Recommendations for 2019 Worcester preliminary election -- 2nd installment (School Committee)

Sadly, we believe that the Worcester School Committee needs a significant shakeup.  In our three decades in Worcester we have never before been as disappointed as we are now with the incumbent members of the School Committee.  It has become increasingly apparent in the last year that, despite the sincere efforts of many excellent and well-intended educators, our public school system is failing many of our students; we can and must do better; but most of the current School Committee members have opted for business as usual with a little bit of lip service to improvement. 

Tuesday’s preliminary election will remove only one of the 13 candidates; you get to vote for up to 6. 

Of the five incumbent members of the school committee seeking re-election, we feel strongly that only Jack Foley deserves our support.  The field of challengers this year includes some candidates with a wealth of experience and many with perspectives that need to be heard.  Among them, our strongest recommendations are for Cara Berg Powers and Tracy O’Connell Novick.  (Full disclosure:  we have both volunteered a lot on Cara’s campaign.)  It appears that Laura Clancey is the one challenger who is most in line with the incumbents and that the business-as-usual establishment is backing her.  We feel she would not be a good addition to the body.  Among the other five, it is not clear who are the strongest voices, and all would be an improvement over the incumbents. 

Why Cara Berg Powers?  She knows the Worcester schools both as an alumna and as a parent.  Cara has worked closely with urban youth for over a decade, she has made it her business over several years to thoroughly understand education policy, and she has in-depth knowledge and ideas about how to meet complex needs of a diverse student body. Her viewpoint is to treat all children as if they are your own.  She has knocked on thousands of doors all spring and summer and has listened to hundreds of parents and other concerned community members; she has specific plans to make sure these voices continue to be heard.   

Why Tracy O’Connell Novick?  She combines an exhaustive knowledge of education policy and funding streams with a fierce dedication to equity for all students.  She knows what is possible and what kind of educational opportunities we can be expected to provide for our students.  We can count on her to use her deep understanding to hold the school department and its leadership accountable. 

Two major issues have exemplified the need for change on the School Committee.  

1)      Sex education.  Comprehensive, age appropriate, evidence-based sex education saves lives, empowers young people to take charge of choices that profoundly affect their futures, and has been shown to reduce teen sexual activity.  By state law, any such program includes a parental opt out provision.  It is unconscionable that in Worcester we have none of it in our public schools, while the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases has been rising dramatically since 2015 and Worcester’s teen pregnancy rate is significantly above the state average.  The Worcester Impact on Sexual Health (WISH) Task Force was convened in 2017 to find an appropriate curriculum for Worcester schools. 

Composed of a broad base of community groups and health organizations, WISH engaged in an exhaustive and community-based process, eventually recommending three viable curricula.  One of these was deemed to be a political hot potato because it was associated with Planned Parenthood.  The curriculum that was ultimately recommended was scuttled by School Committee members.  Chaired by Brian O’Connell with additional members John Monfredo and Molly McCullough, the subcommittee that was supposed to hold a public hearing on the curriculum abruptly cancelled the meeting when the hearing was to take place.  O’Connell and Monfredo went public with criticisms of the curriculum, convincing Superintendent Binienda to pull it.  McCullough did nothing to blow the whistle.  In contrast, Jack Foley criticized the cancellation of the hearing.  You can read more details of how this all happened here and here.  This is beyond lack of leadership.  It is moving us in a regressive, dangerous direction.  At a public forum earlier this week, we heard Senator Harriette Chandler speak passionately on this issue:  that it is unconscionable to put political pressures before the lives of children.  We agree with Senator Chandler, and that is one major reason we recommend replacing these incumbents. 

2)      Racial disparities in educational opportunities and discipline.  These issues are by no means unique to Worcester, but we need better leadership to address them.  We have been involved in the local struggle around this perhaps more closely than many of you, so we will share our experience and perspective.  There are several links to go into the weeds. 

Both anecdotal reports of students’ lived experience and data collected over the last several years shows that public schools around the country, including the Worcester Public School system, have not lived up to their obligation to many of their students.  Worcester’s school population is about 70% students of color.  There are marked disparities between white students and students from communities of color in both educational achievement and the way they are disciplined.  In 2017-2018, Worcester’s students were predominantly Latino (42.9%).  English Language learners (ELs, students where English is not the predominant language in their homes) comprised a third (32.8%) of our student population.  Our ELs have the highest dropout rate at 5%, followed by Latino students, of whom 3.4% dropped out of school.  Latino students have the highest chronic absenteeism (19.9%) and disciplinary exclusion (11.5%) rates.  These numbers come from Massachusetts’ Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).  All of this suggests that Worcester Public Schools are failing our students of color, particularly our Latino students and English Language learners. 

The Worcester Coalition for Education Equity (WCEE) was formed to address these issues, calling for several steps to remedy the problems.  They hoped that school department leadership and its elected oversight body – the School Committee – would receive feedback and constructive suggestions for improvement with open minds and an eagerness to address the issues.  What they encountered instead from the School Department was defensiveness, withholding of key data, and disregard for the expertise of community stakeholders from different racial/ethnic groups. 

