Letter to the editor
Hi All: In less than one week we will know who the leading Democratic candidate will be for the 8th Essex District of Massachusetts. We are so fortunate to have so many outstanding candidates running.
As a commissioner emerita for the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women, I have worked with legislators on a daily basis: Writing, promoting and gaining support for bills that are relevant to enhancing the lives of women and girls across the commonwealth. I know how the process works and what kind of legislators make a difference in getting bills passed and grants awarded. With over 15 endorsements, including the Women’s Political Caucus, teacher and nurses associations and so many more, Terri Tauro is my candidate. I urge you all to do your homework and look at all the candidates and decide who you feel will work for you and get results that are relevant to our special home on the North Shore.
Oh, and by the way…….
As a woman, a worker in MA, and a previous supporter of U.S. Sen. Edward Markey, I was deeply disappointed to see his public endorsement of Tristan Smith when there are significantly more experienced candidates better suited to the role. It’s not clear to me if this is because the more experienced candidates are female, or if it is just politics based on family connections. The worst case would be that he is so disconnected from his state’s local district that he did not bother to review all of the candidates running for the seat. Whichever is the case, my opinion of the senator – whom I thought as an advocate for getting women elected – is not the kind of senator I support any longer. You don’t see Elizabeth Warren and Seth Moulton endorsements, because it is not their place to do so.
It is up to us, the local citizens to decide. Tristan could potentially be a candidate in two to four years, but right now, he should be gaining experience before he takes on such a significant role. I fear he is being set up to fail, and that is never a good thing for the citizens of Massachusetts. – Penny Blaisdell, Harding Lane