State Representative Candidate Bob Valeri

Greetings to the voters of West Medford. As a candidate for the vacant seat of State Representative for the 23rd Middlesex District, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Robert V. Valeri, otherwise known as Bob. I have been a lifelong resident of Arlington and am a new face on the political scene.

I am a graduate of Salem State College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and a Concentration in Economics. I have worked in private industry as a General Manager, and have owned and operated my own enterprise since 1988. As an observer of State Government for many years, I have noticed many problems that have gone unresolved or have become worse, and have decided to focus my time and effort on them. In a perfect world, we would vote individually on each issue presented to the public to become law. Since this is not a realistic situation, people in a democracy elect representatives to act on their behalf in proposing and enacting legislation. A true representative should be willing to vote as his or her constituents desire. I intend to fulfill that mission. In speaking with people from our area, some of their major concerns are outlined below. I will address these and any others that come before me in the legislature.

I promise to work tirelessly to support our school systems. I believe that an educated population is necessary for the advancement of our children and, therefore, our society. As you well know, state revenues are falling far short of what is required to improve our schools. I will support the initiatives of the Governor to return a higher percentage of these revenues to the cities and towns. Our local officials have a more intimate knowledge as to which budgets need attention, and atop the list undoubtedly will be school budgets. Constant incremental increases in property taxes, including voter overrides, don’t satisfy the need. As a homeowner, I see the frustration of people, especially senior citizens, who have lived in their homes for decades and are concerned that they will be forced to sell them if unable afford the taxes on them. A larger share of state revenues will help tremendously in this regard.

These same concerns are shared by the public safety sector of our towns, such a police and fire departments. Larger budgets would enable them to replace lost personnel and give us all a better sense of security. Public Works departments would share the same benefits from a larger budget. We all have seen a decline in the quality of our roads, whether nasty potholes and streets in need of repair or poorly plowed streets narrowed by snow turned to ice.

These needs must be accomplished with creative measures. Tax increases will not be acceptable. I am hopeful that we can accomplish great things together.

Sincerely,

Bob Valeri