
Lots of people talking about single-payer [health care] now … There are two pairs of bills in the Legislature. One is a study bill and the other pair is an action bill. Do you have a favorite? Do you have a sense where it's going?
 
Towle: I can't say I have a definitive sense of where it's going … As far as preference, I prefer action to study. I think single payer has been shown to save money, and it's a more convenient system for everybody.
 
What are the funding sources?
 
Towle: Obviously, there would be individual savings because no one is paying for health insurance. There would be no out-of-pocket cost. No one would be paying for co-pays or general insurance. … It would likely result in a slightly higher tax rate, but you're talking about raising maybe $1,000 per person in new taxes versus savings of $10,000. The reason it would be less expensive is with a single-payer system, the state can mandate cost and negotiate those in a way that individuals and individual insurance companies can't.
 
A single-payer system, as I understand it has to be initiated at the federal level?
 
Towle: Not necessarily.
 
The federal Supreme Court generally grants the states a lot of leeway in determining policy issues like that. Basically, if it's not expressly forbidden in the Constitution, the states can do what they want. Massachusetts passed an individual health insurance mandate long before the federal government did. Massachusetts has been leading the way on health care, and there's no reason we couldn't continue to do that.
 
Didn't Vermont just give up on that because it didn't work? What did we learn from that? And a system in the state would be dependent on federal funding, right?
 
Towle: In theory, a state could fund it. In practice, probably not. The state would continue to receive Medicaid funding, so the Mass Health program would stay in tact. … Aside from that, if there was no assistance from the federal government, the state could fund it from tax revenue. One of the key things Massachusetts has going for it is … tax revenue from marijuana could be used to pay for health care if we chose to do that.
 
How do you feel about millionaire's tax?
 
Towle: The Fair Share amendment is going to a ballot initiative in 2018, so it's more or less out of the legislature's hands. Had I been in the legislature, I would have supported it.
 
There are a couple of bills at the State House for putting a price on carbon. Do you support that and do you understand the differences between the bills?
 
Towle: I think the key difference is one was proposed in the House and the other was proposed in the Senate. … They're substantially the same bill. … I would support it on the condition that it's not going to be substantially detrimental to small businesses. If it will affect their profitability, I have an issue with it, but as a general concept, I'm supportive of it, and I would support that as long as those concerns were addressed.
 
I would have two further questions … The first relates to the Democratic state platform that was just passed. Is there anything in that platform you feel you could not support? Specifically, how do you feel about free college education at the community college level? It is, again a tax issue, clearly … Personally, I think it's something critical to moving us forward and creating a continued base for educated employees.
 
Towle: There's nothing that sticks out in the platform I wouldn't support.
 
As for tuition, I don't think the community colleges are quite enough. I'd rather see all state schools provide that tuition. I'd need to see there is funding coming in to offset that cost.
 
What would you do to raise the money? Do you think the public in Massachusetts is ready to pay higher taxes?
 
Towle: Probably not. I don't think anyone wants to pay higher taxes across the board. I think there's a way to do it. It's going to largely be conditional on what we see for revenue from the marijuana tax and the Fair Share Amendment. If those two things go through, and I think there's going to be significant enough revenue that we can fund that, at least at the community college level.
 
So, the short answer is yes. I'm supportive of at least the community college, but you need to find the funding source. I'm not going to say let's do it and put us on the hook without a revenue source in mind.
 
How are you going to win this thing?
 
Towle: This is a great opportunity, simply based on the fact that all of the opponents in the primary are North Adams based. North Adams is the population center of the district. I expect there will be a significant breakup of votes among the voters in North Adams, and I'm confident I have significant support in the rural communities outside North Adams.
 
How are you campaigning?
 
Towle: I have been having conversations with local officials. Lately, I have been building a social media presence as well. I've been to at least one select board meeting, and I will be to at least one select board meeting in every town in this district before the election. Select board meetings are the best places to learn about municipal issues. Town meeting time has passed, so this is the next best thing.
 
I've been outside the post office in Lanesborough and Cheshire so far talking to people as they get their mail and on the way out — getting nomination papers signed and talking about issues.
 
I've easily spent time responding to questions on Facebook.
 
My time is your time. I want to be equally accessible to everyone.
 
I have met or talked with every select board member in Lanesborough, Cheshire, almost everyone in Williamstown and New Ashford. I've talked to members of the Education Task Force about their recent recommendation.
 
Gail won this election the first time by knocking on everyone's doors. I think that is a really effective way to campaign.
 
Towle: Absolutely.
 
Paul Mark campaigned on bicycle in some of the rural towns.
 
Towle: I do plan to be knocking on doors very, very soon.
 
How do we connect with Boston more? We need transportation to Boston. We need Boston television stations. There's talk about a rail line….
 
Towle: There's absolutely a disconnect. As far as cable channels, the power for that is the municipalities when they negotiate their cable contract.
 
Aside from that, when I first started working in Gail's office, one of the first things I took on was redesigning the website. With that, we set up a mechanism by which anyone can go on the website, fill in their contact information and tell us what issues they're interested in. And when those issues came up, they'd get a newsletter.  … The goal was to keep everyone informed about the issues that were important to them. I want to have an open relationship with the people in the district.
 
If the cable companies won't provide the connection, the transportation companies won't provide a connection, the buck stops with me. I have to provide a connection. That's my job. That's the way people need to be represented. One of the key components of representing the people is making sure they stay informed.
 
You might know Williamstown passed non-binding pollinator friendly community resolution. … There's a bill at the state house, before Gail's committee that would give a little more teeth to this idea. It doesn't ban more chemicals outright but says only licensed applicators can apply them
 
Towle: I would say the good thing about that is the new chairman of that committee is Rep. Pignatelli. That sounds like a public safety issue on top of everything else. It's probably a good idea that gets passed. I would support that.
 
