In a Contest of Opposites, Many Issues to Be Decided

Voters in the 42nd House District will decide between a longtime incumbent and a political newcomer in one of the most competitive races for the House of Delegates this year.

Del. David B. Albo, 43, is facing his most serious challenge for re-election since the Republican took office in 1994. His opponent is Gregory A. Werkheiser, 32, a business lawyer and moderate Democrat. Werkheiser has excited many in his party who think he could snatch the Republican seat in a district that has voted Democratic in recent years, going for Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) in the 2004 presidential election.

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Albo has put illegal immigration at the forefront of his campaign, touting legislation he sponsored to deny driver’s licenses and benefits such as welfare and Medicaid to many illegal immigrants. If reelected, he said, he will work to authorize local and state officials to detain illegal immigrants for certain crimes.

“Illegal immigrants, I believe, are ruining this country. They are costing you so much money you don’t even know it,” he said at a debate sponsored by the West Springfield Civic Association on Oct. 5.

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