When WCEE issued a statement outlining the problems, offering a range of constructive action steps, and calling for the School Committee not to renew Superintendent Binienda’s expiring contract, several School Committee members responded with defensiveness and outrage.  Dianna Biancheria told Hank Stolz that WCEE was “pointing fingers” and “throwing a log on the fire;” saying that she didn’t know who the statement came from even though it came out with 23 signatories on it several days before this conversation.  (Hank also spoke with Isabel Gonzalez-Webster, who laid out how WCEE came to its recommendations, so you can hear why WCEE felt the need for action.) 

What followed got convoluted with a lot of people getting upset about accusations of racism, even though WCEE tried to keep the focus on structural racism and what could be done about it.  Mayor Petty tried to defuse the situation by issuing this statement accepting many of the recommendations of WCEE.  The School Committee, clearly unwilling to outright vote against renewal of Superintendent Binienda’s contract, could have taken action steps to actualize Mayor Petty’s statement.  They could have given her a one-year contract with specific benchmarks to meet the conditions outlined, with further renewal contingent on meeting them.  But that wasn’t what happened.  Instead they extended her contract for three years, with a substantial raise, with no conditions written into it.  The vote was 5-2 (the Mayor gets a vote) with Petty, O’Connell, Monfredo, McCullough, and Biancheria voting in favor, and Jack Foley and Dante Comparetto voting against.  (Dante Comparetto is not seeking re-election.)  Members of several communities of color felt that this had been a slap in the face.  We agree and believe that the School Committee members who voted in the affirmative should not be re-elected. 

If you want to learn more about the candidates’ views, you can browse the Worcester Education Collaborative’s online candidate forum .

To clarify our recommendations, you can vote for up to six candidates in the preliminary for Worcester School Committee on Tuesday, September 10.  Polls are open from 7 AM to 8 PM.

We would enthusiastically urge a vote FOR:

Cara Berg Powers

Jack Foley (incumbent)

Tracy O’Connell Novick

We sadly but strongly urge you to vote AGAINST:

Dianna Biancheria (incumbent)

Laura Clancey

Molly McCullough (incumbent)

John Monfredo (incumbent)

Brian O’Connell (incumbent)

Finally, we believe that all of the remaining challengers in this race would bring an improvement over the incumbents we have recommended against.

We realize that these are complicated issues and everyone has their own thoughts, feelings, and perceptions about them.  We are very willing to discuss them further – feel free to contact us. 

Sincerely,

Margot Barnet and David Coyne

Recommendations for 2019 Worcester Preliminary Election - first installment (City Council)

Some people wonder if municipal elections are important.  Some might say there is not a progressive way to fill a pot hole or to collect garbage (we would disagree); but surely there is a progressive way to promote affordable housing or to bring about greater equity in the public schools.  Especially now, with cruelty and scandal stripped bare every day on the national scene, our answer is a resounding, “YES,” local government is where the rubber hits the road.  In our blog from a year ago, commenting on state elections, we wrote, “…we feel that it is crucial to use whatever power is available in state government to address the problems we face and hold a firm line on further erosion of human rights.  We need leadership.”  We believe strongly that this is also true of municipal government. 

This year we have a larger than typical field of candidates running for both City Council At-Large and School Committee.  This post will focus on City Council.  Stay tuned for a separate one on School Committee in a few days. 

The preliminary election on Tuesday, September 10^th will narrow the 15 candidates seeking At-Large positions on the City Council to 12, since according to the City’s charter the final election must have no more than twice the number of candidates as positions to be filled.  There are no district City Council races which require a preliminary election.  In the At-Large race, you get to vote for up to 6. 

One incumbent, Konnie Lukes, is not seeking re-election.  This means that at least one person not currently on the Council will be elected.  Theoretically all of the seats are “open,” since we do not have staggered terms.  It is unusual in this system for incumbent at-large councilors to be defeated, but it can and does happen. 

Our very strongest recommendation for your vote this year is Etel Haxhiaj.  We have gotten to know Etel over the last several years in a variety of social justice settings.  Her passion for justice is both fierce and compassionate.  She herself was a refugee from Albania as a teenager.  She recognizes the challenges that marginalized people face and she is determined to create a city where everyone is treated with respect, where everyone is welcome, where everyone can thrive.  Despite being under 40, Etel has a wealth of experience in public service.  She worked in the state Attorney General’s office as a consumer advocate, served the City of Worcester both on the Community Development Block Grant Committee and the Citizen’s Advisory Council, assisted homeless families managing The Village at Central Mass Housing Alliance, and currently works for Mothers Out Front, where she organizes mothers to fight for a livable climate for all children.  She states, “As a single mom of two boys in Worcester Public Schools and as a community organizer, I am deeply invested in the issues that affect working families, our children, and economically vulnerable communities.”  We think she would be a fearless, remarkable, and positive addition to the Worcester City Council.  (In case you are wondering how to pronounce her last name, a phonetic spelling would be Ha-jee-eye.)

