I didn’t grow up with political family connections or with a lot of money. What I did grow up with, and continue to maintain, is a sense of what is right and what is wrong. Every day I do everything I possibly can to make my life, the lives of my family, and the lives of the members of my community better.
In high school at Cambridge Rindge & Latin, I bore witness to the murders of two classmates. That incident prompted me to organize my peers against youth murder, and as a state senator I can do much more in this arena. For starters I want to put more police officers on the ground and I also want to increase job opportunities for teenagers so we can prevent our young adults from falling victim to a life of crime.
I’ve seen too many friends go to jail because they didn’t have the family and social support I was blessed with. When I was a kid and out too late, my mother used to round up the neighborhood kids and form a search party. Once I was riding my bike when someone told me my mother wanted me home right away. I ditched the bike and just ran home. We aren’t able to do that for every child in this district, but we can start with solid, principles-based ideas that can achieve the same outcome. I’ve seen this happen first-hand when I was an assistant director for the Area IV Youth Center, when I was the head of the YMCA’s summer program, and when I served as the director of the Mayor of Cambridge’s Summer Job Initiatives program. We’ve done it before, and we can continue to do it.
Going to college wasn’t easy for me, and it’s not easy for a lot of people. I personally understand what it is like to have the desire and willingness, but not to have the economic means to go to school. For me it was a matter of working construction to finance my dreams of college and law school. At that time, I wasn’t just working towards my degrees. I was working towards improving my community because I was able to employee other community members and also to give opportunities to those who were formerly incarcerated or recovering from substance abuse. These jobs were, and continue to be, crucial for helping people correct and make amends for their past mistakes.
My time growing up, my time in construction while putting myself through college, and my time as an attorney practicing family law and working to keep people in their homes has brought me to one conclusion: we need someone on Beacon Hill who understands these problems first hand. It’s not about the candidate with the most money or the most lawn signs. It’s not about the appearance of inevitability. It’s not about talking about how progressive one is as a candidate.
It’s about living your life as a progressive every waking minute. It’s about who you are being defined not by words, but by actions. It’s about the candidate with the best ideas and the best path forward.
I’ve run for state office twice before, and each election was incredibly close. This election is no different, and right now most people still haven’t made up their minds. I am not going to stop working on this campaign until 8:00pm on Tuesday, April 13, and I won’t stop working for you after that. We can win this on Tuesday, and we can do it together. I encourage you to visit my website, make a donation, request a yard sign, or volunteer in our office.
All the best,
Dennis Benzan
www.votebenzan.com
617-547-0033
info@votebenzan.com
volunteer@votebenzan.com
