BEVERLY — It may have lacked the fireworks of the Tierney-Hudak debate held in the same auditorium a week earlier, but voters got a good look last night at what the two candidates for Beverly state representative have to offer.
In their first debate, Democrat Jerry Parisella and Republican Brett Schetzsle differed on taxes and education but agreed on such issues as casino gambling and illegal immigrants.
About 60 people attended the hourlong debate sponsored by The Salem News and BevCam at the Memorial Building. The audience sat mostly silent for the first half of the debate before finally applauding their candidate's responses in the second half.
It was a sharp contrast from last week's boisterous congressional debate between John Tierney and Bill Hudak in front of an overflow crowd at the Memorial Building.
Parisella and Schetzsle refrained from any sharp attacks on the other. Schetzsle did chide Parisella for not responding to his call for four debates, saying Parisella had "already failed his first test of bipartisanship."
Parisella said he wanted to debate only at the invitation of independent organizations. The two candidates are scheduled to meet again tonight in a town hall-style forum at the Cove Community Center.
Otherwise, the candidates stuck to the issues and to their qualifications for state representative. Schetzsle, a 33-year-old marketing manager who moved to Beverly three years ago, is trying to become the first Republican in 20 years to serve as the city's state representative. Four-term incumbent Democrat Mary Grant is not running for re-election.
"For the first time in a long time, Beverly has a real choice on how it is represented in the Statehouse," he said.
Schetzsle also said he would be a "full-time" representative and will post his daily calendar for voters to follow. Schetzsle resigned from his job as marketing manager at Gillette in August due to a company policy that prohibits employees from running for public office.
Parisella, a 47-year-old lawyer, touted his roots as a Beverly native, his volunteer work in the city, and his experience as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve who served in Bosnia.
In his closing remarks, Parisella pulled out his Army dog tags and cited the list of values printed on the back, such as honor and loyalty.
"Those are the values I'll bring to the Statehouse," he said.
On the issues, Schetzsle and Parisella both said they would support the will of the voters if they pass a ballot question that would reduce the sales tax from 6.25 to 3 percent.
Parisella said he opposes the cut because it would mean a loss of $2.5 billion in revenue and lead to cuts in police, firefighters and teachers. Schetzsle said he prefers a cut to 5 percent, but he said voters' willingness to consider such a drastic cut in revenue shows how dissatisfied they are with the mostly Democratic state Legislature.
"It's a clear message that people think the Beacon Hill budget process is broken," Schetzsle said.
Parisella also opposes a proposed repeal of the state sales tax on alcohol, saying it raises $110 million for "vital" substance abuse programs. Schetzsle favors the repeal and said the state should find other ways to fund those programs.
The candidates also disagreed on whether Massachusetts should adopt the national Common Core education standards. Parisella supports the national standards, saying they will remain as high as the current MCAS standards and allow Massachusetts to qualify for federal Race to the Top funds.
Schetzsle said the state should keep its current standards and not cede control to "federal bureaucrats."
The candidates agreed on several other issues. They both oppose allowing state benefits, such as in-state tuition rates, to illegal immigrants. They support the Chapter 40B affordable-housing law, allowing resort-style casinos in Massachusetts and gun rights.
Schetzsle said he favors the death penalty in certain circumstances. Parisella said the death penalty is not a deterrent and might lead to the killing of innocent people.
Moderator Nelson Benton, editorial page editor of The Salem News, praised both candidates for the way they handled the debate, saying voters have two good candidates from which to choose.
Staff writer Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2675 or by e-mail at pleighton@salemnews.com.
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