This week Representative Paul Tucker once again spoke at the Salem Rotary as part of our speaker series. The Salem Chamber of Commerce was in attendance. 

Representative Tucker began his speech by reviewing the highlights of his past speeches at Rotary, going back to his time as Police Chief. He remembered how he was congratulated for having a prominent role at such a "premier city" in the sense that Salem is famous around the country. He also reflected on difficult votes during his time in the Massachusetts legislature. He is proud of his votes on transgender rights, a transformative crime bill, police reform, clean energy (including off-shore wind), and problem solving during the pandemic. His time as a representative will wrap up soon with votes on sports wagering and excess state funds still to come. He brought up how Rotary helped to send one of his aides, Rosa Alvarado, to France when she was younger.

Paul is currently running for District Attorney. In speaking about this opportunity, he explained the respect that he has for the position and for people who have held it in the past. Each of the eleven District Attorneys in the Commonwealth have wide discretion in their jobs. Representative Tucker is a big believer in diversion and in giving second chances to those who deserve them, and he expressed concern at the disproportionate impact of policing on people of color. To combat these issues, he would look to add diversity in the workplace. A critical piece to Paul's candidacy is the belief in seeking justice, not convictions. An example he gave was something called restorative justice, which on the face of it is similar to the Truth and Reconciliation Trials in post-Apartheid South Africa, where victims of crimes faced the perpetrators as a way to seek justice by explaining the impact of the criminals' actions on the lives of the victims. Beyond that, Paul would hope to implement evidence-based successful programs from abroad. He is proud to advocate for criminals in solitary confinement out of concern for how they are introduced back into society. He was able to include language addressing the treatment of these individuals into the most recent crime bill. Representative Tucker reminded the Salem community of the changes he advocated for locally in helping people battling drug addiction, while noting how the department differentiates between those battling addiction and those benefitting from the drug trade. 

Both Representative Tucker and our guests from Florida noticed the nicely updated Community Board, so many thanks once again to Bill Kielbasa and Rich Eisner for the work restoring it. 

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