Our life in the Commonwealth should not be reduced to only one issue By G. Michael Dobbs Managing Editor A number of political pundits have wondered if East Longmeadow resident Ron Cutler's run for the state senate seat being vacated by Brian Lees was primarily motivated by the issue of same sex marriage. Cutler is well-known as an opponent of allowing gays and lesbians to marry, but in an interview with him which I conducted a few weeks back Cutler did have a lot to say about a variety of issues. I think it's fair that it is possible to win an election on the basis of a single issue, but most candidates understand that a solitary message can get rather stale by Election Day. No one wants to be seen as a one-trick pony. I received a fax from another Republican candidate, Mike Franco. Franco is running for Governor's Council, and the press release is an endorsement of Cutler's candidacy. Here is an excerpt: "According to Franco, Cutler's campaign most closely uphold the principles and values of Republicanism relative to his two opponents and the candidate himself has the best life and work experiences to represent the district's middle and working-class citizenry. "'We are long past due to have a forthright and honest senator in the district,'" Franco said. Most importantly, he said, 'We must fight against the homosexual activist agenda that State Senator Brian Lees and his friends in the liberal media want to force upon us.' "Franco contends that Lees 'uses trickery and the sophistry of parliamentary process to drive the now failing radical leftist homosexual agenda,' which includes same-sex marriage and the indoctrination of our public school children to the homosexual lifestyle... "'Let's stop the 'Lee's legacy for good, Franco said. "Join me with other ordinary 'traditional values' men, women and families to support Ron Cutler for the state senate.'" Well, as a card-carrying member of the "liberal media," I can't recall the last time I tried to force someone to accept a gay lifestyle. I guess I must have missed the directive at the Homosexual Activists meeting that all of us working journalists must attend. Reducing one campaign down to a single message isn't the best tactic when there are so many concerns facing us in this state. For example, we need to know how the next state senator is going to deal with further development of our local economy. Transportation is a huge issue. Will the Legislature call for reforms in the regional transit authorities after the PVTA mess? How will the next crop of legislators look at the proposal to build a commuter rail system out to Springfield to link both ends of the state? How about the fact that the Northeast is starved for electricity? What can be done by the Legislature to address that situation that affects both consumers and businesses? I'm sure you see what I mean here. Our life in the Commonwealth shouldn't be reduced to one social issue. This column actually represents the opinions of its author. Send your comments to mdobbs@reminderpublications.com or to 280 N. Main St., East Longmeadow, MA 01028.