Possible Sen. Brown challenger criticizes transit authority for refusing ads

A Democrat seeking to challenge Sen. Scott Brown's bid for re-election in 2012 criticized the Boston public transit system for banning an environmental group's ad that is critical of Brown.

California-based environment group 350.org said this week that the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority said its billboards about votes Brown (R-Mass.) took on funding for the Clean Air Act were "too controversial" to appear on its trains.

U.S. Senate candidate Bob Massie disagreed, saying in a letter to MBTA General Manager Richard Davey that he was "deeply disappointed by this censorship by your agency."

"Sen. Scott Brown’s votes are a matter of public record," Massie wrote.  "The First Amendment not only requires freedom of speech, but a strong democracy requires a citizenry that is informed of its leaders’ positions. 

"Moreover, I have trouble reconciling how Sen. Brown’s public votes would be controversial while advertisements for hard liquor featuring scantily clad women or advertisements heralding the coming of the apocalypse are not," he continued.

Massie was the 1994 Democratic nominee for Massachusetts lieutenant governor, losing to the ticket that was headed by former Republican Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld. He was born with hemophilia and contracted HIV in a blood transfusion.

Democrats have not settled on a candidate to challenge Brown yet, but with the freshman Republican holding the Senate seat that had been occupied for years by Ted Kennedy, they have already indicated Brown will be a top target in 2012.

Massie's campaign said that the MBTA has not responded to his letter about the Brown ad.