Letter to the editor from Representative Ruth B. Balser

Newton Tab

To The Editor:

Tom Mountain accuses the Newton legislative delegation of violating the state constitution and setting a dangerous precedent when we voted along with the majority of legislators to recess the Constitutional Convention until January 2. Mr. Mountain is wrong. We neither violated the constitution nor did we set precedent.

Since 1919, when the initiative petition process for amending the constitution was added to our state constitution, the Legislature has been presented with nine such initiative petitions. Of the nine, five died when the joint session adjourned without taking action on them. Our action did not set precedent but rather was consistent with precedent.

The Supreme Judicial Court has ruled in 1956 and again in 1992 that the Constitutional Convention cannot be compelled to take a vote on an initiative petition. Governor Romney is grandstanding when he speaks of taking the legislature to court, because he knows that the Court has already ruled on the constitutionality of this action.

As to Mr. Mountain’s gratuitous insults to my legislative record, I can only guess that his characterizations are a response to the fact that I have devoted considerable effort to ensuring that the Commonwealth maintain a safety net for the most vulnerable members of our community. Most recently, in my role as the House Chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health and Substance Abuse, I have focused my efforts on expanding access to treatment for those who live with mental illness and addictions. My support for same-sex marriage is, I believe, consistent with a stance that protects equal rights and opportunities for all the people of the Commonwealth. Mr. Mountain has the right to disagree with my views and priorities. I would prefer if we could agree to disagree in a civil manner.

Representative Ruth B. Balser