Don Berwick, other progressives support Cindy Friedman in the 4th Middlesex Race

(ed. note: As promised, a post supporting Friedman. BMG has not “institutionally” endorsed. – Charley)

Don Berwick who knows Cindy well wrote the following on his Facebook page,

“I am enthusiastically endorsing my friend and colleague, Cindy Friedman, as a candidate for the State Senate seat from the 4th Middlesex District in Massachusetts. She is exactly the type of clear-headed Progressive that we need in public office at this difficult time. Her extensive experience as a teacher, activist, manager, and – for ten years – Chief of Staff to the late, great Senator Ken Donnelly equip her for effectiveness as a State Senator from Day One. The Democratic Primary election is June 27th”

She has also been endorsed by 32BJSEIU who independently sent out two mailings, with language that resonated with me.

“In the battle against Trump we need the right Democrat fighting for us.”

“In the old-boys-network of State politics, Cindy has already shown that she knows how to get things done. She shares our values and ready to put the experience to work…let’s send a message. Elect a true Bay State Progressive to the State Senate.”

She is endorsed by Representative Jay Kaufman who says: “Every so often, a candidate comes along who promises not just to be a good public servant, but a great leader. Cindy Friedman is that candidate.”

“I’ve known Cindy for 35 years. I have seen her leadership as an Arlington activist and community organizer and been in awe of her service as Ken’s chief of staff and, essentially, co-Senator for the past nine years. They had an incredible partnership.”

In addition, four sitting State Senators and two former ones have endorsed her including Dan Wolf who says, “Cindy Friedman will lead with the heart, soul, and vision that the people of Arlington, Billerica, Burlington, Lexington, and Woburn became accustomed to with the leadership of the late Senator Ken Donnelly. Ken was one of my dearest friends from my time in the legislature, and I cannot think of a more qualified and dedicated public servant than Cindy to continue Ken’s commitment to his communities and the progressive agenda.”

Now I am not an elected official but I have been an activist fighting for progressive causes and candidates for all of my long life, starting at age 16, when I was a volunteer for Adlai Stevenson. I support Cindy because she is thoughtful, intelligent, informed and clear-headed and understands the complexities and interrelatedness of the many issues that confront us in this Commonwealth. I know that she is a fighter who is good at bringing people who have different views together.

She was my mentor and guru in many a campaign. Cindy is not a career politician and had no ambition other than to work with Ken Donnelly because he was the kind of boss who allowed her to partner with him on the many issues she felt passionately about.

During the past year when Ken’s health declined, Cindy stood in for him, meeting with constituents throughout the Fourth Middlesex where she has become familiar with the different needs of ALL of the communities in our district.  I heard Cindy Friedman speak publicly on different issues and was blown away by her depth of knowledge of issues, the workings of the Senate and what it takes to make things happen. There is no learning curve—she can assume the responsibilities of a Senator and start serving Arlington, Lexington, Burlington, Woburn, and Billerica immediately and she is already known and respected in the Senate.

I also value the breadth of life experience that Cindy brings to public service.  She has been a homeowner; applied for and held mortgages; paid property taxes; been a public school teacher; been a public school parent; worked as a manager in high tech; and more. She understands from personal as well as legislative experience the needs of citizens and communities.

I was really moved by her unanimous affirmative endorsement by Senator Donnelly’s family who witnessed his partnership with Cindy firsthand and concluded that she is “…uniquely prepared to hit the ground running on Day One to represent you and fight for all our interests on Beacon Hill….she will continue and expand upon Ken’s legacy and initiatives, especially in the areas of worker rights, wage inequality, support for unions, mental health care, and educational opportunity.”

Finally, I strongly believe that women, who make up more than half of our population, should have equal representation in government. This is not the case in our state Senate. Women hold only 12 out of 40 seats!

Emily’s List, which does not usually endorse in local races endorsed Cindy and wrote, “Cindy Friedman is a dedicated public servant who will be ready to lead on the issues of criminal justice and mental health the moment she steps back into the Massachusetts State​h​ouse as Senator Friedman.”

Of course I would never pick the woman over a superior male candidate, but fortunately Cindy is clearly the best. Thus, voting for her is a win-win situation.