I’m so excited about my solid victory in the Council election. Thank you, Cambridge! Look here for the detailed round-by-round statistics on the rank-choice voting.
I’m honored to have been elected, and so pleased that it was decisive. I understand that you elected me for my emphasis on: listening to all views; use of sound data, solid analysis; transparency; and collaboration. The latter is particularly important given the issues at hand. The Council needs to work together to achieve our important goals, and to ensure that our policy choices address those goals as effectively as possible.
Here’s a wonderfully thoughtful email I just received from a voter I have never met. It gives me hope, highlights some of the challenges, and I think represents what so many people in Cambridge feel:
I voted for you as my #1 vote… in fact, you were my *only* vote, and I thought you might appreciate hearing why.
For the first time in about a dozen years living in Cambridge, I don’t actually have a sense of what the right choices are for the city. I don’t know the best way to approach housing, or climate change, or traffic. I don’t know how to protect my own tenuous footing here without inadvertently harming someone else’s. I don’t know what the next generation of kids will need to survive in the world we are all creating. I don’t know how to make decisions locally around issues that might be better served by a regional approach or a global agreement.
So, rather than being represented by someone with a specific plan, or by half a dozen people who each cared about a different thing I cared about, this year it felt important to choose someone who could truly *represent* me… who shared a fundamental value system, who was thoughtful, who listened and researched and asked questions and paid attention to the details, who I felt like I could trust to make wise and considered choices and to take important and brave action — not just on the issues we know about now but on whatever might come our way. I’ve appreciated what I know of what you’ve contributed to the school board and education in Cambridge over the years. When I first saw you were running for city council, I was excited, and a dive into your website affirmed my initial instincts. I’m particularly appreciative of your longtime climate activism and the fact that you brought your kids to city hall to celebrate the night when Cambridge began issuing its first same-sex marriage licenses.
Thanks in advance for the good work I know you’ll do.
All the best,
your constituent,
We need to remember the many voters like this one, and ensure we represent them well.