Kang's Return to Politics Goes Statewide with Gas Tax Hike Question

The last most Belmont residents heard from Jamie Kang was her thanking her supporters after the 21-year-old first-time candidate seeking a seat on the Belmont School Committee lost in a three-person race in April.

Well, despite the loss – Kang did run a strong campaign and received a surprisingly good vote count for her first try at elected office – it appears the lure of politics is just as strong as ever for the recent MIT (and 2009 Belmont High School) graduate.

Yesterday, Tuesday, Aug. 6, Kang joined about 20 high-ranking Massachusetts Republicans and anti-tax folks who constitute a new group called "Tank the Automatic Gas Hikes" which announced at the State House plans to place a question on the November 2014 ballot to kill a provision in a new law calling for automatic increases in the Massachusetts gas tax accounting for inflation, according to MassLive.com

Last month, the state Legislature approved a $500 million transportation financing law that includes a three cents a gallon increase in the gas tax that took effect on July 31. It also requires the tax, now at 26.5 cents, to increase by the inflation rate beginning in January 2015.

The group is scheduled today to submit the question to Mass. Attorney General Martha Coakley who will determine by Sept. 4 if the question is constitutional.

The petitioners would need to collect almost 70,000 signatures of registered voters – but will need to push that number up to at least 120,000 to play it safe – and submit them to local election officials for certification in late November. 

Two other questions – on limiting the number of patients nurses can care for and one increasing the minimum wage from $8 to $11 an hour – are expected to reach the 70,000 bench mark.