The race to replace Republican state Rep. Paul Loscocco in Middlesex County's 8th District has heated up recently, as the two candidates, Democrat Carolyn Dykema and Republican Dan Haley, have clashed over their differing approaches to government spending and whether they would work full time as a state representative if elected.

[img_assist|nid=1526|title=Dan Haley (R-Holliston)|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=128|height=195]Haley, of Holliston, told PolitickerMA.com Wednesday that government spending has gotten out of control because the state is ruled overwhelmingly by Democrats.

"We have such an imbalance in state government that what we get is detached, arrogant and unaccountable backroom governing," Haley said. "We need more people on Beacon Hill saying ‘look at how they are spending, look at their lack of restraint.'"

Haley said that Dykema's view of spending is "vastly overrepresented on Beacon Hill" and that "when I was talking about fiscal responsibility, she said if you spend all of your time watching the dollars and counting expenditures you're going to miss opportunities."

Haley also said that he is so fed up with spending that he is going to vote for Question 1, the ballot measure that would eliminate the state income tax. He added, however, that he believes that the legislature would ignore the measure and make sure the income tax remains intact if Question 1 succeeds.

Dykema, also of Holliston, refuted Haley's claims and said that his support of Question 1, symbolic or not, shows that he is out of touch with how significantly the measure would affect local aid.

[img_assist|nid=1527|title=Carolyn Dykema (D-Holliston)|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=120|height=180]"I've worked in local government and it would be devastating," Dykema said. "To suggest that repealing the income tax is a responsible position given the insecurity of the global and national economy is a very big disservice."

Dykema also took issue with Haley's criticism that she embraces unrestrained spending.

"I have managed a local budget when I was chairman of the planning board," she said. "I had a budget and I balanced it and managed it. As far as I know, he has never had that experience."

The Democrat added that Haley talks about reducing spending without offering concrete examples of where he would cut.

"The only concrete proposal that I've seen from him is to eliminate the tolls on the [Massachusetts Turnpike]," Dykema said. "But the issue of how to address the $175 million annual loss that will result from that goes entirely unaddressed."

Haley responded to that charge by again pointing to Dykema's philosophy on spending. "She is actually for expanding" the tolls, Haley said. "It's just a fundamental difference of opinion. Everyone says it was wrong in 1997 to saddle a tiny slice of the commonwealth, the commuters on I-90, with the debt burden for the largest public works project in the history of the world."

The race between Haley and Dykema has quickly become one to watch. With Loscocco retiring, it represents an opportunity for Democrats to expand their already sizable majority in the House. More, Haley was touted by several sources as a formidable good candidate and Dykema surprised many with her trouncing of Edward Mills by over 40 percentage points in the Democratic primary.

Haley, however, showed his fundraising ability in the primary and, according to the most recent fundraising report, goes into the general election with a sizable advantage over Dykema. Haley raked in just less than $55,000 and ended the period with approximately $29,000 in his bank account. Dykema raised more than $21,000 and, due to having to spend on her primary victory, ended the period with $12,500 in her campaign coffer.

In addition to clashing over spending, the two candidates have also butted heads over whether they would work fulltime in the legislature if elected. Haley has said that he would continue work at his Boston law practice if elected, a position Dykema has been quick to criticize

"My position is that this job needs to be far more than attending hearings and casting votes," she said. "This is about finding solutions. It takes a tremendous amount of time to collect the facts to make the right decisions and I just don't see that happening on a part-time schedule."

Haley noted that Loscocco continued practicing law during his eight years in the state House and said that, in his experience, "there are a lot of problems in the State House and a lack of full-time legislature is not one of them."

The Republican said  he thinks it is actually beneficial for a state representative to continue working outside the legislature so he or she doesn't become isolated and can see how laws are affecting people.

"Frankly," Haley added, "the job of a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives bears resemblance to nothing that a citizen would consider a full-time job."