With Election Day coming up, the Observer asked the two candidates for state representative, Bill Dermody and Josh Tarsky, four open-ended questions about their candidacies and the job each of them hopes to do.
You’ve now been campaigning for a while. What are the hopes and messages you’re hearing from constituents?
DERMODY
A lot of them ask me, “What do I see the role as? What am I going to do?” And I really see it as constituent services, to help them when they have issues. I may not always be able to solve them, but hopefully I’ll be able to point them in the right direction. And a lot of them don’t even realize what a state legislator is or what a state legislator does, or that this position exists. And I tell them, “This is your liaison. A link between the community and the state. The people who are in the know, know about this position.” But I say to some people, “Do you know who your state representative is currently?” And they don’t even know who Denise [Garlick] was. So it’s kind of fun because it’s educating people about what this position is.
TARSKY
The primary concerns revolve around three issues. One: Affordable housing, especially after the MBTA Communities Act. The Needham housing plan passed with the expanded zoning. What is that going to look like? And I think the next state representative can help provide tools and, hopefully, state resources to assist in the building of those homes. Another issue that I hear a lot about is, of course, education, which is something that I care deeply about. How do we get our schools not just in this area, but across the commonwealth, done well so that we can attract talent and keep it, and also provide our students and their families with a great experience that lifts our society as a whole up? I think if I get into office, that’s something I can provide a lot of expertise in. Another issue is climate: How do we tackle the existential threat that climate currently poses?
I think with doing energy differently, that also can help us with our utility bills, which are the second biggest expense for our residents. I think that if we can do climate well, transition to green jobs, get away from plastics and fossil fuels and get to more solar and wind, heat our homes differently, this will be good for the climate and it will also be good for our pockets. I think that the state rep can help assist in those conversations and guide toward those solutions that improve climate, and at the same time, put more money in our residents’ pockets at least through lowering utility bills if we do energy differently. When I knock doors and when people reach out to me and say, “These are concerns that I have,” climate is the top, not just for the younger generation, but also for local leaders. And basically across the spectrum of the constituency.
It’s the first Wednesday in January and you’ve just been sworn in. What are the first things you’ll do?
TARSKY
I think I’m going to go meet as many people that I’m going to work with as possible, and go and have some conversations and make some friends, find out what’s on the agenda, what people in the State House are concerned about, get more familiar with some of the basic structures and rules. Talk to some of the people who are my peers and also in leadership positions. And just find out how I can be useful and how I can use those relationships to benefit Needham, Dover, Medfield and also the entire commonwealth. There is going to be a big learning curve for whoever takes over this role, and I know that when I get in there, it is going to be a full-time job to learn the issues, to learn how to navigate government and to do a good job. When I take off some of these hats of being a principal and a full-time public employee, I will be able to donate my full energies to that. And I look forward to doing that and doing it well on behalf of the people who trust to put me in office.
DERMODY
What are the first things I’m going to do? What I’d really like to do is meet everyone. So I can see where everyone is, learn and listen. And I always say you have two ears and one mouth. So I want to listen more than I talk and I really want to learn. Where do people stand with the climate and energy? Where do people stand on affordable and middle market housing? Where do people stand on things? Because those are the important issues to me. Transportation as well, because those are probably, I’d say, three of my top priorities. So I want to listen where people are and see what they are and hopefully we can come to some common sense solutions for the problems we’re having in some of those areas right now.
It’s two years from now and you’re running for re-election. What will you point to as accomplishments?
DERMODY
Wow, that’s a good question. What I hope is that, No. 1, I serve my constituents well. No. 2, I was in the district a lot because I’m hearing how Denise was always in the district, would go to Dover, would go to Medfield, would be in Needham, of course. That I’m in the district so I could hear what was going on, so if there were issues. And hopefully bringing some money to the district. Like I know Denise helped build the senior center in Needham, right? But also she helped to get some state funds to put some equipment in there as well. So Dover right now is building a new community center. So I’m hoping that I would be able to help get some funds for some things that they couldn’t fund for that community center and help Medfield with any issues they might have as they move forward in getting a school in Medfield. And then, of course, the things I talked about earlier: the climate, the affordable housing, the MBTA, hopefully we are on, if we haven’t had solutions already, we’re on the path to some solutions. And maybe even, I think the train noise in Needham is really more of a local issue than a state. But if there’s any way we can help with the state issue, hopefully, say I helped to come to solutions for those.
TARSKY
I think some of it would be as a bridge builder, someone who’s helped supply state resources to local needs, that the housing situation, the affordable housing situation is in a better spot, and it’s also in a spot that our local towns are happy with. That I found ways to bridge the state resources to local control based on listening to my constituents. Hopefully some of the energy grid looks different, that we have pushed away from plastics and fossil fuels and found ways to lower our bills, heating our houses, energizing, pushing toward electric cars, electric trains and put more money in our pockets accordingly. As far as schools go, looking at some of those budget items and seeing if we adjust some of the funding schematics at the state level, which would also put more money and resources into our schools. Finding ways to look at how schools are done so that they are more responsive to the needs of our community. That’s for both the communities I hope to represent and across the state. I guess I just hope to have a legacy of being someone who’s available, that works tirelessly to find good solutions for the people they represent, and that I build a lot of good relationships and have a track record of fighting for the causes that we want fought for. A tireless worker who’s good natured and available, friendly and able to find solutions.
To those big issues that seem to be what I’m going to be tackling when I get in there, namely housing, schools, climate and the economy. Those would be the big things that I hope to make gains on. And I think that they are intertwined, and they are all going to benefit from someone who can work with people, which my prior experience in both schools, the military, et cetera, I think has taught me how to do.
What are you concerned WON’T happen if you lose next week? What may be left undone without you?
TARSKY
I think you’ll lose some expertise in the education sector. I mean, I’ve been in the industry for upwards of 15 years now, and I think that having an educator in office would benefit not just our districts, but the entire state to do education better and differently. And right now, education is struggling, and I think you need people with those experiences to help guide those discussions. And I think (with) someone without that background in schools as both the teacher and as a principal, it’s just not the same. So I think that schools would be best served by having me in there. I also think I’ve worked with high-level leaders on high-level problems in a military capacity and in an education capacity. I have a good foundation to have discussions that become fruitful to solve big time issues that are thorny and complex. So I think if you put in someone who’s had leadership experience on things that are very challenging and somewhat similar, whether it’s a military mission or moving schools and students toward their fulfilling their potential, I think that equates to what I would be doing in the State House on a whole host of issues. When I try to teach students, I’m not necessarily trying to teach them a series of facts. I’m trying to teach them how to critically think. Because if a student can critically think, they can do a lot of things in a lot of different areas. And I think if elected, that’s the kind of leadership you would get. Someone who knows how to critically think, knows how to work with people.
DERMODY
What would go undone without me? I don’t know. I honestly don’t know. But I really think that with me there, that I will represent the people of all the three districts really well and listen to all their concerns and hopefully help them with any concerns they have, even at the local level and not just at the state level. Because sometimes somebody might have a problem within the towns that they’re looking to solve. I’ve met with a lot of people: I’ve met with the school superintendents. I’ve met with the select boards in the other towns. And that I can point people in the right direction, so if there are problems, that gets those problems solved.
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