There will be a forum featuring the two candidates vying for Peter Kocot’s former seat in the state House of Representatives at 7 p.m. Tuesday at JFK Middle School in Northampton.
The forum will focus entirely on issues pertaining to clean energy and climate change. With two candidates withdrawing from this race to seek Stan Rosenberg’s former Senate seat, I fear that turnout at the June 5 forum may not be as high as the recent forums in Amherst and Deerfield. This would be very unfortunate.
The late Rep. Kocot’s former district comprises Hatfield, Northampton, Southampton, Westhampton and Montgomery. These towns need and deserve the kind of powerful representation Kocot provided, especially now when our commonwealth has the potential to continue its environmental leadership, but just as easily could fall behind.
Now is the time to test candidates and show them how much we care about these issues. Perhaps you may think “we’re already doing enough.” Two facts may interest you. First, after a decade of strong job growth in the solar industry, last year was the first in which Massachusetts lost jobs — 3,000 of them.
Second, one of five residents of Springfield has asthma. Residents in Kocot’s former district breathe pretty much the same air as Springfield. The simple point is that we are not doing enough in our state to shift from fossil fuels to clean energy — and the climate change clock is ticking fast.
Kocot was an exemplary representative. Meeting with him to discuss these issues on several occasions, I found him to be very knowledgeable, and always able to offer sound advice as to what citizens could do to get legislation passed. Most importantly, he was willing and able to work closely with other western Massachusetts representatives to form a strong coalition for us at the Statehouse.
The candidates for Kocot’s former seat need to see how important these issues are to their potential constituents. Let’s help the winner carry Kocot’s legacy forward and make our state a good place to live for our children and grandchildren.
David Roitman
Florence