Tisei states case with election looming

LYNN – Richard Tisei realizes the dynamic in the 2014 election in the 6th Congressional District is markedly different from the 2012 contest.He hopes the result will be, too.Tisei, a former 26-year state legislator and lieutenant-governor candidate in 2010, lost to U.S. Rep. John Tierney by only 4,300 votes two years ago, and, had Tierney not won by a landslide in Lynn (more than 13,500 votes), Tisei would be running as an incumbent this time around.Tisei fully expected a rematch with Tierney when he decided to make another run, but that plan went awry when Seth Moulton soundly defeated Tierney by more than 7,600 votes (and 11 percentage points) in the September primary. Despite the big win, Moulton was also routed by Tierney in Lynn, 78 percent to 11.5, indicating that, theoretically, there are many votes up for grabs in the city come Tuesday.?The primary was a referendum on John Tierney,” Tisei said Wednesday in a meeting with an Item reporter and editors. “The dynamic did change. Now it?s an open seat ? I?m going to do well in the city. People look for your qualifications.”?Lynners are loyal,” he added. “They stuck with John Tierney in the primary. When they get to know you and you produce for them, they will stick with you.”Tisei, a moderate Republican who is gay and pro-choice, said if he is elected he will arrive in Washington, D.C., as a member of the majority party, giving him significantly more influence than his Democratic opponent would have.?I can hit the ground running and be able to do more for Lynn and the district in Washington (than Moulton),” Tisei said. “I have experience working with Democrats to get things done.”While Moulton has been an outspoken advocate for bringing rapid transit to Lynn, Tisei took a more guarded approach to the issue.?Seth has a lot of good rhetoric on the Blue Line,” he said, “but the federal highway fund is bankrupt. If there is any way to (get the Blue line project done), I?m going to try to do it, but I?m not going to be promising things. I?m not going to decide Lynn?s agenda. I?ll let (elected and appointed officials in) Lynn decide, and I will work on them.”As a state senator, Tisei said he voted with Republican Gov. Mitt Romney only 50 percent of the time. “I took every vote on what was best for my district, as opposed to the party,” he said. “The problem in Washington is people love the party more than they love the country. That?s why the country is in such bad shape.”Tisei got the political bug when he visited the State House as part of Student Government Day when he was a Lynnfield High student. He was elected as a state representative in 1984 at age 22, becoming the youngest Republican ever elected to the state House of Representatives.Tisei, a graduate of American University, served six years in the House and 20 in the state Senate, including two terms as minority leader from 2006-10. He is a small businessman, having worked at Northrup Associates Realtors in Lynnfield for 20 years, including as co-owner – along with his husband, Bernie Starr? since 2000.Tisei said if elected the first bill he would file is a repeal of the medical-device tax that is part of the Affordable Care Act.?We have the fourth-highest concentration of medical-device companies (in the country) on the North Shore,” Tisei said. “They are paying a 2.3 percent excise tax on (the sale of) any medical-device equipment, and that?s a tax on gross income, not on profits. A lot of companies have hiring freezes as a result.”Tisei said he would lobby for a waiver for Massachusetts from the Affordable Care Act since “we?re doing a great job, and 98 percent of people are insured.” He claimed more than 1,000 businesses in former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi?s California district have received a waiver, yet Massachusetts does not have one.Tisei said his three priorities as a congressman would be to “play an active role in the legislative process, help the communities you represent become better places to live and hel