In the lower Pioneer Valley, voters in the state’s 2nd Hampden district will choose between an incumbent Democrat who is closing in on almost two decades of service – and a Republican challenger with roots in the more rural side of the district.
Pointing to a record of advocating for school and public safety funding as well as guarding against animal cruelty, incumbent Brian Ashe says he is feeling good about his re-election chances.
Coming up on 18 years in the House - with a chance to make it 20 - Ashe tells WAMC there is plenty of work to still be done in the district, which stretches from Longmeadow to Monson, including a slice of Springfield.
That includes trying to get legislation across the finish line for local homes affected by pyrrhotite – a mineral that’s contaminated concrete foundations in homes across the Northeast – causing crumbling with no cheap solutions.
“I’m really working hard to get legislation that not only covers everything, but also has the money,” Ashe said of the efforts, which look to support households hit with expensive foundation repair costs. “Connecticut, I think, it was $100 million that they started with, trying to make these people whole again. Sadly, insurance companies have turned their back - they want nothing to do with it. So, we're really working hard because… people shouldn't have to suffer [for] it and it ruins property values as well as peoples’ lives. You could be retiring and you can't do anything until you sell your house.”
This term, Ashe is up against Republican Peter Warren, a former Monson select board member who has also taken part in the town’s Republican Town Committee.
Retiring after almost 40 years in the “commercial fire alarm/life safety industry,” according to his website, Warren tells WAMC he has no major qualms with Ashe – but that it was time for a “fresh set of eyes and a new voice.”
“We need to drive for the audit and I understand - the audit of the legislature isn't really or may not strictly about money - I don't know what's behind the curtain,” he said, referencing State Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s ongoing effort to audit Beacon Hill. “The pushback is concerning and that's why I'm going to push hard for that. As far as affordability goes - I really want to drill down and see if we can get the formula changed for the rural towns so they get a bigger piece of the pie so they can run their towns without cutting services to residents and losing staff. I've lived through five years of negotiating with all the parties in town here and the budget cycle is becoming more and more difficult.”
This election cycle marks Ashe’s first firm general election challenge in years.
He has largely run unopposed since 2018, when he fended off Republican Allison Werder by over 2,000 votes.
