Drew Pepoli For State Rep

Your Rep Voted No. Seven Times. In a Row.

The Dedham Times published Rep. Paul McMurtry’s recent House budget votes. I read them so you don’t have to (but attached if you want to dig deeper)

Seven amendments came to the floor…seven times, McMurtry voted with House Democratic leadership.

Not once did he break ranks:

- Not for senior citizens on fixed incomes.
- Not for restaurant workers living on tips.
- Not for the towns begging the state to keep pace with their budgets.
- Not once for US citizens.

Here’s what his votes actually meant, in plain terms:

-Seniors 69.5 and older will keep paying the full 5% tax on retirement income they spent decades earning.

-Service workers will keep paying full state income tax on tips.

-Our cities and towns will keep fighting for scraps while local budgets spiral and override requests pile up.

-$10 million that could have gone to unrestricted local aid will instead fund unlimited free phone calls for prison inmates.

-Non US citizens will not only continue to collect your tax dollars, but will be able to vote in our elections.

I’m not running for State Rep right now, I learned all too well during my last election that his base is unshakable…I mean he could probably kick a puppy in the street and the majorly would say the dog deserved it and just continue voting for him.

I’m just a neighbor who pays attention. And here’s what I know after watching this for years:

Rep. McMurtry is good at his job. Not the voting part…the other part. The politicking..the constituent calls…the committee appointment here, the small appropriation there, the favors that keep the right people quiet at Town Meeting and the voting booth.

He grew up here and has a “D” after his name, so the majority of our town gives him a pass on the actual legislating…even while we all struggle…higher utility bills, ever increasing taxes / fees, decreasing town services, crumbling infrastructure and facilities. 

So read it. It’s public. It’s right there in the Dedham Times every week. And ask yourself: on the votes that actually moved money and shaped policy, whose interests was he protecting? Not the majority who vote for him year in and year out.

Nothing is going to change from this post, but even if it changes a few people’s minds then it’s a step in the right direction . 

Today is Election Day in Dedham, please remember to vote. And when you do, just know my vote for Moderator is for Bob.

Just a friendly reminder that Paul not only voted to fund another $425M of our tax dollars on the harboring of criminals in the crime ridden emergency shelter system, but today he also voted AGAINST the audit of the legislature which over 70% of the state supported…

The only people who oppose an audit…are people who are guilty of or are hiding something.

Paul McMurtry care to explain your rationale on this publicly…

Since our State Rep does not know how to properly use social media…and expects you to stop by the theater to check in, I am sharing the info below for our veterans which was posted by a State Rep who understands technology and constituent communications. Thanks Rep Vaughn

“Great news for 100% service-connected disabled veterans in Massachusetts! As of August 8, 2024, you no longer have to pay for a Massachusetts driver’s license or vehicle registration—one of the many important benefits included in the HERO Act your legislature recently passed.

If you are 100% service-connected and have paid a registration or license fee at the RMV after August 8, 2024, you may be eligible for a reimbursement.

To apply, simply submit your VA award letter along with the reimbursement form to the RMV as soon as possible.

Thank you for your service! Please help spread the word so every eligible veteran can take advantage of this benefit.”

Since the state continues to spend instead of living within its means (you know like the rest of us have to do) you might be asking "how does the state plan on paying for all of these new programs / continue emergency shelter system?"...well this will only make a dent, but our out of touch tone deaf governor has snuck a NEW TAX into her most recent budget proposal:

That tax will be on your....prescription drugs! The tax will be 6% of the cost or $2 (whichever is less) on every single one of your prescriptions.

Will our perpetual rubber stamp for the governor (State Rep Paul McMurtry) actually take a stand for once against this, especially since it will really affect one of his largest voting blocks (our seniors)...or will he throw them under the bus like he has before hoping he can distract them with popcorn and free tickets to the theater...only time will tell!

