An incumbent who wants change
First, I’m asking for your vote tomorrow to keep me on the school committee because I’m working smarter and harder than ever. The challenges our schools face cannot be solved in Lowell alone. Concerns around resources and accountability must be resolved at the state level, and as chair of the urban division of the Mass. Assoc. of School Committees, my reform efforts with other state education leaders are making an impact along with my work at the local level.
Second, I ask you to vote Yes on Question 1 because it is a fairer system for the city and all its residents. On Saturday, while knocking on doors, a voter asked me if I was crazy to want this change, since as he put it, “I got elected three times under the current system, so why fix what isn’t broken?” Frankly, I don’t think I would have a problem getting re-elected under Choice Voting, but more importantly, other good candidates will have a better chance of winning a seat, money will not be as critical in elections, more voters will be empowered, and all voters will rank their votes rather than limit them. I’m concerned how many votes are “thrown away” because voters have to worry about cancelling out favored candidates (in the 2007 election, 30,000+ votes were unused in the council race). Also, since it takes majority consensus to accomplish anything on these boards, when a group representing one percent of total voters (that’s 5,000 voters) are able to elect a slate of seats while other voters don’t get even one of their candidates elected, it leads to voter apathy and little diversity in leadership. Under a choice system, voters must prioritize their votes, which makes it more difficult for groups to elect a slate. Maybe it shouldn’t concern me that we are one of the few large cities to continue to use a system stacked against newcomers, especially since I’ve done well with it, but just like being a good parent or a good school committee member means doing what’s right over what’s easy, it concerns me greatly. Lowell deserves a fairer system for electing its leaders—one that encourages more candidates and empowers all voters—vote Yes on Question 1!