By Dennis P. Hohenberger – Turley Correspondent – Printed in The Sun – June 25,2010
HOLY
OKE – Richard P. “Rick” Purcell, a longtime Holyoke resident and community activist, is making a run for the state’s second highest office as the Green- R a i n b o w Party’s candidate for Lt. Governor.
During a lunchtime stroll in West Holyoke on Tuesday, Purcell spoke of his candidacy, the issues that matter most to him and the way the city has shaped him and his political views, which eventually led him to be Jill Stein’s running mate.
While Purcell and members of his party gather the necessary 10,000 signatures needed to be placed on the fall ballot, his campaign, though grassroots and relying on small, individual donations, continues to speak out on affordable healthcare, schools, the environment, gambling and issues that matter to working class families.
Purcell moved to the city in 1974 from Northern New Mexico. Before coming to Holyoke, he lived with his mother, Doria Gervais Redstone, and his siblings on the Tohatchi Indian Reservations. He said the reservation was mired in poverty, and though he moved to a project in the city, the family’s living conditions improved.
He graduated from Chicopee Comprehensive High School in 1977 and joined the U.S. Army a short time later. He would serve in the army for a total of ten years, culminating with a tour as a medic during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. “I worked in air evacuation and I’ve seen what war does to people. I hope one of our campaign themes is ‘You know where the fun is, come stop the $10 million a day war.’”
He has been involved in veterans issues both in Holyoke and in the region, as has served as commander of United Veterans of Holyoke and other veteran organizations.
Purcell said his mother, a social activist, encouraged him to get involved in issues. His mother, part Hopi, was involved in the Native American movement. “That radicalism I kind of brought with me from the desert and stuck with me by following her lead,” he said.
Purcell, who has worked for Baystate Health System for the past 18 years, said he is motivated to fight against greed that corrupts politics and government, which includes the Democratic and Republican parties. He said the Green- Rainbow Party will not accept corporate donations or money from lobbyist. Despite the massive amount of money raised by the opposition, Purcell feels they fail to address issues important to working class families.
Stein, a doctor from Lexington, and Purcell have worked in the medical profession for most of the careers. He said their job is to “heal the state of Massachusetts.
“We have the solutions and we have the answers to fix the problems that are hurting the economy,” he said.
Purcell supports a single-payer healthcare system, similar to the model in Germany or what he calls “Medicare for all.” He said that if he and his running mate are elected, they would pursue a single-payer model despite Massachusetts’ adoption of universal healthcare. “Only in America can you go bankrupt because you don’t have health insurance,” he said.
He believes that whatever problems may arise from a single-payer system, they can be “tweaked,” such as eliminating a waiting list for those scheduled for elective-surgery.
Purcell sees healthcare as part of a wider economic policy, which includes creation of a “job bonanza” or green jobs that would not be outsourced to other countries or dominated by large industries.
“Box stores eliminate jobs and we are against the big box stores because they take away from the local economies,” he said. Purcell believes the future global economy will depend on the creation of green jobs.
He wants an education system that guarantees that every person, with a high school diploma, can pursue an affordable college degree. Again, he cited European models that allows access to higher eduction for all citizens. “In America, if you’re poor, you’re not guaranteed to have that education,” he said.
Purcell is not in favor of charter schools, though he said some do work. He spoke of the Robert M. Hughes Charter School in Springfield, which was in the news after an alleged MCAS cheating scandal. He said the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts School, in South Hadley, is an example of a charter school that does work. “Charter schools take away from the public funding for the public schools,” he said.
Purcell said inner-city charter schools in places like Holyoke, Lowell and Springfield, where there is a higher concentration of poor and minority students, do not function well.
His years of community involvement, said Purcell, has prepared him for his run as Lt. Governor. He said voters may vote for or against a ballot initiative, only to get overturned by the state legislature. He said such moves “throw democracy in the trash and [don’t listen] to the voice of the people.”
As the brisk walk ended, Purcell returned to work. His campaign and the gathering of signatures will continue. Regardless of the outcome, he will continue to work on issues in the community.
