 Hello, everyone, and welcome. I'm James Milan, and I am here for a one-on-one conversation with our current state rep, Dave Rogers. He's the rep for the 24th Middlesex District, which includes portions of Arlington and Cambridge and all of Belmont. Dave, we've spoken many times before, but thanks for being here once again. Absolutely, James. Good to see you. I wanted to ask, first and foremost, in my recollection, and I could well be wrong, is this the first time that you've had a primary opponent in one of your elections or not? Well, actually, in the first election was an open seat, so Will Brownsberger had been elected to the state senate, and that created an open seat, and those are often the most contested elections. And sure enough, there were initially five candidates in the Democratic primary. Eventually, two of them didn't move all the way forward. They started a campaign, but stopped. Three of us continued on, and then with a lot of help from a lot of people in the community and a lot of folks really in Arlington, I was able to be successful with that. And then I did have both an independent and a Republican in the general election that year, and again, was able to do okay there. Those open seats will draw attention from all over the place, right? Yeah, that's right. And even the independent guy named Jim Gamble from Belmont, who had worked actually in the Carter White House, he told me, sorry, we're pretty friendly now actually, and our campaign was not overly contentious, but Jim told me the story that he went in 1975 to Georgia to work for an obscure Southern governor who not many people had ever heard of, Jimmy Carter, to work on his campaign, and he, Carter, kind of caught lightning in a bottle and won, and only in his 20s said Jim had a pretty big job in the Carter White House, but at any rate, yeah, so he was the independent. And that certainly was a singular instance in American history, as well, our lived history, that's for sure, Jimmy Carter's victory. I should have clarified that I think this is your first opponent, your first election as an incumbent in which you've got a primary opponent. That is correct. And so I'm wondering whether you would share with us candidly, like what are the pluses as far as you're concerned, what are the pluses and minuses for having a challenger in the primary? Well, I believe in democracy. I believe deeply in our system, and no one has a claim or a right to an office. This is the way it works, and I have to go out and explain my record and my accomplishments and how I've been able to help our community, and that's only fitting and proper. And fortunately, the feedback I'm getting in a pretty substantial way is remarkable, I have to say. I think I pour a lot of myself into this work. I give it my all, and I've gotten a lot of important results, both at state-level policymaking, but also tending to the community, always showing up at community events, making sure to look out for our local interests in the state budget, kind of. So, and then almost sort of being a super volunteer, I mean, through this pandemic, for instance, delivering meals en masse to homebound residents, personal protective equipment, Belmont men are had a tragic outbreak of the virus, and we've all been learning and hearing about the shortages of PPE, personal protective equipment, and I was able to really lobby the governor. It took a lot of work, there's shortages, so a lot went into that. We got them deliveries of critically needed personal protective equipment. That's reflective of how I do the job. And so, I think four out of five members of the Arlington Select Board have endorsed me, school committee members, and town meeting members, and I think that's a reflection of the level of dedication I bring to this work. So, I'm very hopeful to move on and continue on. I'm sorry, don't mean to interrupt. No, it's fine. At the recent, the debate we held the other night and in our conversations previously, it's clear that you are happy to and with reason stand by your record and the work that you have done. I am curious, I've been learning something through these interviews recently about the kind of formation of your district, but also peculiar, something peculiar about Cambridge. So, as I mentioned earlier, your district encompasses a portion of Arlington and Cambridge and then all of Belmont. In Arlington, you share that with Sean Garberly. Okay, Arlington divided into two different, or divided by two different districts, but Cambridge turns out five different districts, five different house districts take portions of Cambridge. So, I'm wondering how, if at all, does that affect the fact that you are representing only a small portion, relatively small portion of Cambridge versus all of Belmont and a decent portion of Arlington, what does that mean for your time? And again, what you can get done on behalf of Cambridge, given the fact that you've got four other reps who also are speaking for other communities in Cambridge. Sure, well, I think it's important for a representative to attend to all needs of every corner of the district. And I've always done so and did my level best to accomplish important goals for everyone. I take seriously my representation of really of every person I represent and every community I represent. You know, it's done by population. Each of us represents roughly 39,000 up to on the high, it's a range up to in the 43, 44,000, 45,000 and it varies with population moving in and out. There are some representatives in Western Massachusetts who have 30 towns in their district. So, but you know, I have the three and you know, I really have done a lot for Cambridge. Most recently in the Ringe Towers there and Fresh Pond, what we learned through surveys and study and talking to staff and residents is that about 20% of the people in the Ringe