Kurt Hayes, the Republican vying for Middlesex County's 37th District House seat, said Friday that he is ready to be a "strong ally" to Gov. Deval Patrick as he moves forward with trimming the state budget and criticized his opponent, Democrat Jen Benson, for opposing reduced state spending, a characterization that Benson strongly disputed.

[img_assist|nid=210|title=Kurt Hayes (R-Boxborough)|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=154|height=165]On Thursday, Patrick, a Milton Democrat, announced that he would be cutting 7 percent - approximately $600,000 -  from his office's budget and proposed dismantling the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority.

"The governor is going to need allies like me in the State House as we forge ahead with much overdue reforms," Hayes, of Boxborough, said. "I look forward to helping the governor reduce waste and inefficiency, dismantle the turnpike authority and other redundant agencies, reform the pension system, and drive costs out of our healthcare system. At the same time, my top priority will be to protect local aid and school funding for our towns and cities. This balancing act is possible with the right type of leaders in the State House.  Leaders like me who bring relevant, real world experience to the table."

Hayes is running against Lunenburg Democrat Jen Benson for the seat, which was left open when state Rep. Jamie Eldridge, an Acton Democrat, decided to run for the Senate.

The Republican, who ran as an Independent in the 2007 special election for the Bay State's 5th District Congressional seat, touted his non-partisan credentials as a businessman, saying that qualified him to work with legislators to reform a "broken" Beacon Hill.

"It's unfortunate that the super-majority and Beacon Hill insiders are only willing to make much-needed reforms and spending cuts when a nation-wide financial crisis forces them to do so," he said. "This is a sad commentary on the brokenness of Beacon Hill."

Hayes also took a swipe at Benson for her spending policies.

"While my opponent Jen Benson has consistently opposed my focus on reigning in state spending and eliminating waste and inefficiency, the state is now going to involuntarily do just that," Hayes said. "The voters need to elect leaders like me who have the experience and courage to face up to the bureaucracies and special interests that will fight this reform every step of the way."

[img_assist|nid=209|title=Jen Benson (D-Lunenberg)|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=130|height=180]Benson disputed that characterization, saying that she "fully supports" Patrick's plan and that she is "very happy to see the governor take this initiative."

"I have been talking about reform of the agencies like the Turnpike Authority for quite a while," she told PolitickerMA.com.

Benson also pointed to her experience as the member of the Lunenberg School Committee as evidence that she understands the importance of a balanced budget. That committee, she said, is responsible for presenting a budget to the Lunenberg town meeting every year. And for the past five years, she went on, her committee has presented a balanced budget.

"I am very proud of the fact that even during difficult economic times we've been able to do that," she said.

Her experience with the budget process, Benson added, was one of the reasons she decided to run for the House.

"That's why I am running for the seat," she said. "I am running for the seat because I have built public budgets at times of economic difficulty. I know what's at stake and I understand the importance of protecting local aid at all costs."