Sabadosa sees redistricting as a benefit

Oct. 20, 2021 | G. Michael Dobbs
news@thereminder.com

Lindsay Sabadosa, state representative for the 1st Hampshire District, said the state’s “very significant” redistricting is an opportunity to create “the loudest voice possible” for residents, something she noted was especially important in Western Massachusetts.
Photo credit: Focus Springfield

SPRINGFIELD – State Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa said redefining districts for state representatives and state senators is positive as the effort puts “communities of interest together.”

Sabadosa represents the 1st Hampshire District.

The proposed redistricting of the commonwealth with new representative and senate districts will have an effect throughout Western Massachusetts, Sabadosa said during an interview conducted on Focus Springfield last week.

“We also have to make sure we are creating as many majority/minority districts as possible. So in my district which is not a particular diverse district – we are about  90 percent Caucasian – we don’t meet any of those requirements. But in Hampden County we are going to have the possibility of getting multiple majority/minority districts. Because we are focused on doing that, that means what happens in Springfield will affect West Springfield, which will affect Holyoke, which will affect Northampton. So, I think it’s pretty reasonable to say my district is more likely to extend further into Hampshire County and to not include the one community in Hampden County [Montgomery] and there will be a shifting because of that.”

She added the redistricting will be “very significant” for many people in the commonwealth. Sabadosa noted redistricting “digs into the demographics of the state” to put school districts and health centers together.

The end result is to create “the loudest voice possible.” She added, “For Western Massachusetts in particular that’s so important.”

Sabadosa serves on several committees which reflect her legislative interests – transportation, health care financing, cannabis policy and bonding.

Sabadosa was not surprised by a recent report noting the financial success of the cannabis industry in the commonwealth. Noting that she and other members of the committee have toured cannabis facilities around Massachusetts, she said, “It is really fascinating how the industry has taken off.”

The committee is looking at a variety of issues, she said, including host community agreements. Northampton, she explained, is no longer charging host impact fees, which have raised much funding for communities. The Northampton government concluded it was making plenty of money from its share of cannabis taxes and that by eliminating these fees, Sabadosa said smaller start-up companies would be encouraged to start doing business.

She said launching cannabis companies in the state has been much easier for large corporations with access to financing and start-up capital. Sabadosa said larger firms were able to move into communities quickly.

“Small businesses haven’t been able to do that and cannabis was really supposed to be where we see social equity and that hasn’t come to pass,” she said.

Delivery services are supposed to address the issue of social equity, but Sabadosa sees eliminating the host community fees as a means to reduce the cost for smaller local start-up businesses.

“That’s what this [the state’s cannabis legislation] was supposed to be. It was supposed to be impacted communities being able to make money off of a plant for which they had been penalized for many years. We are trying to right that wrong, but we haven’t got there yet,” she noted.

Sabadosa believes there will be new opportunities within the cannabis industry through innovations. “I think there is room for new and creative ideas,” she said.

Making cannabis legal on the federal level would open new funding sources for cannabis-related businesses. she added.

There are cannabis businesses ready to move forward when the commonwealth finalizes regulations around smoking lounges – places like bars where cannabis could be used – she explained. The Cannabis Control Commission would like to see legislation that would allow them to regulate such businesses .

There are bills that would advance social consumption, she added. Issues being considered is how social consumption would affect the operation of cars, if social consumption should take place outdoors in locations not to affect nearby buildings and the acknowledgement that social consumption just wouldn’t be smoking, but rather include food items that are infused.

As someone who serves on the transportation committee, Sabadosa believes that with federal pandemic relief money being allocated to the states, this is the right time to seriously discuss east-west passenger rail.

She noted that within the most recent census information, which fueled the redistricting, Worcester grew and that she attributed that growth in part with its rail connection to Boston.

Worcester has seen a 20 percent population increase in the last 10 years, she noted.

“The same thing can happen to Western Massachusetts,” she said.

To see the entire interview go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw_qnbbJwIM.

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