And there it is...another $425M in your tax dollars doled out to the "emergency" shelter system yesterday...courtesy of our State Rep Paul McMurtry

While the Governor and her lemmings who voted for this will try and tout some new "restrictions" they are a baid-aid on a bullet wound.

The proposal cuts shelter stays from 9 to 6 months, but as we have seen, programs to help migrants transition out of shelters have barely succeeded. To make matters worse, the bill caps shelter numbers at 4,000, without a plan for where the rest will go (are we looking at another Logan flop house again??).

The push for unverified criminal history disclosures from shelter residents is another glaring issue, especially when background checks haven’t been properly conducted. This plan is a failure for taxpayers, with no concrete solution in sight.

The Healy Hotels will continue, the abuse and crime within these hotels will continue. The administration has no plan on properly reforming and this will continue to be a drag on our already limited funds. Read the article below for more details on how Paul is representing you.

Just here with your regular reminder that you the taxpayers of the Commonwealth continued to be taken advantage of by the majority of your elected officials.

State legislators are shamefully rewarding themselves with retroactive pay raises, even before they've taken on any new responsibilities. What has become common practice... this is just another abuse of power that shows their blatant disregard for the public trust.

This kind of self-serving behavior from elected officials is precisely why people are losing faith in the political system...but unfortunately not enough as the majority continue to sail on to re-election after re-election. Just know, it is this easy ability to get re-elected, that emboldens this type of abuse.

Today funding for the crime ridden stain on the commonwealth (the Healy Hotels) runs out. I would have make a bet that the legislature, especially our rubber stamp state rep Paul McMurtry , will pass a late Friday afternoon "emergency" funding bill with zero debate, zero additional safeguards, and zero additional oversight...but we all know no one would take that bet as its a forgone conclusion.

As I have said before, if you support Paul...you are supporting the harboring of criminals, the waste, the no-bid contracts and the child abuse that occurs on a regular basis in these flop houses. Voting because of who someone is (or where they are from) v.s. how they vote and their political ethos...has consequences.

Send a message to learn more

Well well well...look who is feeling the pressure now that a cushy DC gig is out of the question...or maybe it was the 3,000+pages of details about the actual goings-on in her hotels...or the dozens of arrests of gang members receiving state funds/housing...

And don't forget...every time she asked for more money (now at 2.6 Billion Dollars)...she was guaranteed a yes vote from our one and only Rep. McMurtry

An outline of reforms to the states Emergency Shelter System Gov. Healey has proposed:

Happy New Year All!

When many of us are kicking off new resolutions to improve ourselves and improve our communities...the same cannot be said for our elected state officials. In case you missed it, they just voted themselves an 11% pay increase. Yes, 11%...and I don't know about you but I did not get an 11% pay increase, as I know our teachers, healthcare/social workers, civil servants and retail workers did not either.

Maybe a pay raise could be justified based on performance...however, keep in mind our state legislature continues to be the lease effective in the country (passing the lowest amount of introduced legislation), one of the least transparent, have ignored the will/vote of the people on Question 1, our state revenue continues to decline, oh and Mass just gained this new accolade...

Over 2024 the percent increase of people experiencing homelessness increased by 54%...we now have more homeless here in MA 29,360 (16th state in US population) than the state of Texas 27,987 (2nd state US in population).

And guess which state also gained the title of greatest amount of homeless families with children...well that would also be MA which clocks in with a whopping 76%.

I don't know about you, but I for sure would not get an 11% pay increase for this type of performance...but then again, I don't get to vote on my own pay increases.

We need more from our elected officials, shame on the legislature and same on our State Rep for going along with it.

Send a message to learn more

An update on where Question 1 ( Audit the Legislature ) stands and the continuing effort by our elected officials to subvert the vote of the people.

Where does the push to audit the Mass. Legislature stand right now? State Auditor Diana DiZoglio said she is prepared for legal action if the Legislature does not cooperate with her efforts to audit it.