Towers have food insecurity. And so what we set to work, you know, what can we do about this? What can be done? And we were able to work with a local not-for-profit Food for Free, a wonderful Cambridge not-for-profit and we started a food bank right in the Ringe Towers and that was initiated by me. In other words, they didn't come to me and say, hey Dave, what can you do? I came up with the idea and not single-handedly and I came up with the idea but then I worked with my staff, I worked with their outstanding staff, I worked with the residents, it's a team effort. But the idea came from me in my office and we were able to success, took some work but we've been able to successfully set up a food bank in a place that had 20% of food insecurity. So... Was that done previous to the pandemic? Yes, it was, it was done prior to the coronavirus pandemic. And how if, you know, I would assume that the pandemic has increased both the urgent need for that service and perhaps the demands on that service. What have you found in terms of that? Well, that's right. And so there are rising levels of needs not only with food insecurity but housing stability. That's why we pass an eviction moratorium in the house so that people are safe and secure in their homes. It's why we've taken all sorts of extraordinary measures right now because like never before I found my constituent work as opposed to high level policy work or working on the state budget or working on a big legislative initiatives just being in the district and tending to human needs has never been like this before. The truth is on balance my district though not Wellesley or Dover or Beacon Hill it's not the wealthiest district. It is on balance pretty comfortably middle class. And in normal times while I always get some requests hey Dave, can you help me with DUA the division of unemployment assistance? Can you help me with food stamps or can you help me in a variety of different ways? And the demands now have been intense like never before. So and despite all the higher level policy stuff I've been working on like police reform and climate change both me and my staff I've direct I have a small staff that helps me at the state house. I've said any kind of requests for help with unemployment help with food stamps, human needs that rockets to the top of the list and we put everything else aside to help those in need and it's been a lot of it. I mean dozens and dozens and dozens of people, hey Dave, I've been on hold for three hours with DUA, the division of unemployment assistance because there's a huge backlog of cases you know. What can you do? Unfortunately I have contacts, a legislative liaison for the DUA and I can cut through the red tape sometimes just calling myself and saying you know, it's representative Dave Rogers I'm having some problems with some of my constituents getting their claims filed and we were able to get a lot of matter of fact I just got an email today. Thank you. I was very frustrated and significant need. Thank you so much for getting my claim resolved and that person will begin to receive a check I think next week. So you know I have a background in economics and law and I work diligently on a lot of pretty high level policy issues but during this time, really all times but during this time particularly human needs come first and so and you know as I always say this is a time if you're in public service to step up this is a time to take care of the people who've entrusted you to be of service and that's why I do this work and so it's while it's a terribly disruptive and difficult time and the time of great uncertainty for people in my job it also in a way is an opportunity to earn our stripes so to speak and to help people and I'm glad we've been able to do that. Yeah and I do think and I imagine we probably have touched on this before in previous conversations especially in the last few conversations that have taken place under the conditions of the pandemic but I would think again it's might be odd to phrase it in this way but it might be refreshing in a sense for you to have to emphasize the constituent services part of what it is that you do because I would think that the payback for you or at least the feedback for you is just more direct probably more appreciative if you are able to effectively provide the services that they're asking for that you're getting you're part of a feedback loop this way which is different just fundamentally different from the work that you're doing in the halls when you get to be in the halls of the state house which people don't see on the whole and they only are going to be paying attention to the fruits of that and that only happens every once in a while right? Right and I think that's well said this is choose your adjective a period of upheaval, a period of uncertainty a period of enormous difficulty for many families and individuals and it is just if someone sat down with any of us four months ago or four and a half months ago and said let me tell you what's about to happen it would sound like a dystopian novel I think most of us wouldn't even believe it right? It's a bizarre basically unprecedented or at least unprecedented I know there was the flu of 1918 but unprecedented for anyone alive today in living memory and it is you know change society in innumerable ways and so to your point it is gratifying and to be able to help people because again that's why it's called public service and so I've been never busier in this job never more demands but you know we're all busy we're all disruption and having to adapt and to adjust so I'm happy to just do my part you know but speaking of doing your part I think people are always gonna be curious and again we've spoken touched on this before but it's worth finding out again how are you doing your work? How has your work been