LAMB FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE

For Immediate Release

October 16, 2012

Contact: 617-513-4368

LAMB CLEAR CUT WINNER IN HOPKINTON DEBATE

DYKEMA RUNS AWAY FROM RECORD AND STILL EMBRACES HIGHER TAXES

Holliston, MA ...Today Marty Lamb, Republican candidate for State Representative in the Eighth Middlesex District, responded to comments made by incumbent Carolyn Dykema during the Hopkinton Cable debate.

During the debate Rep. Dykema claimed not to have received support from the SEIU in the past or present. The facts don't support her claim. The following was written in the Milford Daily News: "They were also helped by thousands more in independent expenditures from the Massachusetts Teacher's Association and Service Employees International Union, as was Carolyn Dykema, the new state representative from Holliston.

This year Dykema was listed in the Election Edition of the SEIU mailer.

Several times during the debate Dykema was on the hot seat due to her record of voting 95.37% of the time with the Speaker. One of her defenses was that she voted for "thoughtful legislation that helps the district." Her votes during the rules debate were 100% with the Speaker. They were hardly thoughtful. She voted against:

• Requiring a roll call vote be taken on any bill that would raise taxes
• Requiring equal membership between the 2 parties of the Ethics Committee making it nonpartisan
• Requiring the Ethics Committee file reports with Clerk on the outcome of complaints
• Limiting the ability to kill amendments with study committee votes
• Requiring 24 hours between a bill being reported out of committee and it going to the floor for a vote. (being able to read the bill before a vote)

"I don't think keeping the public in the dark or rushing to vote on bills before they are read is thoughtful or helpful to the district," said Lamb.

During the debate Dykema abandoned her voting record by claiming she now supports posting committee votes online. However, it should be noted that she voted against this common sense rules reform not once but twice, so it is hard to believe that her debate statement was nothing more than pandering.

Dykema also tried to defend her record of voting with the Speaker 95.37% of the time by claiming that Republicans vote more often with their leader. There is one major glaring problem with that claim. All of the Republicans vote 40 to 55% of the time with the Speaker. They actually cross the aisle. On the other hand Carolyn has only crossed the aisle 4.63%.

Despite claiming to get results and being a member of the majority party, Dykema admitted that she could not get her amendment to the casino bill approved. In contrast, freshmen Republican Representatives have passed more significant legislation in the past two years than Dykema.

When it came to the issue of taxes, Dykema once again embraced her vote of increasing the sales tax. Moreover, she stated she doesn't favor cutting taxes. Lamb challenged her on a statement she made during last week's debate claiming there are $27 billion in tax expenditures.

"Our state takes in about $28 billion in tax revenue. To suggest that there are $27 billion in business tax loopholes is false. She is not advocating closing tax loopholes at all. She would be creating new taxes on things that are presently exempt from taxation such as food and clothing," said Lamb. "That's not a loophole but a new tax."

Dykema said the following during the Holliston debate:

"One of the things I think we really need to look at is the tax expenditure budget, which has been looked at the last couple of years. There was a study done that showed that there were a lot of loopholes being offered to specific industry groups or special interests that have accumulated over the years and the net effect has been that we actually forgo as much as tax revenue- $27 billion to these tax loopholes as we actually bring in in revenue which is just over that so we need to take a hard look at these to see if there might be opportunity to be a little more fair in how we tax everyone across the Commonwealth."

The study Rep. Dykema is referring to said there were "$17.2 billion in sales tax exemptions such as breaks on food, clothing and soda."

"Rep. Dykema is very misguided to think that there is $27 billion in tax loopholes. Moreover, the term tax expenditure is a misnomer. In layman's terms it means new taxes," said Lamb.

Overall Lamb had more specifics when it came to education, controlling state spending, and reviving the economy.

Mr. Lamb, a Massachusetts native, graduated from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University in 1985 and received his Bachelor of Arts from Hampshire College in 1982. He has an extensive background in real estate law, formerly with Adelson, Golden & Loria, P.C., Edward A. Sokoloff & Associates and Lamb and Browne, P.C., is currently with Lamb and Associates, P.C. He is a member of the Real Estate Bar Association of Massachusetts. An active participant in community affairs, Mr. Lamb sits on the Board of Directors of New England Region of United Synagogue and is a past president of Temple Beth Torah in Holliston. He has also served on the Holliston Elementary School Council and the Campaign for Holliston Schools. He resides in Holliston with Peri, his wife of 22 years and his two daughters Elissa and Simma.

For more information on Marty's candidacy, voters can visit his website at ElectMartyLamb.com or follow him on Twitter at @ElectMartyLamb and Facebook at Elect Marty Lamb.

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ElectMartyLamb.com