Now that state Sen. Brian Joyce has officially declared his
candidacy for the 9th District congressional seat, CLT must warn that district's primary voters.
In his announcement, Joyce pledged his "heart and industry,"
if not his sacred honor, to children, the elderly, the sick and citizens in general. They should know that the last time he
wanted a job promotion, he pledged us his support for an income tax rollback.
It was not an off-hand promise. When he was first running
for the House in 1996, he sought the CLT's 2« PAC endorsement with a letter --
"I sincerely believe that we have an excellent opportunity to defeat
one of CLT's lowest rated legislators" -- and received the endorsement and maximum PAC contribution
after signing the "no new taxes" pledge.
During his House term he had a 64% rating with CLT, and was
a sponsor of our bill to rollback the income tax rate to 5 percent, so our PAC endorsed him for a special election for the
Senate in January 1998. He ran on the rollback (see his ad below: "When others were faint of heart ... One
leader had the courage to fight the tax dragon." His first listed boast
was: "Sponsored legislation to lower State Income Tax from 5.95%
to 5%.")
Joyce won the endorsement of the Boston Herald: "He favors a
reduction in the state income tax from 5.95% to 5 percent...." Columnist Wayne Woodlief wrote "Rep. Brian Joyce of Milton ...
favors cutting the income tax rate from 5.95% to 5% ... And he proudly touted his endorsement by Citizens for
Limited Taxation...."
A (Quincy) Patriot Ledger reporter covered a forum and
wrote, "Joyce, who was endorsed by ... Citizens for Limited Taxation ... later pointed out that he is the only Senate
candidate who supports reducing the state income tax from 5.95% to 5 percent. He said an increase passed in 1989 was meant
to be temporary..."
Brian Joyce won the election. A few months later, on May
19th, 1998, he voted against reducing the state income tax from 5.95% to 5%. His CLT rating that year was 0%. He voted against
the rollback again in '99 and 2000; his CLT rating for those two years is 19%, below the Senate average.
Fool us once, shame on him. He won't fool us twice; but the
voters of the 9th should be warned before they are fooled as we were by a Joyce campaign pledge. The House fiscal conservative is
now a liberal; the abortion opponent is now pro-choice: the question is, whom will Brian Joyce betray next?
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The above ad appeared
in
The Canton
Citizen
Nov. 20, 1997
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