The Massachusetts primary is next Thursday, Sept. 8. and four candidates — two Democrats and two Republicans — are in the primary runoff for the state senate seat being vacated by Sen. Dan Wolf. The Gazette emailed customized questionnaires to each announced candidate for office asking them to answer two general questions: why Martha’s Vineyard voters should elect them and what their qualifications were for office. The legislative candidates were also asked about their priorities.

Julian Cyr
Truro Democrat
State Senate Candidate
 

Statement

I believe what truly makes Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, and Cape Cod a unique region is the composite of individuals who are drawn here from all walks of life, unified by sense of community and appreciation for the place we live. The regional scope of our economy, the interdependence of our resources, and the challenges we face are unmistakable. Our region has become profoundly unaffordable for so many of us who live here. We need a state senator who will work with local and state leaders to craft solutions that prioritize the needs of all the residents of our district. I firmly believe that with the right leadership that puts the needs of the Islands and Cape Cod first, we can best generate tangible solutions and effective policy results. We cannot let economic tides reshape our community of their own volition, we need to guide its direction. As your state senator, I’ll be a progressive voice in the legislature who will always put the priorities of the Islands and the Cape first.

Qualifications

I am a Truro native who grew up in my family’s seasonal restaurant. In the years since, I have gained exceptional experience for this job. As director of policy and regulatory affairs for environmental health at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), I stood up to the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station and got the utility to pay for potassium iodide pills for Island towns. I led the state’s response to Vibrio, a pathogen that closed oyster beds in Katama Bay. I’ve worked closely with state senators as deputy director of government affairs at DPH. I am on the board of Health Imperatives, a nonprofit that provides social services to families and individuals on Martha’s Vineyard. I’m a member and former chairman of the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth. I led grassroots organizing on the Cape and Islands for 2010 and 2012 election campaigns. As an Obama White House intern, I worked on green jobs policy and also worked for the Clinton Global Initiative. My degree in public policy is from NYU.

Priorities

Affordability: Life on Martha’s Vineyard is growing harder, driven by housing costs. As senator, I will fund programs to develop rental housing; establish tax-free saving accounts for first-time homeowners; pass legislation for local solutions to housing needs.

Opioids: The Cape had the highest rate of overdose deaths per capita in 2015, followed by Dukes County. We have a severe shortage of services. I will deliver more treatment beds and expand long-term treatment; fund crisis-intervention coordinators for police; provide stable funding for Barnstable’s drug court.

Environment: We must protect our environment. I will push for immediate closure and swift decommissioning of Pilgrim; retool state standards to protect our sole-source aquifer from pesticides; mitigate nitrogen and fertilizers in our waterways; fund critical infrastructure needs without relying solely on property tax increases, such as an expanded room occupancy tax to fund wastewater investments; support renewable energy.