Seven Days Out

Hard to believe that in the last 12 months we’ve had elections for Senator Warren (Nov. 2012), Senator Markey (June 2013), and next week for Mayor of Boston. It feels like 12 months of a lot of high-stakes campaigns. Tuesday, November 5, just 7 days from today, is Election Day. Start today thinking about when you can vote.If you will be out of town or otherwise unable to vote on November 5, you can go to the Elections Department at City Hall from 9am-4pm any day this week and vote!Next week’s election is one of the most important elections we face. Our municipal electeds have direct daily impact on the lives and livelihoods of our residents, more even than a U.S. Senator. That is why we don’t take this election lightly, and why we encourage you to find even just 3 hours in the next week to help with a campaign. The Mayor’s race and many of the Council races will be decided by the undecided and by get-out-the-vote (GOTV) efforts of the campaigns. Volunteer-to-voter direct contact is the most impactful activity on any campaign, next to candidate-to-voter contact.

Our Endorsements

  • For Mayor: Rep. Marty Walsh, for his extensive progressive track record, his stands on issues, and because of the incredible coalition he has built. We urge you to contact the JP Coordinator to find time to help, whether it’s knocking doors, making calls, Election Day poll checking,
  • For At-Large City Council: Councilor Ayanna Pressley, for her courageous work on issues of poverty, women and girls, and diversity. Sign up to help with GOTV.
  • For District 2 City Council: Suzanne Lee. It is not our district but this race in Chinatown, South End and South Boston, represents our best opportunity this year to replace a conservative city councilor with a progressive leader. Contact the campaign to volunteer.

We wish to announce a fourth endorsement.

  • For District 6 City Council: Councilor Matt O’Malley. Matt has been a strong leader on the City Council who has worked hard to represent the interests of Jamaica Plain. Matt played a leadership role in the redistricting process, not only fighting to keep JP whole, but also working with advocacy groups to prevent the splitting of Chinatown and South End and to increase opportunities for candidates of color in district 5. Matt has taken a leadership role on the Council on environmental issues, advocating for public drinking water, for a city-wide composting program, and bringing hazardous material and prescription drug drop-offs to the community. Perhaps most impressive to us was his stance as the lone City Councilor in support of a citywide casino vote. Volunteer here.

Thanks for reading.

JP Progressives

Reuben Kantor and Annie Rousseau, co-chairs

p.s. Save The Dates. We’ll be hosting all 5 Democratic candidates for Governor in hour-long-each conversations during the evenings of Nov. 20 and Dec. 4. We hope you’ll join us.