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Free public information for Gloucester, Rockport, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea, in plain English

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Your vote for state rep: Where Delisio, Frieden and Tarr stand on taxes, energy bills, the audit and more

One of them will speak for Gloucester, Rockport, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea on Beacon Hill. Here is what each said in two public forums, side by side and in their own words, so you can decide.

Chart titled Where they stand after two forums, comparing Christina Delisio, Gil Frieden and Dru Tarr on the legislative audit, Questions 9 and 4, net zero climate goals and girls' sports
Positions as each candidate stated them in the League of Women Voters of Cape Ann interviews and the Cape Ann Political Action Committee forum, October 2026. Illustration: Cape Ann Current
GloucesterRockportEssexManchester-by-the-Sea

By Kerry Jane · Sunday, October 18How we work

Trust Check: Checked against public records

Whoever wins this seat on Nov. 3 will cast votes that reach your kitchen table: the state taxes you pay, the charges on your heating and electric bills, the state aid that keeps your town's schools and roads running, and whether the Legislature opens its books to the public. It is the one seat in the State House that belongs only to Gloucester, Rockport, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea.

It is also a seat that turns on a small number of votes. In the March 31 special election for this seat, 5,511 ballots were cast across all four towns.

Three candidates are on the ballot, as the state lists them:

  • Christina Delisio of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Republican
  • Gil Frieden of Essex, Transparency Inclusion Environment
  • Andrew "Dru" Tarr of Gloucester, Democrat, who won the seat in March

This month they answered questions in two public settings: interviews with the League of Women Voters of Cape Ann, released Oct. 15, and a forum at Gloucester High School hosted by the Cape Ann Political Action Committee on Oct. 13. Together that is more than two hours of video. Here is what each candidate said, organized around the parts of your life it touches.

Compare all three on one page

Our Fifth Essex race page puts the candidates side by side, with their full questionnaire answers on housing, the waterfront, the coast, school aid, transportation and all nine ballot questions.

Where they stand

Positions in each candidate's own words, listed alphabetically. Each box links to the full answer and the fact checks.

Your wallet

Taxes, heating and electric bills, and what nonprofits pay toward town services.

Cutting state taxes
DelisioAudit first to find waste, then cut spending
FriedenPrefers help like SNAP and heating aid; keep the surtax on income over $1 million
TarrPoints to the 2023 tax cuts; keep the surtax
From the Gloucester High forum
State net zero climate goals
DelisioYes, but not on this timeline; against offshore wind
FriedenYes
TarrYes; move program fees off energy bills
From the Gloucester High forum
Taxing nonprofits
DelisioSeek payments in lieu of taxes from large ones
FriedenNot small ones; open to talks with large ones
TarrNo, not now
From the Gloucester High forum

Your town

Who decides what gets built and changed in Gloucester, Rockport, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea.

Local control and state zoning mandates
DelisioZoning changes only in standalone bills, with notice and a hearing
FriedenTowns decide; the state should bring money and expertise
TarrRegional compromise to get ahead of state mandates
From the Gloucester High forum

Your government

How open Beacon Hill is with your money and records, and how you register and vote.

Audit of the Legislature
DelisioDo it as voters approved; voted yes in 2024
FriedenDo it as voters approved; “an audit isn’t a veto power”
TarrA financial audit within constitutional limits; voted no in 2024
From the League interviews and the Gloucester High forum
Question 1: public records for the Legislature and governor
DelisioSaid there is “absolutely no reason” for the exemption
FriedenYes
Tarr“Probably” yes
From the Gloucester High forum
Question 4: register to vote on Election Day
DelisioNo
FriedenYes
TarrYes, with safeguards
From the League interviews

Your rights and values

The questions that draw on what voters believe about safety, family, fairness and freedom.