In our assessment, Etel’s strongest competition for the “open” seat will likely comes from Tony Economou, who previously held the District 1 seat on the Council, and Donna Colorio, a former School Committee member.  We urge you NOT to vote for either one of them. 

When on the Council previously, Economou consistently sided with business interests over those of residents.  He is determined to change the tax rate to make it less favorable to homeowners.  We think that is a bad idea, and that his overall approach to policy is detrimental to our vision of a city that values equity.    

Donna Colorio participated in local voter suppression efforts, opposes reproductive choice, actively supported Geoff Diehl against Elizabeth Warren in 2018, and chairs the local Republican City Committee.  We don’t need her anywhere near city government. 

As to incumbent councilors, we feel strongly that Khrystian King should be returned to the Council.  He has been a consistent voice and vote for justice on all fronts.  Other incumbent at-large councilors have mixed records, and we are not making recommendations about them at this time. 

We have tried to do our due diligence regarding other challengers for the Council.  A couple of the new candidates don’t have a web page, campaign facebook page, or twitter account, and we can’t find out anything substantive about them.  This suggests to us that they are not taking the race very seriously.  This includes Sean Parretti-Noone and Ralph A. Tiscione, Jr.  A few others do have campaign sites.  James Bedard is a friend and we share a fundamental political outlook, but he doesn’t seem to have put serious work into his campaign; his web page just went up in the last day or two.  Evan Corrigan has a Facebook page and a twitter account, and his motivation seems to be only that he wants to be on the City Council; there is no evidence of him standing for anything.  Jesse Gibson has a web page where he raises some important issues about racial disparities, but he is a graduate of (Jerry Fallwell’s) Liberty University and that raises a red flag for us.  We would not vote for him unless we saw a statement that he does not share its point of view of Christian hegemony married to unfettered “free” markets.  Owurakwaku Poku Sarkodieh has a web page (which I had trouble finding, probably because of the complexity of his name; google just his last name and you will find it) and might be worthy of consideration if he makes it past the preliminary.  Bill Coleman is a nice guy and a perennial candidate who consistently fails to put together a serious campaign.  Unfortunately there is no evidence that that will change this year.

If you want to get into the weeds like we do, you can take a look at candidates’ financial records on the web site of the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF).  City Council candidates are classified by OCPF as “depository candidates,” which means that they have to file a financial report showing donations, expenditures, and cash on hand every two weeks.  Click on “Browse Registered Filers & Reports” to find out about a specific candidate.  There are multiple ways you can use the search function on this site; check them out. 

Please feel free to contact us if you have further questions; and to share these recommendations with people you think might be interested in and benefit from them.  (A link to this post is the most efficient way to do that.)

Thank you for allowing us to share our opinions about elections with you.  We are honored that many of our friends actually ask us for them.  We also appreciate that some people who like us and who we like don’t share our views.  Whether you agree with us or not, please be sure to vote!

Sincerely,

Margot Barnet and David Coyne

Recommendations for 2018 general election

Dear friends and neighbors around the state of Massachusetts,

Here are our recommendations for the upcoming election, this time for the General Election which will be held on Tuesday, November 6, with early voting options also available.

To see who is on your ballot, follow this link, and after you fill in your address information, click “my state election ballot” in the box under “view my ballot.”

Both of us voted early this year (you can still do that through Friday) and we both voted yes on all three ballot questions and for Democrats up and down the ticket.  We are giving you our list to keep it simple, with detailed rationale and links below if you choose to read further.  We elaborate in particular detail for some races: 1) where we think we have something to offer for your consideration, 2) that are more seriously contested, and/or 3) where the outcome seems to be in doubt and really matters.                                                                     

The candidates for statewide office that we strongly recommend are: 

Elizabeth Warren for United States Senate

Jay Gonzalez/Quentin Palfrey for Governor/Lieutenant Governor

Maura Healey for Attorney General

Deborah Goldberg for State Treasurer

We also strongly recommend a YES vote on all three ballot questions.  A quick summary of the questions is below, with our reasons later. 

If you reside in the 2^nd Congressional District, you have the opportunity to vote to re-elect our good friend, the amazing James P. (Jim) McGovern for United States House of Representatives. 

There are contested elections in some local races; for some offices we have listed candidates in a few different districts who we feel are worthy of your vote if you live in one of those districts. 

In the contested races (we omitted those that are uncontested) we recommend the following:

In the Worcester area:

Paul DePalo for Governor’s Council (listed as Councillor)

Joseph D. Early, Jr. for District Attorney

Dennis P. McManus for Clerk of Courts

Kathryn A. Toomey for Register of Deeds

You are allowed to take a list of recommendations or your own voting plans with you when you go to vote, but you are not allowed to share it with anyone else within the voting location. 

