For Immediate Release
May 31, 2002
Please Contact: Colin Durrant (617)722-1650 or
Dalié Jiménez, 617-722-1650

Water Resources Authority recognizes Barrios as a ‘Champion for Ratepayers’

Boston, MA - Citing his ‘strong voice as a champion for ratepayers’ the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority (MWRA) has recognized Rep. Jarrett Barrios for his efforts on behalf of ratepayers in 2003 House budget debates. Barrios and other members of the MWRA Legislative Caucus joined forces to ensure the House funded the $55.5 million Commonwealth Sewer Rate Relief Fund which is crucial to the water rates of hard working families in Massachusetts.

MWRA and other water districts draw debt service assistance from the Fund to stabilize wholesale rate increases. The House's final appropriation restores the nearly $19 million that the Governor recommended cutting from the Fund for FY03.

Rep. Barrios has served two terms in the state House of Representatives, and in currently a candidate for the Middlesex, Suffolk and Essex State Senate seat, which Tom Birmingham is leaving to run for governor.

“In my two terms in the state House of Representatives, I have fought for consumer rights for the people of Massachusetts,” said Rep. Barrios. "Debt service assistance is the most critical element of our success in fighting for the interests of MWRA ratepayers. It is particularly crucial during a budget crisis filled with daunting implications for municipalities.”

"Preliminary recommendations in the Governor's version of the FY03 state budget gave serious pause to our collective efforts to mitigate rate increases. Without the strong voices of key legislators, such as Rep. Barrios, ratepayers in the MWRA service area would be facing double digit wholesale rate increases," stated Katherine Dunphy, Chairwoman of the Advisory Board.

In the state House of Representatives, Rep. Barrios fought for increased health care access, increased wages for human service workers, and tax relief for seniors. Rep. Barrios is widely known as one of the most hard-working and articulate leaders in the state.

"MWRA ratepayers have a champion in Representative Barrios. The Advisory Board looks forward to continually working with him to ensure that the final FY03 state budget includes the pro-ratepayer initiatives that the House embraced," stated Joseph Favaloro, Executive Director of the Advisory Board. Mr. Favaloro has endorsed Rep. Barrios in his race for State Senate.

The House's FY03 budget is now under review by the Senate Ways and Means Committee. The Senate is expected to release and debate its version of the state budget in the coming weeks.

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