UCANE Interview

RepResentative Michael KushMeReK

(D-Fitchburg)

Representative Kushmerek first took office as State Representative for the 3rd Worcester District (Fitchburg and Lunenburg, Precinct B) in January 2021. Prior to his role in the state legislature, he served as a Fitchburg City Councilor from 2014-2021, including five years as Council President. He is passionate about students’ access to affordable higher education opportunities, so he pursued a career in Higher Education Administration and Development at Northeastern University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and Fitchburg State University, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree and a Master’s Degree in History. The Representative is married to Carissa Kushmerek, a licensed social worker and Program Director at Aging Services of North Central Massachusetts.

As a high school dropout, and the product of a home that battled substance abuse, mental health and homelessness, he is passionate about dismantling financial and socioeconomic barriers to success and ensuring that everyone has an equitable opportunity to pursue their dreams and goals.

Q: While the Federal Infrastructure Bill provides a much needed short term funding, as costs continue to rise, please give your thoughts on how the state will continue to support local aid to cities and towns to help support basic municipal services, specifically drinking water, wastewater, and underground utility infrastructure.

During my eight years on the Fitchburg City Council, drinking water, wastewater, storm water, and high-speed internet were frequent topics of discussion and municipal need. Like many communities, Fitchburg has struggled, in the decades since Proposition 2½ limited the ability of municipalities to respond to Federal and State decrees to modernize underground utilities. As a result, we fell behind in making necessary upgrades and maintenance, and now with massive upgrades looming, “the bill has come due,” and it comes at an enormous expense to taxpayers and water/ sewer ratepayers alike. I believe these federal funds provide a once in a generation opportunity to help municipalities, like Fitchburg, accomplish these large capital expenses, particularly for water, sewer, storm water upgrades as well as broadband expansion. The Federal Infrastructure Bill will provide more than

$1.1 billion to Massachusetts to improve water infrastructure, and it will be incumbent upon the State to ensure that these funds are efficiently and expeditiously allocated and released to municipalities. Under the strong leadership of House Speaker Ronald Mariano, the legislature recognized the need for the state to invest in these areas as well. In December 2021, the State committed another $100 million for water and sewer infrastructure investments, $100 million A: for environmental infrastructure investments, and another $50 million for broadband expansion.

Q:

What are the greatest challenges for your district and region with regard to continued economic recovery and future growth?

A: In addition to the costly, but necessary, upgrades for Fitchburg to comply with MS4 permits, transportation infrastructure, job growth and creation, and housing all present North Central Massachusetts with challenges and opportunities alike. With more than 260 miles of road between Fitchburg and Lunenburg, and hundreds of bridges, dams, and culverts, my district must strike a balance between infrastructure repair and economic reinvestment.

continued on page 23

Simultaneously, the Commonwealth is facing a housing crisis, one that is intensified in North Central Massachusetts. The region has become an attractive and affordable alternative to the Greater Boston area and as a result there is a high demand for both market rate options, as well as workforce and affordable housing. As a region, we’re working collaboratively across government, public, and private sectors to meet these demands head-on. In Fitchburg alone, hundreds of units of new housing, both market rate and affordable, are already permitted or in development. The Gateway Cities Legislative Caucus, under the leadership of co-chairs, Representative Cabral and Senator Lesser, is urging massive investment in the Housing Development Incentive Program (HDIP). Programs like HDIP provides Gateway Cities with a tool to develop market rate housing while increasing residential growth, expanding diversity of housing stock, supporting economic development, and promoting neighborhood stabilization in designated areas.

Q: The construction industry continues to deal with workforce development issues as it searches for the next generation of workers. How do you think we can address this issue and make sure that the construction industry and trades are able to fill these much needed jobs in the coming years?

A: There isn’t a single meeting or day that we, as legislators, are not talking about workforce development. There are critical shortages in nearly every sector of our Commonwealth right now and I have a difficult time finding an employer who isn’t struggling to hire skilled employees. As of late, our technical and vocational schools have excelled in sending students to college, but unfortunately have lagged behind in addressing the looming workforce crisis in our trades. We need to address this head-on and, fortunately, I believe that there are additional solutions that we can pursue to immediately help ease the shortage for skilled trade workers. My regional partner, Senator John Cronin, has been an absolute champion of expanding the Innovation Pathways Program that gives high school students tailored coursework and experience in a high demand industry. Innovation Pathways allows traditional high schools to offer new skills-based programs that do not compete with vocational schools, but rather creates a regional complement to the array of offerings. As a result of this program, we’ve seen Fitchburg High School develop a water operator track to help local DPWs fill the looming job vacancies in an aging field.

continued on page 25

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Interview continued from page 23

Q: Can you share some of your other priorities for the rest of this legislative session?

A: Because of my lived experiences, particularly as a past caregiver to my two parents, I am passionate about mental health and substance use recovery. On any given day in the Commonwealth, we have more than 200 individuals boarding in emergency room departments awaiting long-term behavioral healthcare. This crisis exists not just because we don’t have enough beds or facilities, but also because we don’t have enough skilled behavioral health and social workers to staff the beds that we do have. I’m also working on a bill that I filed that would require funeral directors to make available to potential clients information regarding funeral and burial benefits for veterans. While many funeral home directors perform their due diligence and explain the available veterans’ burial benefits, there are dozens of examples within my district, and many more across the Commonwealth, where this does not occur. All too often, once a family has made the arrangements for, or buried, their veteran loved one, they will contact a veteran’s agent for financial assistance. By then it is too late and no benefit can be awarded. This Chapter 115 benefit is to honor the service and sacrifices of our armed forces veterans, and I believe that we must do everything within our ability to ensure that families have access to, and knowledge of this benefit. n

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