Announcing their endorsement of true environmental leaders the Sierra Club hopes both to promote these legislators visibility with a ‘stamp of approval’ as well as encourage other legislators, to step up their efforts and do even more to protect citizens’ health, safety and the Commonwealth’s natural resources.
“After having made progress toward protecting the environment, yet with much still to be done, these candidates offer true leadership,” said Phil Sego, Political Chair of the MA Sierra Club. “Some of their opponents, including some gubernatorial candidates, still question climate change and want to take dramatic steps backward, such as leaving the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI.) That isn’t leadership and it isn’t what Massachusetts needs.”
“The Sierra Club looks forward to working with these candidates in the coming months and years to take real, necessary, steps on environmental issues, reducing our reliance on oil, protecting our air and water quality, and other issues that affect the quality of life and health of residents.”
The Sierra Club, noted for their high-profile national positions, is also deeply rooted in local, regional, and statewide issues. Their endorsement process includes in-depth research and careful analysis of a questionnaire designed specifically to address local environmental issues. The Club’s endorsement is then communicated to its members, which currently number greater than 20,000 statewide.
The Massachusetts Sierra Club has endorsed the following candidates.
U.S. CONGRESS
Michael Capuano
Barney Frank
William Keating
Edward Markey
James McGovern
Richard Neal
John Olver
John Tierney
Niki Tsongas
STATEWIDE
Governor: Deval Patrick
Lieutenant Governor: Tim Murray
Attorney General: Martha Coakley
Treasurer: Steve Grossman
REPRESENTATIVES (Alphabetical by Last Name)
Cory Atkins – Middlesex, 14th
Ruth Balser – Middlesex, 12th
Margot Barnet – Worcester, 13th
Jennifer Benson – Middlesex, 37th
Bill Bowles – Bristol, 2nd
William Brownsberger – Middlesex, 24th
Linda Dean Campbell – Essex, 15th
Gail Cariddi – Berkshire, 1st
Patricia Commane – Essex, 17th
Steven D’Amico – Bristol, 4th
Carolyn Dykema – Middlesex, 8th
Lori Ehrlich – Essex, 8th
Mark Falzone – Essex, 9th
Sean Garballey – Middlesex, 23rd
Jonathan Hecht – Middlesex, 29th
Kate Hogan – Middlesex, 3rd
Kevin Honan – Suffolk, 17th
Jay Kaufman – Middlesex, 15th
Kay Khan – Middlesex, 11th
Peter Kocot – Hampshire, 1st
Stephen Kulik – Franklin, 1st
Lance Lambros – Barnstable, 5th
Jason Lewis – Middlesex, 31st
Barbara L’Italien – Essex, 18th
Michael McGee – Suffolk, 4th
Ken O’Brien – Worcester, 1st
James O’Day – Worcester, 14th
Matt Patrick – Barnstable, 3rd
Sarah Peake – Barnstable, 4th
Denise Provost – Middlesex, 27th
Jesse Reich – Middlesex, 1st
Pam Richardson – Middlesex, 6th
Byron Rushing – Suffolk, 9th
Tom Sannicandro – Middlesex, 7th
John Scibak – Hampshire, 2nd
Carl Sciortino – Middlesex, 34th
Frank Smizik – Norfolk, 15th
Ellen Story – Hampshire, 3rd
Paul Sullivan – Suffolk, 10th
Timothy Toomey – Middlesex, 26th
Cleon Turner – Barnstable, 1st
Marty Walz – Suffolk, 8th
Jerry Wasserman – Norfolk, 13th
Alice Wolf – Middlesex, 25th
SENATORS (Alphabetical by Last Name)
Harriette Chandler – First Worcester
Sonia Chang-Diaz – Second Suffolk
Katherine Clark – Middlesex & Essex
Cynthia Creem – First Middlesex & Norfolk
Sal DiDomenico – Middlesex, Suffolk & Essex
Eileen Donoghue – First Middlesex
James Eldridge – Middlesex & Worcester
Susan Fargo – Third Middlesex
Patricia Jehlen – Second Middlesex
Marc Pacheco – First Plymouth & Bristol
Ron Patenaude – Hampden
Karen Spilka – Second Middlesex & Norfolk
Steven Tolman – Second Suffolk & Middlesex
(the Sierra Club) will end up like the globe:
totally irrelevant to most people.
Or do you prefer sock puppet these days? I loose track of the lastest terms for such boorish behavior.
Sadly, even elections are not relevant to most people!
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p>Hopefully, those who care about a specific issue will be motivated by advocacy groups – including BMG. One endorsement may not change the outcome of an election, but it can focus attention on key issues.
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p>The most important thing is to VOTE!
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p>– Phil
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p>Full disclosure: I also sit on the MA Sierra Club Political Committee.
