Brennan prepares for rematch with L'Italien in rep race

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

Brennan lost to L'Italien two years ago in the 18th Essex District race, 59 percent to 41 percent. Earlier this month, Brennan said he was unsure whether he would run. Yesterday, he said he's running again to give voters dissatisfied with L'Italien a choice.

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

A one-term Georgetown selectman, Brennan said he would make an issue of L'Italien's votes to increase taxes and spending.
Brennan criticized L'Italien for voting in April for a $392 million package of tax hikes. The bill, which still needs Senate approval in order to take effect, 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 that rightfully belonged to them.
"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 ed 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 hike 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.

So far, Brennan is the first Republican to step forward and challenge one of Essex County's 17 Democratic legislators. 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.

"I'm not beholden to any special interests or party," Brennan said. "If the Republicans are wrong, they'll see me vote against them."
He also faces an uphill fundraising climb. Brennan finished 2007 with a negative $140 balance in his campaign account, while L'Italien had nearly $16,000.

"I'm going against an entrenched incumbent Democrat," Brennan said. "I'm not going to win on a dollar-for-dollar basis."
Brennan, who decided not to run for a second term as Georgetown selectman, must gather 150 signatures of voters in his district by April 29 at 5 p.m. Brennan, who began collecting signatures last weekend, said he doesn't expect that to be a problem.

The 18th Essex District consists of precincts in Andover, Boxford, Georgetown, Haverhill, Methuen and North Andover.
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