City Council District 2

There’s a new energy in Boston’s political scene.  For the first time in twenty years, a new mayor will be elected.  19 candidates are running for four spots on Boston’s city council and right here in Southie a battle for District Two (South Boston, parts of the South End and Downtown) will take place on November 5th to determine whether Councilor Bill Linehan will hold his position or if Suzanne Lee will be our newly elected councilor. 

Linehan and Lee are no strangers.  They ran against one another in 2011 with Lee losing by just 97 votes. 

Here is a profile on Suzanne Lee:

I grew up in Grove Hall and attended Boston Public Schools. At 14, I started working summers in a garment factory, sewing wool coats in stifling heat at piecework wages. After graduating high school, I earned a scholarship to Brandeis University and became the first in my family to attend college.

I’ve spent 35 years working in the Boston Public Schools, both as a teacher and principal. As principal of the Baldwin School in Brighton, I brought together teachers, parents, and community members, turning a low-performing and fractured school into a national model for high-poverty, high-impact reform. When I became principal of the Josiah Quincy School, I helped to establish the City Connect Program, which brought together dozens of community and cultural institutions to improve and enrich my student’s educational experiences. The Quincy School is now one of the top public schools in Massachusetts.
 

Beyond the schoolhouse doors, I have devoted over 40 years advocating for our communities. I organized to help parents take a more active role in their children’s education, fought to help local unemployed garment workers get back to work, and collaborated with the Boston Foundation to address persistent poverty in Boston.  I also am the founder and longtime chair of the Chinese Progressive Association, which has fought for worker’s rights in labor struggles, increases in minimum wage, and affordable housing for low and middle-income families.  

I am running for City Council because I believe we can do better for all of our neighborhoods. As a principal and community leader, I brought people together, so that everyone had a voice and a stake in the decision making process. I am committed to providing engaging, accessible leadership where all members of our community have a voice in the decisions that affect their lives.
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Favorite restaurant/bar in Southie?
Southie has a tremendous selection of bars and restaurants, but my favorites include The Cranberry Cafe for lunch and coffee, and Local 149 on P Street or Amrheins on West Broadway for dinner and drinks.
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Why should people vote for you?
As a principal and community leader, I brought together teachers, parents, community organizations, businesses, and cultural groups, so they could all play a role and have a stake in seeing their city succeed. As City Councilor, I will bring accountable, accessible, and transparent leadership to city hall, ensuring that everyone has access to their elected officials and a voice in the decisions that impact their lives.  I am committed to providing constituents with information before decisions are made, delivering proactive rather than reactive advocacy, and bringing ideas from across the district to one table and ensuring that everyone has a voice in the decisions that affect their lives.
That’s the type of leadership that I’ve provided in our school system and our communities for over 35 years, and that’s the type of City Councilor I will be.  I hope you’ll go to the polls and vote for me on Tuesday, November 5th.

Stay tuned: A profile on Councilor Bill Linehan will be posted next week.