Serving the People
Somerville Journal, by Ken Brociner
August 28, 2008
During his two terms in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, state Rep. Carl Sciortino, D-Somerville-Medford, has won rave reviews from some of the top political leaders in the state as well as from his constituents in Somerville and Medford. Sciortino's colleagues on Beacon Hill consider him to be one of the most effective and energetic legislators in the commonwealth. In fact, none other than Gov. Deval Patrick is one of Carl's biggest supporters. At a recent fundraising event in Somerville for Sciortino's re-election campaign, the governor praised Carl's skills and service "on a host of issues about working people." Patrick concluded his remarks by saying "Carl has it all. Ladies and Gentlemen, send him back: Carl Sciortino!" But what Sciortino is proudest of are the relationships he has developed with the citizens of Medford and Somerville who he both represents and serves on a daily basis.
While I could point to dozens of examples of Carl's outstanding service to his constituents, I'll cite just three here. As you'll see, they clearly illustrate how committed Carl Sciortino is to doing everything he can to help the people he represents. During Sciortino's first year in office, Elizabeth Coburn-Moraites of Medford had her handicapped permit stolen. Because of her disability, Elizabeth couldn't get around without it. She tried calling several agencies and got the typical runaround. Elizabeth then tried calling Carl's office to simply get some advice about which agency might actually help her. What did Carl do? HE hand-delivered a new handicapped permit to Elizabeth later that evening.
Carl also played a key role in getting the state to appropriate $2 Million in new funding to fix up Foss Park. Peter Ungar, who is the President of Foss Park Neighborhood Association, said "I have worked closely with Carl to secure more funding for Foss Park. He has been instrumental in getting the state to pay more attention to our community." Perhaps Medford resident Mike Manship summed it up best when he said, "Carl Sciortino has gone out of his way to listen to me and my concerns. I have never contacted him without receiving a complete, thoughtful and honest response. He took on my problems as his own."
As anyone who knows Carl can tell you, he is interested in fighting for the working people who sparked his run for office four years ago. Coming from a working-class background himself, Sciortino saw how tough it is for families to stay above water in hard times. He also duly noted how unfair the tax code could be for the "little guy" who seemed to get few, if any, breaks, while large corporations seemed to get away without paying anywhere near their fair share of taxes. Because he wears his concern for his constituents on his sleeves, Sciortino played a leading role in the successful fight to close corporate tax loopholes, proving his commitment to improve the lives of the people in his district. For some politicians, these kinds of considerations take a back sea to getting their names in the paper and thus, padding their resumes as they look to climb the political ladder.
But anyone who has ever seen Sciortino at work - either attending a community meeting in Somerville or Medford, or a committee meeting on Beacon Hill - knows that attaining power and glory is not what makes him tick. It may sound corny, but the plain fact is that Carl Sciortino, unlike all too many other politicians, is in it for the right reasons. That's why practically every citizens group in the local area has endorsed Carl's bid for re-election. A partial list of these organizations include Massachusetts Teachers Association, the Massachusetts Nurses Association, SEIU State Council, the Medford Police Patrolman's Association, the National Association of Social Workers, the National Organization for Women, the Young Democrats of Massachusetts, Massequality, the Progressive Democrats of Somerville, the Massachusetts branch of the American Federation of Teachers and the Sierra Club. Because of a problem with his nomination papers, Carl's name won't appear on the ballot Sept. 16. But since there will be lots of volunteers at each of the polling places who will be handing out Sciortino stickers, it should be pretty easy to, in the words of Deval Patrick, "send him back!"
Ken Brociner is a columnist for the Somerville Journal. He has lived in Somerville since 1975.