Tito Jackson for Boston Mayor
I am proudly supporting Tito Jackson. He led the effort to protect taxpayers from funding the Olympics, he led the effort to force body cameras on Boston police officer, and he has been a leader for affordable housing, transit, and against BPS cuts. Under a Mayor Jackson, Boston will double it’s percentage of inclusionary zoned units for affordable housing. Under a Mayor Jackson, police will be subject to an independent review board and wear body cameras. Under a Mayor Jackson, all BPS schools will get the resources they need-not just the ones in nice zip codes. A Mayor Jackson will actively lobby the legislature and Governor for leadership on the T. A Mayor Jackson will work to elect a Democratic governor and fight for progressive candidates down the ballot. He will fight for people of color and working families of all races. Boston has a great opportunity to prove the cynics wrong, prove that money and clout matter less than passion for the issues and the marginalized. Proud to vote for Tito.
Lydia Edwards for District One
I supported Lydia Edwards when she ran for State Senate in the First Suffolk & Middlesex Special Election. This is a great opportunity for East Boston and Charlestown to be represented by a woman of color dedicated to worker rights, tenant rights, transit, and progressive education. She is a real community leader and a potential rising star.
Cambridge City Council: Sumbul Siddiqui #1
I have known Sumbul since the first grade, been good friends with her since the sixth grade, and have the distinction of losing my first political race to her when we both ran for Senior Class President. Her leadership in that position prepared her for a distinguished career in law, public policy, and community advocacy. She is currently a housing rights and legal aid attorney working in Boston and fighting tirelessly for Cambridge. She has personally knocked on hundreds of doors, raised $40,000 in small donations and $0 from developers, and she has been endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, State. Rep Mike Connolly, and Our Revolution. A first generation Pakistani American who grew up in public housing, she is a great bridge between the welcoming and diverse Cambridge of the present and the economically diverse Cambridge of the future. She has my strong support.
We have an election today in Somerville.
Mayor:
I’m voting for Joe Curtatone over Payton Corbett. Whatever doubt I might have had (and I’ve always liked Mr. Curtatone) was erased by a disgusting hit-piece distributed in the final days by Mr. Corbett.
Joe Curtatone is a great mayor, and I’m eager to vote for him
Aldermen at large (four chosen of seven candidates)
I’m voting for Stephanie Hirsch because she’s made a real, concerted, and continued effort to reach out and connect to Somerville voters. Her values seem to reflect mine.
I don’t know the other candidates, and I’ll probably leave the other positions blank. No incumbent has drawn my positive or negative attention, and no newcomer besides Ms. Hirsch has made any impression on me at all.
Board of Aldermen Ward 2
I’m voting for Maryann Heuston (the incumbent). Ms. Heuston is doing a fine job. She knows the town and the neighborhood. She has impressive credentials (MS in Sociology from BU), a strong record in health care (senior director of Cambridge Health Alliance) and she’s a good Democrat (chair of the Ward 2 Democratic Committee). She has been a Ward 2 Alderman for 16 years, and in my view the results speak for themselves.
I am very fortunate to be a homeowner and resident of Somerville. My wife and I were particularly lucky to find a great property at a great price in a neighborhood we love just before Somerville boomed.
I’ve been impressed by the competence, warmth, and responsiveness of Somerville government at all levels (officials, boards, police, fire, DPW, inspectors), especially in comparison to Brookline (where I lived for ten years before moving to Somerville).
I credit Mr. Curtatone for championing all this. I similarly credit Ms. Heuston for her part in all this. As a city hall staffer, Ms. Hirsch created Somerstat, Resistat, and 311 — three examples of what makes me love living here. She’s been a leader in improving the Somerville schools (from which my youngest son graduated in 2012).
I’m eager to cast my vote to continue the accelerating success of Somerville.
I’ll second those choices, and also add Ben Ewen-Campen for Ward 3.
Voting for the incumbent in the Randolph district council race. As his flier pointed out, the challenger has only a few years of serving on town boards–not enough to qualify him for the position of District Councillor. If the challenger were only running for President, that experience would have been more than enough.
Totally agree on Lydia.
I would probably vote for Tito because Walsh has been disappointing (and he flipped on charters), and I do like Tito, but I don’t think he’s made a great case for his candidacy.
Never heard of the other guy,
Sumbul? She’s been a longtime local activist since we were teens.
I don’t get to Cambridge much these days.
Unfortunately neither do I. Priced out I’m afraid. It’ll be an interesting year since there are 4 retirements and a surge of serious newcomers.
Tito didn’t lead anything. Michelle Wu, Ayanna Pressley, and Josh Zakim were all far ahead of him on No Boston 2024 while he was struggling to make up his mind. As per usual, the man gets credit for the idea women had first. Tito’s whole campaign is built on that lie about his “leadership”, and it says something really negative about him as a person and as a councilor. Walsh has disappointed me a lot in his time as Mayor, but he at least is fundamentally honest, so I voted for him this year.
As someone who worked closely with the organizers of the proposed ballot initiative to prevent the Olympics from getting taxpayer dollars, I can attest that this hit on Tito is incorrect. Jonathan Cohn, Evan Falchuk, Dan Currie, Caulkthewagon, and Chris Dempsey are all with Tito for Mayor and applaud his leadership on the Olympics. He was the first person to bring a resolution to the council floor looking into transparency regarding taxpayer finances for the Olympics.
I have nothing but strong respect for Michelle Wu, Ayanna Pressley, and Josh Zakim. All three will be getting my votes today along with Annissa Essaibi George, Michael Flaherty, and Tito Jackson.
Of course they’re supporting him, because he wasn’t all out for it like Walsh. But come on. Clearly, like a lot of people, you got on board with the opposition late and didn’t follow the whole story.
Tito hadn’t even made up his mind as of May 2015 and even seemed to be leaning toward the Olympics with some reservations, although he kept dodging reporters and activists who asked him questiond about it. See No Boston 2024‘s Website.
Michelle Wu was already demanding transparency by January 2015.
Zakim was proposing ballot questions which probably would have led to Boston 2024’s defeat as of February 2015.
Ayanna Pressley was extremely critical of it by March 2015.
It’s ok to not always be the leader. You have to pick your priorities and lead on those, while you follow the lead of others on their priorities which you also support. But it’s not ok to be a liar.
If I were in Boston, I’d probably vote for Tito, but being against the Olympics is the wrong argument to make with me.