Like most places in the country and the world, Massachusetts has a disproportionate number of men in positions of political power. We can help change that on Tuesday.
By a wide margin, our lawmakers don’t reflect the people they represent. We need more women in power to achieve the balance of perspective necessary to govern society in the best way.
In a state like ours we do this by voting in the Democratic primary and encouraging friends and family to do so. There are excellent women candidates on Tuesday’s ballot. This is an opportunity to make a difference.
Maura Healey tops the ticket as the hard-working and compassionate governor we need after years of Republican rule that eroded support for essential social services, and met economic and social injustice with indifference.
She will need a strong team to do all that needs to be done. Kim Driscoll will bring her practical knowledge, expertise and proven success as Salem mayor to partner with Healey as her lieutenant governor.
Tanisha Sullivan will remake the Secretary of State’s office into what it has not been, but urgently needs to be: a proactive champion of democratic engagement, sounding the call to maximize voter turnout and empower those in our most disenfranchised communities.
Roxbury native Andrea Campbell will bring her lived experience, perseverance and exceptional professional expertise to the role of attorney general in the continuing fight for greater opportunity and equality for all residents.
Lifelong educator Yvonne Gittelson will bring transparency, accountability and most of all compassion to a Hampshire County Sheriff’s office in clear need of administrative reform and a refocus on social justice.
And Tara Jacobs will represent western Massachusetts on the Governor’s Council to ensure that our state appoints judges with a balanced perspective and who prioritize the dismantling of systemic injustice.
We can’t remake the world overnight. Overcoming gender inequality in government is a long road that requires many moments of collective action to achieve.
This is one of those moments. Please vote Tuesday and share your support for these outstanding candidates.
Peter Demling
Amherst
This letter was originally published in the Daily Hampshire Gazette on Sept 1, 2022: https://www.gazettenet.com/Letter-Peter-Demling-47823644