Two days after the Lowell City Council voted in favor of an ordinance banning Safe Injection Sites within city limits, 18th Middlesex State Representative Tara Hong fired back at criticism over his support of State House legislation that spurred the council’s vote.
As part of a story published last Friday, Hong had already issued a statement to InsideLowell affirming his support of all provisions in House Bill 2196. Today, he submitted a more detailed defense of his stance and responded directly to criticism levied against him by District 2 (Centralville) Lowell City Councilor Corey Robinson.
The Tuesday night vote to create an ordinance implementing a ban succeeded on a 9-1 vote, with only At-Large Councilor Vesna Nuon voting against it.
Councilors Corey Belanger, Sokhary Chau, John Descoteaux, Erik Gitschier, Wayne Jenness, Rita Mercier, Kim Scott and Paul Ratha Yem joined Robinson in supporting the motion. Mayor Danny Rourke, who was in Toronto working on the Frontrunner City initiative, confirmed to InsideLowell he, too, would have voted in favor of the ban.
Representative Hong’s statement is published below, as submitted:
One response to “Hong Responds To Criticism About H.2196”
I won’t speak for Councilor Robinson, but I didn’t hear anyone claim that the bill ONLY was regarding safe injection sites. So maybe Tara should quit with the strawman arguments. Between this bad bill and the Yes in Gods Backyard bad bill, you have to wonder who Rep Hong is looking out for because it certainly isn’t his constituents