fundamentally affected? And how do you see and also you know lessons learned what do you plan to bring as we return to normal? What do you plan to bring with you that was part of this experience and that you learned through it and are gonna find helpful for doing your job in the future? Sure well I'll take the first part of that which is you know how has my work changed essentially and like most other jobs and workplaces right now the state house has undergone a significant transformation in the way we are doing the people's business and that is to say we are not physically present and meeting inside the state house. Staff are basically encouraged not to come in at all members are allowed to come in and I have gone in periodically to the state house but we passed a special set of rules so that we can vote from home just like we passed a law so that town meeting in Arlington and Belmont can vote remotely. Belmont took advantage of that and actually did the remote voting. I think Arlington just chose to have the town meeting at the high school on the field there but just like we allow local legislative bodies and town meeting to do that we're voting from home. Now legislating is very much an in-person kind of business because I might have an amendment and I want support from my colleagues and so I literally walk around the floor of the house. I've built a number of very good relationships with my colleagues and it's just, it'd be almost fully hard to fully articulate but in countless ways being in-person where we can share information where I can talk to the clerk of the house about procedural things where I can talk to the floor manager about things and it's challenging to legislate from home but we've been able to do it. We've moved a pretty big agenda. We just did, as I'm sure you've been, you know from our conversations significant police reform to address the systemic racism and the horrific killing of George Floyd and countless other cases. We passed major police reform. We just passed a really a sweeping climate bill to get us to net zero by 2050. Increases the renewable portfolio standard and makes municipal light plants have to meet the same rigorous requirements as other utilities and includes an environmental justice piece. We passed, as I said, the eviction moratorium so people are safe and secure in their homes. We passed protections for frontline healthcare workers. So, and I won't go through the whole litany. Many other things to help the Commonwealth weather the storm. So, you know, we've been able to adapt and adjust like everyone else has to right now and I'm glad we've been able to do that. As to the second part of what you said, what can I take from this? And that's such a great question because I've been talking about this a lot and all through my time of public service and even prior to serving, I talk a lot about income inequality, the growing gap, the concentration of wealth in our country, which is really, it's not an exaggeration to say, statistically it's reached essentially the same level as the Gilded Age, the Rockefellers and the Vanderbilt and the Roosevelt's. I think the data is published by the Commerce Department but if you look at the data on national income we are really reaching that point and people have talked about income inequality for a long time but this pandemic has revealed it glaringly, I think in ways that has not been revealed before. So what animates me going forward and should I be fortunate to be reelected? What will drive me on a policy basis is addressing the inequities in our society. I've always worked on that. It's always been the centerpiece of the fight for 15. We have the highest minimum wage in this country. We're gonna have paid family and medical leave. You know, at the federal level, as I said the other day, you have FMLA, that's Family Medical Leave Act, but that's job protected. So if you go out to care for yourself or a loved one, your job is safe, but you're not paid. Here in Massachusetts, we're one of the few states that has passed paid leave. And so I've already filed bills that address this. For instance, we learned that Big Gig, Uber and Lyft, the big gig, so-called gig companies, they don't pay into the Unemployment Trust Fund. So when the pandemic hit, all of these gig workers don't have adequate protection. I've worked with Mike Firestone, he was the chief of staff for Mora Healy. I think he helped run Elizabeth Warren's campaign then ran Mora Healy's campaign, became our chief of staff. He's since left, but we collaborated to draft legislation that would make Big Gig pay into the Unemployment Trust system, as they well should, because we believe they're misclassifying these workers as independent contractors, as a way to skirt their obligations. And I filed several other bills on protecting workers, proud to have been endorsed by the AFL-CIO, SEIU, the Mass Teachers Association. Every major progressive statewide labor organization has endorsed me in the race I'm in now because I've made protecting working people and fighting income inequality a centerpiece of my work. But again, to your question, it has to be, I believe, what drives me and the rest of legislators, other senators and representatives too. Let's take this moment and learn from it and build from it. After the Great Depression came the new deal. After the Gilded Age came the progressive era of reform. We, I can't really state this strong enough how I feel about this. We have to take this moment and learn from it and try to rectify these glaring inequities. And that's what's gonna be driving me. In addition to, of course, always tending to my district and our local interests, but in terms of higher level policy, that's my focus. And one of the things, and there was a question about this in the debate, but I'd love to have you elaborate a little bit