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Bringing Jobs to the 9th Essex District and Investing in Higher Education

Jobs Editorial by Anthony Guardia

The state unemployment rate based on June data is at 9%. The under-employment rate, which includes those who have given up looking for work and those working only part-time, is at approximately 15%. The numbers and charts only tell part of the story.

A tearful Wakefield woman discussed how desperate she is to find work. She has not been able to find a job for close to a year. Her husband, who does have work, has been underemployed for over a year. A Saugus couple told me about the anxiety and stress they had about not being able to pay their daughter’s college tuition. In Lynn, I spoke with a young man who saved every year to go to college and every year the cost of tuition, fees, and supplies was just a little too high for him to enroll. In that same neighborhood, I spoke to an older man who wanted to make a career change by learning new skills, but again he couldn’t afford the training required. A Lynnfield small business owner told the sad story of how he watched in horror as the business he built as a young man almost folded simply because the bank decided to reduce its outstanding commitment and froze his line of credit, leaving him scrambling for money so he could pay his employees.

None of the candidates running for state office has all the answers, especially when it comes to the issue of employment. My pledge to you is to seek out the answers, and to reach out to as many local business leaders and constituents as possible to find what works best. I have already started this process. I’m fortunate to have many supporters throughout the district who are small business owners. Their businesses include small CPA firms, retail stores, law offices, trades, restaurants, and others. They are the engine of the economy in the 9th Essex District and in the Commonwealth and they’ve told me their ideas.

The job of the legislature should be to create an investment environment for the economy to thrive in and ensure that we have the most educated populace possible. Massachusetts needs to establish a common sense tax system that drives investment to the Commonwealth. Also, we can and should do more to work with local community banks, credit unions and federal programs available to open up additional credit opportunities for local businesses so that they can grow in their own communities.

I’ve seen firsthand in Wakefield what can happen when government, local banks and local businesses work together. When the farmer’s market and boating on the lake opened for business, residents from other communities visited Wakefield for the first time. A summer morning trip turns into a day in town, as people look for places to eat and shop. When local businesses had access to newly available grants created through the work of community leaders and local banks, they invested in their own properties and made their storefronts more appealing.

While job creation remains a priority for us, we also must ensure that our work force is able to meet the challenges of a fast-moving future. Increasing investment in our public higher education system will go a long way in easing anxiety and providing hope for our residents and employers. Studies have shown that for every $1 Massachusetts invests in its public higher education system, another $8 is generated in economic activity. That’s because 85% of students in our public higher education system end up living and working in Massachusetts.

Disappointingly, however, the state currently has a tuition and fee rate that is 33% higher than the national average for four-year institutions and 49% higher than the US average for two-year institutions. Meanwhile, Massachusetts awards only one-half of the national average in financial aid grants. By reinvesting in MASSGrant, the state-based financial aid program, and making a larger portion available to public college students, we can create more opportunities for our residents to further their education and provide a highly skilled work force.

As your State Representative I will listen to you, the people in my district, business leaders, community leaders, and every one I have met while going door to door to come up with the best ideas to solve our most pressing issues. I will do more to bring jobs to the Commonwealth and especially to the 9th Essex District.

Bringing Jobs to the 9th Essex District and Investing in Higher Education

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