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REPRESENTATIVE MARTIN T. "MARTY" MEEHAN:
"We are here today to say 'enough is enough.' Enough with elections conducted in the dark. Enough with political organizations bragging about how easy it is to give them unlimited, untraceable sums of money. Enough with sham issue ads wars where we can't even tell who's fighting. Enough with inaction and delay. We just want to shine some light on who's doing what, and who's giving what, to influence elections. "
An incumbent seeking a fifth term despite earlier promises to serve no more than four, Martin "Marty" Meehan has gained a national reputation for his support of campaign finance reform.
Born 1956 in Lowell, Massachusetts, Meehan graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell in 1978. He went on to receive an M.P.A. from Suffolk University in 1981 and a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School in 1986.
From 1986 to 1990 Meehan was the Massachusetts deputy secretary of state for securities and corporations. As first assistant district attorney of Middlesex County from 1991 to 1992, Meehan promoted aggressive prosecution of violent crimes.
Meehan was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992. He serves on the House Armed Services and Judiciary Committees. In recent years, Meehan has become a visible spokesman for the reform of campaign finance rules. He is the Democratic sponsor of the "Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 1999." Co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Task Force on Tobacco and Health, Meehan introduced the "No Tobacco for Kids Act" in the 105th Congress.
Meehan's other legislative priorities include maintaining a balanced budget, preserving the viability of Medicare and Social Security, and economic redevelopment. He helped obtain funds for a job training center and a prison at the closed Fort Devens Army Base. He has been instrumental in directing federal grants to redevelopment efforts in Lowell.
Meehan's Democratic primary opponents have criticized the representative for reneging on his 1992 vow to seek no more than four terms in the House. Meehan has explained that he wishes to stay in Congress to continue to fight for his district's interests.
Sources: www.vote-smart.org; www.house.gov/meehan
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JOSEPH F. OSBALDESTON:
"It does not cost the government anything to let the people keep what is theirs, and that is better for the country."
Believing that no official should serve more than four years in any government post, Joseph Osbaldeston has stated that if elected, he would keep his term-limits pledge - and decline to participate in the congressional pension program. The candidate also proposes to cut his salary and congressional office and staff expenses by 25 percent once he takes office.
Born in California, Osbaldeston has been a resident of Massachusetts for 20 years. A retired U.S. Army master sergeant with 21 years of service, he works as a financial services specialist at Metropolitan Life Insurance. Osbaldeston previously served on the Finance Committee in Ayer, where he lives. This is his first bid for elected office.
Osbaldeston is primarily campaigning on domestic issues. He supports a flat income tax and the elimination of the estate tax, which he describes as the "most burdensome tax on society with the least amount of revenue raised," and advocates using the budget surplus to secure the future of Social Security. He views the state of public education as necessitating "total reform."
Sources: Osbaldeston campaign literature
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THOMAS P. TIERNEY:
"This election will be much more than voters choosing amongst a bunch of little men; it'll be about a restoration of honor."
A resident of Framingham, Thomas P. Tierney is running outside his own district to challenge incumbent Martin "Marty" Meehan in the 5th District race.
Tom Tierney was born in 1943 and attended Boston College, graduating in 1964. After one year on active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps, Tierney earned an M.S. in actuarial science from Northeastern University, finishing his degree in 1968. He remained with the Marine Corps as a reservist until 1970, and currently runs his own actuary consulting business.
Tierney has been active in efforts to restructure Framingham's municipal government, serving on the Framingham Home-Rule Charter Commission. He has also worked to protect, through legislative and judicial outlets, the contract and ownership rights of members of mutual insurance companies and other, similar cooperatives.
Tierney has made incumbent Martin Meehan's decision to run for a fifth term a centerpiece of his campaign. Meehan, who promised voters upon election than he would serve no more than four terms if elected, has gone back on his promise. In his campaign literature, Tierney has written that "His running for a fifth term, after making a solemn vow not to, violates the 'sacred honor' code that's spoken of in our Declaration of Independence, and it must be repudiated at the ballot box."
If elected, Tierney would pursue legislative initiatives including preserving the current structure of Social Security and establishing universal health care, for which Tierney envisions a single-payer system, delivered through the private sector.
Sources: www.tomtierney.org
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