The Massachusetts primary is next Thursday, Sept. 8. Four candidates are vying in the Democratic primary for the state representative seat now held by retiring Rep. Timothy Madden; three other candidates not enrolled in any party will appear on the November ballot. 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.

Tobias Glidden
Nantucket Independent
State Representative Candidate

Statement

I stand out from the other candidates because I am the only person in the race who was elected to executive office in the past 10 years. That’s important. It’s one thing to have great ideas; it’s another thing to get them done. You don’t cut your teeth being a state representative; you start in local office. In my three years serving on Nantucket’s board of selectmen, I oversaw the town’s $100 million budget (the second-largest on Cape Cod). I am uniquely prepared to represent the district at the state level because I understand the day-to-day issues facing our communities, both at a governmental level and on-the street.

I’m also an islander. I grew up on Nantucket and I love Martha’s Vineyard. The Islands are similar in a lot of ways, especially when it comes to the unique challenges we face being out at sea. As a peninsula, Falmouth also has an end-of-the-road reality. I can promise that I will be your voice in Boston, not Boston’s voice in the district.

Qualifications

I served on Nantucket’s board of selectmen for three years, the youngest board member ever elected. I also served on the capital programs committee, Community Preservation Committee, and the affordable housing trust fund, in addition to coaching middle school soccer for four years. I run my own small business as a stonemason, spending my working life on the jobsite. I know what it’s like to get up for work every day, pay for insurance, rent, materials, and keep prices reasonable for clients. I grew up on Nantucket as the son of a fishmonger, learning to cut fish at 10 years old. I love the water, sailing and scalloping. After high school on Nantucket, I studied systems theory at Concordia University in Montreal and sustainable design at San Francisco Institute of Architecture. I decided to return home and run for office because I truly believe in the idea “think globally, act locally.” I felt I could make the biggest difference in the place I know best: the Cape and the Islands.

Priorities

Climate change: I believe in renewable energy and sustainable economies because our district is living the consequences of climate change. I’m a long-term thinker. I believe we can lead the transition away from fossil fuels and change energy policy to divert control back to our communities. I want our district to be a national leader and a renewable energy exporter. Let’s add diversity to our economy and become more financially resilient.

Affordable housing: without a diverse supply of housing options, there is no future for a healthy community on the Cape and Islands in the long-term. We can import workers; we cannot import community members.

Health care: we need a plan to care for our growing senior population. We’re also struggling with opioid and mental health crises, which are linked. My father committed suicide this April. From that hard experience I understand that health care is not just a talking point. We must elect leaders who look past politics and towards solutions we need. Will appear on general election ballot.