Newsletter Signup
Stay up to date on all the latest news from Boston.com
Either Leah Cole Allen or Kim Driscoll will be the next lieutenant governor. How do they compare?
Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll and former State Rep. Leah Cole Allen differ on a number of issues.
Democrat Maura Healey and Republican Geoff Diehl are entering the home stretch of their campaigns to succeed Charlie Baker as the next governor of Massachusetts. Through two debates, many interviews, and ubiquitous advertising, residents are learning a lot about Healey and Diehl.
But what of their running mates, the people who are vying to become the state’s next lieutenant governor? Officially, the office does not have a lot of defined responsibilities. According to the state constitution, the lieutenant governor is responsible for stepping into the governor’s shoes if they become unable to perform their duties. The lieutenant governor is also responsible for sitting on the Governor’s Council. This little-known body considers judicial nominations, pardons, and commutations.
Advertisement:
The flip side of this lack of defined responsibilities is that those in the position have a lot of freedom to shape the job as they see fit. Karyn Polito, who serves as Baker’s lieutenant governor, spent much of her time in office serving as a liaison between Baker and the cities and towns of Massachusetts.
What would Democrat Kim Driscoll and Republican Leah Cole Allen bring to the office? Read on for a breakdown of each candidate.
Leah Cole Allen
Running alongside Geoff Diehl is Leah Cole Allen, a former state representative from Peabody. Allen is also a former nurse, who said she lost her job for not complying with COVID vaccine mandates. The topic of government overreach, especially as it applies to pandemic-era rules, has been central to Allen’s platform since she first announced her intention to run for lieutenant governor in March.
Advertisement:
In fact, Allen said that the mandate and her subsequent termination were deciding factors when figuring out if she wanted to get back into politics.
“I am faced with losing my job over not complying with the COVID-vaccine mandates,” Allen said at the time, according to WGBH. “It makes me want to get involved again.”
Allen became a state representative in 2013, when she was in her mid-20’s. She worked as a full-time nurse before being elected, and continued in the profession part-time while holding office, according to The Salem News. When she resigned in 2015, Allen said she never intended for politics to be a lifelong career, and that she wanted to return to nursing full-time.
She began working at Beverly Hospital in 2017, and stayed there until going on maternity leave last fall. Before then, according to The Salem News, Allen declined to comply with the hospital’s employee vaccine mandate, partly because of her pregnancy. She said that she believes people should have a choice regarding getting vaccinated, and that that decision should not be tied to employment.
“I think anyone who wants to get a vaccine is free to do so, and I encourage them to do so,” Allen said during an August debate with Kate Campanale, another Republican candidate for lieutenant governor. “We are anti-mandate because the government should not be involved in your health care decisions, and anytime that the government tries to make you choose between your job or making a personal medical decision, to me, that’s a red flag for government overreach and it shouldn’t be tolerated.”
Advertisement:
Although the lieutenant governor candidates were not officially tied to gubernatorial candidates until after their primary victories, Allen ran on an unofficial ticket with Diehl since her initial announcement. Together, they pitched a more conservative platform than Campanale and Chris Doughty, who ran against Diehl in the primary.
Allen won a narrow victory over Campanale in September, garnering 52.3% of the vote to Campanale’s 47.7%.
During the primary election season, Allen campaigned on a platform of pushing back against “a government that is increasingly powerful.”
On the topic of education, Allen stated on her website that “kids shouldn’t be in masks, and schools shouldn’t be teaching a curriculum based on a political agenda.” Allen also said that she believes parents should have a greater impact on the education process.
Allen also pushed a message of fiscal responsibility, defining that as “a government that operates efficiently and taxes sparingly.” She is opposed to the potential “millionaire’s tax” that is on the ballot this fall. If passed, this would levy an additional 4% tax on income over $1 million, which would be put toward education and transportation.
Advertisement:
Allen said she is opposed to the tax because it risks causing top earners to leave the state.
“These are the job creators here in our state,” she said during the debate with Campanale. “We can’t have them leaving.”
Kim Driscoll
The current mayor of Salem, Kim Driscoll is campaigning on the message that she has extensive experience in government and knows how to get things accomplished.
Driscoll truly broke into municipal government when she became Chief Legal Counsel for Chelsea in 1998. The city was emerging at the time from state receivership, which was spurred by fiscal mismanagement and corruption. As Driscoll tells it, she was an essential part of the team that turned Chelsea around as it steered a new path into the future.
Just a year later, in 1999, Driscoll ran for and won a seat on the Salem City Council. She stepped down from the role in 2003 due to frustrations with “petty political games.” Driscoll ran for mayor in 2005, and was first considered an underdog before prevailing on a crowded ticket. She became the first woman to be elected Mayor of Salem, and has held the position continuously since her election.
Driscoll’s experience in municipal government appears to have forged a connection with Polito. At a Harvard event last month, Polito spoke on the importance of being a liaison between municipalities and the state government.
During her comments, as reported by CommonWealth Magazine, Polito alluded to Driscoll’s experience helping the Baker administration create an initiative that offered financial aid to cities and towns that pledged to follow best practices.
Advertisement:
“There’s no doubt that there is a candidate that is a mayor that’s running for office and served on our advisory group early on when forming the community compact and has insight into best practices and good government at the local level,” Polito said at the event, according to CommonWealth.
Polito did not officially endorse Driscoll, but did say that local experience was an added bonus and that the ability to forge relationships with local officials was critically important.
Driscoll has extolled the virtues of state government, saying that she knows how important it is in breaking down the barriers between communities so that local officials can enact meaningful change.
“State government is responsible for providing resources and breaking down systematic barriers. On the local level, we need the state to be a real partner in our efforts to enact meaningful change. While grassroots organizing in our communities can propel us forward, the state must be the one to provide the resources and regional vision needed to have a true impact,” Driscoll wrote in response to a prompt from Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey.
Driscoll cites examples that show how cities and towns don’t have independent authority in many areas. This, she said, includes things like regional ballot initiatives and multi-community transportation investments.
Driscoll hopes to give communities “more autonomy” in making decisions that could benefit their entire region. She would push for the state government to incentivize municipalities to create initiatives that tackle problems like environmental justice and affordable housing.
Advertisement:
On the topic of COVID vaccine mandates, Driscoll pushed for vaccination mandates for all municipal and school employees in Salem, as well as for entry into gyms, bars, and restaurants, according to Patch. Driscoll also said she was “open” to a vaccine mandate for Salem students. A vaccine mandate was put in place for students participating in “high-respiration” extracurricular activities.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com