Brennan to challenge Rep. L'Italien again

Georgetown's Brennan gears up to challenge Rep. L'Italien again

By Edward Mason
Staff writer

BOSTON — Georgetown Selectman Lawrence "Lonnie" Brennan is preparing for a rematch against Rep. Barbara L'Italien, the three-term Andover Democrat.

"I'm offering voters an alternative," Brennan, a Republican, said yesterday.

He lost to L'Italien 59 percent to 41 percent two years ago, and said this time around he will make an issue of L'Italien's votes to increase taxes and spending.

So far, Brennan is the first Republican to announce a challenge against one of Essex County's 17 incumbent Democrats. The House's 19 Republicans wield little power, but Brennan said that's no reason not to vote Republican. If elected, Brennan said he'd vote for the district, not his party.

L'Italien's 18th Essex District consists of precincts 1, 7 and 8 in Andover, Precinct 2 in Boxford, Precinct 2 in Georgetown, precincts 1 and 2 of Ward 2, Precinct 2 of Ward 5, and Precinct 2 of Ward 7 in Haverhill, Precinct 7 in Methuen, and precincts 7 and 8 in North Andover.

Brennan criticized L'Italien for voting this month for a $392 million package of tax increases. The bill, which still needs Senate approval, would raise money primarily by closing so-called corporate tax loopholes and increasing the cigarette tax by $1 a pack.

He faulted L'Italien for voting against a Republican proposal to send $450 million from the state's reserves to cities and towns — money House Republicans argued the state took away from municipalities during the last recession.

"She votes against any attempt to shake loose any money from the state coffers," Brennan said.
And he blamed L'Italien for recently proposing more state spending on special education that he said would eliminate incentives for school districts to reduce costs.

Reacting to Brennan's critique, L'Italien said: "The gentleman clearly doesn't understand the role I'm playing."

L'Italien said her proposal to increase state reimbursement for special education is meant to offset one of the biggest factors in swelling municipal budgets.

Her vote against the GOP plan to tap the state reserves, she said, was fiscally responsible. In the last recession, the state drained a $2 billion reserve account. Sending that money to cities and towns now wouldn't be prudent with a recession looming.

And while she voted for the House tax package, she noted she'd proposed to protect Merrimack Valley store owners from the cigarette tax with a 10-mile buffer zone along the New Hampshire border where the tax increase would not go into effect.

L'Italien's vote to kill a proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage looked as though it would be a campaign issue. Indeed, Brennan, after the vote, said L'Italien needed to be held accountable, and MassEquality, which supports gay marriage, pledged to come to the aid of L'Italien and other allies if they were challenged this fall.

However, while Brennan criticized L'Italien for her vote he said he won't make that a campaign issue. Voters, he said, have moved on.

"It's an old issue now," Brennan said.

"I'm not beholden to any special interests or party," Brennan said. "If the Republicans are wrong, they'll see me vote against them."

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