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p>
I got an e-mail with inviting me to fill out their questionnaire and instructions on submitting it. About 30 seconds later I got a second e-mail saying that I was sent the first e-mail by mistake and informing me they had already endorsed in my race.
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p>I understand most interest groups will endorse an incumbent especially when that incumbent has been as strong on environmental issues as my opponent. I just thought it funny that they didn’t even want to hear my positions.
When I helped a state house campaign a few years ago, the MFT point blank told her that she would not be considered if the incumbent had a high enough rating to satisfy them. Forunately for my candidate the incumbent did not have a high enough rating.
Can you post the assessment tool used to decide who are “true environmental leaders”. Did you use a survey/questionnaire? And please share if there were incumbents who did not respond and therefore did not get endorsed?
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p>It would be helpful to review the criteria Sierra Club utilized.
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p>What about Congressional race D’Allesandro v. Lynch?
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p>Thank you in advance.
Primaries – you’ve endorsed in some primaries like Keating over O’Leary but not in others. Democrats Wolf and Lyons are competing for O’Leary’s old seat, but no endorsement. How did you decide?
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p>In the Second Barnstable, you did not endorse Atsalis. Did you consider his opponent, Jim Munafo? Why or why not?
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p>Has the Sierra Club ever endorsed a Republican in any race? If not, why should your stamp of approval be taken seriously?
From the Sound of Music Music by Rodgers and Hammerstein
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p>Climb every mountain, search high and low
Follow every byway, every path you know.
Climb every mountain, ford every stream,
Follow every rainbow, ’til you find your dream!
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p>A dream that will need
all the love you can give,
Every day of your life
for as long as you live.
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p>Climb every mountain, ford every stream,
Follow every rainbow, ’til you find your dream!
HeartlandDem – I’m sorry my response wasn’t quick enough for you. Next time Jewish holidays and personal vacations come up I’ll try to make sure to post far enough in advance of my travel plans that I can respond faster. Sometimes these announcements don’t meet personal/religious calendars well, my apologies.
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p>In answer to your questions, yes, we use a questionnaire and yes, there were indeed some incumbents who did not return questionnaires and therefore did not get endorsed.
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p>Peter Porcupine – we look at a lot of races but as a committee of volunteers we don’t always feel we’ve got enough information to make decisions in each and every race. As you may have noticed, we endorsed in only 61 races.
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p>Sometimes multiple candidates seem to be excellent choices, sometimes multiple candidates refuse to respond to the questionnaire. In those instances we sit things out.
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p>Yes, we have endorsed Republicans in the past. This season we received almost no questionnaires back from Republican candidates.
….and historically, are less candidates responding to questionnaires now than in the past? I am hearing that some candidates/campaigns are taking the position to not respond to any questionnaires….which is regretful (imho).
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p>Take your time….no rush, just curious.
Without creating a substantial database to compare previous years’ response rates I believe candidates are responding in the same numbers they usually do, with the exception of Republicans.
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p>Each campaign season we reach out to dozens/hundreds of candidates. Many will respond very quickly, many need reminders. Some need multiple reminders and even then some still do not respond.
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p>There are some who have a policy of not responding to questionnaires.
Interesting after all his hot air about energy audits. Apprently real environmentalists don’t believe him.
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p>And why should they when he starts out with a lie?
State buildings do not spend $750 million/year on energy costs. They spend $250 million. According to the Governor’s budget summary, which is where he got his numbers from.
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p>Except for this claim about 20-25% of that energy being wasted. No source I can find has put forth such a bold claim. I challenge him to actually show some numbers to prove it. Mike Lake, I am calling you out. I don’t think you have any numbers. Or if you do they’re misleading numbers, like the ones about staffing levels you bamboozled the Herald with when they could’ve checked their own documents to prove you’re a fraud.
That $750 million is state and municipal buildings combined. The audit has no authority to go in and demand energy audits of municipal buildings, and in fact would be required by law to charge them for it. Good luck making that happen when budgets are already tight.
with the name calling
Jessie Rich is a new comer to the district and other than being a broker for Biofuels has no actual record of environmental achievement but is the likely Dem challenger in the fall.
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p>Connie Sullivan as the one of the Republican challengers for the seat has a background of Aquifer protection helping to write and get passed a bylaw protecting same, Toxic clean up advocacy at the former Fort Devens, Community Preservation Committee funding for land conservation, Regional support for Conservation issues (the ACEC program of DCR, Connie Sheppard Ayer BOS approval of same), supported attempts to get a local Wetland Protection bylaw passed and supports the Local farms movement…..
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p>So why didn’t he get the nod even though the Sierra club knew all of this? The Sierra club makes themselves irrelevant when they endorse a candidate highly under-qualified over one that is. If they are truly advocates for preservation of our planet then they should be blind to the political parties of whom they endorse.