THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021 Page 7 ~ FIVE QUESTIONS WITH THE CANDIDATE ~ JEFFREY TURCO T he Democratic Primary for the 19th Suff olk District representative seat, representing Winthrop and a portion of Revere, is on March 2. Following are the answers to questions put to candidate Jeff Turco. 1. What is your background and why are running for the 19th Suff olk seat? I’m a father, a husband, a son, a brother, a neighbor, a coach, a lawyer, a friend, a lector, a cancer survivor and the ONLY candidate in this race with deep roots in Revere AND Winthrop. And I’m a working-class Democrat. For my entire adult life, I’ve been dedicated to helping the residents of our community, whether it’s as an elected offi cial in Winthrop, serving as the President of the Revere Beach Partnership or helping to infl uence the next generation of our district by fundraising and coaching various youth programs. My love of family has guided my values and strong commitment to our neighborhoods. I believe I have a duty to try and serve our community so that our children grow up in a world better than the one we grew up in. I’ve been on the campaign trail not speaking to voters, but listening. Your concerns are my concerns and I’m ready tackle whatever comes our way. 2. What are the biggest issues you see facing Winthrop and Revere today? Education is the great equalizer. It is our responsibility to provide all students with the opportunity to succeed. Regardless of your background, your socioeconomic group or your place of birth, education creates hope for the future. For this reason, I will work to ensure greater equal educational opportunities for all of our children and will work to achieve greater accountability in our education system. This starts with demanding that our schools be opened now. Our children are falling further and further behind every day and it is critical that our public schools be opened for in person learning immediately. As the husband of a former fi rst grade teacher, I appreciate what a labor of love teaching is for so many educators. We must work to give teachers the tools so they can share that love with our kids. In addition, the Commonwealth’s failing mental health and substance use disorder treatment programs will be a top priority for me. The tragedy of this issue has touched nearly every family in Winthrop and Revere... including my own. The pandemic has only worsened this crisis. The widespread use of Narcan has saved lives but hasn’t help address the core problems. My experience at the Sheriff ’s Offi ce and in our Courts reinforced my view that addressing these issues must be a top priority. 3. How can the state and the MBTA to announce service changes for March and April T he MBTA Service Planning team will be hosting virtual public meetings on Wednesday, February 17 and Wednesday, February 24 from 6-8 p.m. to share the temporary schedule changes that will take eff ect in March and April. The MBTA is implementing service changes in response to the low ridership caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Changes on the bus network and subway system will begin on March 14. This will reduce frequency on some bus and subways lines and eliminate, shorten, or legislature help hard-hit communities like Revere rebound from the Covid-19 pandemic? While the pandemic has impacted budgets of every level of government, we need elected offi cials focused on making the promises that are made in the legislation a reality. Our residents deserve more than victory laps and press conferences. What they need right now is food on their tables, housing stability and reasonable accommodations for at-home or hybrid learning. My professional experience will allow me to hit the ground running as your new State Representative, no distractions. 4. How can the legislature help balance development in communities like Winthrop and Revere while making sure the communities are still affordable for working class families? For starters, we need logical investments in the expansion of the MBTA. Public Transportation will help increase investment in our communities while reducing carbon emissions and road miles of private vehicles. Our neighborhoods are desirable with the shore in our backyard and a close proximity to the City of Boston; developers have become less and less shy. We need accountability. We need to make sure our small businesses survive not only the pandemic, but the corporate giants who see our communities as an easy target. Amazon for one is expanding their footprint locally, and they should be required to do so in a way that guarantees sustainable growth for our communities and ensures fair and equitable standards for its employees. 5. What unique skills and qualifi cations would you bring to Beacon Hill, and how would those skills benefit the residents of the 19th Suff olk District? As a resident of Revere for 33 years, and for the last 16 years as a resident of Winthrop, I am uniquely suited to understand and advocate for the issues we are facing in our communities. I’m running for State Representative, because as a proud father of 6, I know that the decisions we make today will impact generations to come. My experience as an attorney paired with my deep local roots has given me the ideal blend of experience and professionalism to get the job done. I have the know-how to be a strong leader for the 19th Suff olk District in these most uncertain times. combine various bus routes. The Commuter Rail will also undergo additional scheduling changes, starting April 5. During the virtual public meetings, the team will share information as to why the route changes are necessary and off er insight into the service planning process. They will also share specifi c information about the service changes and impacted routes. Attendees are welcomed to ask questions and provide feedback regarding the service changes that will go into eff ect.
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