more. One of those areas that you're talking about of existing inequity, I think, and then as we move forward where there are real vulnerable populations is going to be around jobs, going to be around the jobs that have disappeared during this pandemic and that have been held by people who work very, very hard but may not be able to see where their own future lies in some other kind of work. What kind of either message or ideas or potential even programs do you have in mind for those very vulnerable sectors of our population? Yes, well, I mentioned that I filed a kind of a portfolio of legislation to protect workers. I filed another bill that I think is getting significant interest that would create a presumption. If you acquire COVID, you acquired it on the job and therefore qualify for workers compensation, meaning the insurance company can't say, well, how do we know whether you acquired it on the job as a nurse or a doctor or another grocery? Maybe you got it somewhere else. No, there will be a presumption under the bill I drafted that you are entitled to your workers comp. So I think now I've been filing legislation to protect workers now to your, I think the larger point you're making, which is a good point, I still believe we have one of the strongest regional economies, as I've said, not just in America but really around the world. I mean, if you look at the Boston regional economy between our great university system, our amazing hospitals where people come from all over the world to be treated at our hospitals. If you look at the technology in Kendall Square, Kendall Square really now rivals Silicon Valley in a lot of ways, it's the second leading tech sector. And in some areas has surpassed Silicon Valley, particularly in biopharma. So we have- David, are you saying, I'm sorry, Dave, but does that mean that you're saying that those sectors will be able somehow to, and they are very vibrant and robust, you're right. Of course, are they going to be able to expand in order to, I mean, we're talking about people who are gonna lose their jobs in kitchens and servers and restaurants and things like that. How, again, how is the work of our vibrant sectors going to be able to offer opportunity to folks like that? Sure. Well, I guess, look, I don't wanna downplay this incredible shock to our economy and the suffering and dislocation that's happened. And as I said at the beginning of our conversation, I see that in my work as a representative and the people I've been able to help. But the key is, here's the truth, in my opinion at least. Bio-pharmaceutical companies all around the world are working furiously on kind of two pieces to this. One is antivirals. That is to say, obviously when AIDS HIV came along, another virus, at first it was lethal, many people lost their lives tragically. But now, if you unfortunately are diagnosed, there is a cocktail of drugs that you take and people are living basically full lives. A virus. Well, similarly, companies all over the world are working on antiviral treatments for coronavirus so that if you get it, you will survive and you won't end up on a ventilator. So that's one thing. And then ultimately a vaccine. And that has to go through human trials. It has to be scaled and manufactured and distributed, as I say, at scale. And that's gonna happen. No one can predict with certainty when, but it will happen. And the truth is, until we have good antivirals and a vaccine, there's gonna be continuing disruption. And for workers, families now, that's why I'm fighting so hard for social safety net programs. At the state house, we're doing everything we can in the budget to fully fund social services. That's why I'm filing legislation to protect workers so they can get workers comp. And then we just passed an economic development bill with various incentives to try to keep the economy strong. But the key, and I think some folks have been talking about this here, is what is gonna happen with the federal government? And we cannot run a deficit at the state level. State governments aren't allowed to do that. And we have to have a balanced budget. As you probably have been reading about, at the federal level, the US House passed a bailout package for state and local government. But the Senate stymied it. Mitch McConnell, who I hope will be defeated this year in his race, and I hope we take back the Senate and has held it up. But a lot of people think, and I've talked to some members of Congress that eventually the pressure from the red states, remember red state governors and red state mayors, they're facing the same budget shortfalls that will get a bailout package from the federal government. And we need it because we can't run a deficit. So in terms of jobs, the economy, that's gonna be key because without it, we have about a $6 billion hole we believe in the state budget. You know, I wanted to give you earlier warning than this, but we've got only 30 seconds left at this point. The economy has flown by as always. Anything that you wanted to add in here for the audience before we go? Well, it's just, it's an honor to represent Arlington and the rest of the district. As James, I always, as always enjoy our conversations and I will continue to stay motivated and focused on helping the people I represent and being fully engaged in this work. Well, we really do. I mean, understand how busy you are. We do appreciate you taking so much time with us in this last week and in general. I've been talking one-on-one with our current state representative, Dave Rogers, who is seeking reelection to the 24th Middlesex District or for the 24th Middlesex District. Once again, Dave, thanks for joining us. And thank you in the audience. We hope that you have gotten something from the conversation as we have. I'm James Milan. Thanks for joining us and we'll see you next time.