April 12, 2018
I want to share some family pictures. On the left is my grandfather, Jack Rush, and his friends on the front steps of our family house on M Street. I now live in the same house with my wife Katrina, our son Simon, and our dog Watson.
It’s impossible to grow up in Southie and not know your history. This is a community that has given economic opportunity to so many families and lent meaning to so many lives, including my own. That sense of being part of something is what has made this area such a desirable place to live.
It’s clear that we’ve now reached an inflection point. As a community, we need to come together and decide what kind of neighborhood we want to live in: one that’s for sale to the highest bidder, or one that makes room for working families through increased investment in the public good—workforce and elderly housing, transportation infrastructure, quality public schools, affordable child care, recovery services, neighborhood-scale businesses, and the arts.
We need a State Representative who lives the challenges that families face in this district every day; someone who understands that the difficult issues we’re dealing with are solvable, but that they can’t be solved without the democratic participation of the district’s residents. We need an independent voice on Beacon Hill who will advocate for the unique needs of our neighborhoods, even when it’s difficult.
I believe I am the person to do that job. At B.C. High, we were always urged to be “men for others.” That imperative is the reason why I’m as proud of the time I’ve spent helping to organize a STEM education program for public housing youth in Southie as I am of my work on the Commonwealth’s Clean Energy & Climate Plan. It’s the most humbling thing I’ve ever done to announce my candidacy for State Representative in the 4th Suffolk District. I hope to do right by all of you over the course of this campaign, so I’m looking forward to talking to everybody in the district about what your aspirations are for our neighborhoods. See you soon!
