There's an election fight brewing in Methuen: Two men have taken out nomination papers to challenge incumbent state Rep. Linda Dean Campbell.
In 2008, Campbell, D-Methuen, fended off Democratic challenger Chris DiBella by 496 votes in the primary. She then coasted through the final election with no opponent.
This time around, Republican Al DiNuccio, who ran against incumbent Mayor William Manzi and lost by 483 votes last fall, is vying for Campbell's job.
"The campaign we ran for mayor, that inspired me a lot after the fact," the 50-year-old said. "Even though we didn't win the race, we feel we did a lot of good. We got people talking."
Hector Montalvo, a 40-year-old with no party affiliation, has also taken out papers.
"I am out there grabbing signatures. I'm still testing the waters," said Montalvo, who said he didn't want to say much until he has collected all his signatures.
Neither Montalvo nor DiNuccio have held elected office.
"I think (newly elected U.S. Sen.) Scott Brown has energized a lot of people to run for office," Campbell said. "I think each seat has to be looked at individually, and I don't see a Republican getting a lot of legislation passed in the House as it now stands."
Campbell, 52, called herself a "very conservative Democrat." She said a Republican wouldn't have much leverage for Methuen in the House.
"Whether you're a Republican or a Democrat, to be a Republican is to be a non-player in the House. Where the play comes in is whether you're in a coalition of more conservative Democrats versus more liberal Democrats," she said.
"He's not going to be the 41st vote," Campbell said about DiNuccio, referring to the notion that Brown would be the forty-first vote against health care reform.
Candidates for the Legislature must submit their nomination papers to city and town registrars of voters to be certified by April 27. To become a candidate for the House of Representatives, a person must collect 150 signatures. Senate candidates have to collect 300 signatures. The deadline for filing certified signatures with the secretary of state is May 25, said Brian McNiff, spokesman for the secretary.
Rumors have been floating around that West District City Councilor Jeanne Pappalardo would run.
"No way am I running. I'm very happy as a West District councilor," Pappalardo said. "I have not ruled out running for mayor (in 2011)," she added.
Montalvo is a home theater installer by trade, but he's out of work because of the economy, he said. He worked on Kevin Thompson's campaign for mayor last year. Thompson lost to DiNuccio and Manzi in the preliminary election, having garnered only 13 percent of the vote.
DiNuccio was inspired to see that issues he brought up during his mayoral campaign inspired changes, he said.
DiNuccio had brought up the issue of out-of-town students illegally attending Methuen schools and said the School Department should have all students reregister every year to prove that they live in Methuen. The School Committee unanimously passed a policy requiring that last Monday.
DiNuccio said during the campaign that Manzi allowed too many city employees to take home city-owned vehicles. There were 26 in all, and Manzi later reduced that number to four.
DiNuccio called Campbell "a party follower," but Campbell noted that she broke away from the Democratic majority on two key issues: when she voted against increasing the state sales tax from 5 percent to 6.25 percent and when she voted against appointing an interim replacement for the late Sen. Edward Kennedy.
Campbell said DiNuccio supported her in the 1990s when she ran for City Council. They both said the don't' have any personal problems with each other.
Campbell said her top priority is to ensure that the city receives the money it needs for the Methuen High School renovation project.
DiNuccio said the issues in the campaign will revolve around funding for the renovation project, taxes and jobs.
The state is slated to pay for 61.26 percent of the high school renovation. DiNuccio called that "unacceptable" because they picked up 90 percent of the tab for school building projects in the past.
He said the state should at least level fund local aid; he said the state hasn't enacted effective pension reform; and he called the sales tax increase "unacceptable."
"Every time Boston opens their mouth, our lives get a little harder," DiNuccio said.
DiNuccio said the government should give more tax breaks to small businesses, the Small Business Administration should offer loans with lower interest rates and without stipulations, and the government should reduce bureaucracy that businesses have to weave through with agencies like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Department of Environmental Protection.
DiNuccio is the co-owner of East Coast Cabinet in Lawrence, a company with eight full-time employees including himself. He took issue with the requirement that any business with 10 or more employees has to offer health insurance to its workers. He said that's expensive, and it forces businesses to keep fewer than 10 people on staff.
"Make it 15 and you just created a whole bunch more jobs," DiNuccio said.
DiNuccio also said the government should allow anybody who buys a brand new vehicle to forgo an inspection for three years. His theory is that brand new cars have already been tested at the factory and they're under warranty, and skipping the inspections will save motorists money.
Here's who has taken out nomination papers
Senate 1st Essex
Stephen Cole, R
Steven Baddour, D, incumbent
Senate 2nd Essex & Middlesex
Susan Tucker, D, incumbent
John Kelly, D
Jamison Tomasek, R
Mark Baldwin, R
House 1st Essex
Michael Costello, D, incumbent
House 2nd Essex
Harriett Stanley, D, incumbent
Michael Anderson, R
House 14th Essex
Tyler Speck, R
House 15th Essex
Linda Dean Campbell, D, incumbent
Hector Montalvo, U
Al DiNuccio, R
House 16th Essex
Marcos Devers, D
Rafael Gadea, I
Reynaldo Vazquez, I
House 17th Essex
Barry Finegold, D, incumbent
House 18th Essex
Barbara L'Italien, D, incumbent
John Thorlin, R
Source: Local city clerk's offices and the Secretary of State's Office