How do you like driving? Being out here and going back and forth to Beacon Hill is tough. It has been known to end people's careers. … The unfortunate thing is one of the few ways anyone in the legislature gets power is by seniority, and you don't get seniority unless you like driving in a car three hours a lot. … Are you in it for the long haul?
 
Towle: I'll say I just had to replace my car not too long ago, and I made sure I got the hands-free communication in it so I can get work done while I'm on the road. … But seriously, my number one commitment is to the district. I plan to not only go to Boston and be in Boston for the House sessions, but I plan to be in the district as much as possible on top of that. … I commit to not only driving but being in the district as much as possible on top of that.
 
If you had to categorize the top three advantages you have over the competition, how would you do that?
 
Towle: Number one is my experience having worked in the legislature. The Legislature is a very different animal from most government. There are 160 personalities you need to contend with. Having been in the position of Gail's aide has acquainted me with the legislature and the people in the legislature you need to know to get things done. I've worked with the Speaker's office.
 
Number two, I would say is experience with the legislation. Within a week in that office, I was researching and drafting legislation. Everything I worked with was filed. I've worked with the existing legislation. I certainly have a lot more invested in it than anyone else who is running. I'm very passionate about it.
 
I don't think I need three. Those are the two key ones.
 
Have you held elective office before?
 
Towle: Elective, no. Appointed yes.
 
Campaigning is new to you?
 
Towle: I have 10 years of experience in electoral politics. I worked on my first campaign at 15. I joined my Democratic Town Committee at 16.
 
Just yesterday, I got a call from the first candidate I ever worked for. That was a select board candidate in my hometown. He's going to come up and campaign with me.
 
Aside from my relationships in Berkshire County, I've developed other relationships with officials I've worked for or with in other capacities that I think is very helpful to the district.
 
I can speak to the fact that you've also been attending the Berkshire Democratic Brigades meetings … I commend you for that.
 
Towle: I've noticed in my experience that a lot of people will come to local Democratic meetings as candidates, and when they're elected you never see them again. It's still important to maintain these connections. I'd like to see more officials attending those meetings.
 
What can you do about Chapter 70 school funding and substantial deficits communities face in funding for transportation?
 
Towle: One of my priorities is to focus on reevaluating the Chapter 70 funding formula for, particularly, rural schools.
 
With the exception of maybe North Adams, every school district in this district would qualify as rural and would benefit from reevaluating Chapter 70 funding. I think the state needs to be doing more to help rural schools.
 
In addition to having to cut costs and close schools, there are significant psychological effects that come from closing schools within a community. The situation in Cheshire is a bad situation to be in, and the state could have done more and should have done more, and I think it's important that we get in and reevaluate that formula because there are substantial systemic differences between schools in the Berkshires and schools near Boston.
 
Rural by definition means sparse population, which means fewer voters.
 
Towle: I think it can be done in a way that very few people would dissent on that. Conceptually, there's a way to amend the laws a little bit to define rural schools in a certain way that more schools can benefit from that aid. I'm confident we can convene a "brain trust" around this and develop a common sense solution that benefits all schools in general, but in particular rural schools.
 
In concluding … What is your vision for this part of Massachusetts?
 
Towle: My vision is .. and I'll refer back to this .. setting up the Berkshires for a new generation. That doesn't mean we're only focusing on new people and younger people. It means we're protecting and securing our interests for everyone and for all ages for at least the next generation.
 
What I want to do is go to Boston and take common sense action on bills that affect the district with the goal of bringing in business, creating new economic development, and in addition to that, I want to be an ambassador for the Berkshires.
 
The Berkshires are facing an aging population. I chose to move to the Berkshires, and I want other people to do the same. I want to be an ambassador to bring people here and encourage them move here. When we encourage people to move here, we can start working together to grow jobs, build housing and develop a sustainable plan for the future. Ultimately, I want to bring in businesses, bring people and respond to the challenges we have to make sure the communities are accessible to those people and people are able to thrive in these communities and commit to staying here for a long time.
 

Tags: 1st Berkshire,   Democratic Party,   election 2017,   special election,   state representative,   


If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Letter: Vote for Someone Other Than Trump

Letter to the Editor

To the Editor:

I urge my Republican friends to vote for someone other than Donald Trump in November. His rallies are getting embarrassingly sparse and his speeches more hostile and confused. He's looking desperately for money, now selling poor-quality gold sneakers for $399. While Trump's online fans embrace him more tightly, more and more of the people who actually worked with Trump have broken with him, often issuing statements denouncing his motives, intellect, and patriotism.

Mike Pence is the most recent, but the list now includes William Barr, former attorney general (who compared him to a 9-year-old); former NSC Chairs Bolton and McMaster; former Defense Secretaries Mattis and Esper; former Chiefs of Staff Kelly and Mulvaney; former Secretary of State Tillerson; former Homeland Security chief Bossert; and former Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, who referred to Trump as a "wannabe dictator." This level of rejection by former colleagues is unprecedented in American politics.

Are these people just cozying up to the Establishment "Uniparty," as his fans would have it? No. Most of them are retired from politics. It's just that they see the danger most clearly. General Milley is right. Trump's most constant refrain is his desire to hurt his critics, including traditional conservatives. Although Liz Cheney lost her Wyoming seat in Congress, he now wants her jailed for investigating him.

This man should not be president of the USA.

Jim Mahon
Williamstown, Mass.

 

 

View Full Story

More Williamstown Stories