Durant, Zlotnik in home stretch for Senate seat left vacant by Gobi

Voters in the Worcester & Hampshire District will be electing a new state senator to represent them Nov. 7, after the resignation of Anne Gobi, who joined the Healey/Driscoll administration as the state’s director of rural affairs in June.

Her seat, vacant for the last four months, is up for grabs. Vying for the honor of representing the district are two state representatives: Peter Durant, a Republican who represents Spencer, and Jonathan Zlotnik, a Democrat who represents Gardner.

When Gobi announced she had accepted the position with the governor’s administration, several candidates announced their intention of running.

The crowded field of five slowly diminished. Rebekah Etique, a paralegal who opted to run as a Republican, failed to qualify for the ticket. Janel Holmes, who launched her bid as a Libertarian, failed to collect the sufficient number of signatures to assure her a spot on the ballot. And Bruce Chester, a driver and adjunct professor at Fitchburg State University, was ousted from the running in the special Republican primary Oct. 10.

Both candidates are experienced legislators. Durant ran in a special election for his first term in the House and was elected in 2011. Zlotnik was elected in 2013 and is serving his fifth two-year term. The winner will move to the Senate while the other candidate will continue to represent their district in the House.

After years in the House, Durant is setting his sights on the Senate because he believes his will be a commonsense voice that represents Massachusetts residents, its taxpayers and small-business owners. “I will work to make Massachusetts more affordable,” Durant promised, referencing especially the high cost of housing.

A former business owner, Durant ran a specialty construction firm based in Worcester in the 1980s and ‘90s, Durant said his experience sets him apart from his Democrat opponent.

“I have experience, and not just in the Legislature,” Durant said, explaining that he is familiar with the trials and tribulations of running a businesses, making payroll and sometimes going without to ensure he met his obligations, paid his bills and paid his employees.

“That’s an important distinction when we are talking about the next senator for the district,” Durant said.

High on his to-do list once elected is to address the state’s housing crisis.

“On the most basic level, it’s about supply and demand,” Durant said. Massachusetts needs more housing, everything from single- to multifamily and subsidized homes. Not adverse to accessory dwellings, Durant is also an advocate of changes to zoning laws.

“But the state has to be sensitive to the community character,” Durant said, warning against a heavy-handed, top-down approach. Adamantly opposed to rent control, Durant said that once the supply of housing increases, the market will correct itself and prices will come down.

“But it takes time, you can’t wave a magic wand and get more housing,” Durant said. “Market forces will eventually take over.”

Durant, who is vocal in his criticism of the Healey/Driscoll administration, particularly around the handling of the migrant crisis, wants to see changes made to the state’s right-to-shelter law. He believes limiting shelter services to residents who have been in Massachusetts for at least three years could slow the influx of people into the Bay State.

Zlotnik, a lifelong resident of Gardner, was bitten by the public service bug after working as a summer aide to Robert Rice, D-Worcester, in 2007 and 2008. Rice, an attorney, declined to run in 2010. Zlotnik launched his campaign for his former boss’s seat in 2012 while still attending UMass Lowell, where he majored in history.

In his bid, Zlotnik defeated incumbent Richard Bastien. Upon winning, Zlotnik deferred attending Suffolk University Law School and opted not to join the U.S. Navy, a part of his plan.

Before she left office, Gobi entrusted some of the work she had launched during her tenure to Zlotnik and Sen. Michael Moore, D-Millbury, most particularly the work around the crumbling foundations of several Central Massachusetts homes. The problem stems from pyrrhotite contamination in the concrete aggregate used to lay the foundations for homes. The naturally occurring mineral “rusts” when exposed to water and oxygen and crumbles to dust.

Gobi had proposed testing cement aggregate mined from specific quarries in Central and Western Massachusetts for the presence of the mineral. Connecticut has been grappling with the issue for years and established a grant program for homeowners, paying the cost of jacking up homes, removing the tainted material and repouring foundations, a process which can cost up to $200,000. A similar program could work in Massachusetts.

In opting to run for the Senate, Zlotnik said he believes he has a strong track record of working productively with all legislators, even with those across the aisle.

“Families deserve someone who is always looking out for them,” Zlotnik said. “It's about getting results, not headlines. That's why I fought so hard for the recent tax cut package or the ongoing increases in state aid for local schools.”

Zlotnik is aware of the needs of communities he hopes to represent in Central Massachusetts and the region’s identity as a rural district. Smart development in the state’s breadbasket, home to almost half of the state's farms, is key to preserving its farms, rural character and community identity.

“I'm going to put working families first,” Zlotnik, the son of a teacher and an electrician, said. He has not forgotten his pledge to Gobi and is seeking ways to ameliorate the crumbling foundation crisis in his communities.

“That’s an issue that's specific to this area and affecting families in a major way,” Zlotnik said. “We will see more homeowners impacted by this in the years to come, and we need to press forward with solutions to both stop the continuation of the problem but also make those impacted whole.”

The legislator is proud of his track record and reputation as one of the most bipartisan lawmakers in Massachusetts.

“I truly believe reasonableness is what we need now more than ever. That's why a few years ago when the House voted to raise the gas tax, I was one of a few Democrats in the House to vote 'No,' ” Zlotnik said. He contrasted his votes with those of Durant, noting the conservative lawmaker broke with the vast majority of his own party to vote "No" on a ban for sexual orientation conversion therapy for minors.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Peter Durant, Jonathan Zlotnik bid for Gobi's Mass. Senate seat