Top of the Ninth: Wong or Finn

SAUGUS – With only hours left before voters in the 9th Essex District have the final say, state Rep. Donald Wong and challenger Christopher Finn said they have given it their all.After four years on Beacon Hill, Wong said he does not consider this campaign to be any different from the 2010 race when he narrowly beat then-state Rep. Mark Falzone by 382 votes.Wong said he takes each election seriously, “no matter who I’m running against. I don’t take anything for granted.”He said any campaign can be difficult depending on the opponent’s strategy. “You don’t know what they’re going to come out with,” Wong said, adding that he hopes voters will look beyond any inaccurate information presented by Finn.Finn said that getting out and meeting people has been the best way to deliver his message since his campaign began last winter.”If you want to learn about the problems that face the people in our district, you need to get in front of them to listen,” he said.Wong said regardless of political tactics, every candidate who runs for office does so for the common good of the district or state. “I have always had a positive campaign, never negative,” he said. “I put 110 percent into everything I do.” He said he is currently working on the efforts to save Union Hospital in Lynn.Finn said he wished there could have been a third debate in the city.”Lynn is a very important part of this district, especially with the uncertainty surrounding Union Hospital,” he said.Finn was appreciative of the endorsements he received from various organizations, including the Massachusetts Teachers Association, the Massachusetts Organization of State Engineers and Scientists and SEIU 509. He said these establishments “have reinforced that it is time for a change.”Finn said the lowest point of his campaign was the political debacle in Saugus between the board of selectmen and former Town Manager Scott Crabtree, who was terminated by the board last week.”Seeing the situation involving the board of selectmen and the town manager devolve into a suspension and a termination has been quite disheartening,” he said.Although Finn does not believe a recall is the answer, either.”This community needs to work together and disagreements need to be handled more constructively,” he said.Wong agreed, saying he looks forward to working with Saugus “as soon as they find a new town manager.”The 9th Essex District includes Saugus, except for precincts 3 and 10; precincts 1 and 2 in Ward 1 in Lynn; and four precincts in Wakefield.