Brownsberger, Lander Clash Over Affordability, Transparency in First Debate

Longtime incumbent state Sen. William N. Brownsberger ’78 and first-time challenger Daniel A. Lander ’14 clashed over housing, transportation, and transparency at their first debate of the election cycle on Tuesday.

The two candidates for the Suffolk and Middlesex Senate seat debated in front of more than 50 residents at a forum co-hosted by the Boston Ward 4 and Ward 5 Democratic Committees and moderated by Boston Globe state politics reporter Samantha J. Cross.

Lander, a former senior aide to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu ’07, criticized the state legislature’s response to housing affordability, healthcare costs, and state education aid, arguing that Beacon Hill has dragged its feet on urgent issues. Brownsberger defended his 14-year tenure in the state Senate, pointing to his record on public benefits and transportation policy.

Throughout the debate, both candidates said affordability was a defining issue in their candidacies, but differed on how to address it.

Brownsberger pointed to public programs like MassHealth — Massachusetts’s combined Medicaid and children’s health insurance program — and subsidized community college tuition as ways to address rising healthcare and education costs. He defended the Senate’s work and policy frameworks he has supported during his time in office.

“It’s about responding candidly, and it’s about then going to the legislature and doing the work,” Brownsberger said. “I feel like I’ve got a great record of working hard and getting real results for my constituents.”

Lander took a more aggressive approach, including rent stabilization, more social housing, and greater spending of revenue from the Fair Share amendment.

“We’ve made it impossible for working people to build a good life here,” Lander said. “My opponent is the architect of that broken status quo.”

Transparency on Beacon Hill was another flashpoint. Gross asked the two candidate to grade the state Senate on “how transparent it is.”

Lander gave the body an “F,” pointing to the fact that the legislature is not subject to the state’s public records law.

“We have the least transparent legislature in the country,” he said.

Brownsberger gave the body a “B-,” but said he supports making the legislature subject to public records requests.

“All of our votes are public, all of our amendments are public, all of it is already public,” he said.

Lander repeatedly criticized Brownsberger’s record, taking aim at his approach to education aid, federal immigration enforcement, and collaboration with municipal officials.

“State aid to cities and towns has fallen over Senator Brownsberger’s tenure in the last 15 years,” Lander said. “We need urgent action to make sure communities across this district can invest in their schools.”

Brownsberger said education funding — especially for early childhood education — remains a serious issue, but argued that the challenge lies primarily in funding rather than structure.

“We’re also giving parents the support they need to hold the cost down,” Brownsberger said. “It’s a money issue.”

After Brownsberger and Lander faced off, three candidates vying for the First Suffolk District seat took the stage. Incumbent state Sen. Nick Collins and challengers Latoya Gayle and Juwan Skeens answered similar questions from Gross, touching on housing, transparency, and the relationship between Boston and Beacon Hill.

Collins, who has represented the district since 2018, leaned on his experience in office, saying he had helped secure “millions of dollars annually in the budget” for community programs and public safety.

Gayle centered her campaign around advocacy, highlighting her identity as a mother of four, including a child on the autism spectrum. Her experience, she said, pushed her to address systems that “weren’t working.”

Skeens focused on combatting wasteful spending, pointing to his work under Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea J. Campbell and his past runs for office since 2023.

Tuesday’s forum marks the first debate for both races this election cycle as the campaign season ramps up ahead of the Sept. 1 Democratic primary.

—Staff writer Theresa F. Bartelme can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at theresabartelme.15. Follow her on X @theresabartelme.

—Staff writer Shawn A. Boehmer can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at shawnb.18. Follow him on X @ShawnBoehmer.