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	Markey Looks to Serve Professionally but Won't Run Away from His Roots SouthCoast Today August 24 2010 http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100824/NEWS/8240322/-1/NEWS01 Spend a few minutes talking with Chris Markey and you'll hear the common-sense wisdom of his parents. John Markey, his father, was the last man to serve a full decade as mayor of New Bedford — from 1972 to 1982. As down to earth as a barterer on the old-time waterfront, Mayor Markey is credited with being the guy who blessed the effort to create the national park against a sea of local doubters. He also had a reputation for being able to pinch a city penny that probably hasn't been equaled by any mayor since. Chris Markey's mother, Carol Markey, was a leading local member of Voice of the Faithful, when it was more than risky for Catholics to put their names forward. Few in the local area were willing to go public at the height of the clerical abuse scandal, but Carol Markey was. Markey, 42, was a longtime assistant district attorney under controversial former District Attorney Paul Walsh Jr., but he hasn't made a big deal of political connections in this race for the state representative seat being vacated by John Quinn. He knows that in a year of anti-incumbent fervor, it might be a double-edged sword. "I'm not going to back away from who I am, and who my parents are," he said when asked about the insider issue. "But I'll say this: If I was going to run on the Markey name, and only the Markey name, I would have done it 20 years ago." Instead, Chris Markey has spent his adult life building a full resume, which he contends is far more complete than those of his two Democratic opponents, one of whom (Ray Medeiros) is an electrician and one of whom (Bob Tavares) owns an ambulance company. Markey noted that he is currently a member of the Dartmouth Housing Authority, a trustee of the Greater New Bedford Industrial Foundation and heavily involved in organized youth sports. "I know what the seniors need and I see the kids," he said. "I'm in touch with both their needs on a daily basis." The father of four — his kids are 12, 10, 7 and 5 — said his law practice represents clients that range from small businesses trying to expand in downtown New Bedford to people too poor to afford a lawyer. "My life as a lawyer gives me the ability to advocate that they don't have," he said of his opponents. Markey has run a low-profile campaign — he has fewer lawn signs than his opponents — but he has hit on an issue he says illustrates his greater ability to get things done in the stormy political waters of Beacon Hill. He's the only candidate in the primary, he said, who has made commuter rail his highest economic development priority. At a recent talk-radio debate, Markey said he was shocked to hear Medeiros and Tavares contend that creating local jobs would attract commuter rail rather than vice versa. The progress on SouthCoast rail under Gov. Deval Patrick, he said, has been dependent on a SouthCoast legislative delegation united on the issue. "For a state representative from down here to be hesitant on it, and not consider it to be a priority, scares me," he said. Medeiros and Tavares both acknowledged that though they support commuter rail, they think creating local jobs first is the higher priority. Markey said his opponents have underestimated the role of rail in giving local residents access to better-paying jobs that already exist in Greater Boston, as well boosting the tourism and business possibilities for the port. Markey also said he'd make a priority of obtaining state assistance for the region's agricultural economy — portable processing units for farmers and relief from high flood-insurance premiums for waterfront homeowners. He believes both can be addressed by a combination of government grants and tax breaks. As far as independence in government, Markey said that means knowing how to say "no" to your friends, something lawyers regularly have to be able to do with their clients' unrealistic requests. Markey admitted he may not have taken to politics as naturally as his family history might indicate. "I'm much more comfortable hanging out with my friends and my family than I am trying to get up and convince people to vote for me," he said. He actually hates the whole money-politics-campaign game, he said. "It's the most difficult part of this but I know I have to do it in order to have the opportunity to help people," he said. Contact Jack Spillane at jspillane@s-t.com
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