In a remarkable political story 13-year Cambridge City Councillor Marjorie Decker is poised to replace long-time progressive champion state representative Alice Wolf in Thursday’s primary vote for the 25th Middlesex district. Decker worked for Wolf as a legislative aid and campaign manager and has won her endorsement, as well as those of current Cambridge Mayor Henrietta Davis and former Cambridge Mayors Barbara Ackermann, Francis (Frank) Duehay, Kenneth Reeves, Sheila Russell, Anthony Galluccio, Michael A. Sullivan, E. Denise Simmons, and David Maher.
Decker was given up for dead, politically speaking, after she missed an administrative deadline and was left off the 2009 Cambridge City Council ballot. Instead, she mounted an extraordinary grass-roots effort and became the first-ever successful city council write-in candidate.
Gayle Johnson and Lesley Rebecca Phillips are also running for the seat. Decker’s campaign says they are hoping for volunteers at their 1678 Massachusetts Avenue campaign office on Election Day
Decker grew up in Cambridge public housing and was the first in her family to attend college. She later received a graduate degree from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. When I spoke with her yesterday, she said:
Through my own personal experience as well as my own 13 years of experience as an elected official I have learned how to build coailitions, identify stakeholders, and really represent the values of this community. I am not someone who takes a pass on issues that might scare other people. I think it will be good to have a representative with experience as an elected official.
Decker, whom I have known for many years, and whom I wholeheartedly endorse, is a fighter: “How many people really thought that I could pull off the write-in campaign: not many.” It will be good to see her move on to the legislature, if she is successful on Thursday, and bring her fire and passion to that august body. Lord knows, it can use it.
Volunteer for her campaign here on Election Day Thursday 6 September.
hlpeary says
I have watched Marjorie Decker from the time she was the youngest city councillor ever elected in Cambridge. She is smart. She is compassionate. She has the courage of her convictions. She knows her way around the State House already. Veterans and their families, in particular, will have a great friend and ally on Beacon Hill when Marjorie gets there. It’s time for her to be there. Good luck, Marjorie!
judy-meredith says
and will be a great State rep.
jconway says
I have been a consistent Decker critic on these forums, from the time she came to my 8th grade History class and assumed none of us knew how government worked, or the consistent dilatory amendments she proposed in the council, I have been a critic in spite of sharing many mutual friends and having many people active in Cambridge politics I respect and admire back her. But I support her this run. I think her brush with defeat made her a far superior councilor than she was before. Winning a write in campaign under the archaic PR rules of Cambridge is an incredibly impressive feat and unheard of before or since. She knocked on ever door, met voters face to face and expanded her base of support in the city beyond her hardcore supporters. She and I have had our issues in the past but the fact that a broad cross section of Cambridge civic leaders, including some rivals like Russell and Duehay or Wolf and Galluccio, demonstrates she has moved beyond the niche wedge issues of the past and has found a way to become an effective leader.
As a 3rd grader I campaigned for Galluccio and remember the Galluccio-Wolf contest bitterly divided my classrooms and soccer teams, roughly along townie and yuppie lines (since both had nearly identical positions), but Wolf did a great job reaching out to her opponents and has served Cambridge well, I expect Decker to continue in this tradition.
jconway says
Marc McGovern has always been the strongest Decker supporter I know and one of those mutual friends who gradually convinced me to embrace her, and one of the most effective school committee members we’ve had. Anyone Marc respects as much as Majorie deserves my vote.
jconway says
One of her opponents, Lesley Phillips is a fine Democrat and door knocked with me for Deval before it was cool. I think Decker has the experience and connections to be a more as we effective legislator for the district, but I respect Lesley tremendously and hope to see her run in future races.
Bob Neer says
Thanks for the comments 🙂
Go, Marjorie! BMG is united behind you.