by Susan Mirsky and Nina Kammerer
MAPA has endorsed Alison Leary’s campaign to unseat State Representative John Lawn, in the 10th Middlesex District, which includes parts of Newton, Waltham, and Watertown.
We want to share with you, residents of that District, why we support Alison Leary. We both write as members of MAPA and its Political and Legislative Committee. One of us knows Alison Leary as a Newton city councilor and political activist, and the other writes as resident of the 10th Middlesex District.
Alison Leary’s strong commitment to healthcare for all is a key reason for supporting her candidacy. Representative Lawn is the House Chair of our state legislature’s Joint Committee on Health Care and, as his many campaign postcards proclaim, has done good things on health for residents of the Commonwealth. But we believe that a central role for someone in the leadership position Rep. Lawn holds should be advancing universal healthcare. Every year for decades such a bill has been brought to the Massachusetts Legislature, and every year, including the many years in which Rep. Lawn could have championed it, that bill has gone nowhere. “Access to High-Quality Affordable Healthcare” is the top priority on Alison’s website.
Another key reason to elect Alison Leary is her commitment to expanding affordable housing, which earned her the endorsement of AHMA – Abundant Housing Massachusetts. As in MAPA, AHMA members endorse candidates that align with their core values. An email announcing AHMA’s support calls Alison a “fierce advocate for housing affordability.” When the two of us think about housing affordability, we think about both rent control and increasing the amount and affordability of home ownership. Alison does, too.
Alison’s climate activism is another factor in our support. Like MAPA members, Alison understands that perpetual war is morally wrong and a major contributor to the climate catastrophe. As a state legislator, Alison would not be silent about her opposition to US tax dollars that should support people, services, and infrastructure in US going instead to killing and maiming adults and children abroad. We, like Alison, support healthcare and other forms of care not warfare: healthcare for all, childcare, elder care, care for those in need, and care for the planet.
Alison Leary has a strong record as a collaborator who contributes to collective action to improve people’s lives. That is what is needed in our current state legislature, ranked 50th in more than one study, for both effectiveness and transparency. In these troubled and troubling times, we need a productive and transparent legislature packed with legislators who listen to constituents’ concerns and creative ideas, act in solidarity with other like-minded legislators to pass more bills into law that we, the people need,, support the care economy, and make sure that cuts in federal funding do not hurt our Commonwealth’s vulnerable residents.
We urge you to vote for Alison Leary in the Primary Election before or on September 1st and again in the November General Election.
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