Derek Bennett

Married 33 yrs, Dad & New Grandpa, 32 years in Organized Labor, Beekeeper, Focused on Affordability, Local Control, and Practical Policy

[Derek Bennett @DerekBennettMA]

Public safety is not optional. It’s not a luxury.” — That’s what I told Town Meeting when leading the citizens’ petition drive to save 4 critical positions in Duxbury PD & Fire. Signatures collected at supermarkets → overwhelming approval: Article 4 (Police): 241-78, Article 5 (Fire): 216-63. We proved: When we work together, we win for our neighborhoods and taxpayers. Grateful for the support from residents and first responders! #DuxburyMA #PublicSafetyFirst #MarshfieldMA #PlymouthMA

https://t.co/6t6hVpNYzU

[Derek Bennett @DerekBennettMA]

@agenturban Great info!

[Derek Bennett @DerekBennettMA]

@OnlyInBOS Carbon neutral on paper, fossil-fueled in reality. Just a press release and a spreadsheet win.

[Derek Bennett @DerekBennettMA]

Affordability isn’t a slogan, it’s the result of real policy choices.

Beacon Hill shifts costs to towns, homeowners pay the price, and now we’re told permanent overrides are the answer. The Globe sees through it too: lots of talk, not much relief.

That’s why locking in higher taxes right now is a mistake.

I laid out why a one-year, level-services approach is the smarter move until elections and state tax policy are clearer. https://t.co/qZsQ3KSUjZ

[Derek Bennett @DerekBennettMA]

https://t.co/qj9k5VgsNf

[Derek Bennett @DerekBennettMA]

https://t.co/QfeB9J1TeR

[Derek Bennett @DerekBennettMA]

ISO-NE has warned New England faces an “increasing risk of energy shortfalls during extreme weather” and that the grid still depends on “fuel-secure, dispatchable resources” to keep the lights on.

At the same time, MA is mandating electrification, blocking gas infrastructure, and betting on intermittent renewables that ISO-NE says do not replace firm capacity.

This isn’t climate denial. It’s physics.

When policy ignores the grid operator, ratepayers pay, and reliability suffers.

#EnergyPolicy #MaPol #AffordableMA

[Derek Bennett @DerekBennettMA]

@LaurenAPreston @agenturban Yes, someone may qualify for a different rate, but the system is subsidized by everyone else and usage still drives massive bills. That model isn’t sustainable. Heat pumps increase usage in cold climates. That’s reality.

[Derek Bennett @DerekBennettMA]

@EdMarkey Go make Massachusetts affordable. Do something for your constituents.

[Derek Bennett @DerekBennettMA]

Seth, while you're impeaching Noem over a Minnesota detention and crying about a Spider-Man backpack, Massachusetts families are getting crushed by 44% auto insurance hikes, 92% home insurance jumps, flat local aid, billion-dollar shelter spending, and energy bills that force choices between heat and groceries.

Your district deals with the same cost-of-living pain as mine. Yet you're spending energy on DC drama and refusing DHS funding votes instead of fighting Beacon Hill's endless mandates, runaway taxes, and overrides threatening seniors.

Immigration enforcement isn't 'kidnapping'—it's enforcing laws voters chose in 2024 to secure borders and ease the burden on states like ours. Compassion means orderly, lawful process that doesn't bankrupt working families here.

Focus on real relief for MA: lower costs, real choices, common sense. We need results in 2026, not more rage tweets from another out-of-touch pol.

#AffordableMA #MassachusettsFirst #MApoli #Vote2026

[Derek Bennett @DerekBennettMA]

Ken has the passion, energy, and common sense needed to get re-elected, he truly gets it and fights for what Massachusetts families in his District actually need! @RepSweezey @ShortsleeveMA

[State Rep Ken Sweezey @RepSweezey]

@DerekBennettMA @ShortsleeveMA This is great! Spot on as well! We need more people to see that change is necessary and I hope day by day we reach new voters open to that change.

[Derek Bennett @DerekBennettMA]

@RepSweezey @ShortsleeveMA Amen Ken!

[Derek Bennett @DerekBennettMA]

@RepSweezey crushed the Republican response last night. Here's my take on why MA families are still waiting for real relief. High energy bills, housing crisis, endless spending... we need change in 2026. What do you think, Ken & Brian? @ShortsleeveMA

[Derek Bennett @DerekBennettMA]

@MassFiscal That’s better than .07%

[Derek Bennett @DerekBennettMA]

@ShortsleeveMA @RepSweezey @RepSweezey We love Ken, he represents his district well. Thanks Ken!

[Derek Bennett @DerekBennettMA]

Spot on Ken. We really do need way more of these real conversations between now and November. Massachusetts families are feeling the squeeze, and a lot of folks are starting to see through the shiny promises and empty slogans coming out of this administration. It’s time we all face what’s actually happening and talk about it openly, like neighbors who care about the same future.

I put together a short video with my own thoughts on what every one of us here in MA needs to wake up to. Would mean a lot if if I could share what you think: https://t.co/gbLSaxt8rb

Thanks for keeping the discussion going!

[Derek Bennett @DerekBennettMA]

In Duxbury, we rejected a tax override last year, yet town officials are already pushing for another one this March.

Had the override passed, many seniors on fixed incomes would’ve been forced out. That’s the real consequence no one wants to talk about.

Overrides often pit town hall against taxpayers. Transparency suffers. Fear tactics ramp up. Residents are told to vote “yes” or lose essential services, with public safety conveniently placed on the chopping block to pressure approval.

That’s why I gathered signatures through a citizens’ petition and placed two articles on the warrant to fund police and fire directly from our stabilization fund. Both passed overwhelmingly at Town Meeting.

It worked, but it shouldn’t have to come to this.

Many local budgets were inflated during COVID. Those temporary expansions are now being used to manufacture shortfalls and justify permanent tax increases.

Refunding and reforming local aid would go a long way toward restoring trust and protecting taxpayers, especially seniors and working families.

[Derek Bennett @DerekBennettMA]

@Ilhan But you voted yes to give childless daycare’s millions.

[Derek Bennett @DerekBennettMA]

@SenWarren Massachusetts didn’t become unaffordable overnight and it didn’t start with Trump.

Real leadership means taking responsibility for the policies driving costs here at home, not endlessly deflecting blame.

[Derek Bennett @DerekBennettMA]

Mileage tracking is just the next squeeze.

My auto insurance is up 44% in two years and my home insurance is up 92% in three years, with no claims and no coverage changes.

Massachusetts doesn’t have a free-market insurance system. These rates are supposed to be reviewed and justified by the Division of Insurance.

Before taxing miles or tracking drivers, Beacon Hill should explain why regulated insurance has turned into legalized price gouging.

[Derek Bennett @DerekBennettMA]

@SenSanders At what point do Democrats start prioritizing American workers over sanctuary policies? Asking working families to shoulder the cost indefinitely isn’t sustainable.