Congressional candidates tackle issues at forum

SAUGUS – Five of the six congressional candidates vying for the chance to go to Washington to represent the state’s 6th District participated in a productive yet stern discussion of how they would attack issues such as border patrol, term limits and affordable education.Former paralegal John Devine, D-Rockport, pointed out during Monday’s discussion that there is a network of 70 tunnels under Tijuana, Mexico that illegal immigrants routinely use to get into the United States undetected.”Our borders are very porous,” he said. “Congress is sitting on their hands while important issues are ignored.”Devine explained that incumbent Rep. John Tierney, D-Salem, has only sponsored “one or two bills in the past 18 years” to combat this problem.Immigration attorney Marisa DeFranco, D-Middleton, said that she opened her own law practice at the age of 26 with “wit and grit.” Now she makes her living by giving other people the same opportunity.”I actually have a fabulous job,” she said.DeFranco added that she has fought and won numerous battles with the Department of Homeland Security, some of which have dragged on for years.”I’m a problem solver,” she said.However, she explained that immigrants still need to go through the naturalization process regardless of how much time it requires. DeFranco added that she currently has clients who have been waiting to legally move to the United States for the past 15 years.”A green card is an amazing benefit,” she said. “Not a right, a benefit.”If elected, DeFranco explained that she will push to have companies fined up to 10 percent of their annual gross revenue if they are found employing illegal immigrants.Chris Stockwell, I-Marblehead, and senior vice president at GEI Consultants in Woburn, explained that people have found ways to work around the physical barriers between the United States and Mexico. Therefore, a “transformational solution” is needed. Drawing on 30 years of business experience, Stockwell suggesting putting money toward building infrastructure in developing countries to improve the quality of life, thus decreasing the level of desperation to come to the United States.”We should be partnering with them on the executive level,” he said.Devine identified campaign financing as another point of friction as he targeted former Marine Capt. Seth Moulton, D-Salem.”In the case of Mr. Moulton, he’s taken a lot of Political Action Committee (PAC) money from Wall Street,” said Devine.”I’ve haven’t taken any money from Wall Street,” said Moulton.However, according to opensecrets.org, Moulton has raised $1,491,867, the second-highest fundraising effort in the race. Within that figure, $7,100 are listed as PAC contributions.When questioned about the problem of affordable education, Stockwell drew a blank.”I don’t know what to do about it,” he admitted.He explained that he sent two of his children to the University of Massachusetts at Amherst because other schools were too expensive. However, he does not regret that decision, saying that more money should be invested in state schools.”My kids are getting a fantastic education at UMass Amherst,” said Stockwell.DeFranco explained that although she favors dropping the student loan interest rate to 4 percent, tuition is the real problem.”The interest rate is window dressing,” she said.Moulton pointed out that college tuitions have climbed by 90 percent since 1998. In response, Tierney has only been able to cut tuitions by .01 percent, something Moulton said “just isn’t good enough.””There’s about a trillion dollars in student debt out there,” added Devine.In speaking about an official’s time in office, 1996 congressional candidate John Gutta, D-Groveland, explained that he is “absolutely against term limits.””Term limits do nothing,” he said, hitting his palm on the table.Gutta compared it to seeing a doctor with “two years experience.”Stockwell agreed, but only in the case of an exceptional legislator, citing former U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy and forme