Donelan, Parks square off in campaign debate

[ Originally published on: Friday, October 24, 2008 ]

ORANGE -- The two candidates for the Second Franklin House seat squared off in a 90-minute debate Thursday, touching on issues including education, economic opportunity and proposed elimination of the state income tax.

The televised session, sponsored by the Pioneer Junior Women's Club at the Orange Armory, marked the only debate between three-term incumbent Democrat Christopher Donelan of Orange and Republican challenger Robert Parks of Athol. About 45 people attended.

Parks, a 50-year-old free-lance television producer who moved to the area six years ago, said he decided to run because he heard complaints about the way things have been done in Boston.

''There are things this district needs that I personally feel could be done better,'' said Parks, who repeatedly described the Orange and Athol area as a place with few opportunities for young people, from which people have moved and from which they have to drive 30 miles or more to find a decent-paying job.

''If all is so rosy, there wouldn't be a lot of complaining,'' said Parks, who said he planned to vote for Ballot Question 1 to eliminate the income tax ''to send a message,'' in response to stories he hears about government waste. ''It's purely a message vote,'' said Parks, who didn't name a specific example of waste or corruption that he wants to eliminate.''

Donelan, a 43-year-old former Orange police officer and Franklin County probation officer, responded, ''It's a dangerous message to send.'' He said that forcing a 70-percent cut in the state budget would be ''a catastrophe,'' and would threaten essential services.

Donelan recounted his work on the Higher Education Committee and as a legislator to promote education funding and help school districts like Athol and Gill-Montague to reduce their insurance costs, telling teenage members of the audience that ''education is your ticket'' for the future.

Parks said that he would favor a moratorium on all new legislation and that he would turn to charitable organizations he believes would help raise money for new school buildings in the six-town legislative district, and that he would ''think outside the bo''x in finding solutions to problems like the lack of public transportation, seeking investors who might want to start their own bus company.

The only tension arose after Parks claimed that as a legislator, he criticized Donelan for doing little to help Orange residents whose homes had flooded for no apparent reason several years go. Donelan recounted meeting with Patridgeville Road residents, together with state and federal officials, and said, ''To say I did nothing is absolutely false.''

You can reach Richie Davis at rdavis@recorder.com or (413) 772-0261 Ext. 269.

 

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