ORANGE — The state attorney general and Democratic nominee for governor visited Orange this week for a campaign stop to try to reassure North Quabbin residents their pocket of Massachusetts will not be forgotten if she wins the Nov. 8 election.
Maura Healey spoke to dozens of supporters at the Orange Innovation Center on Thursday evening and answered prepared questions from the audience before mingling over refreshments. Healey talked about her small-town, working-class roots in New Hampshire; stressed the importance of investments in education, public safety and libraries; and discussed tackling the opioid epidemic.
“I’d love to earn your vote and support, and voting starts real soon,” she said, referring to early voting, which lasts from Oct. 22 to Nov. 4. “But I want to be a governor who delivers for North Quabbin and for this region big-time.”
Healey’s running mate is Kim Driscoll, the mayor of Salem. They face their main challenge from Republican nominee Geoff Diehl, whose running mate is Leah Cole Allen, a former Peabody state representative. Healey’s travels came on the heels of her first debate with Diehl on Wednesday. Recent polls show Healey with a roughly 2-to-1 lead heading into the election.
In response to a question from Athol Town Manager Shaun Suhoski, who chairs the Small Town Administrators of Massachusetts, Healey promised her administration will maintain open lines of communication and dialogue with towns and cities in every corner of the state.
“(It’s) also important to appreciate that needs are different, and regional equity’s super important,” she said, again referencing her upbringing in rural Hampton Falls, New Hampshire.
Healey told people on Thursday that she learned about the opioid epidemic’s effects on the community in 2013 from the Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region.
“I’m sorry that things are still the way they are. This whole thing was just a mess many years in the making,” she said. “But I know in this region there are real, real needs — disproportionate needs — just in terms of mental health, substance use disorder, the number of kids who are in state care. There’s a lot of need here.”
She also said Massachusetts is a commonwealth, meaning “we are all in it together. Our destiny is tied.”
When speaking with the Greenfield Recorder after her talk, Healey reiterated her assurance that the North Quabbin area and western Massachusetts as a whole will not be overlooked if she is elected governor.
“I’m here today, I’ve been here before, I will continue to be here as governor,” she said. “And a Healey/Driscoll administration is going to make sure that North Quabbin gets the money that it needs for investments in infrastructure, roads, bridges, transportation, new housing.”
Healey was the target of some North Quabbin ire in 2016 after she announced a crackdown on the state’s assault weapons ban. Copies or duplicates of banned assault rifles — including copies of the Colt AR-15 and the Kalashnikov AK-47 — are prohibited in Massachusetts. However, an estimated 10,000 copycat assault weapons were sold in Massachusetts in 2015, according to the announcement in 2016. Grrr Gear, a now-closed sporting goods store in Orange, joined a lawsuit against Healey. But Healey said gun rights will be preserved with a Healey-Driscoll administration.
“I’m going to respect the Second Amendment,” she said. “I’ve supported common-sense gun reforms. I’ve defended our state’s gun law as attorney general. … I also appreciate that there are people who are going to want to hunt. There are people who want to hunt, there are people who want to shoot and use their guns for sport, and that’s all good.”
Earlier in the day, Healey had stopped by Northampton shops to hear what’s going well and what challenges small business owners face. Kicking off the tour at India House on State Street, Healey learned that the expansion of outdoor dining has given the restaurant the chance to continue serving the community. Family-owned and founded in 1984 by Omi and Alka Kanoujia, the restaurant is continuing to face challenges, though, especially in getting jobs filled, son Amit Kanoujia said.
“There are a lot of other opportunities out there,” he said about landing workers, speaking directly to Healey.
Healey also planned to stop at the University of Massachusetts Amherst to meet with the women’s basketball team and tour the UMass Transportation Center, and have a meet-and-greet with the Amherst community at Mexcalito restaurant before ending her day in Orange.
Healey, who kicked off her candidacy for attorney general in Northampton in 2013, acknowledged the difficulties small businesses are facing. If elected governor, she said she would promote small businesses, enhance transportation that includes east-west rail, and look to overcome the perception that the region’s distance from Boston means that it is not invested in or prioritized. She said representation on state boards and committees and in her administration would be critical.
“I’ve always had a real fondness for western Massachusetts,” said Healey, a Boston resident.
Speaking to reporters in Northampton, Healey endorsed Question 1, or the Fair Share Amendment, on the Nov. 8 ballot, which will give the state significant revenues and affect less than 1% of taxpayers. She also called for changes in the tax structure, such as child tax credits, and pushed for getting shovel-ready projects underway.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com. Reach Domenic Poli at dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 262.