LAWRENCE — To grow and prosper, the city needs more businesses and a rapid influx of good-paying jobs. The best way to change Lawrence's stagnant economy is to make the city a "Sales Tax Free Zone," said Enrique Matos, the Republican candidate for 16th Essex state representative.
"So people will stop in Lawrence and not go to New Hampshire. We need to stop the revenue from going over the border and keep it here in Lawrence ... We are losing millions," said Matos, 59, a Cuban immigrant who came to the U.S. in 1968.
Dropping the sales tax in Lawrence doesn't have to be permanent. But Matos suggests doing so on a pilot program basis for 25 to 30 years to revitalize Lawrence's infrastructure. He also wants to designate Lawrence Airport as a "Foreign Trade Zone" and create a business alliance to bring global investment here.
"I am not trying to re-invent the wheel, just grease it up," he said.
The 16th Essex state representative's seat, which covers north Lawrence, was held by William Lantigua, who is now Lawrence mayor, from 2002 to 2010.
After he was sworn in as mayor in January, Lantigua hoped to keep both the local and state job. But in February, under mounting political pressure, he resigned as state representative to focus on his role as mayor.
When he stepped down, Lantigua immediately endorsed his former Democratic rival Marcos Devers. Devers was then elected state representative during a special election in June. Devers did not respond to a request for comment for this story. Now Matos, along with independent Rafael Gadea and a sticker candidate, Reynaldo Vasquez, are challenging Devers for his newfound job in the Nov. 2 general election. Just Matos responded to an Eagle-Tribune request for an interview for this story.
Devers made headlines recently after a mortgage company started foreclosure proceedings on his 16 Woodland St. home. While a public notice was advertised on the foreclosure, Devers said the financial issue was being rectified although an auction was scheduled for Oct. 25.
Matos, however, would not comment on Devers' foreclosure issue, saying he's committed to a positive campaign focused on improving Lawrence.
Matos was once a Democrat and voted for Jimmy Carter in the 1977 presidential election — the first he ever voted in. But under Carter's administration, Matos said he watched the interest rate balloon to over 20 percent.
"So I changed to Republican and voted for Ronald Reagan," Matos said.
Matos believes Lawrence can be "an economic powerhouse." Housing projects need to be discouraged and more focus placed on business attraction and job creation, he said. By eliminating the sales tax and creating a foreign trade zone, Matos believes thousands of new jobs will follow. In turn, people just won't live here, they will also work and shop in Lawrence.
"We are sitting on a gold mine and we haven't explored it," Matos said. "Lawrence was not planned for housing. It was planned as an industrial setting."
Long known as the "Immigrant City," Matos said he can certainly understand why folks from all over the world were drawn here. He escaped Cuba in a row boat with his brother.
"I came here for the dream," Matos said.
Enrique Matos
Age: 58
Address: 62 Thorndike St., Lawrence
Party: Republican
Professional: Lawrence public school safety officer, 14 years; Ranger for the Department of Conservation and Recreation, assigned to the Massachusetts Statehouse, 9 years.
Personal: Wife, Miriam, married 38 years. Five sons, ages 13, 28, 31, 32 and 34.
Education: Lawrence High School, class of 1973; Andover School of Business graduate, 1975.
Biggest issue facing the district and your plan to address it: Education and jobs. We are losing too many kids to street gangs at a very early age. I want to work closely with the school department, School Committee, parents and students themselves. I want to education to rule the street, not gangs.
We also have to find ways to bring more jobs to the city. Unemployment is over 20 percent in the city and those are the people that are reporting they don't have jobs.
Why are you the better choice for the district: I am a hard-working man and I am here for Lawrence. All my life, all I have done is work, work, work. I am not a politician, unlike Marcos Devers who is a career politician. I do believe new blood in the Statehouse will do good. I have worked there for 9 years and developed relationships with both parties, on both sides of the aisle.
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