October 15, 2010

Dartmouth Selectman Joe Michaud is running for state representative, and like most politicians wants to have his cake and eat it, too — or would it be have his train and ride it, too? Unfortunately for Mr. Michaud, voters are too smart and too concerned about this critical issue to fall for tricky maneuvering and repositioning over the train, and they are not keen on having the wool pulled over their eyes.

Mr. Michaud claimed in the opinion page on Oct. 11 that he has apparently supported rail for "a long time" but that commuter connection to SouthCoast is not "the only solution to our continued economic plight." Wait, what? Nobody has said it was a miraculous cure-all to our own local recession, but those who live here understand it is by far the best solution to the area's economic woes.

Fortunately, there is a far more pragmatic candidate in the race, Chris Markey, whose common sense positions reflect this constituency's positions on the issues. Like most area residents, Mr. Markey recognizes the immense amount of opportunity SouthCoast commuter rail would bring to the entire region. It's almost unthinkable that Bristol 9th District voters would even consider backing a candidate who doesn't think the train is the key priority to an economic recovery in this area. Why would they ever want to vote to take a step backward instead of moving forward and continuing to fight for better representation for our often overlooked part of the state? But voters realize this, and will send the person who best represents their interests to Beacon Hill. Undoubtedly, that candidate is Chris Markey.

Jonathan Carvalho

Dartmouth