In area State Senate districts that are contested, we recommend:

Tom Merolli, Worcester and Norfolk district

Anne Gobi, Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Middlesex district

Susan Chalifoux Zephir, Worcester and Middlesex district

In contested State Representative races, we recommend: 

David LeBoeuf, 17^th Worcester district

Jean Strauss, 5^th Worcester district

Tanya Neslusan, 1^st Hampden district

Ballot Question 1 would set minimum legal requirements for safe nurse staffing levels by limiting the number of patients who can be assigned to each registered nurse in MA hospitals and certain other healthcare facilities.

Ballot Question 2 would create a commission to advance an amendment to the US Constitution to limit the Influence of money in elections and to establish that corporations do not have the same rights as human beings.

Ballot Question 3 maintains the existing law adopted by the legislature in 2016 that prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity in places of public accommodation, including hotels, restaurants, and hospitals.

If you want to read further, here is why we are making these recommendations. 

Our views and priorities in state campaigns are of necessity colored by the current national scene.  We feel that it is no exaggeration at all to say that we are in a state of emergency.  It is more urgent than ever before that we address economic injustice, racial disparities, and environmental degradation including climate change. 

The federal government and our country are racing in precisely the wrong direction.  Instead of using its power and resources to find equitable solutions to these pressing problems, the Trump Administration ignores or exacerbates these challenges.  It has functioned as a slush fund to enrich the president, his family, and other government officials.  It threatens human rights, attacks the free press, and foments hatred and scapegoating.  Simultaneously, Republicans have moved to enact policies that plunder the earnings of people with low and moderate incomes in order to benefit the wealthiest people on earth.  They have stripped workers of basic protections, endangered consumers and the environment, and suppressed the institutions of basic democracy including the right to vote. 

In this context, we feel that it is crucial to use whatever power is available in state and local government to address the problems we face and to hold a firm line on further erosion.  We need effective and compassionate leadership that will resist the party of Trump. 

Senator Elizabeth Warren displays this kind of leadership.  Because of her distinguished background in bankruptcy law, she knows more than almost anyone else about why families are struggling to make ends meet.  Her research on this led her to advocacy and then to running for office, and she is driven by her passion for justice, never by personal ambition.  She never fails to stand up for what she believes in, challenging officials appointed by Democrats as well as Republicans.  We need to keep her voice in the U.S. Senate.  Senator Warren’s Republican opponent was the 2016 chair of the Trump for President campaign in Massachusetts.

We feel that the administration of Charlie Baker and Karyn Polito has been characterized mostly by timidity, mediocrity, and mean-spiritedness.  Baker has stood by while our transportation infrastructure crumbled, failed to take bold steps to stem the opioid epidemic, tried to undermine public education, taken only baby steps to slow climate change, favored corporate interests over those of workers and consumers, and shrunk rather than expanded access to health care coverage.  As environmental activists, we are especially disturbed by Baker’s undermining of the solar industry in Massachusetts and his support for public funding of pipelines carrying fracked gas.  All this is unacceptable and unnecessary.  Baker is depicted as tall, handsome, affable, and moderate (or at least not Trump).  But he has repeatedly supported allies of Trump and proposed policies pushed by ALEC, a major right-wing think tank.  This article sums up how we can do better and expect more.  If you want to know even more about how the Baker/Polito administration has failed us, read about a whole range of issues here.

Jay Gonzalez, by contrast, has a comprehensive set of proposals to take on these and many other issues.  Jay was the Director of Administration and Finance in the Patrick administration and had a lot of private sector experience before that and since then.  In running for Governor, he brings this administrative experience as well as a passion for improving our quality of life and we feel he can bring his vision to fruition.  Jay believes, as we do, that it is time for ambitious vision and goals, not timid management and handouts to big business.  Take a look at Jay’s issues proposals here.  We think you will be impressed, as we have been when hearing Jay speak about his vision and plans for action.  Jay’s running mate, the Lieutenant Governor candidate, Quentin Palfrey brings strength to the ticket with both passion and a wealth of experience in finding innovative solutions to some of the pressing problems outlined above.  You can learn more about Quentin here. 

We love Attorney General Maura Healey.  She has been doing amazing work as “the people’s lawyer” during her term in office.  She has brought millions of dollars back to Massachusetts residents by making polluters pay, challenging overcharges by utility companies, and getting exorbitant student loans discharged.  She has stood up against Trump Administration policies including offshore oil drilling, immigrant travel bans, and restrictions on family planning.  She has cracked down on sex trafficking, on firearms sellers exploiting loopholes in our commonsense gun safety laws, and on predatory trade schools.  She is fearless and tireless. 

Deb Goldberg has been a hands-on State Treasurer, delivering on promises to help families save for college (at no cost to taxpayers), help residents develop financial literacy, fight for greater diversity on corporate boards, and promoting sustainability and accountability practices in corporations that do business with the state.  She continues to fight for wage equality.

Many people don’t know much about Governor’s Council and why it is important.  This body approves or rejects the Governor’s judicial nominees.  Judges and their basic perspectives matter.  Paul DePalo, a former schoolteacher and an attorney with experience representing children in juvenile court, is running to bring a community perspective to this office.  He will fight for the selection of judges who will affirm gender equality, find help rather than incarceration for troubled youth, and enforce worker rights and civil rights.  Learn more about Paul here.  

