Meet the Candidates

State Representative Shawn Dooley, R-Norfolk, will face Democratic challenger Brian Hamlin in the November 8 election. Both candidates agreed to answer some questions for readers of Local Town Pages.
Shawn Dooley
Background Information: I am married to CiCi and we have four children: Caroline (20) who attends the United States Naval Academy, Emma (11), Jack (10), and William (9) who all attend the Norfolk Public Schools.  My father was a career Naval Officer and he and my mom live in Fairfax, VA but spend a lot of time here helping with the grandkids.  My in-laws live on a 300-year old farm in Millis and are a huge help to our busy lives as well.  
I have been active in public service since the 1980s, working for President Bush, Senator Denton, and others.  Recently I have been more focused on the local community, serving 4 years as Chair of the Norfolk School Committee and 4 years on the Zoning Board of Appeals. I have served on the School Building Committee and as Norfolk’s Town Clerk. My volunteer work includes the Norfolk Lions; coaching Norfolk Lions Youth Soccer and Wrentham Recreation Flag Football; serving on the Board of Advisors of the SAFE Coalition (fighting the opiate epidemic); Chief Justice appointee of the child support task force; and as a member of the Plainville Municipal/Public Safety Building Committee.  
Professionally, I was in finance for 16 years and then owned a small construction/home remodeling company.  Presently, I work full-time as a State Representative and serve as an on-call Firefighter/EMT on the Plainville Fire Department.
I have a B.A. in Political Science and Communications from Auburn University; MPA (Masters of Public Administration) from Anna Maria College; CFP (Certified Financial Planner) from American College; and numerous other certifications and degrees mostly based in the world of finance.  
Why are you running for re-election and what makes you uniquely qualified? As corny as it sounds, I truly like helping people. While the politics on Beacon Hill get all the press, my real love of the job is being able to help people in need when they have nowhere else to turn.  I’ve helped a family adopt several children from an abusive home; I got the gas turned back on for a WW2 Veteran in the middle of winter; I’ve helped people with Mass Health; fixed a licensing issue; or just helped someone find a job.  Obviously bringing money to the district is also huge and I’ve had some great wins for the area over the past three years including: several million dollars for Norfolk and Walpole in prison mitigation; money for the new Plainville municipal buildings; $300,000 road works grant; and hopefully next month a $2.5 million dollar MassWorks grant for Wrentham and Plainville.  From a public safety side I have been able to get vehicle extrication equipment for Walpole Fire and a new ambulance for the residents of Norfolk.  And I continue to work on getting funding for the slip ramp from Rte. 1A onto 495, which will relieve a ton of the traffic headaches around the outlets. 
I am uniquely qualified because I have a passion for public service and have worked at the local, state, and national level so I understand the players as well as the processes. My ability to understand how all these areas overlap and the best way to utilize our resources is the key to being successful.  I am also fortunate to have a lot of strong personal relationships within the administration, including Governor Baker, Secretary Ash, and Secretary Beaton.  And on the national level I have been able to work on projects with both Congressman Kennedy and Congressman Lynch.  
What differentiates you from your opponent? Experience. I have been serving the public in numerous volunteer and elected capacities for years. I think it is important to serve the community and not just when the time is right or when there is a salary attached to it.  In addition, I am a full-time Representative and spend 100% of my time and effort on serving the people of the community. I think that this job is too time consuming and important to only dedicate yourself to part-time.  
What is the greatest challenge facing the district/Massachusetts and how would you address that challenge? There are a lot and I will touch on a few:
Opiate crisis: This is continuing to grow and this needs to be addressed head on.  I serve on the Board of Advisors of the SAFE Coalition and we have partnered with the Wrentham Court and the Norfolk County District Attorney to create programs that not only help those with addiction, but also help to prevent this from happening to more of our children. I was one of the coauthor’s of the Governor’s opiate bill and will continue to work to create stronger and better funded programs to address this growing concern.
Education: This is our greatest resource and I believe the bureaucracy in our system is stifling growth and learning. We need to limit the over-reliance on standardized testing and let teachers teach and instill a love of learning in our children.
Waste: Our taxes keep going up and billions of those dollars are being spent foolishly, on people who don’t deserve it, and in government programs that consistently underperform. We need to make sure that our tax dollars are used efficiently, and if something isn’t working we replace it with something that is, not just throw good money after bad. 
Infrastructure: Our roads and bridges need a ton of help. We need to efficiently spend our resources so that our roads are safe and secure for everyone.
Water:  This is a growing concern as we experienced this summer with the drought.  We need to make sure that our area wells and lakes are protected from not only contamination, but over-use as well as abuse by others.  
And finally 40B:  This is a development program with good intentions in the 1970s but now is a tool by big developers to force huge housing complexes into our towns with no regard to our local bylaws, traffic and education consequences, and the effect on neighbors’ property values.  40B needs to be completely re-worked and more local control must be added back in.
Do you have a position on the Spectra Energy pipeline project, which may directly impact Norfolk? This is a Federal issue but one on which I think the community should push for a voice. There are a lot of facts and figures being thrown about by both sides and I feel that there should be the ability for the local communities and residents to hold public hearings and discussions concerning this potential pipeline. This goes back to my argument of more local control.  The fact that this pipeline could have such a huge impact on our community and it is all determined by bureaucrats in Washington is infuriating.  
Brian Hamlin
Background Information: I graduated from KP High School in 1980, and since then have been working at Hamlin Cabinet Corporation. I became President in 1999.
I met my wife Robin at KP High School, and we were married in 1981. My son Brian Jr. passed away at age 32 on June 11, 2014. He was a KPHS and Curry College graduate. My daughter Brandi is 31 and attended KPHS, St. Joseph’s College in Maine, and Columbia University. My son Timothy is 28 and married to Katie March. Tim went to KPHS, Oakton Community College, and Lamar University. I also have a pet dog named Gracie, a 1-year-old Shitzu.
I serve as Vice-President of the Brian Hamlin Jr. Memorial Fund. I have coached baseball in Norfolk and Plainville, and worked with my daughter Brandi for skating.
Why are you running for office and what makes you uniquely qualified? I am running for office because I want to work for my community. I have been working in the local communities for over 36 years and want to continue at a legislative level. I am dedicated to my wife, family, friends and business. And I will not stop working for the residents of my district and state until I feel we have made progress in people’s lives. My perseverance keeps me working and striving to make life better for everyone.
What differentiates you from your opponent? Communication between communities and the State House needs to return to the 9th Norfolk District. Communities need to be part of the solution and I will have an open door policy to allow for transparency on the day-to-day dealings with constituents and lawmakers.
What is the greatest challenge facing the district/Massachusetts and how would you address that challenge? I feel the opiate crisis is one key issue for us to focus on. People are dying at staggering numbers. There is a Prescription Monitoring Program in place that needs to be adhered to. Legal penalties need to be enforced for those who fail to abide by the structure of the program. If the structure of the program is enforced correctly, this program will help our ailing communities.
Do you have a position on the Spectra Energy pipeline project, which may directly impact Norfolk?
The Spectra Pipeline project has failed to show a benefit to the residents of the affected towns and the State of Massachusetts. Please refer to my website (votebrianhamlin.com) and you will see that I have stated support for the “Stop the Pipeline” campaign and signed the 350 Mass Action pledge (http://www.betterfutureaction.org/who_signed). I am dedicated to clean renewable energy programs and incentives to develop alternative power sources without harmful carbon emissions.