Shake up Beacon Hill with Muratore

The surest way to shake up Beacon Hill’s dysfunction is to start losing to people like Dylan Fernandez.

That might seem a little unfair to Fernandez, a Democratic state representative who is running for an open state Senate seat in Plymouth and Barnstable counties. He is the dictionary definition of a nice young man and an obedient member of the Democratic Party.

But that’s the problem: a vote for Fernandes is a vote for the status quo on Beacon Hill – and if he wins, his fellow lawmakers will see it as confirmation that they don’t have to fear any consequences from that they are part of the problem.

Fortunately, a viable alternative is Republican Matthew Muratore, who comes from the centrist wing of Charlie Baker’s party. He has business experience in child care and nursing homes, giving him experience tackling two of the biggest issues facing the state. He also worked in local political offices and beat MAGA-supporting candidate in tight GOP primary. Like Fernandez, he is a state representative, meaning he knows the ins and outs of Beacon Hill, but without the baggage that comes with being a dominant Democrat.

What luggage, you ask? Procrastinating like a student writing a term paper, the Legislature failed to pass important and much-needed bills this year, including the governor’s economic development bill, due to petty disagreements and interpersonal disputes. Democrats resolve their policy differences in caucuses rather than publicly, making it difficult to understand where individual representatives stand on specific issues. Knowing how your representative votes is key to accountability, but it took a Republican to do it. push for a roll call vote on recent climate legislation.

The House leadership behaves this way because it can: few members have opponents, and far less viable ones, to keep them honest.

However, the Legislature’s extreme dysfunction gives GOP candidates the opportunity to use the same strategy that Democrats have often used against them in national races.

In the congressional race, Democrats are essentially making the argument that no matter how qualified and sane an individual GOP candidate may be, a vote for him is a vote for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Mike Johnson and that’s it. what they represent. Ultimately, it’s the biggest hurdle for U.S. Senate Republican candidate John Deaton in his race against Elizabeth Warren—his campaign was all but over when he put the R next to his name.

Well, at the state level, voting for any Democrat—no matter how qualified he is, and Fernandez is certainly qualified—is a vote for House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka and dysfunction. They introduce.

Despite the spectacle of last year, most of us will vote for a Democrat in legislative races this year anyway—either by default because there is no GOP candidate on the ballot, or through gritted teeth because the Republicans nominated a right-wing candidate. Voters in Plymouth and Barnstable counties have the luxury of having a viable and rational Republican candidate. It would be good for the entire state if they took advantage of this opportunity.

Alan Wirzbicki is the Globe’s deputy editorial editor. He can be reached at [email protected].