Oct. 12, 2026 — Rep. Michelle Badger, D-Plymouth, and Republican challenger David Golden, a Plymouth Select Board member, offered different answers to rising energy bills in a WATD forum Monday night. Golden said he would dismantle Mass Save and make the Legislature responsible for approving utility rates, while Badger pointed to studies in an energy bill she said is in conference committee.
The Full Story
Badger, a first-term incumbent, is seeking a second term. Golden said he has served on the Select Board and as a Town Meeting member. WATD reporter Tom Gorman and Monday Night Talk host Kevin Tocci asked questions; Christine James moderated.
Energy, Mass Save and the DPU
Golden called utilities “the number one issue” for residents heading into winter and said his top priority would be “to undo the DPU and have the legislature be directly responsible for approving rates.” Rates are now regulated by the Department of Public Utilities. Golden later said a legislative vote would give residents “recourse” when rates rise.
Both candidates said even small savings matter. “I do think that every dollar counts,” Golden said; Badger agreed that “every dollar is important.” Golden called Mass Save “an unwieldy organization” and said, “I don’t even know who runs Mass Save.” Mass Save describes itself as a collaboration of utilities and the Cape Light Compact.
Badger said the energy crisis “happened over the course of 15 years” and that studies in the pending energy bill would show lawmakers “how to dismantle what’s happening.” “Or if Mass Save doesn’t work, how do we figure out what works?” she said.
Pilgrim and Small Reactors
MassDEP on Sept. 15 upheld its denial of Holtec’s request to discharge Pilgrim wastewater into Cape Cod Bay. Asked about evaporation of the water, both said they were concerned. Badger said she has three Holtec bills and is also concerned about spent fuel at the site. Golden, citing his Board of Health service, said “our airways are just as important” and that the federal government must “keep the promise” it made on spent fuel.
On small modular reactors, Golden said he is “interested in exploring that as an option” but that community buy-in is “of critical importance.” Badger said “you need to know more about it,” calling the technology a potential way to use spent fuel. Neither endorsed a specific project.
Taxes, Local Aid and Roads
Golden called Proposition 2½ “the greatest protection that we have in this state for taxpayers” and said it “needs to be built upon.” Badger said, “I wouldn’t touch it as of now,” arguing that fully funding local aid would reduce the need for overrides.
On local aid, Golden said the state should “just give it back to Plymouth.” Badger called for a real formula for unrestricted aid and a Chapter 70 review that accounts for transportation.
Both rejected a mileage-based fee. “I think that is crazy,” Badger said. Golden called it “wildly inappropriate.” He said the state already has a road-funding source in the motor vehicle excise, which he said it promised decades ago to spend on roads and bridges. The Department of Revenue classifies that excise as a local receipt. Badger said Chapter 90 road aid has increased “significantly” in two years.
Housing and the MBTA Communities Law
Golden said local control is “probably the most important thing” he would push for. He called the MBTA Communities law “particularly unfair to communities that don’t have an active MBTA station” and said he would vote to rescind it.
Badger said the state should be “less stick and more carrot,” and said Plymouth, an adjacent community, met the law’s requirements. The law requires zoning that allows multifamily housing as of right; it does not order specific projects.
License-Plate Cameras
“No, I don’t support flock cameras,” Golden said, adding that local police have “made it clear” they can work without them. Badger said she supports “giving law enforcement the technology and tools that they need” but wants “strong privacy protections,” She said Plymouth does not use the cameras.
