Anthony shared this letter with me, and I wanted to share it with all of my fellow bloggers and readers. This is why we’re supporting Katherine.
Dear Katherine –
It’s been awhile since we’ve talked. I feel like I was working on your State Senate campaign against Tisei just last year. Can you believe it was 10 years ago? I was 18, had no idea what I was doing, and was convinced John Kerry was going to be President.
Anyway, I wanted to tell you a few things…
I love Rep. Sciortino’s passion.
I look up to Sheriff Koutoujian (both figuratively and literally).
I respect Sen. Brownsburger’s openness. Every campaign website should look like his.
I admire Sen. Spilka’s loyalty and respect for labor.
But I’m telling everyone to vote for you Katherine because you represent everything I want Congress to be.
I should state at this point that I’m obviously biased. You were the first campaign I ever worked on. I didn’t even know that we had a State Legislature until I met you. But I think the relationship we’ve had and the lessons I’ve learned from you speak so much to your character and values that they need to be shared…(Brooke – KC’s campaign manager – is probably freaking out at this point worrying about what I’m going to write)…
Let me start with the obvious facts: the candidates agree on most of the issues.
No one is going to agree 100% of the time and you can never know what issues you’ll be dealing with it as a legislator. You have to vote for who you think will be the best Congress person period. You have to vote on character. I have this naïve idea that politicians should be held to the highest of standards and represent the ideal of what we strive to be as a community. And you represent that to me.
You represent the kind of compassion I want a legislator to have. Because when Fred was sick with cancer you took time out of your busy schedule to visit, call, bring him food, give him rides. Not a day went by when you didn’t think and pray for him.
You represent the kind of empathy I want a legislator to have. Because when our mutual friend was losing his fight to alcoholism and literally stumbled to your house, you gave him a place to sleep for the night, took his keys, and made sure he got the help he needed.
You represent the kind of loyalty a legislator should have. And this is probably why I’m supporting you the most. I had a difficult break up, failed the bar, was unemployed, and totaled my car in a very short span of time. For some reason I thought being your staffer would cure all that. The easy thing for you to do would have been to give me some job, ask a fellow legislator to take me in, or the like – but that wasn’t best for the district, and it wasn’t best for me. I did not need a pep talk, I needed a talking to. A few days after your election when you should have been celebrating with your family you took time out of your day to give me that talk.
I’m sorry I haven’t done more for you this time. Lawn signs, donations, and this letter aren’t enough. But it’s the least I could do.
Thanks for everything, can’t wait to go to DC to watch your swearing in!
Anthony Guardia, Esq!
Note: Anthony Guardia was Katherine’s Deputy Campaign Manager, I was the campaign manager in 2004 when she challenged incumbent Republican State Senator Richard Tisei. He is now a successful Director at a local non-profit in Boston and I am happy to report he was admitted to bar in 2011.
Fred Rich LaRiccia
