Vote for Christina Delisio

To the Editor,

More than executive and judicial branches of government, citizens should expect the legislative branch to represent them.  In that regard, for those with hopes of improving the state government, one clear choice emerges in the upcoming election.  That choice is Christina Delisio.  Christina checks all the boxes for making state government more transparent and accountable and as our representative will have more power to make a difference.  Having worked with her over the last two years in educating voters on the implications of the states poorly conceived vision for increasing housing, I can attest to her ability to listen and make sound decisions.

Alone among the candidates, Christina has acted to preserve our constitutional rights as citizens of the Commonwealth.  I and others who object to state overreach in so many areas have found many impediments to making state government more accountable and transparent. As an example, any judicial

remedy must overcome the legal hurdle of "standing".  Those of us who do not suffer immediately and directly from ill-conceived state laws and policies have no recourse in the courts because we cannot show a direct adverse effect, that a court judgement could reverse.  In essence, to prevail in court, one would have to purchase property in a multi-family district, and wait until property values might diminish before the courts could address a remedy.

The only response from our Governor and Attorney General has been to find a bigger stick to browbeat local officials who dare to resist.  And, as we've seen, the executive branch does not shy from extortion (it is, after all your tax money the state threatened to withhold) to achieve its dubious ends.

In previous letters to the editor, I have written about how impartial judges interpret the constitution, the legal foundation of the states' power.  The National Constitution center in Philadelphia has an online course

that tells us how it should be done.  Using those standards, it is impossible to see how our Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court can ultimately sustain the constitutionality of the 3A law.  By ratifying a constitutional amendment in 1918, the people of Massachusetts gave state government the legislative power to limit encroachment of residential areas by non-residential uses which would tend to lower existing property values.  Now, incredibly, the state itself, is then encroaching entity citizens voted to restrict 108 years ago.

We will all benefit from planning to increase affordable housing but not by sacrificing our constitutional rights or those of less fortunate neighbors, who happen to live close to mass transit.  Given the intransigence of the state, the best path to better government is better laws.  Electing Christina is the first step for a more transparent, accountable and responsive state government.

Zenas Seppala

Rockport