(As part of our continued efforts to bring you the most comprehensive local election coverage around, we invited each of the candidates vying for the Democratic Party nomination in the 16th, 17th and 18th Middlesex Districts to submit their “closing statement” as the campaign winds down. Below is the statement submitted, in its entirety, by the candidate)

Harini Aiyer (17th Middlesex District)

I’m Dr. Harini Aiyer, State Representative candidate for the 17th Middlesex District, consisting of the Back Central, Belvidere, Downtown, Lower Highlands, and South Lowell neighborhoods in Lowell, and Precinct 1 in Tewksbury, which includes the Emerald Court Senior community.

I’m running for State Representative because I believe that Beacon Hill needs leaders who will change the status quo by pairing lived experience with real problem-solving skills. As a cancer researcher, an entrepreneur, and a business consultant, I have honed my strategic thinking, creative problem solving, and collaborative negotiation skills. From my experience, I have learned to tackle complex problems by breaking them down and starting with the simpler parts: those with either simple, “low-hanging fruit” solutions or where opposing sides find common ground. Then, I build on that momentum to facilitate more complex negotiations. I will be an effective legislator because I have the coalition-building skills necessary to bring ideas to fruition.

As State Representative, I will protect our community, fight for affordability, and govern transparently. As someone who has dealt with housing insecurity and medical debt, I understand the financial strains so many of our community members face. I will focus on these issues with passion and urgency because I have lived these nightmares and am determined to not let others do the same. There are immediate steps we can take to improve affordability in the Commonwealth while we work on systemic change. While we work toward single-payer healthcare, I will file legislation to close the “Friendly Physician Loophole” to prevent private equity from “buying” physician practices, which will lower healthcare costs. While we work to increase affordable housing stock by new mixed-income developments and rezoning/repurposing built structures, I want to open new paths to homeownership by requiring landlords to report on-time rent payments to credit agencies. Right now, landlords report late payments to credit bureaus but do not report on-time payments. This benefits renters by enabling them to achieve a better credit score while they save up to become single-family homeowners. While we work to implement regulations that keep private equity firms from gobbling up rental units and new housing, I support implementing a temporary rent-freeze to stabilize our tenant communities.

While it is important to outline my plans for what afflicts the entire Commonwealth, I would be remiss if I do not credit my understanding of global issues to local struggles that my constituents face. The residents around the data center, owned and operated by the Markley group, have been a constant source of inspiration for me to continue this fight. As the only candidate that has been showing up consistently for the residents of the South Lowell and Back Central neighborhoods in their fight for fairness, I will continue to push for regulations and state-wide standards in data center siting, growth, use of resources, and community benefit agreements. I believe that Massachusetts can set a global standard for what good regulations can look like: holding corporate entities accountable without scuppering innovation.

The same is true for Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) and Flock Cameras. Both the city of Lowell and the town of Tewksbury have purchased this technology with little or no oversight from either local or state leadership. Tewksbury is ahead of Lowell in taking back some power and instituting rules around Flock camera usage and data. We must ensure that our constitutional rights are not violated and that every one of us, regardless of race, identity, or citizenship status, is safe from surveillance. I will fight to implement statewide regulations on surveillance technology to protect our freedoms.

Finally, I would like to highlight the struggles that the Senior housing community at Emerald Ct is having as an example of the lack of transparency that has become the norm in Massachusetts governance. The Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB) has approved a site (#4) that is a mere 600 feet away from Senior housing and assisted living facilities when a better site (#3) was available which would not put seniors at risk in the event of an emergency. The EFSB has not explained so far why they picked Site #4 over Site #3, except that the company chose the former for “cost saving” purposes. As a Democrat, it is my duty to push back against any government putting residents’ safety at risk for the sake of corporate savings. As your Representative, I will demand the transparency that our communities deserve.

I have taken the “Every District Accountable” pledge from Act On Mass. I agree with the supermajority of our community members: we should audit the legislature. An audit by an independent body will preserve separation of powers while giving us the transparency we need. I would also push for additional transparency by supporting a rules change to require a clear timeline and defined goals when bills are sent to study. I believe all votes, including those in committee, should be published, and I promise to publish mine.

I respectfully ask for your vote on Tuesday, September 1st, 2026 to elect me as the next State Representative to represent the 17th Middlesex District on Beacon Hill.