It’s not unusual for first-time candidates to run for state legislator by running against the state Legislature, a body often criticized for its non-transparency, cronyism and chronic inability to complete budgets in a timely manner.
Four Democratic candidates — Patrick Gatto, Bhuren Patel, Ken Ruetenik and Josh Tarsky — seek to succeed Denise Garlick as Needham’s representative in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. The winner of the Tuesday, Sept. 3, Democratic primary will move on to face unenrolled candidate Bill Dermody in the November final election. Although the four primary candidates have overlapping policy positions, their public positions on how Beacon Hill operates and how to be effective legislators show some daylight.
Of the four, only Gatto has significant legislative experience as a consultant and a legislative staffer at the state and national levels.
Tarsky offers a diverse portfolio of public service that includes 20 years in the military, including two tours as a Green Beret in Afghanistan, and currently as a middle-high school principal in Holbrook.
Ruetenik is a 2018 Needham High graduate running as a way to get more young people involved in the political process.
Patel, who is running as a write-in candidate, is a long-time business owner. His legislative activity includes serving as a liaison between his professional community of pharmacists and state and national representatives, a role that expanded during COVID and led to his interest in running.
At multiple public forums, the candidates have been asked what they will do — if anything — to have an impact on the culture on Beacon Hill. One significant issue is whether the candidates support State Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s campaign to conduct audits of the Legislature, a question that will be on the state ballot in November as a referendum question. The audits, proponents argue, would potentially reveal cronyism and dealmaking that is opaque to the public now.
Patel, who has been the candidate most critical of the Legislature’s culture, supports audits and noted at an Aug. 21 Needham League of Women Voters candidate forum that he has contributed to DiZoglio’s referendum campaign. He also said DiZoglio is supporting his candidacy. “I don’t understand why they would not give her or anybody access to what’s happening with the books,” he said.
Tarsky also said he supports the idea. “It’s a sad state of affairs that we have to have this oversight of elected officials,” he said. “It just shouldn’t look like that.”
“It’s a tricky question,” said Gatto, who said he supports the ballot question. “You want to be able to go there and bring home bacon and have a good relationship with leadership. If you go up there fighting that issue you’re going to get relegated to a basement. I’ve seen it happen before. And you’re not going to be able to talk to leadership about anything. There’s a more strategic way to do it.”
Interviewed after the Aug. 21 forum, Gatto elaborated on the question and emphasized a point he frequently makes about his work experience relative to those of his opponents.
“The others are saying they would go up there and fight leadership, and that they thought that would have them be promoted,” he said. “And that difference in mentality, I think, is borne out by my experience being the most relevant experience.”
“I have friends in leadership and staff up there from my work around the commonwealth,” said Gatto. “That is going to set me up to be able to create those relationships quicker, faster and better. And, by extension, that will benefit the district in a way that some of the other candidates maybe wouldn’t be able to.”
Both Tarsky and Patel say their own experiences, while outside of the legislative arena, will translate to the State House.
“I respect Patrick’s experience, but I know my own and it’s not nothing,” said Tarsky. “I mean, I’m doing hard jobs.
“One of the things that I think the military does very well is it instills a thick skin. It allows you to have difficult conversations and without hard feelings. I think that is incredibly useful in teaching one how to lead and I think it’s going to be useful in the Legislature.
“It’s the same with schools,” he said, referring to his experience as a principal. “I work with superintendents. I deal with politicians who come into my building. I deal with a lot of families and students who care about the things that I’m making decisions on.”
Likewise, Patel said his 25 years in the pharmacy business have prepared him for life as a legislator.
“What really sets me apart is I wasn’t building a resume of public service from checking the boxes, if you will. You know — ‘part of this committee or part of that committee in town.’ I’ve been building my resume of community service through my business as a healthcare provider.
“I bring a business acumen, which is really critical: Understanding how finances work, understanding being fiscally responsible, of taking care of all the different agendas we have.”
Ruetenik, whose ability to campaign over the past few weeks was limited due to the death of his grandmother overseas, said he was able to view two candidate forums after the fact. He described Gatto’s approach as “go along to get along, which I think makes sense for him, especially with his previous experience.”
He said he does not see a true agent of change in the field and describes himself as “somewhere in the middle.”
“When I filed and started in February, I really wanted to be the young gun and looked forward to going against the grain. But there’s a lot of great legislation that’s close to fruition, with ideas that make sense to me,” he said, referring specifically to climate-related legislation. “And I would want to be in a position to help facilitate seeing some of these bills cross the finish line.”
By the numbers
In addition to encompassing all of Needham, the 13th Norfolk includes the entirety of Dover and two of Medfield’s four precincts. Needham has some 24,000 registered voters, Dover has 4,418 and Medfield’s two precincts have 5,038. Only registered Democrats and unenrolled voters will be eligible to vote in the Democratic primary.
Mail-in voting and early in-person voting has already begun ahead of the Sept. 3 in-person Election Day voting at Needham’s five polling places and at polling locations in the other two communities.
In April’s Needham town elections, 53% of the 4,866 residents who voted did so in person. Ahead of the Sept. 3 primary, Needham Town Clerk Louise Miller said the town received 7,412 vote-by-mail and/or absentee ballot requests, with 2,425 completed ballots having been returned as of end of business on Monday, Aug. 26. An additional 113 voters had voted early in person at Town Hall.
Dover Town Clerk Felicia Hoffman reported 921 requests for mail-in ballots, with 273 having been completed and returned. A total of 16 residents had voted early in-person.
In Medfield, Town Clerk Marion Bonoldi reported receiving 1,094 mail-in requests, with 402 voters having either returned completed ballots or voted in person as of Tuesday, Aug. 27.
The League of Women Voters information toolkit offers a guide to the full Sept. 3 primary ballot.
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