Howes Enters Race For Fargo's Senate Seat

Earlier this week, Greg Howes, a selectman in Concord, officially announced his entrance to the race for the 3rd Middlesex Senate seat long held by state Sen. Susan Fargo, D-Lincoln.

“It is early in the election cycle, but in order to learn how I may better represent and protect the interests of families and businesses in the district, it will take time," Howes said in a press release. "This race is about representation in a political system that is broken. The local elected officials, business owners and families I speak with share a common frustration: They feel the 'game is rigged'"

Indeed, the announcement from Howes, the 42-year-old owner and president of the Howes Insurance Group, comes relatively early, with the current legislative session in full swing. But for those familiar with Concord politics, it’s news that many have expected to hear for some time now.

“People have encouraged me for a long time to do something beyond Concord,” said Howes, who is running as a Republican. “While I have been serving the town, there was this growing frustration that the system was broken above us. What I saw was a system that valued politics over governance.”

A key difference between the two is that politics is about short-term gain, while governance looks to the long-term, according to Howes. In the game of politics, officials jockey for re-election when they should be representing their constituents, while governance goes beyond politics to affect change, he said.

“The problem is that the decisions are made with political motivation,” said Howes. “We can’t fix our problems until we first fix the system. And one person’s not going to fix the system, but one person can start that process.”

While he’s long believed state government was broken, the catalyst to throw his hat in now was unfunded liability.

"What makes it so heinous to me is that it’s a failure of generational responsibility," he said. "It might not impact me, but it will affect my children and grandchildren."

Running Republican

Though he’s running as a Republican, Howes distances himself from partisan politics and hopes to attract unenrolled voters of with a balanced, practical approach to governance he believes says more about who he is than his party affiliation.

While the Republican label has disadvantages – making some of his Concord supporters cringe among them –  Howes believes there are positives, too, should he get elected.

“There’s a hierarchy in the Democratic party, where you get a slot and pay your dues,” he said. “As a member of the minority, I will be able to represent the independent views of our district. We have a lot of thoughtful people who don’t buy into the system.”

The 3rd Middlesex District includes Bedford, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Concord, Lincoln, Waltham, Weston and parts of Lexington and Sudbury.

Labels and incumbency are among the biggest obstacles Howes expects he’ll have to overcome. Another is a possible primary opponent – Sandi Martinez, a Chelmsford Republican – he said could present challenges due to her position at the other (read: Tea Party) end of the GOP spectrum.

While some would say Howes is getting out of the gate early, he said it was critical to get his name out there early if he wants to overcome the 14-year head start held by Fargo, who was elected in 1997. To that end, his website will soon include Twitter and Facebook feeds with regular updates from the campaign trail.

Reached by phone Wednesday, Fargo’s staff confirmed she will seek another term.

“The senator has told people privately and publicly that she will be reelected,” said Don Siriani, Fargo’s chief of staff. “Sen. Fargo has been quoted … as saying she welcomes all challengers in the spirit of Democracy, but she’ll whip any opponent.”

For more information about the Howes campaign, visit www.vote4howes.com.