This past weekend, the Menino campaign went to the airwaves on progressive radio stations with an ad touting his endorsements by Mass NOW (National Organization for Women); Mass Equality (GLBT issues) and the Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters. These endorsements can be added to backing from the Boston Building Trades, the Ward 5 (Beacon Hill/Back Bay) Democratic Committee and SEIU 1199 and 615, 1199 has gained Menino’s support for organizing workers in the Longwood-area hospitals,and 615 has organized the Justice for Janitors campaign. Here’s a quote from 1199′s endorsement:
The endorsement follows Mayor Menino’s relentless support for recent organizing drives by Personal Care Attendants and Boston hospital workers. In 2007, the Mayor hosted the kick-off of the 1199 SEIU hospital organizing campaign at City Hall along with Ben Affleck. He later stood in solidarity with hospital workers at the campaign’s first rally in the Longwood Medical Area.“This is about ensuring the long-term sustainability and prosperity of our city,” said Menino about the efforts of non-union hospital workers to join 1199SEIU, “The healthcare sector is the backbone of Boston’s economy.”
“It’s important that you and your family have good healthcare and good benefits,” Menino told the crowd, “We’ve already done this at Boston Medical Center. They have 1199 SEIU. Why can’t every hospital in the city of Boston have 1199 SEIU?”
Later that year, the Mayor partnered with 1199 SEIU members and the Boston Public Health Commission on a major anti-violence program in Boston known as V.I.P “Violence Intervention and Prevention,” which the Mayor announced at 1199 SEIU’s annual Health Awareness cookout in Dorchester.
The Mayor was also a major advocate for giving PCAs the right to form a union and helped PCAs win their first contract with the state. In 2009, Mayor Menino played a key role in the organizing efforts at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center and attended the press conference held by Caritas employees following their historic vote.
Menino has also been endorsed by a number of leaders working with community-based housing organizations across the city. This is from their recent endorsement:
Co-chaired by Sarah Barnat of Trinity Financial and Mossik Hacobian, longtime community housing advocate, the Affordable Housing Advocates for Menino Committee includes officials from community development organizations from nearly every neighborhood in Boston. Other committee members include: Katherine Bachman, Viki Bok, Donna Brown, Albert Caldarelli, Paul Chan, Lyndia Downie, Jean DuBois, Joseph Flatley, Philip Giffee, Michael Gondek, Aaron Gornstein, James Hoffman, Dick Jones, Joseph Kreisberg, Gail Latimore, Nancy Ludwig, Charlie Mancikis, Michael Martin, Bart Mitchell, Virginia Morrison, Carl Nagy-Koechlin, MH Nsangou, Jeanne Pinado, David Price, Esther Schlorholtz, Richard Thal, Matthew Thall, and Mark Winkeller.“Mayor Menino was born and raised in Boston, and his commitment to the city’s neighborhoods is evident in all of his work,” Sarah Barnat and Mossik Hacobian said. ”The Mayor understands that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to the unique housing needs of each neighborhood, and we’re proud to have his leadership in the work that we do to create affordable housing options for the residents of Boston.”
In addition to fighting for new affordable housing, Menino has often stood up for the rights of tenants, when at least one of his opponents was on the other side of the fence.
In the end, people want a mayor who cares about people with real needs. That would be the Mayor who has stood up for women, for diversity, for the environment, for janitors and for housing for people of limited means. The same Mayor who boosted our “Main Streets” business districts, jump started technology in our schools, added new parklands and secured the highest bond rating and lowest crime rate for the city in many years.
And today, the City is still moving forward, with a creative new bike share policy, with a newly appointed Food Policy Council that will help revamp school lunches, expand farmers markets and combat obesity, and with new “green jobs” training programs that are helping groups such as the Asian American Civic Association train residents for the jobs of the future.
Tom Menino has been my friend, and then my boss, and then my Mayor for over 30 years. As the Globe noted yesterday, he’s continued to attract bright young people to his Administration. As people like Sandy Henriquez and John Auerbach leave to work for President Obama and Governor Patrick, there are new leaders like Barbara Ferrer at Public Health and Jim Hunt in Environment, stepping forward and bringing new energy to our city. (Note too, that many of our up and coming young and diverse elected leaders got their start at City Hall via Mayor Menino – Council President Mike Ross and State House Committee Chairs Linda Dorcena-Forry, Jeff Sanchez and Anthony Petruccelli, among others).
So I’ll be voting for our experienced and successful Mayor tomorrow and I’ll be voting for some of the new young talent running for City Council, like Ayanna Pressley, Felix Arroyo and Tomas Gonzalez. (I’m also hoping to win the lottery for Red Sox playoff tickets, something I’ve never done .. priorities, y’know).
VOTE TUESDAY!!
Discuss
2 Comments . Comments are closed.Correction - SEIU 615 represents the janitors
and has done a great job at it! My error.
anyway, they've endorsed Tom Menino as well.
as now corrected above ...
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Wed 23 May 9:52 AM