3rd Plymouth District candidates to meet in forum
Joe DiFazio The Patriot Ledger jldifazio
Sep 28, 2018 at 5:06 PM Sep 29, 2018 at 10:37 AM
MARSHFIELD — State Rep. Joan Meschino, D-Hull, will meet Monday with the woman trying to unseat her, Republican Kristen Arute of Hingham, in a forum broadcast live on WATD-FM.
The forum is the first this year between the two candidates, who also faced off in 2016. Arute said this week that her second run against Meschino is going well.
"We've had a great response," said Arute, who has been knocking on doors and listening to voters' concerns.
Both candidates will give opening and closing statements and will be asked questions about issues facing the 3rd Plymouth District, which covers Hingham, Hull, Cohasset and North Scituate.
Arute said an issue that has frequently come up while campaigning is infrastructure, especially sea walls. Other issues Arute hopes to address are opioid use on the South Shore and vaping among kids.
"It's a huge concern at the schools," Arute said.
As the president of Hingham CARES, a coalition to prevent substance abuse, Arute said she worries that kids see vaping as safe and trendy, when it still has harmful effects.
"Vaping still has carcinogens and the residual stickiness can affects lungs," Arute said.
Meschino too said that opioids are a concern for her and pointed to her work on a broad piece of legislation aimed at curbing the opioid crisis that was passed this summer. Meschino also said she would like to increase local aid to the communities she represents.
Meschino said she will also continue to look at ways to push renewable energy in the state with an eye toward climate change.
"I wake up every day and think, 'What can I do for our residents?'" Meschino said.
The WATD forum will air shortly after 6 p.m.
MESCHINO
ARUTE
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