Blue Mass Group

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Name your favorite Massachusetts progressives

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We were asked by the good people at the Accountability Now! PAC, which was founded with support from the FireDogLake.com team, for a list of Massachusetts progressives worthy of support. We came up with the following non-exclusive alphabetical lists, but defer to the hive mind in the interest of completeness. Who have we missed? Any changes you suggest?

In Office:

Ruth Balser, State Rep. 12th Middlesex http://www.ruthbalser.org/

Sonia Chang-Diaz State Senator, Second Suffolk District http://www.soniachangdiaz.com/

Linda Dorcena-Forry, State Rep. 12th Suffolk District http://www.lindadorcenaforry.com/

Lori Ehrlich, State Rep., 8th Essex District http://www.loriehrlich.com/

Jamie Eldridge, State Senator, Middlesex and Worcester district http://www.jamieeldridge.com/

Pat Jehlen, State Senator, Medford, Somerville, Winchester, Woburn http://www.PatJehlen.org

Jason Lewis, State Rep. http://www.electjasonlewis.com…

Deval Patrick, Governor http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=go…

Mike Ross Boston City Council President http://bluemassgroup.com/s…

Carl Sciortino, State Rep for Medford and Somerville http://www.electcarl.org/carl….

Jeff Thielman Arlington School Committee http://www.jeffthielman.com/

Alice Wolf, State Rep, 25th Middlesex, http://alicewolf.org/  

Sam Yoon, Boston City Councilor, Candidate for Mayor of Boston http://www.samyoon.com/

To be elected:

Jim Caralis OpenMass.org http://caralis.typepad.com/

Tim Flaherty 2007 BMG endorsement http://bluemassgroup.com/s…

Avi Green Executive Director MassVote http://www.linkedin.com/in/avi…

Patrick McCabe http://www.mccabeforrep.org/

Gloribell Mota http://www.gloribellmota.com/

Angus McQuilken Vice President for Communications at the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center  http://www.linkedin.com/pub/di…

Giovanna Negretti Executive Director Oiste http://bluemassgroup.com/s…

Doug Rubin, Chief of Staff, Deval Patrick http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=go…

Tim Schofield http://www.timschofield.org/

John Walsh, Chair, Mass. Democratic Party http://www.democrats.org/a/200…

Setti Warren http://www.settiwarren.com

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Comments

  2. Interesting.  Their goal is to run primary candidates against Congressional Dems who are not liberal enough.  They want to identify 25, then narrow to 10 to spend against.  

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    p>Could The Editors also list a few MA Congressional Dems they think who should be targeted for primary challenges?  That’d be fun to read!  

  4. I confess I’m biased, as she has been representing me for about 25 years as city councilor, mayor and state representative and I’m her committee chair, but I would include Alice Wolf, State Rep, 25th Middlesex, http://alicewolf.org/.  Alice has been there for progressives on virtually every major issue since election as state rep in 1996.  

    • that was one of my first thoughts, as well.

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      p>It’s tough to create a short list of hardworking/talented progressives in this state. If only more states had that problem!  

  6. I don’t agree with everyone you have listed, but rather than try to take out a hatchet would just ask that you add Ken Donnelly.  

  9. State Senator from Berkshire, Franklin and Hampshire Counties. We’ll be calling him Congressman or Governor in a decade or two, maybe less.

      • …. 27 or 28 if I am not mistaken. He’s a former senior adviser to the very liberal Congressman Olver and he’s wicked smart. Olver will probably retire within a few terms and I would not be shocked if Ben is on Capitol Hill well before the age of 40. After that?  

  10. Steve D’Amico
    Cleon Turner
    Barbara L’Italien
    Jim O’Day

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    p>These Reps have been boldly progressive despite coming from districts far from Cambridge. L’Italien was a strong gay marriage supporter even when it meant a good chance she wouldn’t get re-elected. D’Amico succeeded Phil Travis, which should tell you something about his district. O’Day is one of the nicest people you’ll meet inside the state house or out.

