Hingham's Da Silva Running for Plymouth County Commissioner

Opposes Horse Track/Gambling Proposal; Decries Lack of Transparency

Carlos A.F. Da Silva, Democrat of Hingham, is running for Plymouth County Commissioner on a platform of opposition to the proposal to build a race track/casino on the County Woodlot in Plymouth, the subject of Ballot Question 4 in Plymouth’s Saturday, May 21st Town Election.

( Carlos Da Silva, of Hingham, candidate for County Commissioner; photo credit — Committee to Elect Carlos Da Silva )

Da Silva, who just finished a term serving on the Hingham School Committee, tells the Plymouth County Observer that he has obtained the necessary signatures to appear on the ballot for the September Democratic primary for County Commissioner; should he win the primary, he would go on to face Commissioner Sandra Wright (R-Bridgewater), who is the current chair of the County Commission, in the General Election in November.

Ms. Wright recently became locally notable — not to say infamous — in Plymouth when, as Chair of the County Commission, she refused to receive public comment at the March 31st meeting at which the County Commission leased the woodlot to Boston South Real Estate Group for three years.

This despite a crowd of concerned and upset citizens, including local residents, Plymouth Town Meeting Members, knowledgeable real estate attorneys, and prominent former Town officials who were eager to speak.

“Here in Plymouth County there is a local conversation that must be had regarding integrity, transparency, and the environment [with regard to] the proposed horse racing track in Plymouth County, “said Da Silva.

“Let me be clear: I oppose the development of this racetrack in Plymouth, and I am disappointed, but not shocked, at how the Plymouth County Commissioners have approached this issue.” 

Da Silva, who has lived in the United States for nearly 30 years, is from a family of Brazilian civil servants, including police officers and school teachers, and takes good government issues very seriously, he told me in a recent phone conversation.

He noted that Massachusetts recently ranked among the states with the least transparency in government in the nation, and criticized the current County Commissioners for the same.

Mr. Da Silva was particularly critical of their conduct during the March 31st meeting.

He remarked that “the County Commissioners decided to immediately go into an executive session mere moments after the meeting began. Upon returning from this mysterious, rushed executive session, the Commissioners announced the result of their vote to ratify the agreement before hastily continuing with unrelated items on the agenda.”

“While the Commissioners are allowed to do this to not undermine the counties’ position in negotiations, the choice to do so without allowing the citizens to comment at all was a poor one. None of the 20 or so Plymouth residents in attendance were given the opportunity to speak on the matter that directly affects them, their families, and their properties,” said Da Silva.

Though some at the March 31st meeting, including the author, suggested considering dissolution of the County Commission, as happened in the Counties of Berkshire, Worcester, Suffolk, Essex, and more, given that most of what is done by county governments elsewhere in the nation are either done by the several Towns here, or by the Commonwealth, Da Silva is not yet prepared to take that step.

He remains convinced that County government can still be made effective and democratically responsive in Plymouth County.

Meanwhile, he urges Plymouth voters to reject the horse track/casino proposals by voting No on Question 4 on Saturday.

“This racetrack is an ill-conceived plan that the citizens of Plymouth have been shut out of by the County Commissioners,” said Da Silva, “with the potential of being both environmentally and economically harmful.”

The Plymouth Town Election is on Sat., May 21st. The Democratic Primary is on September 6th.

Mr. Da Silva’s campaign email is carlosforcommissioner@gmail.com.