Priorities

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My name is Dee Wallace Spencer – and I am proud to announce that I am running to be your State Representative. 

I am an educator, a businesswoman, and someone who is deeply invested in this community.  My parents raised me in Plymouth, and I raised my boys here. When they graduated from college, they both came back to work in Plymouth.

I’d like to talk about priorities.

We all want the opportunity to keep our families close …  to live in a community that embraces every generation. 

• One that provides quality education for our children and allows our veterans and seniors to age in place with the support they need, and the dignity they deserve. 

• A community packed with thriving businesses that do important work and provide meaningful, good paying jobs. 

• Where our first responders are respected and supported.  

I have been meeting with residents and community leaders and listening carefully to your concerns. Your primary message is that Plymouth is facing big challenges, and state government is not helping.  Instead, it’s barraging us with unfunded mandates.

First: You have told me that our children can’t afford to buy their first homes in Plymouth, and our seniors can’t afford to stay in the homes they raised us in. 

We need housing that addresses both of these needs. 

• Instead, the State is forcing 40B developments on us, housing which is neither affordable, nor compatible with our community. 

• At the same time, the state just cut $2,474,243 for the Supportive Senior Housing Program.

I understand our housing needs. I coauthored the bylaw that helped create the Pinehills, which is Plymouth’s largest taxpayer, AND one of the largest open space preserves in Plymouth. 

• It is proof that we can accomplish great things with great planning…  that we can build the type of housing we need, while preserving our open space, and move Plymouth forward, sustainably.

Second: You have told me that taxes are too high. And they are getting higher. They are projected to increase by 6.9%. 

You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to understand that property taxes can be mitigated by thoughtfully planned commercial development.  Plymouth needs to build a robust business economy.  

• But instead of encouraging that type of growth, the state just cut $11,313,500 from economic development projects. 

• It also cut $1,342,500 from the Office of Travel and Tourism.

I have long advocated for sustainable economic development that increases the community’s tax base and creates living wage jobs, while preserving the character of our community.  

I am a board member for the Plymouth Regional Economic Development Foundation. We are working hard to create and support new business opportunities in Plymouth.

• When elected, I will carry this suitcase to Beacon Hill.

Third: It goes without saying that the backbone of the community is our first responders: our police and sheriff’s departments, our firefighters, our emergency medical teams, our corrections officers. 

• We need them - and they need us to support them.  

• We must ensure that they are at the forefront of training and technology….  and that they have the resources they need to do their jobs - for their safety and ours. 

Addressing that should be a partnership between the town and the State. 

• But the State cut over $3,200,000 for Police and Fire Safety projects.

This is completely unacceptable.  These are the most challenging jobs in any community.  

We had representatives of these groups at my campaign announcement event: Nick Zimmerman, Adrien Halpin, and Jake Usher.  I’ve known these men since they were children. I have felt protective of them all their lives. And that isn’t going to change now. 

• I will always have their backs.

So why is all of this happening? 

• Because state government is not prioritizing the needs of its citizens.

Massachusetts is seeing hard times. State revenues are declining. 1100 taxpayers are leaving every week. 

Additionally, Massachusetts is the only state in the country with a “right-to-shelter” law.  It was originally intended to provide shelter, food, and medical care to homeless Massachusetts families. 

• But now, those benefits are also being given to thousands of migrant families. 

• This law has incentivized 1,000 migrant families per month to come to Massachusetts.

• The promise of free housing, free food, and free medical care specifically draws them here, rather than to other states.

This has become an overwhelming financial burden on the residents. And there is no end in sight.  

The House recently voted down an amendment to impose a 6-month residency requirement for eligibility in the right to shelter program. 

• This would have helped to stem the tide by removing the immediate incentive for migrant families to move to Massachusetts, while still offering critical services to Massachusetts homeless families. 

• Instead, it moved forward a $260 million spending bill to cover the costs of emergency shelter through the end of June, and limited how long families can stay in the system to a maximum of 12 months. 

• This does nothing to solve the problem, because it does nothing to remove the incentive.

We are compassionate people. We all want to help those in need. But these costs are being shouldered by us, the taxpayers, and the numbers are staggering. 

• Emergency shelter costs for FY23 and FY24 will be $2 Billion. 

• That number is why vital programs across the Commonwealth are being cut.

By contrast, I recently heard the terrible story of an ailing veteran, desperately in need of end-of-life care, who was told he would receive no help for the $15,000 per month he needed to live in a nursing home.  

It struck me as grossly unfair.

• When non-citizens have greater access to public resources than members of our own community, something is terribly wrong.

In January of 2024, the Governor made $375 million dollars of 9C cuts to the FY24 budget. 

• 9C cuts are emergency cuts that are made when the Commonwealth does not have the money to pay for an item that was already approved. 

These cuts are irreversible. Here is a very small handful of some of the items that were cut:

• $625,000 for prostate cancer research 

• $950,000 for councils on aging 

• $2,615,075 for elder home care services 

• $4,354,634 for emergency aid to the elderly, disabled, and children 

• $13,156,601 for transitional aid for families with dependent children 

These are cuts from programs intended to help our most vulnerable citizens. 

More cuts are coming.  

When the state provides local aid, the town decides how best to distribute it. If our local aid is cut, then Plymouth must make a horrible decision. 

• What does Plymouth have to cut?  police… fire… education…?  

• Every cut hurts someone - who should bear the brunt? 

If cuts are not made, Plymouth will have to raise taxes to make up for the difference. 

• Those who can least afford tax increases are our seniors, who are already struggling to make ends meet. 

These are the tough decisions that are being forced upon us.

We’ve lost our voice. 

Enough is Enough. 

• MY priority is Plymouth.  We deserve better from our government.

• We need serious, determined, tireless leadership at the State House. 

• Leadership that is not afraid to ask the questions nobody else asks… or challenge the status quo.

I have decades of experience chairing and serving on important boards and committees in multiple fields, so I know how to dissect data and present compelling arguments. 

• I am a skilled and fierce advocate for my constituents. I will bring this fight to Beacon Hill for you.

• I will be accessible to you. 

• I will advocate for you. 

• I will never go-along- to-get-along when it comes to spending your money…  or implementing policies that affect your livelihood or your quality of life. 

I will be YOUR representative and together, we will be the voice of Plymouth.  

I hope I can count on your support!