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A conversation with Tsongas on experience
By Robert Burgess
Fri Aug 24, 2007, 10:34 AM EDT
The following are excerpts from a telephone interview with frontrunner Niki Tsongas two weeks before the Sept. 4 primary election for the 5th Congressional District seat.
Q: Something that your four opponents talk a lot about are their extensive resumes in government. Why should the people of the 5th District vote for someone who doesn't have that kind of a record that they can be held accountable for?
TSONGAS: Well first of all, the last congressman they voted for didn't have that kind of record either, because Marty [Meehan] had never held elected office. And that's also true for John Tierney and Jim McGovern. But what I bring to it and what I think they brought to it was a passion and understanding for the role of government and its capacity to address problems.
So if you consider the name Tsongas, which I do bring to the race, when I first came to Lowell, Mass., in 1967, the name Tsongas was a wonderful family name on the side of a laundry truck. But in the course of campaigns for office at every level of government, including the presidency, which was very of a shared undertaking between Paul [Tsongas]and me, it became a very different name. Every election was about change and addressing the important problems that were faced with government. It's a commitment that I shared with my husband.
I bring to it a background of having grown up in the military ... I have been a dean at Middlesex Community College ... I'm also on the board of a nonprofit health plan the fourth largest in Massachusetts ... I've lived in this district, worked in this district, raised a family for over 35 years ... It's a wide and deep array of experiences. It's no one thing. It's sort of everything together that would allow me to represent this district very well.
Q: Do you think it's a strength or a weakness that these other folks in the race have records they be held accountable for? For you, voters don't have anything to reference to ... there's no scorecard.
TSONGAS: That's for each voters to decide. But I have a demonstrated commitment to education. I think that is a track record of a different sort. I have a demonstrated commitment to healthcare, which is a track record of a different sort. It's not about a vote; it's about a commitment of much time and energy.
Q: I got a flier at my home this week urging me to vote for you to send a woman from Massachusetts to Congress. Why should that be a factor in this race?
TSONGAS: We were the first district to send a woman to Congress from Massachusetts, and we did that in 1925. She held the office for 35 years. It has been 25 years. And there's no denying that there is a hunger across the state to bring diversity to the delegation. It's one of many factors people have to take into account. A vote is a very personal thing, and, yet, there's no denying it's been 25 years.
Q: It's perfectly legal for these out of district candidates to be running for office, and I understand that you moved back to Lowell from Charlestown within the past year, and I know you stayed somewhat involved when you did live in Charlestown ...
TSONGAS: More than somewhat. Nobody can deny my commitment to this district. I worked here every day. Virtually every activity I engage in has a connection to this district and to this city. Nobody can question my commitment to this district. It is very stong, and very deep and longstanding.
Q: So you don't think the other candidates should get points from voters at the polls for living here over the past 10 years?
TSONGAS: Well, I lived here full-time over the past 35 years, came back to work here every day for three years and now I'm back.
Q: What are your thoughts on the two biggest city newspapers [the Lowell Sunand the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune] in this district this week endorsing your opponent, Eileen Donoghue?
TSONGAS: You know, they're both more conservative newspapers. My positions probably don't necessarily correspond with theirs. But I do think the Lowell Sun was very inclusive in that they did offer a lot of praise for my candidacy.
Q: Here at The Beacon we're receiving a lot of letters of support for Jamie Eldridge. Why should voters here in Acton and Boxborough not vote for their hometown candidate, who has a proven track record for helping these communities over the past several years?
TSONGAS: I'm not so much running against Jamie as I'm running on behalf of my own candidacy. We've talk about all the various experiences I've had in life, but I can go to Washington and from Day 1 deliver for the district. I have longstanding professional and personal relationships with many who are still there, and I believe they will work to the advantage of the district.
