Meet Plymouth, Barnstable Senate Candidate Dylan Fernandes
MASSACHUSETTS — Early voting begins this week for the upcoming November elections, with many races both national and local for Massachusetts residents to participate in with their votes.Patch has sent candidate questionnaires to candidates across the state in contested races, and will be publishing them on the site through election season.In this Q&A, Patch spoke with MA Rep. Dylan Fernandes who is running for the Plymouth and Barnstable Senate District.Candidate’s Name: Dylan Fernandes What office are you seeking: State Senate District: Plymouth and Barnstable District Campaign website: https://www.dylanfernandes.com... What city or town do you live in: Falmouth Party affiliation: Democrat Education: BS in economics, College of Charleston, MPA, Harvard Kennedy School Occupation: State Legislator (Massachusetts State House) Does anyone in your family work in politics or government: No Previous public office, appointive or elective: State Representative Age: 34 Why are you seeking this office? I am a fourth-generation resident of our district. My family came here from the Azores four generations ago. Life was never easy and my father started a small landscaping company and worked his way into the middle class and I became a first-generation college student. I got involved in public service to give back to the community, country, and state that I love and that has given me so much. I am running to bring new energy and experience to deliver for the people of Plymouth, Pembroke, Plympton, Kingston, Sandwich, Mashpee, Bourne and Falmouth in the State Senate. In 7 years as a State Representative, I have passed 30 bills into law and brought women’s reproductive care to the region. I have been a leader in the legislature on protecting our environment, supporting public education, and improving veteran services. Our district faces big challenges around affordability, the Cape bridges, Holtecdecommissioning, and addiction and mental health issues and we need someone who has experience and energy to deliver for us. I hope to earn your vote and you can learn more about our campaign at www.dylanfernandes.com. What do you believe is the No. 1 issue facing your district, and how do you plan to address it? The most important issue facing people in the district is the cost of living. Housing is unattainable for working families, seniors, and young people. Home prices are out of reach for many and the rents often take up more than 50% of our paychecks. When it comes to improving housing access, there is a big distinction in this race: I am the only candidate who supported the Affordable Homes Act. My Republican opponent voted against it.The Affordable Homes Act is the biggest housing bill in a generation. It makes historic investments in housing and rental support, expands property rights by allowing Accessory Dwelling Units, and funds veteran housing. It has specific laws about making housing more affordable in seasonal communities like ours. Municipalities will now be able to fund housing directly for the employees to make it easier for our teachers, police officers, and firefighters to live here.We must help families with early education and care. Reliable and affordable childcare is often beyond their reach. I have already voted to fund access to Pre-K at the highest level ever but the next step is to create a sustainable system of early education and care. We must ensure that middle class families in Massachusetts are given the support they need to access high-quality childcare at an affordable cost. And we must support early education centers to make sure they have the resources they need to be successful.Finally, there is no greater issue facing future generations than that of global warming and its impacts on our communities. We live in one of the most coastal places in Massachusetts and sea level rise and the increased power of storms will have serious impacts on our region. As the Vice Chair of the Committee on the Environment, I have been a leader in passing environmental bills including the state’s first laws on ocean acidification and electric bicycles. We must hold Holtec accountable for responsible decommissioning of the nuclear power plant and I am one of 19 petitioners working to block them from dumping into Cape Cod Bay. Massachusetts is among the most expensive states in the country, particularly when it comes to housing. What can be done to make Massachusetts communities more financially accessible? Lack of affordability will erode our communities far faster than the ocean will if we do not address it. I have dealt with housing insecurity for many years in our district and while I bought a home a few years ago, I would never be able to afford it today. As mentioned in the previous question, there is help on the way with the Affordable Homes Act - the largest housing bill in a generation that was signed into law two months ago. I supported this bill that expands housing for working people, seniors, and veterans in our district. My Republican opponent voted against it.We also need to put more money back into people's pockets. I voted to support Governor Healey’s $1 billion dollar tax cut proposal that passed last year. A part of that law included legislation I had championed around reforming the estate tax. Massachusetts used to have the most onerous estate tax in the nation that, because of the high increase in home prices, was impacting middle class families in our region. We also tripled that septic tax credit from $6,000 to $18,000 which not only helps homeowners save, it is especially important for our region in terms of reducing nitrogen and protecting our valuable water resources. What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?I have been a leader at the State House passing 30 bills into law. That is more than anyone else running. I have brought in tens of millions of dollars in funding to the region for fishermen, early education, environmental preservation and much more. There is no one else in this race who has passed more bills or secured more legislative funding. When Donald Trump was first elected, he ended the Paris Climate Agreement. The first legislation I passed through the House was a bill signing Massachusetts onto the Paris Climate Agreement - sending a message that a handful of climate deniers in Washington DC do not speak for the people of our district or state. The most recent legislation I passed gives veterans priority in our shelter system. Veterans served our nation and deserve our support.I am a strong supporter of the state’s public education system and understand that a good public school education is a bridge to the middle class. I voted to support the Student Opportunity Act, Universal School meals, and free community college all of which are funded by the Fair Share Amendment which my Republican opponent votedagainst. I will be a champion for our schools and work to get increased reimbursement for school busing costs in our district. Clean water is the lifeblood of our region. It makes our communities liveable and it is the driver of our tourism economy. Many of our communities sit above sole-source aquifers and we must protect them. This means investing in clean water infrastructure and promoting smart-growth. As a member of the Cape and Islands delegation, I supported and worked across the aisle to pass the Cape and Islands Water Protection Fund that will bring more than $1 billion to local communities to support wastewater infrastructure. When I first got elected women did not have access to reproductive care in the region. We worked with Health Imperatives to secure legislative funding so that last year women on Cape Cod now have access for the first time in decades. This is another distinction in the race: I am the only candidate who voted to support the ROE Act for women’s reproductive freedom.The article Meet Plymouth, Barnstable Senate Candidate Dylan Fernandes appeared first on Falmouth, MA Patch.
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