It has been brought to my attention that there have been false statements issued by way of my opponent’s Nov. 2 op-ed piece. When I started my election campaign, I made a promise that I would run a clean, positive race based on a message of progress, honesty, and unity. We have kept that promise and I’m proud of the hard work and commitment of my team.
I served honorably in the US Army and for Representative Wong to question my integrity is disappointing. The truth is, Representative Wong never responded to our town hall offer, an offer he acknowledges getting in an October 28 Daily Item article. This offer simply requested Myself, him and the people of Saugus free to ask questions at a neutral site. A third-party moderator would have been secured once a date was set. He did not counter with another format if he did not agree to the one proposed.
After eight years our district continues to see the mess that is Route One traffic, an enormous opioid problem that continues to ravage our community, homeless veterans and a school funding formula that has not been fixed, despite Representative Wong running on the issue eight years ago.
It is past time that we had a state representative interested in legislating. The voters deserve to hear directly from their candidates and how they plan to confront the tough issues we face. It is disheartening to see another representative refusing to be transparent and hold himself accountable to the voters. If Representative Wong finds making himself available so important, why wait until Nov. 2 to respond to a piece written in the Daily Item on Oct. 23. A piece that itself came over three weeks after he agreed to a debate in Saugus.
People are tired of divisive rhetoric and false claims that push us further apart. It is unfortunate that Representative Wong has chosen to deploy these tactics so close to an important election. The people of this district deserve answers and solutions. They deserve a representative who leads vocally from the front, not someone who just shows up.
I pride myself on truth and transparency. If anyone wants to discuss this, or any issue, I offer my personal cell phone number: (617) 418-9008. Thank you.
-Matthew Crescenzo, Candidate for State Representative in the 9th Essex District.
