ELECTION 2011: State Rep. Candidate Q & A With Gary Marchese

With days to go until the Tuesday, April 12 primary election, Patch recently sat down with Gary Marchese, a Democratic candidate for the 10th Middlesex District state representative seat, for an hour-long question and answer session. Check out our conversation below.

The general election will be held Tuesday, May 10 and its winner will replace former state rep. Peter Koutoujian, who was appointed Middlesex County Sheriff earlier this year. 

Patch is planning to post stories on all five candidates, pending submission of information by each candidate. 

Look for tomorrow's candidate candidate Q & A at 6 a.m. Check out our earlier video profile and Q&A on

Gary Marchese (To view a video of Marchese, click on the photo box to the right.)

Age: 54

Jobs: Marchese is a self-employed family attorney with an office in Waltham. He has also been the Ward 5 City Councilor for 13 years.

Family: Marchese lives on Bright Street in Waltham and is married to his wife Janis. They have two adult children, his son Clint, 26 and his 23-year-old daughter, Carolyn. He also has an Australian Shepherd dog named Shadow. 

Education: Marchese graduated in 1978 from UMass-Amherst with a bachelor’s degree in human services and law. He graduated in 1982 from Boston-based Suffolk Law School after transferring from California-based Pepperdine Law School.

Why Is Marchese Running For State Rep?: “It really starts with my mother,” Marchese said. “It’s about helping people.”

Marchese said his mother’s giving and helpful spirit inspired him to go into public service, starting as a city councilor.

“It’s in honor of her,” Marchese said of his mother, who died of lung cancer in 1997. “She loved people. She loved to give back.”

As an attorney, Marchese said he offers a wide range of skills to constituents, including budgeting experience and knowledge of creating legislation. Marchese said his knowledge of the city and its neighborhoods would also lend itself well to the state representative position.

What Issues would Marchese work on as a state representative? Marchese said he would try to trim the state’s $29.4 billion budget by rooting out waste and fraud in various state agencies. One of example of wasteful spending —  Marchese mentioned recent reports of out-of-state residents obtaining free health care services under the state's health insurance law, which extends coverage to needy patients.

In a time when most communities are struggling to balance budgets, state aid to local communities should not be cut, Marcehse said. 

“That has to be the last thing to be cut,” he said.

Marchese said he would also attempt to push more communities into the Group Insurance Commission, the group that provides health care coverage to state employees.

“I think it makes more sense [in terms of cost],” Marchese said.

He, however, acknowledged, that forcing towns to join the GIC would be difficult.

Saving money on education costs is also on Marchese’s radar. He said he would push to create a commission to examine possibly cutting overlapping services in the state’s public university system. Money saved on those costs, he said, could be used to create additional jobs.

To Marchese, the future of the Fernald Center is also another crucial issue. The state partially closed the center for mentally disabled individuals in 2008, according to Marchese. A small group of clients still receives services there, however.

Now, the state is looking to sell the property as surplus, according to Marchese, which the city could possibly buy. Marchese, however, said the parcel is too expensive for the city to purchase.

“It seems unrealistic to buy, too much money,” Marchese said.

Instead, Marchese said he wants to work with state officials to help decide the future of the property.

Marchese’s Strengths: “I’m a great listener,” he said. “I’m passionate. I’m a good advocate."

Marchese also said he would open his law office to any constituent wanting to visit with a question or concern.

Marchese’s Weaknesses: If he has any weakness, Marchese said, “maybe I cave too much [when trying to help people yet still maintain an objective viewpoint.]” “Sometimes, when I need to be objective, I’m subjective.”

Would Marchese keep his city council seat if elected as state representative? “I will make that decision soon after the election on May 10,” he said. No matter what, Marchese said he would devote full-time hours to being a state representative.  

What does Marchese do for fun? He said loves to watch Boston’s hometown professional sports teams on television, but also occasionally makes it out to the links. Most of all, however, he enjoys his family’s company.

“I love to spend time with my family,” he said. 

For more information on Marchese, visit his Web site.