Commuter rail questions, sheriff's job on the line: 5 things to know about the election

FALL RIVER — The general election is right around the corner, with several major issues on the ballot that could affect residents’ future in the near future and for generations to come.

As a presidential midterm election, voters on Tuesday, Nov. 8, will be asked mainly to decide races at the state and county levels. Ballot questions will be before them about issues ranging from public transportation to high schools to a millionaire tax and more.

The deadlines have already passed for voters to register to vote or request a mail ballot. Early voting is ongoing; anyone voting by mail must return their ballots in time for them to be counted by Nov. 8. In-person voting takes place on Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., with polling places based on precinct. Visit https://www.sec.state.ma.us/WhereDoIVoteMA/WhereDoIVote to find your polling place.

Here are five things Fall River area voters need to know before the election.

Ready to roll:South Coast Rail's Fall River station is 90% complete — here's when trains hit the tracks

Whatever happens, Mass. will have a new governor

With Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito choosing not to seek a third term, the state's top executive seat is up for grabs. On the Democratic ticket, Attorney General Maura Healey and Salem Mayor Kimberley Driscoll are in the running. Former state Reps. Geoff Diehl and Leah Allen are representing the Republican Party. Also on the ballot are Libertarians Kevin Reed and Peter Everett.

A recent University of Massachusetts Amherst/WCVB poll shows Healey with a significant lead over Diehl, 61% to 33%.

Baker, a Republican, will leave office the country’s most popular governor — an April poll by Morning Consult showed that 74% of Massachusetts voters approve of his job performance.

Who's running for state Legislature?

Several legislators at the state level face challenges.

Democratic state Rep. Patricia Haddad, incumbent in the 5th Bristol District, faces Republican Justin Thurber. Eighth Bristol District state Rep. Paul Schmid, a Democrat, is facing Republican Evan Gendreau. State Sen. Michael Rodrigues, Democrat incumbent in the First Bristol and Plymouth District, is facing a challenge from Republican Russell Protentis.

Haddad has held her seat since 2001 and says she counts a history of job and revenue creation on her record, while Thurber is a political newcomer who advanced to the ballot after waging a successful write-in campaign during the primary. Schmid, who has been a state representative for 12 years, has worked on legislation to revitalize Fall River’s Flint neighborhood and increase educational spending; Gendreau is chairman of the Westport Republican Committee and worked on Diehl’s campaign for Senate against Sen. Elizabeth Warren in 2018. Rodrigues has been in state politics since 1996, and has cited improvements under his tenure in public safety, affordable housing and economic development; Protentis has made headlines recently for being charged with open and gross lewdness, stemming from allegations he exposed his genitalia at a YMCA pool.

Real estate report:Two Fall River multi-family homes sell for 60% more than they did 3 years ago

Hodgson faces a challenge for sheriff's position

One of the most hotly contested races on this ballot is for Bristol County sheriff. Longtime Republican Sheriff Thomas Hodgson is facing a challenge from Democratic Attleboro Mayor Paul Heroux.

Hodgson has held the post of sheriff since 1997; the last time he faced a challenge for the job was 2010, against former Democratic state Rep. John Quinn of Dartmouth.

The sheriff has a sizeable campaign war chest of over $210,000 cash on hand, according to most recent Office of Campaign and Political Finance reports. He was first appointed the position and has won four consecutive six-year terms. As a political figure, Hodgson has courted controversy, attracting criticism for an offer in 2017 to send prisoners from Bristol County to the southern U.S. border with Mexico to help build a border wall for then-President Donald Trump. He has also been investigated for violating immigrant detainees’ civil rights and has faced criticism over the high suicide rate at his correctional facilities. Hodgson has defended his record by noting perfect scores on American Corrections Association inspections.

Heroux said he has experience in corrections, working in the Philadelphia prison system and for the Massachusetts Department of Correction as director of research and planning as a gubernatorial appointee under the Patrick Administration. According to OCPF, Heroux has just over $45,000 of free cash in his campaign.

What are the ballot questions?

Several questions are on the ballot. Question 1 would amend the state constitution to add a 4% tax on personal incomes above $1 million, with revenues being used for public education and transportation infrastructure. Sometimes called the Fair Share Amendment, the measure has support from 59% of voters according to a recent UMass Amherst/WCVB poll.

Question 2 would ask the state to regulate dental insurance rates, while Question 3 would increase the number of liquor licenses one retailer could be allowed to own or control statewide. According to the poll, Question 2 is likely to pass with 68% of those polled favoring it, while voters are split on Question 3 — 39% yes, 38% no, with 23% of voters undecided.

Question 4 is a referendum on a law that allows access to driver’s licenses for all residents regardless of legal citizenship status, with a yes vote leaving the law in place and a no vote repealing it. The recent poll has a narrow majority of voters, 51%, keeping the law in place.

Question 5 in Westport asks voters to override Proposition 2½ and use excluded debt to pay for its share of a new Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School. Voters at Annual Town Meeting approved the $293 million project earlier this year; the town's share is about $7.5 million.

Fall River has commuter rail on the line

A citywide ballot in Fall River contains only one question: Should the city be added to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority?

A South Coast Rail commuter train station is being built on Davol Street, due to open in fall of 2023. The ballot question must be approved in order for Fall River to be allowed to use it. Per state law, new communities can join the MBTA every January.

The question is not asking Fall River voters to approve or reject construction of South Coast Rail, since the project is already scheduled to continue construction at a cost of over $1 billion regardless; the question only asks voters to approve joining the MBTA, so the station can be used.

The South Coast Rail project, which has been in the works for three decades, would restore passenger rail service to Fall River for the first time since the late 1950s, connecting the city to Boston through Taunton and Middleboro. Proponents say the project will open new opportunities for jobs, housing, development, tourism and more. Opponents of the question have urged Fall River to reject MBTA membership, which would abandon the train station, voicing worries about the vote’s perceived suddenness and about possible downstream effects of increased development led by train service.

MBTA attorney Kevin Scanlon has said that if Fall River voters reject MBTA membership on November’s ballot, the issue could be placed again on future ballots.

Dan Medeiros can be reached at dmedeiros@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News today.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Commuter rail, sheriff job, governor at stake in midterm election