Joe Early deserves to be reelected as Worcester County District Attorney.  His office has done an excellent job of securing criminal convictions.  His focus is also on crime prevention and on helping nonviolent drug offenders, especially youth, to find alternatives to incarceration, giving them a chance to become productive members of society. 

Dennis McManus deserves to be reelected as Worcester County Clerk of Courts.  He has done a very good job in this role for several years and his office has been highly rated.

Kathryn (Katie) Toomey (not the Worcester City Councilor) is an experienced practicing real estate attorney running for Registrar of Deeds.  The person elected to this post manages the county office that is responsible for keeping the legal documents to ensure that the property that you own is legally recorded as yours.  Her opponent has no experience in law or real estate.  You can find out more about Katie and her campaign here.

David LeBoeuf is a first-time candidate with a remarkable track record of community service and civic engagement, running against a very right-wing Republican in a swing district.  Details about David here.  If you live in the 17^th Worcester district, please be sure to vote for David!

We strongly support Ballot Question #1 because we believe in regulations that promote safety.  The organization that represents 70% of bedside nurses in the state wrote this law in response to the large and growing number of incidents that put both patients and nurses in jeopardy.  The opponents of this ballot question (hospitals and their very highly paid executives and administrators) have spent tens of millions of dollars to confuse voters and to sow doubt.  They have couched their arguments against government mandated safe staffing levels by claiming that the requirement for minimum staffing will endanger patient safety.  They have claimed that other staff will be cut, but in fact the proposed law explicitly forbids this.  It is clear to us that a key part of their strategy is to pit lower paid and lower level staff against one another.  The state already mandates minimum nurse staff levels in Intensive Care Units.  There have been measurable reductions in hospital-acquired infections since that was implemented.  Please see this article for an analysis of the issue and the misleading claims of the campaign waged against it by the most powerful lobbying group in Massachusetts. 

We think Ballot Question #2 is a no-brainer; it is the first – and very measured – step toward developing a state position in favor of a constitutional amendment to overturn the disastrous Supreme Court decision that allowed unlimited money without disclosure of its source to flow into politics.  See this for a succinct explanation of the question. 

We have been very active in support of Ballot Question #3 because we feel it is crucial to defend the civil rights of this very vulnerable population.  You can read all about this issue here.

Thank you for allowing us to share our opinions about elections with you.  We are honored that many of our friends actually ask us for them.  We also appreciate that some people who like us and who we like don’t share our views.  Whether you agree with us or not, please be sure to vote!

Sincerely,

Margot Barnet and David Coyne

Margot's and David's recommendations for Sept 4 2018 primary

Dear friends,

We are once again reaching out to friends and neighbors with our recommendations for the upcoming election, this time for statewide candidates in the Democratic primary Tuesday, September 4, the day after tomorrow (which is Labor Day).  We recommend Jay Gonzalez for Governor, Quentin Palfrey for Lieutenant Governor, and Josh Zakim for Secretary of State.  We will elaborate on our reasons below.  Please forgive us for the lateness of this message.  We have also been working very hard on one local race, and our intense focus there has prevented our getting to this communication until now.  More on that below also. 

Our views and priorities in state campaigns are of necessity colored by the current national scene.  We feel that we are in a state of emergency.  Just as it is becoming more urgent to address economic injustice, enormous racial disparities, environmental degradation, and climate change, the federal government is racing in the wrong direction.  Instead of using its power and resources to find equitable solutions to these pressing problems, the current administration acts as a slush fund for officials in key power positions, enacts policy that plunders the earnings of people with low and moderate incomes to benefit the wealthiest among us, destroys protections for workers, consumers, and the environment, threatens a variety of human rights, and foments hatred and division to divert attention from these ravages. 

In this context, we feel that it is crucial to use whatever power is available in state government to address the problems we face and hold a firm line on further erosion of human rights.   We need leadership. 

We feel that the administration of Charlie Baker and Karyn Polito has been characterized mostly by mediocrity and mean-spiritedness.  Baker has stood by while our transportation infrastructure crumbles, failed to take bold steps to stem the opioid epidemic, tried to undermine public education, taken only baby steps to slow climate change, and shrunk rather than expanded access to health care coverage.  This is unacceptable and unnecessary.  Jay Gonzalez has a comprehensive set of proposals on these and many other issues, the administrative experience to bring his vision to fruition, and the boldness to fight for it.  Jay was the Director of Administration and Finance in the Patrick administration and had a lot of private sector experience before that; his background gives him standing to refute Baker’s claims of management expertise.  Take a look at Jay’s issues proposals here.  We think you will be impressed, as we have been when hearing Jay speak about his vision and plans for action. 

Quentin Palfrey brings both passion and a wealth of experience in finding innovative solutions to some of the pressing problems outlined above.  As Senior Advisor for jobs and Competitiveness in the Obama administration, he led a variety of initiatives to create an economy that works for everyone.  In Massachusetts he served as chief of the Healthcare Division in the office of the Attorney General, overseeing implementation of health care reform. He is dedicated to addressing the underlying causes of poverty and inequality.  We have been impressed with his comprehensive grasp of the key issues we face as well as his heartfelt approach to public service.  You can learn more about Quentin here. 

