I was at a Boston delegates event that Andrea Silbert hosted at the Milky Way in JP tonight and Felix Arroyo attended and endorsed Andrea!
I am a big fan of Felix’s and love what he’s doing on the Boston City Council. He is also the pre-eminent Latino political figure in the Greater Boston area, so to have his support should cause ripples throughout the Progressive and Latino communities.
Although no one would expect Andrea to receive the number of endorsements from state reps and others that politicians like Tim Murray and Deb Goldberg receive simply because they have been in the game for so long, some endorsments mean more than others, and Felix’s is one of those. I am so excited that my favorite councilor has endorsed my favorite LG candidate!
greenline says
Arroyo is a man of vision and uncompromising integrity. I don’t know Silbert well, but knowing that Arroyo is behind her means a lot to me. I would take issue with one statement from AndreaFan’s post — Arroyo not just a leading Latino voice in Boston. He is the pre-eminent Latino voice in the state of Massachusetts.
cos says
As someone still undecided on the Lt. Gov race, Felix Arroyo’s endorsement does sway me. That plus the PDC vote to endorse her last week, are nudging me in her direction (I was the sole dissenting vote at the PDC meeting, through there were two abstentions. I voted no not because I have anything against Silbert, but just because I’m still undecided and didn’t want to endorse anyone yet)
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He is the pre-eminent Latino voice in the state of Massachusetts.
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Wait ’til people realize John Bonifaz is Latino too 🙂
howardjp says
So Andrea has Felix, and congratulations to her. Tim Murray has Sheriff Cabral, Councilors Tobin, Consalvo and Feeney, Rep Petruccelli, and Deb Goldberg has Mike Rush and I believe, some other reps. Anyone want to add to the list?
fieldscornerguy says
That list definitely tips me toward Silbert (and I honestly haven’t been following the LG race).
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Looking at Murray’s supporters, Tobin sticks out–as the Jamiaca Plain councilor who went for years without a Spanish-speaker in his office (I’m not sure if he finally added one after taking heat for it last year), and who has opposed rent-stabilization despite the rapid gentrification of his district. He works for the West Roxbury half of his district and blows off the other half.
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Then Councilor Feeney is my district councilor, and I see nothing that she’s done for the neighborhood. Maybe the wealthier sections of Dorchester, but not here in Fields Corner. She also blew me off when I called about the City council pay hike–her aide asked if the Councilor could call me back and took my number, and no one, not even an aide, replied.
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As for Deb Goldberg having Mike Rush, he’s mainly distinguished himself in my eyes asbeing one of the only Boston-area reps to oppose in-state tuition for immigrant students. An endorsement from someone who picks on kids for political gain while keeping the state from getting tuition revenue Doesn’t impress me.
howardjp says
Also sticks out as the leading advocate for the arts on the Council, as the initiator of the Municipal Wifi study with the Boston Foundation and the current “Slow Down Boston” campaign which is trying to curb the tendencies of our neighbors to make the J-way, Centre Street, etc, into the Indy 500. I disagree with John on some issues, housing among them, but he works hard and he has some original ideas, something we need more of in this city.
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Speaking of JP, the Co-Chair of the Ward 19 Democrats, Bob Pulster, actually was Tim Murray’s first boss out of college. He hired Tim to work on housing search issues for the South Middlesex Opportunity Council (SMOC) and is a supporter of his today, so I guess Tim did a decent job there, as well as in his work for Jim McGovern.
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Anyway, I think both Tim and Andrea are terrific candidates, I’ve just known Tim longer and he’s worked hard advocating to close the telecom tax loophole that costs Boston $18m a year. My brother will be voting for Andrea at the convention so I guess it’s a wash in this family.
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Thanks for listening ..
goldsteingonewild says
Arroyo’s endorsement of Silbert begs 2 questions:
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1. Are endorsements transitive? If he endorses both Silbert and the Dixie Chicks, does that mean she’s a fan too?
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2. Arroyo took a bold, um, stand against the Iraq war – skipping Friday breakfast every other week in protest.
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Will Silbert follow? Or perhaps one less latte per month?
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Actually, maybe that’s what Mitt should have done, cut back on the caffeine, thereby leaving him a little less energy for secret visits to Iraq to “inspect the troops.”
capt-tony says
That sounds a little hard on a guy who had to overcome more than a few roadblocks to give the Latino community a real voice in Boston government. Do you have a problem with him or his progressive positions?
goldsteingonewild says
Oh Captain my Captain,
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I’m new to this site – did I really just clear the bar here for “a little hard on the guy?” Wow. I’ve never been much of a leaper.
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As for your question, I’d ask: what is progressive? For example, I read your other post, on early childhood, and thought I’d lob a friendly question:
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So far as I can tell, the early childhood bill (H 1175) is not progressive enough.
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As the Opinion Dynamics survey points out, most MA white families believe they’ve got effective care now. Black and Hispanic families, more likely to be poor, do not.
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So why create a law that will mostly subsidize middle-class families in the long run? (In the short run, the bill pending in the State House will prioritize low-income families).
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I’d rather means-test it, like the earned income tax credit or free/reduced price lunch. That way the program will cost less overall.
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I’d like to see savings used to give BETTER quality care (full day programs, with optional home visits available to parents) to disadvantaged kids (and special needs kids), AND have money left over to improve K-3 literacy in inner-city elementary schools. Or at least to keep the poor getting Medicaid services, since you know those costs are rising faster than our state income. Or to honor the pleas of those in Dorchester and Mattapan, who want more beat cops. Money is limited, of course, and it’s hard to see how middle-class child care entitlement when parents describe satisfaction with their status quo is “progressive.”
