This coming Tuesday, September 9th,
is Primary Election Day for statewide and state legislative offices. We believe that it really matters who we
elect, as many of the policies that affect all of our lives are determined at
the state level in both the executive and legislative branches. This
year there is an unusually large number of contested primaries. As we have talked with voters we have found
that many don’t know much about the candidates, even in the races at the top of
the ticket. So, as very active
participants in and observers of the political scene, we are sharing our
thoughts and recommendations.
A little of how the process
works: you can vote in a party primary
if you are registered in that party or if you are registered to vote but not
enrolled in any party. If you are unenrolled,
you need to ask for a Democratic ballot to vote for the candidates we are
recommending.
We are making suggestions for
several of the statewide races and also some local races. If you are not sure what district you reside
in, you can visit www.wheredoivotema.com
to find out. The site is very simple to
use.
We are Democrats – both of us serve
on the Worcester Democratic City Committee – so at this time we offer
recommendations for the Democratic primary. A key criterion for
candidates we choose to support is their commitment to public service rather
than ambition or personal advancement. To put our recommendations in
context, we are sharing an explanation of our foundational philosophies and the
reasoning behind some of our most strongly held opinions.
Our worldview is liberal (some
prefer to call it progressive) on both social issues and economic policy. We believe that government delivery of
services is the expression of our communal obligation to one another and that a
fair system of taxation is the price of civilization. The values and philosophies of the candidates
who we support or oppose are understandably colored by those views.
Through our activism and
connections with other activists all over the city and state, we have gotten to
know candidates who are running in districts other than our own. We have been impressed by some of them and
for this reason are making recommendations for those races. In some of these cases we have been playing
active roles in the campaign.
Ever since Margot ran for public
office four years ago, we are even more acutely aware than we already were of
the enormous personal sacrifice involved in standing for office. Every person who puts herself or himself
forward as a candidate deserves our respect and admiration. That said, we have carefully considered who
would be the best person for each office.
We are making recommendations only where there are contested primaries; and we are omitting one statewide race where we do not have a strong preference. Each candidate's name is hyperlinked to her or his web site, so you can click to learn more about them.
Statewide races:
Our choice for Governor is Steve Grossman. First of all he is a mensch. (For those of you who don’t know any Yiddish,
this means the best of what a human being can be.) His commitment to fairness and his commitment
to uplifting each person are totally genuine.
Steve listens exquisitely. We
have seen him connect with all kinds of people, from idealistic young people to
struggling small business owners, hand the person his card, and say, “I may not
be able to help you directly but I will find someone who can!” One of our political allies tells a story of
how Steve helped a friend of hers develop a successful business plan after she
had sought help to no avail from many other sources.
Steve is not afraid to take
controversial positions. At our local
Labor Day breakfast, he said, “if wrong is done to working people, I will be on
the picket line.” We believe it because he has been there. One of the provisions of his agenda as
Treasurer, right on his official web site, is “hold corporations
accountable.”
In his current position as State
Treasurer, Steve Grossman has kept his promises and has found innovative ways
to boost the state’s economy and protect the assets of the taxpayers. When he ran for Treasurer, Steve pledged to
enhance government transparency by putting the state’s checkbook online, and to
bring Massachusetts’ assets, some of which resided in foreign banks, into small
community banks to enable loans to small businesses. He has followed through on both of these
pledges, with the Small
Business Banking Partnership showing
an impressive track record of strengthening both small business and the
communities where they reside. We
believe Steve is the kind of creative problem solver, as well as courageous and
effective politician, that we need as Governor.
We endorse Mike Lake
for Lieutenant Governor. Mike has a
vision of how to use the office of Lieutenant Governor to address issues and
challenges faced by all of Massachusetts’ cities and towns. Currently aiding
cities and towns as CEO of Leading Cities,
Mike has the experience to promote the innovation economy and market the assets
of our state in national and international settings. He is committed to social justice at all
levels.
Maura Healey is
our choice between two undeniably progressive candidates for Attorney
General. We first learned about Maura’s
strengths from a couple of our friends who have worked for and with her in the
Attorney General’s office. One of them
told us how Maura, with her background in civil rights law, has great judgment
and knowledge of how to use the office to pick the fights that will move
important issues in the right direction.
A key example is the challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA),
for which Martha Coakley claims credit but it was really Maura who brought the
issue up and managed the case. We
believe that her experience, judgment, and willingness to take risks, along
with her inclinations toward justice and fairness, place Maura Healey in the
best position to use the Attorney General’s office as a force for progressive
change.
Local races:
State Senate, 1st
Worcester:
Harriette Chandler has
represented the 1st Worcester District in the State Senate with
dedication and competence for 14 years and has now risen to the position of Deputy
Majority Leader. No one works harder for
her constituents. We have found
Harriette open to learning about and becoming an effective advocate on issues
that were not originally her strength.
For example, she has become a strong environmental justice advocate
after being educated on the issue and hearing from constituents about it. She has always fought for women's health – it
was Harriette who introduced legislation to keep women safe and free from
harassment at reproductive health clinics after the recent Supreme Court
decision that struck down Massachusetts’ buffer law. Harriette faces tough opposition in
both the primary and general elections this year, and so your vote will really
matter in this race.
State Representative,
15th Worcester:
Mary Keefe served
as Executive Director of the Pleasant Street Neighborhood Network Center, and
has been a key leader in Worcester Interfaith, fighting for neighborhood
improvement, empowerment of residents, and jobs for youth. She translated
15 years as a community organizer in her neighborhood to being a tireless
advocate for her district and the whole city as State Representative. She stands up for justice and fairness every day
and is not afraid to challenge the leadership in the State House. Her colleagues characterize Mary as
delightful to work with and a highly effective legislator, even in her first
term. We have known and worked with
Mary for over a decade and consider her one of our closest friends and
allies. Mary faces tough opposition in
the primary this year and so every vote will count significantly.
State Representative,
16th Worcester:
Dan Donahue is a
young man whose grasp of a broad range of issues and dedication to public
service impressed us very favorably when
we first met with him. He grew up in a
union household and experienced fighting for economic justice from a very early
age. He is the first in his family to
attend college. Dan has been doing a
great job representing the 16th Worcester district since he was
elected in a special election last year.
Three of his four former opponents have endorsed him in this year’s
race. The fourth chose to run against
Dan again, drawing on some of the most reactionary elements in the
district.
State Representative,
17th Worcester:
Moses Dixon is a
young man whose record of experience in government service would be impressive
in one twice his age. He was an aide to
a US Senator, served a year-long internship with District 4 City Councilor
Sarai Rivera, and served as the legislative aide for Mary Keefe in the
Massachusetts State House. The district
he seeks to represent includes areas that have long been disenfranchised, and
Moses is in a unique position to give voice to this part of the city because he
knows it intimately from his time working with Councilor Rivera. Moses is dedicated to wholehearted
representation of the semi-rural, small town parts of the district as well as
the urban areas, having traveled extensively in Leicester during the campaign,
getting to know residents there. His
legislative experience and knowledge positions him to hit the ground running as
a new legislator and represent his district effectively from day one.
Thank you for taking the time to read through this! Most importantly, please vote!
As we say in the campaign business, Many Happy Returns!
Sincerely,
Margot and David
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.