Josh Zakim, a young attorney and Boston City Councilor, is challenging the long-time incumbent Secretary of State in order to make voting more accessible to citizens of Massachusetts.  Sometimes the office holders and candidates who are vying for offices that are not at the top of the ticket don’t get much attention, but who holds these offices can have a profound effect on how our democracy plays out.  The Secretary of State administers our election system, overseeing (with considerable discretion) how the election laws are implemented.  He or she is in the position to propose and champion changes to existing law.  The election laws we have now in Massachusetts resemble the ones in states like North Carolina where Republican-controlled legislatures have enacted draconian legislation with the express intention of suppressing voter turnout.

Josh points out that our voter turnout has plummeted over the last 30 years.   Low turnouts here favor entrenched incumbents, especially top leaders in the state House of Representatives who year after year prevent vital environmental, worker protection, and funding legislation from moving forward.  If we were serious about expanding access to voting we would expand early voting to include primaries and municipal and special elections, institute no-excuse absentee voting, and remove the 20-day deadline before an election to register to vote.  Josh Zakim favors all of these reforms, and is already fighting for them. 

In his current role as a Boston city councilor, Josh has consistently stood up for equity, fairness, housing security and protections for immigrants.  We would be proud to have him as our Secretary of State.  You can learn more about his platform here.  

In our local race for State Representative in the 17th Worcester District, just next door to the one we live in, we have been helping our longtime friend and political ally David LeBoeuf to win the Democratic nomination.  If you live in that district we have already reached out to you to let you know about David, and we urge you to vote for him!  He brings an impressive track record of civic engagement, successful advocacy, and community service to his quest for public office.  Professionally, David has led initiatives to support small business and develop strong local economies.  He has held key roles in a number of political campaigns including serving as campaign manager for Harriette Chandler’s re-election in 2014.  You can learn more about David here.  

Looking toward the November election, we urge you to support and get involved in ballot questions #1: Safe Patient Limits, and #3: protecting civil rights for transgender individuals.  We will elaborate on our reasons for supporting these questions in a later post.  Meanwhile, you can learn more here and here. 

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

P.S. 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.  Polls are open from 7 AM to 8 PM.  If you are unenrolled, you need to ask for a Democratic ballot to vote for the candidates we are recommending.  If you are not sure where you vote, you can find out here.    

(It is a bit ironic that we're sending you to a page with a picture of our candidate's opponent on it.  It demonstrates his penchant for self-promotion.) 

Vote Doug Arbetter for District 5 City Council Tuesday, September 12

We’re sorry to be posting this at the last minute.  It has been a hectic time for many of us.  We hope that you and all of your loved ones are safe and doing well.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, September 12, there will be preliminary elections for Worcester’s non-partisan municipal contests in Districts 1 and 5.  We live in District 5 which consists of Wards 7 and 9, currently represented by Gary Rosen.  There are three serious and active candidates in this race.  After tomorrow’s vote the top two vote getters will continue on to face one another in the general election in November.

Over the past few years we have been flattered to have had many friends, neighbors, and colleagues ask us to share our recommendations regarding candidates for public office.  We are proud to be unusually active in many political campaigns and we spend a great deal of time learning about the candidates and their views.  We understand that you probably haven’t asked for our opinion at this time.  You are, of course, free to ignore this, to follow our advice, or to go in the exact opposite direction.  We are willing to discuss our opinions and we certainly will continue to love and respect those whose judgment comes down differently.  We do think that it is important to vote as the turnout tomorrow is expected to be low and the stakes are high.

Our views are quite obviously shaped in large part by our values and ideology.  We care about the city of Worcester, about the nature of debate on important issues, and about the full and equitable inclusion of voices of all our neighbors.  At this moment in time, as President Trump continues to speak, tweet, and act in ways that are very concerning to us, a candidate’s posture regarding Trump and his supporters is overwhelmingly important to us.  We need leadership at every level, inside and outside of government, that will stand with those who are targeted, that will rise in the prophetic tradition to speak truth to power.

We have heard good things, that they are sincere, good neighbors, hardworking, and nice people, about Matt Wally, Paul Franco, and Doug Arbetter.  We have donated to, assisted, and will be voting for Doug Arbetter.  We strongly urge you to join us in voting for him tomorrow.  Here’s why.

Doug Arbetter stands for much of what we believe in.  Like us, Doug’s role model and hero on the local political scene is Jim McGovern, for whom he once worked.  He is young and bright, part of an emerging generation of leaders that as a whole fill us with optimism even in these troubling times.  He is an unabashed progressive Democrat who has already demonstrated his willingness to stand up for communities at risk.  He has earned the endorsement of Mass Alliance, a coalition of political and advocacy groups including labor, environmental, women’s, pro-choice, and LGBTQ organizations.  If elected, he will be an excellent city councilor and a reliable vote for Mayor Joe Petty’s block on most issues. 

