Typical uninformed candidate Sandra Wright {R] raises the issue of PENSION and has no comprehension of the issue?
Wouldn't it make greater sense to INFORM yourself before raising the issue?
Do Republicans ever THINK?
Rather than spraying MUD AT A WALL, how 'bout let's stick to issues?
The Taunton Daily Gazette is to be faulted as well for such mindless drivel.
Republican rival slams State Sen. Marc Pacheco for applying for Bridgewtater State post
Tuesday
TAUNTON - A Republican rival is questioning State Sen. Marc Pacheco’s commitment to his job in light of the fact he was in the running for a high-level post at Bridgewater State University earlier this year.
“I think he’s been in office too long and his heart’s not in it anymore,” said Sandra Wright, who is running in the GOP primary Sept. 8 for the state senate seat held by Pacheco.
But the Taunton Democrat said that is far from the case.
He said he’s gotten a lot done in his 24 years in the Senate and that wouldn’t have been possible without passion and dedication.
“I fight every day for the citizens of the First Plymouth and Bristol district, for jobs and improvement in the economy and education,” Pacheco said.
Neither Pacheco nor Wright has a primary opponent.
Pacheco was one of four finalists this spring for the position of vice president of external affairs at BSU. The vacancy was created when the incumbent Fred Clark was named president of the university last year.
The finalists were on campus for interviews in early spring. Later in the spring, they were notified the hiring process was “put on hold as a result of budgetary constraints, as have several other open positions at the university,” BSU spokesperson Eva Gaffney said.
“That remains the status and there is no deadline to fill this position,” Gaffney said.
Pacheco said he applied for the post last October before the May 3 deadline to file nomination papers to run for re-election because he thought the BSU position was at least “worth exploring.”
But then BSU placed it on hold, also before the May 3 deadline, so it became a moot point, and he made the decision to run for re-election, he said.
“A very unique opportunity came available at Bridgewater which I applied for because I thought my skill set could be a significant help to the university and I could continue to serve Southeastern Massachusetts,” Pacheco said.
Pacheco said the vice president of external affairs has a lot of interactions with state and federal regulatory agencies and needs to be familiar with the legislative process and public policy issues.
The other three finalists were Thomas Calter, a state representative from Kingston; Thomas Sannicandro, a state representative from Ashland; and Mark Sylvia of Fairhaven, the managing director of BlueWave Capital, LLC, according to Gaffney.
The salary for the position would have been comparable to other vice presidents at BSU, in the $150,000 to $160,000 range, Gaffney said.
Pacheco currently earns in the $80,000 to $90,000 range, including stipends for committee assignments, he said.
“For the last 10 years he’s been looking for another position,” Wright said.
In a press release last week, Wright questioned whether Pacheco was looking “for a pension bump via another state job” when he applied for the BSU post.
To be eligible for a state pension, a person must have a minimum of 10 years service. The pension is then based on the three highest salary years, Pacheco said.
He said anyone who ultimately fills the BSU post would be eligible for those same benefits.
And, he said, Wright would also be in line for a big pension increase if she were to become state senator and retain the job for long enough.
Wright, who has been a Plymouth County Commissioner since 2010, earns $14,000 a year for that post and those years count toward the 10 years of service, she acknowledged in a telephone interview last week.
She is also a Bridgewater town councilor, an unpaid part-time position, and was a Bridgewater Board of Health member for several years, also an unpaid, part-time post, but she said she does not believe those positions would count toward the 10 years service.
A spokesperson for the Massachusetts Retirement Board did not immediately respond in time for the Taunton Daily Gazette’s deadline Monday as to how the years of service are calculated.
Wright said the two situations are not comparable because Pacheco would be getting a pension increase going to what she considers a less demanding job, whereas she would be taking on a full-time position.
Wright previously worked as a medical assistant and is currently a self-employed energy broker.
Pacheco said opponents have been using the “talking point” that he’s planning to take another position for years.
“But I’m still here working for the people of Southeastern Massachusetts,” he said.
Wright asked what happens next if the BSU job opens up again.
“Will he commit to serve the entire term and promise not to take another state job?” she asked.
But Pacheco said he makes a point of not responding to hypothetical scenarios without knowing how the job would be posted, when or even if it will be.
“It’s around Labor Day, so we’re now entering what I like to call the silly season where people will say almost anything to get some attention and put the focus on their campaigns,” he said.
Clark’s Chief of Staff Deniz Zeynep Leuenberger, who had been serving in an acting role as vice president for external affairs for the past year, was appointed interim vice president within the past few weeks.
In both capacities, she has performed those duties without additional compensation, Gaffney said.
