To The Editor:

As a Somerville Democrat, I’m ashamed of State Senator Pat Jehlen. I’m ashamed at how she sent out one of her minions to attack a young man who desires to serve his community. I am a Democrat and Pat Jehlen is way far out of the mainstream; allow me to elaborate:

Should we really be surprised that as Pat Jehlen’s opponent, Dave Carnevale, gains traction, the ‘storm troopers’ of the behemoth political machine that has all but eaten, chewed and spit out the once virtuous party of JFK (my party), are out in full force trying to squelch a budding public servant. What’s she so afraid of? At least preliminarily, Mr. Carnevale seems to have nothing but good, honest intentions to help the state wade through a very difficult time. A young-man, new to this vicious cage fight they call campaigning, Mr. Carnevale is clearly the underdog, but perhaps people are simply tired of the old, rubber-stamp politicians, and he could achieve an upset victory.

As a Democrat, I’ve long considered myself to be for the little guy but for too long the party that I belong to has acted in opposition to many of my core beliefs and standards. Sen. Jehlen epitomizes a wing of the Democratic Party that I wish would go away. I want a fair, level playing field for all residents of Massachusetts. I want legislators who are responsible, accountable and cautious with my tax dollars. I want an independent minded legislator. I do not want an ideologue who has voted lockstep with the extreme wing of her party or a career politician who makes votes that will ensure her reelection. I’m a democrat, I’m middle class, and this time, I won’t vote for Pat Jehlen.

Let’s face it; Pat Jehlen has her head in the sand; she always has. For years, Pat Jehlen has dealt with many issues that though noble in cause, do not address the systemic problems that plague our Commonwealth. Pat Jehlen has attempted time and again to remedy the symptoms of her own derelict policies. She has consistently thrown money at problems, thus creating a never-ending patchwork of temporary fixes until the next symptom bubbles to the surface at which time she whips out her sewing kit and knits the problem away.

This is much like what they tried to do just this summer by attempting to pass legislation to build casinos. Nobody really wants casinos, except those unfortunate souls who’ve been afflicted with a gambling addiction, but what will they do (the legislators)? They have all the state’s existing revenue tied up to plug the leaks in the dam, and whoa, big surprise, look there, another gaping hole! Well, we need a lot of mud and cement to fill that one, bring in the top kill! They then proceed to try and pass an omnibus piece of legislation, guise it as a jobs bill, and plug the leak; but without success.

Bottom line, we need change. And what better way, than to oust a 30 year incumbent whose policies are stale, misguided, and fail to address the root cause of our state’s fiscal and societal ailments.

Somerville Resident John B.