Paul Franco has previously run unsuccessfully as the Republican nominee against both State Senator Harriette Chandler and State Representative John Mahoney.  He is a leader in the local Republican City Committee.  The GOP City Committee is led by City Councilor Michael Gaffney.  Many of us believe that Gaffney is a very harsh, intolerant, and divisive voice, a leader who plays to the cheap seats, who demagogues issues and supports President Trump.  Franco may be a nice guy but in politics you are accountable for the company you keep.  Franco is an enthusiastic supporter of people who coarsen our civic deliberation and who promote policies that harm some of the most vulnerable members of our community.  If elected, he will be a reliable vote for the Gaffney block on council.  We would be horrified to have him representing us.

Matt Wally ran unsuccessfully for City Council as an at large candidate two years ago.  He impressed us then even though, then as now, he was not a top choice candidate for us.  He is a Democrat and stands for many things that are important to us.  He has worked in the non-profit housing sector and now works to assist a bank in meeting its community responsibilities.  We believe that he would make a good city councilor if elected.

If you think you live in this district but are not sure, you can check your district and your polling place by going online to wheredoivotema.com.  Polls are open from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM.  You should feel free to forward this message or otherwise share it as you see fit.

Thank you for your time and consideration. 

Sincerely,

Margot Barnet and David Coyne

Recommendations for Worcester's municipal election from Margot Barnet and David Coyne

Friends,

For several years now we have written and shared with friends and allies our opinions about candidates running for office.  We do this with sincere humility and a tremendous sense of responsibility, with our best thoughtfulness and attention.  We came to do this originally and now return to it in response to requests from some friends who, much to our amazement, respect and appreciate our attention to things political and electoral and actually have asked for our advice.

We offer this today, to some of you for the first time, to others once again.  Of course, you should feel free to ignore our views, to disagree partially or even completely, to vote your own conscience, or, if you so choose, to share our views with your friends and allies as well.  We welcome your sharing your own views with us.  

This year’s Worcester municipal elections are fraught with high stakes volatility.  At a level that we have not seen before in our more than two and a half decades living here, this election presents a series of choices that reflect dramatically different assumptions about both the purpose of government and its legitimacy, and about the current state of our city and its prospects for the future.  Our personal choices, in the light of such a debate, obviously reflect our own values and perceptions.  And we owe you at least a brief articulation of where we are so that you can determine for yourself if your own views and sensibilities would lead you to similar conclusions.

In a healthy democracy, people feel that their votes and voices matter.  When many people do not feel this, and feel squeezed, both economically and by unsustainable demands on their time, unscrupulous media and candidates can exploit their unease with demagoguery.  They fan people’s fears, and they blame and demonize the members of our community who have the least resource and the most visible breakdown of social fabric. 

By contrast there are many people in our community who struggle in many different ways to promote a livable community for everyone.  We have witnessed and been inspired by how people from really tough circumstances blossom, move toward self-sufficiency, develop leadership, and come together to solve problems when they are approached with respect and dignity.  Local government, while it often cannot on its own provide sufficient resources, can play a big role in shaping a culture that embodies the respect and dignity that allows people from different backgrounds to partner and find solutions together. 

We support candidates who believe that government has a constructive role to play, who respect the dignity and are willing to listen to the stories of everyone in our community, and who work to build consensus to solve the problems we face.  We need leaders who have the vision and courage to challenge demagoguery whenever it occurs. 

With all of this in mind we are supporting the following candidates:

Joseph “Joe” Petty for Mayor and City Councilor at Large

Morris “Moe” Bergman, Khrystian King, Linda Parham, Matt Wally, and Christina “Tina” Zlody for City Councilor at Large.

Some people contend that the best way to support their candidates of choice is by bullet voting, by voting for fewer and sometime many fewer candidates than there are spots.  In this case we believe block voting will be more effective, as bullet voting leaves too much room for candidates who should be defeated. 

We are declining to comment on district council races except for District 4, where our good friend Sarai Rivera is facing a challenge from a candidate with a very different agenda.  Sarai understands and embodies the vision we outlined above more than anyone else in our city leadership.  It is crucial that she return for another term. 

We have quite honestly paid far less attention to the race for School Committee this year.  Three incumbent members of the School Committee have, we believe, provided high quality consistent leadership and representation.  We will be voting for Jack Foley, Tracy O’Connell Novick, and Hilda Ramirez.  We also urge you to reject the candidacy of Donna Colorio, a Tea Party extremist.

For more background about our choices, see our September blog post here.  Our thoughts and vision about public policy for a healthy future require a much longer series of conversations, and we invite you to engage in them with us.  Please let us know if you would like to talk with us about anything we have touched on after Tuesday’s election. 

Thank you for your attention and for exercising your sacred right to vote,

Margot and David

Recommendations for Worcester’s Preliminary Election from Margot Barnet and David Coyne

Some of our friends have asked us for our recommendations for this year’s municipal election.  We are always honored that people we know and respect value our opinions! 