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    p>Some great legislators newly elected this past year –
    Jen Benson
    Kate Hogan
    Jason Lewis

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    p>A few more stalwarts:
    Byron Rushing
    Liz Malia
    Denise Provost
    Ellen Story

    <

    p>So what’s the deal? Is this PAC looking for candidates to challenge our congressmen?  

    • He joins those like Barbara L’Italien in the category of progressives representing less-than-progressive districts.

  11. Patrick McCabe, Tim Schofield, Setti Warren and (add this one to the list!) Susan Passoni

  12. I know he posts here often, but so does Ms. Porcupine, that does not make her “progressive” either.

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    p>Last I remember he was arguing that rights of students to live in non-University housing be restricted. (More specifically that discriminatory laws already on the books be strictly enforced.) Hardly a progressive position.  I’m not very familiar with Boston politics, could someone more hub oriented tell me what Ross has done that’s praiseworthy?

    • David? Charley? Bob? Bueller? anyone?

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      p>I’m not just being difficult, I want to know why Ross is considered progressive.

  13. Senator Rosenberg has been a loyal member of the progressive movement for the past 25 years. He is in a position of leadership that allows him to push progressive legislation. He was THE key player in the Same-sex marriage debate.

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    p>Rosenberg should be on this list! He is PROGRESSIVE in every sense of the word.

  15. In addition to offering a good progressive reform proposal for taxation, he’s great on issues of growth and development being channeled in such a way to preserve green space and reduce carbon emissions.

  16. But Ed O’Reilly belongs on this list.  Sure, he took on the system and thy didn’t like it, but from energy to education, equal rights through budgeting, he ran on solidly progressive principles.

    • Having liberal positions isn’t enough to make someone a great progressive.  I was unimpressed by his campaign, and I’m vague about his strategy for actually making people’s lives better or improving government.  I’m not saying “definitely not”, but … explain what, other than his liberal issue positions, you think puts him on this list?

      • I guess I’m not sure what rubric this group is using.  The idea of promoting more progressive ideas in the Senate struck me.  O’Reilly was talking about increasing local control of energy generation long before Unitil dropped the ball this winter.  He has a deeper understanding of education that all but a few elected politicians right now — that’s a big step to improving government.  He was pushing for an open book online regarding lobbyist meetings and appointments.

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        p>His whole campaign was born of the idea that our elected officials should be responsive to their constituents, and earn their re-election, no assume it.  I think that’s a pretty progressive package.

        • I loved his energy plan, it just made so much sense. And I can guarantee you, that he would have sponsored earmarks for text books for schools before he would have proposed an earmark to expand the JFK Library.  Ed O’reilly’s priorities were solidly in place. Especially in this horrific time we’re all trying to struggle through he would have had the guts to make the right decisions for the people. Textbooks for schools may not have made headlines, but that was not why he was running, he was running for Senate to make a difference.

      • His primary goal in his campaign was to be on the ground connecting with the working and middle class people of Massachusetts.  He wasn’t afraid to shake hands, chat with everybody, listen to what people thought and incorporate what he heard into his plans to improve peoples lives. Along with his progressive values, he also has a keen sense of the value of taxpayer dollars, and was fully prepared to practice “smart spending” in his decision making. He was truly in touch with how government decisions can impact our everyday lives.  If he were to ever run again, I would whole heartedly support him again. Because he is not a career politician, he would be able to have a true perspective of how to work for the best interests of the people of this state. He is not the type to play the politics game on Beacon Hill or Capital Hill. He is a fighter, and a positive voice for the people.  

  18. …is a progressive with a long list of legislative accomplishments to prove it.

  19. Have to start at the top with Tom Menino (ok, I’m biased, worked for the guy, etc).

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    p>Start with leadership in affordable housing that brought him an award from the National Low Income Housing Coalition for his efforts in Boston and as a national advocate;

    <

    p>Creation of the Office of New Bostonians to welcome those families who have made their way to Boston seeking opportunity;

    <

    p>Leadership on gay rights issues from strong support for gay marriage to refusing to march in the St Patrick’s Day Parade.

    <

    p>Boston as the first city to mandate LEED environmental standards for new construction.

