Tsongas campaigns in Bolton

Niki Tsongas has her work cut out to differentiate herself from the pack. One of five Democrats running for the 5^th congressional district seat being vacated by Rep. Martin Meehan, she did her best last Saturday afternoon when she met a handful of residents at the Quail Run home of Jay and Ali Petri.

For Dave Wylie of Green Road, the issues of the day are the Iraq War and nuclear terrorism. He told the gathering that former FBI head George Tenet wrote in his book that terrorists were working on large scale plots against America that involved “fissible” material. What did Tsongas think?

“I don’t know that he’s wrong. We can’t afford another ‘failure of imagination,’” Tsongas said, invoking the 9/11 panel’s comments that it was this failure that kept U.S. intelligence officials from grasping the extent of the Al Qaeda threat. She acknowledged she didn’t have the answer and would like to be appointed to the Armed Services Committee to help work out resourceful solutions to threats that must be taken seriously.

Tsongas described homeland security as a series of steps: end the war in Iraq, bring the troops home and engage the international community with problems in Iraq and other countries in a “non-military fashion.”

She supports Rep. James McGovern’s (D-MA) Redeployment from Iraq Act, which compels the Iraqi authority to take responsibility for military activities while continuing to train Iraqi personnel. The bill provides the U.S. three months to plan for redeployment and six months to carry it out. Tsongas said if elected, one of the first things she would do is file companion legislation.

Included in her prescription for homeland security is border security and immigration reform. She said she is “in favor of creating an earned path to citizenship” and that the immigration bill is “a start,” although she is concerned about some of the bill’s provisions, such as the fee structure and the role of employers.

On global warming, Tsongas supports Henry Waxman’s (D-CA) Safe Climate Act and favors a cap on emissions, investment in alternative technologies and “lots of conservation on all our parts.”

Tsongas is not in favor of impeaching President Bush because it would distract from such goals as enhancing the Democratic majority in Congress, electing a Democratic president and “changing the tone of politics.” She is undecided on a presidential candidate this early in the process, calling the field “an embarrassment of riches.”

Tsongas is 61, has three grown daughters, is dean of external affairs at Middlesex Community College and has served on the boards of corporations and non-profits. She graduated from Smith College and has a law degree from Boston University. She was married to Massachusetts congressman then senator Paul Tsongas who ran for president in 1991. He succumbed to cancer in 1997. Tsongas said a frequent question is “why on earth” she would choose to enter politics now, given where she’s at in life.

Growing up in a military family, service to one’s country was a given, she said. Her father survived Pearl Harbor and served as an Air Force engineer. She lived overseas in Germany and Japan so had a chance to view the country from the outside in. There’s no comparison then and now.

“We’ve lost the respect of the world, from what I knew in Japan,” she said.

She’s no stranger to campaigning (having campaigned for her husband who held this very seat), but years later, she said, the need for fundraising was “way out of whack.” Today, two-thirds of a war chest goes to buy media time, which she thinks candidates should get for free. That would enable them to return more frequently to the grassroots to hear what’s on people’s minds. Which is the unique thing about Congress, she said, the opportunity to enact vital public policy on key issues and to see it through to the communities that make up a district.

“We have a tremendous capacity to do good in these offices,” she said.

Cyrus Comninos of Boxborough attended the event with an open mind and fond memories of Paul Tsongas. He was impressed with the candidate’s enthusiasm, commitment and ability to articulate the issues. But he’s still undecided.

Al Ferry of Pinewood Road also had ties with Paul Tsongas but came away unilluminated.

Bolton resident Pat Westwater-Jong said her top candidates were Tsongas and James Eldridge but she was looking for more specificity on the issues.

Jay Petri said hosting this event was his first foray into politics. He worked at Enterprise Bank in Lowell for seven years and got to know many people connected with Tsongas who were also connected with the resurgence of Lowell. It added up for him.

Other Democrats seeking election to represent the 5^th District include Eileen Donoghue of Lowell, James Eldridge of Acton, Barry Finegold of Andover and James Miceli of Wilmington. The primary election will be Sept. 4 and the general election, Oct. 16. The winner will serve out Meehan’s term, and another election will be held in 2008.