Letter to the Editor

3.8 min readBy Published On: October 20th, 2013Categories: News0 Comments on Letter to the Editor

I’m voting for….

With less than a week away until election day, we have received numerous letters of support for political candidates from residents of South Boston.  We will feature these letters in the hopes it will help the undecided voters make a decision.  If you would like to share your support for your candidate, you can email us at [email protected]

Our next two letter in this series are in support of Annissa Essaibi-George for City Council at-Large and Marty Walsh, candidate for mayor of Boston.

Dear Editor,

I am writing to express my support for Annissa Essaibi-George for City Council at Large. As we know three of the most important issues facing our city are education, economic development and public safety. What better a representative than a 13 year veteran teacher of the Boston Public Schools , a successful small business owner of the Stitch House and a mother of four boys including triplets. Annissa understands the issues that we as parents have in our city and has worked hand in hand with many organizations to get results for our community. She knows the effort and commitment needed to see things through the processes of City Hall. I’ve had the pleasure of working besides Annissa on many issues and know she is the perfect candidate to be seated in our City Council.

Thank you
Kenny Jervis
Boston

Dear Editor:

I am voting for Marty Walsh for Mayor. I resonate with Marty on many personal levels. He is dedicated to: neighborhoods, working men and women, healthcare and education. He doesn’t talk about it … or dream about it … he lives it.

He is a city guy … a neighborhood guy … a people-first guy. Raised in Dorchester … he knows the happiness, struggles and distress that exists in the everyday life of every neighborhood family. His personal strength was forged by his parents and through his friends, his co-workers and from the streets of our city.

Marty knows first-hand the ravages of disease and the value of good and innovative health care He knows the pain, the tears, the uncertainty of life and the joy of survival as a childhood cancer survivor. He will be a great health advocate.

I admire John Connolly for his City Council work involving the school administration problems in the past few years, but I am wary of single-issue candidates. I’ve spent a lifetime listening to people who would fix the school system with schemes and dreams and failed innovations.

Marty lives with a great school fix … Charter Schools. He is a founding board member of the Neighborhood House Charter School and knows how well Charter Schools benefit our kids and can hold school departments to a challenge.

I have been living too long in a district wherein the only contact we have with the city government, outside of the parking fines and fees, is through the ‘oh-yea-by-the-way’ public-meetings to announce what city hall has okayed for our community without input from residents.

Like many friends I know I am, what I refer to as, an abandoned Democrat. Growing up in South Boston … I entered the political world as a Democrat-by-birth and as a young man became very involved with politics … going so far as being as an elected delegate to the 1979 Democratic National Presidential Convention. But as a fiscal conservative and a believer in small and efficient government, I determined that  the Democratic Party became a very singular one-way street. I was left behind. I now vote as ‘Unaligned’ or ‘Independent’ or whatever they want to call it. .  .

I make mention of this because I think I speak for a lot of people I know who have traveled this route. And now. after all consideration. they believe as I do that Marty will be a trusted and great mayor … who will lead our city as mayor of everyone, while the rest of us are busy at work and trying to make a living.

And, as an artist, I’d be less that transparent if I didn’t mention that he will be a champion of the ‘Arts’ in Boston.

There are many facets to executive leadership … but above all it must reflect the day to day lives of the people and their environment … aka: their neighborhoods.
I resonate with Marty Walsh for many reasons and found solid answers in his make-up, experience and plans as mayor.

As this is why I am voting for Marty Walsh for Mayor of Boston.
 
Respectfully,
Dan McCole
Watercolors by Dan McCole