Question 9: keep the 2024 gun law
DelisioNo
FriedenYes
TarrUndecided
From the League interviews
ICE and immigration enforcement
DelisioParts of the PROTECT Act are reasonable; wants a strong carve out for dangerous criminals
Frieden“I would love to abolish ICE”
TarrCurrent enforcement is “not humane”; stresses due process
From the League interviews and the Gloucester High forum
Girls’ sports only for biological females
DelisioYes
FriedenNo
Tarr“I support trans kids”
From the Gloucester High forum
The 2024 Parentage Act
DelisioWould file a bill letting parents choose “mother” and “father”
FriedenSupports the law
TarrSupports the law
From the Gloucester High forum

Where they agree

  • The Legislature should be audited. All three say so. They differ on how far it should go: Delisio and Frieden say it should go forward as voters approved in 2024; Tarr says it should be a financial audit within constitutional limits.
  • Local nonprofits do good work. All three said so. Frieden and Tarr said small ones should not pay taxes; Delisio proposed a sliding scale based on what each can afford, and Delisio and Frieden are open to talks with the largest about payments in lieu of taxes.
  • The working waterfront matters. Each named fishing and the waterfront as central to Cape Ann's economy.

Where they split most

  • The ballot questions. On Question 9, the 2024 gun law, Delisio is a No, Frieden a Yes and Tarr undecided. On Question 4, Election Day registration, Delisio is a No; Frieden and Tarr are Yes.
  • Taxes. Delisio wants an audit to find waste to cut. Frieden and Tarr oppose cutting the 4% surtax on income over $1 million and focus on costs such as heating, food and housing.
  • Energy. All three back net zero as a goal. Delisio says the timeline is not realistic, wants "an all of the above approach" and opposes offshore wind.
  • Transgender athletes. Delisio would reserve girls' sports for biological females. Frieden said no. Tarr said, "I support trans kids."
  • ICE. Delisio says parts of the state's new PROTECT Act are reasonable but wants a strong carve out for dangerous criminals. Frieden said he "would love to abolish ICE." Tarr called current enforcement inhumane and stressed due process.

What you still don't know

Neither forum asked about several things that shape daily life on Cape Ann.

Not covered in either forum
Health care and its costNot discussed
Transportation and the commuter railNot discussed
Housing supply and rentsMentioned only
Tarr named housing as a challenge for employers; Delisio criticized the MBTA Communities zoning law
School funding and local aidMentioned only
Frieden said state aid is not keeping up; no plans discussed
Coastal flooding and seawallsMentioned only
Frieden named the Rogers Street seawall and Apple Street in Essex
Frieden and Tarr answered these in the Cape Ann Current questionnaire. Delisio did not answer it by the Oct. 16 deadline.

If one of these matters most to you, the candidates' own answers are the best place to look:

How we put this together

The Cape Ann Current is a free source of public information for Gloucester, Rockport, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea. For this race we sent every candidate the same questions with the same deadline, watched both forums in full, transcribed them, and checked what the candidates said about laws and numbers against public records, with every source linked. Candidates appear in alphabetical order with the same treatment. We do not endorse candidates or ballot questions and do not accept political advertising.

The goal is simple: that every voter on Cape Ann can see what the people asking for their vote actually said, in one place, for free, and decide for themselves. If this helps you, please share it with a neighbor who is still deciding.

Other races on Cape Ann ballots

U.S. House, 6th District: Dan Koh and Micah Quinney Jones answered our questionnaire. Compare them side by side.

Governor's Council, 5th District: Eunice Delice Zeigler answered our questionnaire. We could not reach William Falcetano. See the race page.

Every race on your ballot is in our voter guide.

How to vote

  • Early voting: now through Friday, Oct. 30. Hours differ by town.
  • Register to vote: by Saturday, Oct. 24.
  • Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 3, polls open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Watch for yourself: the League interviews (38 minutes) and the Gloucester High forum (1 hour 38 minutes), both recorded by 1623 Studios.

To get election updates and other free public information each morning, sign up for the free daily email.

Sources

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