To the editor:
We are Danvers homeowners who were victimized when purchasing a modular home that is so defective and structurally compromised that it will be demolished before we ever live in it. Through years of frustrations not only with the modular industry but with near-universal unresponsiveness by public officials charged with regulatory oversight as well as elected officials at nearly every level, we would like to acknowledge the unrelenting advocacy of elected Danvers Town Meeting member Bill Bates.
Bill began working with us through constituent services in state Rep. Ted Speliotis’ office three years ago, but he doubled down on his commitment to help us when he left that job this summer when he was no longer constrained by his position. He is not paid for continuing to work for us and has nothing personal to gain by doing so, but Bill is determined to do what he can to right a wrong.
Our experience is that state and local regulatory agencies take a position of collective denial when oversight failures result in massive catastrophes like ours, rather than working twice as hard to address them. They make bad situations worse because they are more concerned about potential risk to themselves and their agencies than actual harm to Massachusetts consumers and taxpayers.
Not Bill Bates. In the face of universal blowback from a broken system, as well as political risk in taking an unpopular position while actively campaigning for state representative in 2020, he has been instrumental in working with people in the system to resolve a local impasse to help us move our construction project forward and to assure accountability.
Call it “old school,” but Bill truly values his role as a public servant. This is not some empty campaign promise; it is a real, behind-the-scenes story about his integrity, commitment and the values that drive him. If the public figures involved in our tragedy had taken the same approach as Bill, it literally would not have happened in the first place. The people of Danvers, Middleton and West Peabody will be well-served with Bill Bates as their state representative. He is loyal to the needs of constituents (or even just wronged taxpayers) and not to the bureaucratic establishment, which does not reward independent thinkers or people who do not worship the party line.
When this all started, we did not know who Bill Bates was. Voters in the 13th Essex District state representative race should all know Bill the way we now do. We encourage voters to vote for Bill Bates, independent for state representative, on Nov. 3.
William and Catherine Christina
Danvers
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