Nick Collins: Democratic nominee for state repIt would be easy to forget the Polish Triangle and other parts of Dorchester when considering the largely South Boston-based Fourth District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. But it would be hard to know that judging from residents’ reactions to the Democratic candidate for that seat, Nick Collins.

Upon entering a local coffee shop to sit down with the Reporter for an interview, Collins was greeted warmly by name by shop patrons and staff alike and stopped to chat with voters about the weather (sudden downpours), hockey and his race to replace the retiring Rep. Brian Wallace as state representative.

Collins defeated three other Democratic candidates in last month’s primary to earn his spot on the ballot against Republican opponent Patrick Brennan.

Collins was raised alongside five siblings in a three-decker in South Boston, a neighborhood he said shaped his outlook on civic engagement and public service through community programs and services. Collins’ father Jim represented Charlestown in the House before moving to South Boston, home of his wife Mary.

“You were kinda of swimming in politics in a way and you didn’t even know it,” the younger Collins said.

Though crime is not as much of a problem in the Dorchester portion of the district as it is elsewhere, Collins said that making sure Boston Police have the resources to patrol is a priority. He criticised how the area’s police districts have been changed without adding enough officers to handle the larger area, saying that the change is “not really doing the trick.”

“What we’re looking at now is an area that covers the waterfront, traditional South Boston and small parts of Dorchester with no real increase in resources,” Collins said.

Collins added that “the drug problem is pretty serious in South Boston,” and that he will advocate for a daytime drug unit to help police better protect the neighborhood from drug-related crime. The district deserves the added resources, he said, because of the increasing development centered in South Boston and its waterfront.

Collins lists legendary South Boston political figures such as the late Congressman Joe Moakley, and City Councillor Jim Kelly as examples of leaders who stood up to help the community. US Rep. Steven Lynch and state senator Jack Hart also earned Collins’s praise as figures worth emulating.

“Being politically active really wasn’t something, I don’t think, you had a choice in,” coming from South Boston, Collins said.

When asked if he would have voted against President Obama’s national health care bill, as Lynch did, Collins said that he would have voted no because of “giveaways” in the bill.

Collins specifically named three pieces of legislation that he will work to pass if elected. The first is the controversial House bill authorizing three resort casinos and granting licenses for two slot machine parlors. After a tumultuous journey through the legislature, the bill, which supporters say will generate much-needed jobs in the construction field as well as allow closed dog racing venues to reopen as slot parlors, was put on hold this summer when Governor Deval Patrick rejected the legislature’s version.
Another bill Collins is supporting is an act requiring doctors to notify the parents of minors treated for drug overdoses, an issue lobbied for previously by Wallace.

Collins also supports the state’s film tax credit, which grants movie studios tax relief for filming projects in the area. South Boston has become a favorite locale of the movie industry in recent years.

The Boston delegation in the House is shaping up to be a very different one from this past session, with several legislators vacating their seats for retirement or other positions. Several senior and high-ranking members will be replaced by freshmen lawmakers, a change Collins said will have both benefits and challenges. New members will have to define themselves early on, he said, but it is a good opportunity for the city to be represented by new faces.

Collins said that the delegation still has experienced members and he hopes to learn from more tenured local legislators such as Savin Hill’s Rep. Martin Walsh, Brighton’s Rep. Michael Moran and Charelstown’s Rep. Eugene O’Flaherty.

US Senator Scott Brown’s performance in the district in the special US Senate election has given some momentum to Brennan’s campaign and altered the way many look at the staunchly blue collar and solidly blue South Boston. When asked if he thinks South Boston could ever elect a Republican to Beacon Hill, Collins’ said it was less about party and more about values.

“[South Boston]’s going to continue to elect people who listen to the people in the district, are responsive, share their values and continue to work over the course of the relationship to improve the quality of life. If [elected officials] go off in a different direction, that could happen,” Collins said.