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Are we on the same page?
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Cheers,
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-GGW
bob-neer says
I’d say progressive means making progress 😉
capt-tony says
This seems a little off topic from the Arroyo endorsement but…
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You point is well taken that low income families need state sponsored, quality early education opportunities. However, you fall into the trap of confusing the purpose of full-day early ed as day care. It is not.
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The purpose of universal early ed is ensure that all 3, 4 and 5 year olds in the Commonwealth have access to what is increasingly being recognized as a vital component of a child’s education curriculum. It is not (primarily at least) to ensure that they are in a safe care environment while their parents go to work.
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In other words, you need to look at early ed as you would at 11th grade. It’s not a “nice to have if you can pay for it” type of program. The scientific data is conclusive that kids that participate in quality early ed programs do better in future school and life endevors than those that don’t. Ensuring that this opportunity is available to all Massachusetts residents is critical. Just as public school 1st grade is available to all Massachusetts families, be they rich, middle income or poor, so should quality early education. (Statewide full day kindergarten is also a goal of this campaign and a topic I will get into at another time).
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We need to create a mind change of how we look at early ed and its role in preparing young minds for the future. Many other states are already ahead of us in this area, but when Massachusetts passes the needed legislation, we will be on the forefront of reforming how we look at public education and learning.
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That sounds very “Progressive” to me.
goldsteingonewild says
Dear Captain,
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We don’t disagree on the value of quality early ed.
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We just disagree on what defines a progressive policy.
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You favor a policy that gives early ed aid to rich, middle class, and poor (universal).
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I feel that in this particular situation, better to spend all available monies on the poor.
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Some studies of early ed (Abcedarian) show that the super high-quality programs do pay off bigtime for poor kids. However, states which have adopted big early ed programs – like Georgia in 98 and Oklahoma in 95 – have seen no positive outcomes.
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This is a tomato/tomahto policy difference – you can make a reasonable case for your version or my version.
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However, whichever is the wiser policy, I don’t see how your version fits a reasonable definition of “progressive.”
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[It’s probably neutral as to who it helps, and could even be regressive. For example, it seems plausible that a universal early-ed program would become so expensive it would squeeze the state budget down the road. Then we’d either have to cut back on the early ed middle-class benefit, or cut services to the poor, like Mass Health. Gee, I wonder who wins that battle. Also, all that add’l early ed buying power you give to rich and middle class communities means that they’re more likely to be able to attract the best early ed teachers.]
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You’re right that this discussion far afield of Arroyo. I think I was responding to your post’s question about whether I favored Arroyo’s “progressive policies.”
In responding to you and asking for a clarification, I probably was thinking more about this whole website – the word “progressive” is thrown around so much, and attached to people with very different policy positions, as to blur its meaning. So thanks for indulging. Now back to our regularly scheduled program, EndorsementPalooza.
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Cheers,
GGW
capt-tony says
Hey GGW,
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I agree with some of what you wrote, but I just don’t have the pre-covention time to list my reasons for why universal early ed is the best approach for MA.
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I do want to dispute your contention that the effects in GA and OK have not shown progress. Quite the contray my friend!
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In Oklahoma, according to The Effects of Universal Pre-K on Cognitive Development by William T. Gormley, Jr., Ted Gayer, Deborah Phillips & Brittany Dawson, “The research supports the proposition that a universal pre-k program financed by state government and implemented with high standards for teachers can improve pre-reading, pre-writing, and pre-numeracy skills for a diverse cross-section of young children. “
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And in GA, according to Georgia’s Universal Pre-K Program Early Childhood Study 2001-2002 Gary T. Henry et al., of the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University, “Children in Georgia’s UPK program made significant gains in their cognitive and language skills. Because the state pre-k program is for all children, this finding provides evidence that a broad cross-section of children, not just the poor, benefit from preschool.”
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These are the foremost studies on these programs and it is generally accepted that universal prgrams in both states have made a tremendous difference for all children, regardless of income, color or background.
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As far as the budget is concerned, I have never been a fan of putting off a proven public policy because at some point in the future we may have to make tough budget decisions. If it works and will make kids better students, while saving the Commonwealth money in the long run, you do it.
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Cheers,
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The Capt.
cos says
I gave that comment a 5 but would’ve given it a 6 if it included links to those studies, abstracts of those studies, or newspaper articles about them that summarized them and confirm what you say.
capt-tony says
5 out of what? 10? Man, you’re a tough grader!
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Anyways, here are the links-
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Oklahoma
http://www.apa.org/journals/releases/dev416872.pdf
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Georgia
http://www.strategiesforchildren.org/eea/ 3research_summaries/05_EffectsUPKPrograms.pd
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I should have included these earlier.
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Sorry.
amicus says
Not sure how Samiyah Diaz got tagged with the “neophyte” label while Sonia Chang (now Sonia Chang-Diaz) got labelled an experienced political operative. Samiyah Diaz has worked for Felix, Suffolk DA Dan Conley as well as Wilkerson campaigns in the past. And I agree with the comment that Felix rightly has earned stature in the Latino community in Boston.
rollbiz says
Andreafan is the worst one trick pony i’ve encountered in my time here.
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Just a statement for the record.
cephme says
At least Andreafan is honest with his/her name. Truth in advertising, you have to appreciate that.
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I was there last night to and can confirm Arroyo’s attendance. Honestly I was pretty surprised, pleasantly, to see him. His presence, along with my long discussion with Andrea about various issues has moved me firmly in to her camp.
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PS thanks for the local Worcester info in another thread