Candidate for Massachusetts State Treasurer Karyn Polito
By: Tom Duggan – October, 2010
The Valley Patriot caught up with Karyn Polito touring North Andover last month where Valley Patriot editor Tom Duggan asked her about the viscous personal attack Rep. David Torissi launched against her in Lawrence during the Mount Vernon Neighborhood Association debate.
Tom Duggan: State Rep Dave Torissi after you left the Mount Vernon neighborhood today, attacked you saying that you’ve been in the pension system for the last 10 years and that you’ve recently found religion on not taking a pension. I was just wondering if you could address that.
Karyn Polito: Sure, yes I make contributions to the public pension system and I said that I am not taking a public pension. The point is that a public pension system is unsustainable and the tax payers are paying $1.4 billion each year to prop it up. I have filed bills to reform it, and the Beacon Hill leadership is not capable of making the reforms that are necessary to keep the promise of the pension, to the hard working civil servants, our police, our fire, our teachers. Instead, you have politicians that are gaming the system, double and triple dipping and putting the system more at risk. I am taking the lead, unlike Representative Torissi and I am telling everyone “Get the state elected officials out of the pension system, because they are the ones that are making decisions that benefit themselves. If you take the politics and the conflicts of interest out, then we can get to the real reform for the next generation of public workers coming in to service. Then we can keep the promise of our pension to those civil servants that are earning it and I hope that Representative Torissi will follow my lead and do the right thing.
Tom Duggan: What do you think of a guy running for reelection as a State Representative attacking a candidate for Treasurer? Why do you think he’s attacking you?
Karyn Polito: Well, it’s all politics, that’s the problem on Beacon Hill. You’ve got too many legislators that are in there to feather their own nest, and they are not in it for the right reasons. I believe in term limits, I believe in new energy and new ideas coming into public service. I am in it for the right reasons. It’s not to feather my own nest, but to work hard for the people and I hope that Dave Torissi will follow my lead and also make the commitment that he won’t be taking a public pension.