    <

    p>Created significant new green space in the city with Millenium Park in West Roxbury, the East Boston Greenway and the Boston Schoolyard Initiativ

    <

    p>Created “pilot” schools, the model for the state’s Horace Mann Schools.

    <

    p>Started Boston “2:00 to 6:00”, to expand after school opportunities for young people;

    <

    p>Banned smoking in public places, transfats in restaurants, and formed a team to address racial disparities in health care (Menino’s former public health chief, John Auerbach, is now the state’s point person)

    <

    p>Has initiated a number of programs replicated in other cities (Crusade Against Cancer by Mayor Wellington Webb in Denver; “Don’t Borrow Trouble” anti-foreclosure effort by many cities, etc)

    <

    p>Stood up for the SEIU janitors in their fight with the downtown building management companies for better wages.

    <

    p>Not a bad record, will people find things to disagree with over 16 years, sure, but as an elected official who has been there for CDCs, community health centers, public housing tenants and many others, Tom Menino deserves to be considered among the leading progressive in our state.

    <

    p>Just my opinion …

    <

    p>H

  20. I’ve been out of town since shortly after he was elected (though I volunteered for his campaign).  Has he been distinguishing himself as progressive?  What have some of his accomplishments been?

    <

    p>This isn’t a backhanded attempt to bash him–I’m honestly curious to hear what he’s been up to.

    • However, he has not been a city councilor for very long so he does not have that much of a record as an elected official.

      <

      p>My question is that given that Yoon is running against Menino (and others) is this intended to be an endorsement of him over Menino?

    • Denise’s interview with Progressive Democrats of Somerville when she was seeking our support in her first run for state rep was one of the most fruitful educational experiences about Massachusetts government and policy I recall.  We had detailed questions for her, and she outdid those questions with answers so informed, engaged, and combining pragmatism and a drive for change, that I left entirely confident that even if none of us had known her, she’d have won that endorsement vote by a landslide anyway (even though her opponent in that primary agreed with her on almost every position).

      <

      p>Before that, Denise Provost was for a while the one vote progressives could count on on the Somerville Board of Aldermen for open government and real reform (until Rebekah Gewirtz joined her on the board).  Yet despite her often being the 1 vote (like Russ Feingold in the US Senate), she was nonetheless Somerville’s most popular elected official.  In a year with a heavily contested election for alderman-at-large and an uncontested re-election for mayor, Provost topped the ballot for Alderman with more votes than the mayor got.  Like Sam Yoon and Deval Patrick, Denise Provost is a real bridge-builder between different political communities.

      <

      p>I first encountered Denise Provost in 2003 when a couple of friends started the Somerville Bill of Rights Defense Committee and I joined as a core organizer.  We started out by guaging the positions of all the Aldermen before we went grassroots to build support.  Some members of the Board were skeptical or hedged, others were supportive… and then there was Denise Provost, who became our point person with the Board, actively helping us, and giving us advice on how to proceed.

  24. Felix G. Arroyo is missing in that list! He worked for several years for the rights of janitors at SEIU 615 as its political director and he currently works in supporting universal health care for all.

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    p>

  25. Is a very progressive state rep representing Lincoln, Sudbury, and Wayland.

    <

    p>In 2006 he narrowly defeated an entrenched Republican, last year he won re-election by a wide margin.

    <

    p>He should be on the list.

  26. That seems to be a list not just of people actually running for office now?  If so, possibly my second biggest disappointment in Massachusetts state elections after Tim Schofield, was not getting Claire Naughton as a state rep.  She’d have been amazing, it’s a pity she lives in one of our few hard-Republican districts.

  28. Another one near the top of my list of “I wish they’d been elected” is Gibran Rivera, who ran for Boston City Council in 2005, and was one of two Bopston candidates endorsed by Democracy for America that year (the other was Sam Yoon).  I’ll quote their endorsement (I’m not sure, but I might’ve written that text, come to think of it):

    Gibran Rivera for Boston City Council, District 6.

