Moore and Simonian Battle for 2nd District Senate Seat

Monday, October 22, 2012

Adam Joseph Drici, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Democratic State Senator Michael Moore

Democratic State Senator Michael Moore is looking for a third term on Beacon Hill, but Republican challenger and Auburn Selectman Steve Simonian is aiming to give him a run for his money.

The 2nd Worcester Senate District represents the towns of Auburn, Grafton, Leicester and Millbury, as well as portions of Northbridge, Shrewsbury, Upton and Worcester.

Moore, a Millbury native, has held the seat since his winning run in the November 2008 election.

Prior to taking office, the Democrat worked as a police office with the Department of Environmental Police and as an environmental investigator in the state Attorney General's Office. He was elected to the Millbury Board of Selectmen in 2001 and went on to serve three terms, with successful reelection bids in 2004 and 2007.

In 2005, Moore was appointed Assistant Deputy Superintendent for the Worcester County Sherrif's office and charged with overseeing the community service program, inmate reintegration program and senior citizen community outreach safety programs.

Currently, Moore serves as Chair of the Joint Committee on Higher Education and Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security, and he also sits the Senate Committee on Ways and Means and the Committee on Post Audit and Oversight.

Moore has said that if reelected, his number one priority will be to continue to improve job growth in Worcester and the rest of the 2nd District.

Last month, the State Senator was named a "Friend of Small Business" for the 2011-2012 legislative session by the Massachusetts chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business.

“I believe small businesses are the lifeblood of our economy, and I’ve worked hard over the last four years to promote job growth and economic development by supporting their priorities,” Moore said.

Republican Steve Simonian

A Navy veteran, Simonian currently serves on the Auburn Board of Selectmen and was previously a Town Meeting member.

The Republican has billed himself as an independent voice and an advocate for fiscal responsibility. He has stated his commitment to working across party lines and a desire to make Massachusetts more attractive to businesses.

However, Simonian has also argued for the importance of more Republicans on Beacon Hill, criticizing the Democratically-controlled legislatures for becoming insulated from the day-to-day realities of residents of the Commonwealth.

“There has never been a clearer choice for the voters in Worcester, Millbury, Grafton, Upton, Northbridge, Auburn, Shrewsbury and Leicester," said Simonian.

"We can vote to continue the ways of Beacon Hill and endorse politics as usual on both sides of the aisle or we can take a stance and send a clear message to Beacon Hill and other areas representatives, we have had it with self serving politicians and we are taking our government back.”

The Republican rolled out a policy plan last month, titled "Put the District First," which called for reform of the state's EBT card program and an end to taxpayer benefits on housing, education and healthcare for undocumented or illegal immigrants, as well as the repeal of the state's inventory tax and major pension reform rounded out the Republican candidate's list of priorities.

Moore pointed out that he and his fellow State Senators passed bipartisan reform measures to restrict the use of EBT cards just two months prior and that the Millbury lawmaker has played a direct role in addressing many of the priorities outlined in Simonian's plan.

While Simonian has characterized Moore as out of touch with the issues facing voters in his district, Moore has criticized his opponent for being up-to-date on the work being done on Beacon Hill.

The two recently met for a candidates forum at the Life Care Center in Auburn to make their case to the senior health care facility's residents.

A live streaming debate on GoLocalWorcester has been scheduled for October 29th.