SALISBURY — Just weeks before Rep. Dawne Shand and Salisbury lawyer Stephen Roth face off in the Democratic primary for the 1st Essex District seat in the House of Representatives, the two will go head to head at a debate Aug. 13.
During the debate, Shand, who has served two terms in the House, and Roth, who is attempting to unseat her, will answer questions about their positions and explain how they would serve, or continue to serve, 1st Essex, which is made up of Salisbury, Newburyport, Merrimac and Precincts 2, 3, 4 and 5 in Amesbury.
The debate, sponsored by Salisbury Community TV & Media Center, will be held at Salisbury Public Library from 7 to 8 p.m.
In a statement to The Daily News, Shand said she looks forward to discussing the work she has done during her two terms.
“I thank Salisbury Community TV for organizing a candidate forum. I look forward to discussing the results I’ve delivered for our district, which include millions in funding for water and sewer infrastructure, dam removal, affordable housing, food security, and municipal projects,” she said.
Similarly, Roth said he is excited to participate in the debate and ready to discuss a variety of topics such as housing and funding for schools.
“For me, debates are democracy at its most direct, as voters get to see the candidates side by side, hear how we think on our feet, and judge for themselves on who they want to be their representative. The people of the 1st Essex deserve that comparison before they vote and I don’t take the chance to earn their vote lightly,” he said.
The debate will be moderated by John Housianitis, treasurer of the SCTV board of directors, who will relay questions submitted by the public and pose ones he has crafted on topics like candidate’s budget priorities for the district and the audit of the state Legislature.
The audit, which has become a contentious topic in recent years, was approved by 72% of Massachusetts voters through a ballot question in 2024 that authorized State Auditor Diana DiZoglio to dig deep into the Legislature.
In June, Roth slammed the House of Representatives for approving a bill pertaining to the audit that in his eyes narrows its focus by “exempting so-called ‘constitutional functions, lets legislative leaders decide what records to produce, and includes language prohibiting the courts from adjudicating disputes between the Auditor and the Legislature.”
Shand voted in favor of the bill that was passed by the House 125-28 that in her words establishes “a framework to authorize the State Auditor to audit the Legislature, subjects the Governor’s Office to the existing public records law, and applies a formal public records request process to the Legislature for the first time.”
Mainly, Housianitis said the SCTV board of directors wanted to provide a forum in which residents could have important questions answered ahead of the Sept. 1 election.
“The board felt that now that there are two candidates running for the position of state representative on the Democratic side, it would be important to have a debate and highlight those two individuals and have them answer questions that the public have posed through our email account, and also questions that I will come up with for the candidates,” he said.
Those interested in submitting questions for the debate can send them to SCTVMC@gmail.com.