    Rivera is a community leader dedicated to making sure democracy works for everyone. He is committed to improving the quality of all Boston schools, keeping neighborhood housing affordable and promoting community activism and citizen involvement. He co-founded Voto Latino, a voter empowerment organization, served as Executive Director of Inciativa, the Massachusetts Initiative for Latino Students, and was a board member and officer of the Schott Foundation for Public Education.

    The election is November 8, 2005.

  30. I don’t think his spurs are hung up entirely.

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    p>Jim Timilty is more progressive than you might think.

  31. I’m puzzled at some of the names on this list of “progressive” officials and candidates.  

    <

    p>I’m not convinced that Deval Patrick (and I so believed in him!) really qualifies as a progressive now that we’ve seen him in action. While many of his transgressions are non-ideological (cronyism, drapes, etc.), I think his corporate-welfare record (which contradicts his words on the subject) costs him points, or even disqualifies him.  I’d say closing Ferguson Industries for the Blind while funneling massive subsidies to un-needy corporations is not progressive.  Nor is undermining tidelands protections. Nor is his narrow effort, begun only after a firestorm of scandals, to promote ethical, transparent and accountable governance (via a closed-door committee process).

    <

    p>City Councilors Ross and Yoon also enjoy a “progressive” halo, but a close look at their performance raises questions.  Ross is a consistent supporter of public/private partnerships that threaten privatization of public parkland (e.g., Clemente Field, Boston Common, Forsyth Institute). Yoon is progressive in talking, but, so far, not in walking; does theoretical progressiveness count?  And his “A nickel for public safety” proposal would create a sales (regressive) tax.  Ross, on the other hand, has done more, but not better, in my opinion, because he’s always looking to make deals rather than to decide questions on principle; one such deal contributed to the demolition of the historic Gaiety Theater (a black cultural landmark, its preservation promised to the community), and another to the perpetuation of the Boston Redevelopment Authority’s abusive eminent domain powers.  Both Councilors are complicit in Mayor Menino’s giveaway of hundreds of millions of dollars of City land and taxes to the BRA and to far-from-needy private developers, and say not a word about these boondoggles while Boston Public School students beg for their education at public meetings.  Yet both seem very popular among self-defined progressives.

    <

    p>I would nominate Rep. Denise Provost. For just a couple of examples, she is advocating for ultrafine particulate emissions mitigation, which would be universally beneficial and have direct Environmental-Justice implications.  Also, she has opposed legislation privatizing governance and public works, and/or submerging the state and its residents in further “creative debt” schemes (last year’s Ch. 40T).  Her contributions are too numerous to list here. She really understands the obligations of government to the citizenry.

    <

    p>I’d also nominate Kevin McCrea, Boston mayoral candidate, who has spent four years in pro se litigation to pry open the workings of Boston City Council (I am a co-plaintiff in the case), finally forcing the Council to admit to all charges and promise (!) to change their ways.  McCrea’s guiding principle of “transparency,” starting in his 2005 City Council run, has become the mantra of the other candidates as the corruption scandals unfold.  And he has been publicly exposing the corporate welfare boondoggles approved by Menino and the City Council; that’s where we can get the money for progressive services.  His platform is progressive substantively as well.

    <

    p>As to Mayor Menino, laying out his full record to see if he’s a progressive would tell us a lot about both him and progressiveness.  It’s much too long a story for now.

    <

    p>Defining “progressive” would be a useful exercise.  Let’s depart from knee-jerk assumptions — minority group, a life of hardship, or even political party.  And progressiveness has to be demonstrated by action, not just by words. I’ve suggested a few criteria above.  I’d say that generally, progressives act to counter concentration of wealth and power, to strengthen the social compact, to maximize and equalize civil rights, to protect the environment, and to foster open, inclusive democratic government.  

    <

    p>

  32. Joe Lazzerini is 18 and is running for Attleboro City Council, Ward 1. He is most certainly a progressive.

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    p>www.joeforcitycouncil.com

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    p>Joe Lazzerini served as Youth Coordinator in last years election of State Representative Bill Bowles which brings me to my next suggestion. Newly election Rep. Bowles is also a great suggestion.

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    p>www.billbowles.org

    <

    p>Please add them to the list.  

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