The Preliminary Election on Tuesday, September 8^th will narrow the field for at-large city council, eliminating four candidates from November’s ballot.  You get to vote for up to six.  In November the top 12 will be on the ballot for the six at-large seats, as well as candidates for district councilor and school committee.  The election for Mayor will also take place in November.  Under Worcester’s charter, all candidates for at-large City Council are automatically candidates for Mayor unless they opt out a week after the preliminary.  (Most usually opt out.  This year only Mayor Joe Petty and Councilor Mike Gaffney have so far declared their candidacy for Mayor.)

We are so late in getting out our list of recommendations this year because it has been hard to figure out our choices.  We have seen a lack of political courage and skill among most incumbent councilors and are more certain of who we do NOT want to vote for than those we do want to support.  Despite this disappointment, we believe there are substantial differences among the candidates and that the election of some of them portend serious harm to our city. 

We ask you to join us in supporting and voting for Joe Petty for Councilor at Large and, in November, Mayor, as well as Moe Bergman, Khrystian King, Linda Parham, and Tina Zlody, for Councilors at Large. 

We have left open one slot for an additional candidate of your choice.  However, we ask you to NOT vote for Konnie Lukes or Mike Gaffney. 

Here are some of the issues that are important to us and the reasons for our choices.  We will weigh in on school committee and district council races after the preliminary.  We will discuss the Mayor’s race now because it is relevant to how votes for the at-large councilors are distributed. 

Both of us value, and have worked for many years to promote, a healthy, vibrant community.  This has many dimensions.  We proudly recognize Worcester’s leadership on issues of primarily environmental concern like recycling and becoming a Green Community.  Being a healthy community also includes fostering a locally based economy so that good jobs are close to where we live, local dollars build local prosperity, and economic relationships are based on trust.  It includes a culture of respect for people of all backgrounds and stations in life, including making sure that voices of historically disenfranchised populations are heard.  It includes recognizing that public safety depends on relationships of trust.  Policing, a dangerous and important job, is made more difficult when large swaths of law-abiding residents believe they cannot trust the police to treat them fairly. 

Issues of race relations have been in the forefront in Worcester in the past year as they have been around the country.  We have been present as members of People of Color communities, many of them our longtime allies in social justice work, spoke out about racial disparities in the community, especially regarding law enforcement .  We regret that none of the at-large city councilors seeking re-election exhibited courageous and effective leadership in addressing these issues.  However, some city officials have tried to play constructive roles while others have initiated actions that were decidedly not constructive.  This distinction informs our choices for future leadership. 

Mayor Joseph Petty has brought a constructive mindset to the challenging issues of racial disparities.  He has brought groups together both in public and behind the scenes for useful discussions and has made sure that voices are heard.  He has also been a visible and outspoken supporter of initiatives promoting worker justice and a strong local workforce. 

While our point of view on several issues differs from that of Councilor Moe Bergman, we see him as a person of integrity who is dedicated to improving the community for all of its residents.  He has actively engaged with some leaders in the People of Color communities and is open to learning from people whose backgrounds differ from his. 

Khrystian King has demonstrated a grasp of the relationship between youth empowerment and good public health and safety outcomes that goes beyond what most public officials express. He is articulate and practical in his policy statements.  We think he would be a great asset to the City Council. 

Rev. Linda Parham brings a grassroots community organizing perspective to the City Council race.  She played a key role in the Initiative for Engaged Citizenship, a local organization dedicated to bringing new voters into the electorate and sponsoring meaningful voter education forums.  Her leadership has promoted a dramatic increase in participation of members of minority communities in electoral politics.   We believe Linda would be an asset to the City Council. 

Christina “Tina” Zlody has contributed enormously to the quality of life in Worcester and to the economic viability of local artisans through the stArt on the Street program which she co-founded and co-directs.  She brings a can-do attitude, a wealth of organizing experience, and a generally progressive outlook to the City Council race.  She also would be an asset to the Council. 

Here are some thoughts on our recommendations for NO votes.  Both Councilors Lukes and Gaffney have introduced resolutions to the City Council that have taken issues of race relations in the wrong direction.  When informed of the divisiveness of their proposals and asked to withdraw their motions, they instead doubled down.  As a mayoral candidate, Gaffney is really dangerous.  He is positioning himself as an anti-establishment populist, so he has some appeal to people who feel the system isn’t serving them.  But he plays to the lowest impulses in civic life.  He engages in fantasyland rhetoric around public resources (lower taxes and spending while bringing in more police and more support for schools).  Both Gaffney and Lukes have taken the lead from a hate-spewing local blog, attacking local programs that improve lives and conditions in impoverished and disenfranchised communities. The quality of our civic discourse would be enhanced if they were not re-elected to the Council.  Gaffney’s and Petty’s respective showings in the preliminary election could well impact their chances in the Mayor’s race in November. 

There is a lot of background to the points we have made, but we have tried to keep this brief.  Please contact us if you have any questions or comments.