To the Editor:
As the state election nears, I am writing to take issue with a flyer I received a few weeks ago from a group called Mass. Fiscal Alliance disparaging Rep. Carolyn Dykema’s record with regard to veterans. The flyer struck a nerve because I know Rep. Dykema has been a tireless supporter of veterans from her perch on the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs. Voters should know that the flyer attempts to twist her record based on a single vote – one in which Rep. Dykema voted with the majority, 126-29. To put stock in Mass. Fiscal would be to believe that some 80 percent of the legislature is against veterans. I suppose they hate babies, too.
Deliberately distorting the record of such a fine representative as Carolyn Dykema does her and the voters of her district a great disservice.
I have witnessed firsthand how Rep. Dykema works tirelessly for her district. As a member of the Southborough School Committee, I have found her to be unfailingly responsive and genuinely interested in educational issues – and a great champion for our causes on Beacon Hill. She has taken the time to tour our schools and meet with school committee members both in district and at the State House. And she has helped deliver important increases in local aid, including a 36-percent increase this year for regional transportation, which has long been sorely underfunded.
Carolyn Dykema puts in the time to understand the issues facing her constituents. Hers is a familiar face at virtually any community event, where she routinely spends hours talking to residents. And she works diligently to turn their concerns into legislation that can help.
It’s hard to imagine a state rep who would work harder or be more effective than Carolyn Dykema. Before going to the polls, I hope voters take the time to examine her actual record rather than rely on the half-truths perpetrated by the likes of Mass. Fiscal.
Paul Desmond
Chair, Southborough K-8 School Committee