jackiedoherty.org

The following letter was sent yesterday to  Fair Vote Lowell supporters. It is posted here with the permission of Victoria Fahlberg:

Dear Supporters of Fair Vote Lowell,

As you likely know by now, Choice Voting did not pass by a margin of 43% to 57%, or 5174 yes votes and 6841 no votes. We do not know the results yet in terms of precincts other than hearing that the Downtown precincts had more than a 100% increase in turnout and the traditionally strong precincts had about the same voter turnout. We don’t know if the new voters voted for Choice Voting (I’m betting they did), and in the upcoming days we will be analyzing the data to determine where our votes came from.

I have been thinking a lot about what the results mean, but before I get to that, I want to express my deep and sincere gratitude to every person who worked on this campaign. Unlike most campaigns, this campaign had two parts that required enormous work from volunteers. First, was the signature gathering that often took place in the rain or intense heat. More than 100 different people helped us gather an enormous number of signatures. It was that turnout of volunteers that gave Fair Vote Lowell the ability to press forward despite the odds against us.

Once we were finished with the signature gathering, we entered a whole new phase, that of the campaign itself. This phase also required intense labor on the behalf of volunteers, from phonebanking to canvassing, it was amazing how, once again, hundreds of people in Lowell, often people who had not participated in the signature gathering phase, stepped up to move the campaign forward.

There really are not words to describe the gratitude and thanks that all of you deserve who participated in any aspect of the Fair Vote Lowell Campaign. It was a wonderful experience to see the hope and energy of such a large and diverse group of people, who were willing to give their time to promoting justice and fairness. Thank you, thank you.

While a loss feels pretty terrible, as I reflect upon the results, I can’t feel entirely discouraged.  We had a huge uphill battle from the beginning—here are some of the challenges we faced:

1. The bar for gathering signatures for a local initiative is set at a minimum of 8% of all registered voters. For comparison, a statewide initiative only requires signatures of 3% of voters who voted in the last statewide (gubernatorial election). For us, that meant 4188 certified signatures to get choice voting on the ballot.  In Lowell, for a statewide measure it would have only been 641 certified signatures (our volunteers did more than that in a single weekend!)
2. Winning in a statewide initiative requires only a simple majority, as long as that majority includes at least a third of voters who turned out in the last gubernatorial election, whereas the bar for us included a super majority turnout that has not been seen in a local election in decades.
3. The Lowell Sun told their readers to vote No on Choice Voting. While some in Lowell debate the efficacy of our local newspaper, it should be obvious after looking at the overall results of the election thatThe Sun still holds a great deal of power among voters.
4. The local radio station was so biased against us that we felt that we could not utilize them as a source for advertising and be treated fairly. They don’t have a large audience, so this was not a major impact, but it probably did impact a few of their listeners to vote against us.
5. It was our understanding that on the ballot, the referendum would be called Question 1. The referendum had no title at all and the words Question 1 did not appear at all.  During the day, we received a number of calls from people we had phonebanked that they had not seen Question 1 on the ballot. While this would not have impacted the final result, it did confuse some people who went to the polls to vote YES on Question 1 and most likely contributed to the almost 1,700 voters who did not even vote on the question.
6. Few people in Lowell had ever heard of Choice Voting before we began signature gathering in June. We finally got the required signatures on August 27th, which only left us two months to educate the public on an issue that was completely new to them in so many ways—that Lowell’s current system is the least fair system for local multi-seat elections, that ranking candidates provides a more fair system, explaining the complicated (though necessary) vote tabulation, etc.
7. When we started this adventure, we had the promise of funds to see us through to the end, but in June that funding fell through. As a result, we were often a day late and a dollar short, so to speak. In the last few weeks of the campaign, we did see some significant donations that will help offset the cost to ONE Lowell. However, if the promised funding had been available in the Spring, I believe that we could have done more.

So with all of these challenges taken into consideration, everyone at Fair Vote Lowell actually achieved a major accomplishment—nearly 5200 people in Lowell voted for Choice Voting! The more I think about the challenges we faced, the more amazing it becomes to me that so many people voted YES for Choice Voting. How we will best use this incredible accomplishment moving forward, I don’t know. The accomplishment is not that of any one person—it belongs to us all. What I do know is that moving forward, ONE Lowell needs to hear from you, who rose to a challenge, and made a huge impact on your city.

More than anything, I want you to know that even though we lost the vote, we made our voices heard and we are more united than ever. Fairness and justice often come slowly. But it will come. Thank you, Victoria

It was a long day today, standing on achy feet outside the polls for hours with incumbents, challengers and supporters, watching and hoping for voters. At times, I admit, I was concerned about the turnout, concerned about how I would feel about my community if we didn’t see positive change, if people didn’t bother to come out and vote. Although the numbers still seem disappointingly low, the results for change were significant. The Choice Vote initiative may not have gotten the support it needed to pass, particularly in terms of a substantial increase in voters, but the message from the 5,174 who voted yes on the ballot question demonstrated that many people in this city want a government that is more representative, inclusive and accessible. Perhaps Choice Voting is not the answer, or perhaps now is not the time, but the conversation this initiative began will continue; some change is inevitable, and I predict it will happen soon.

In terms of the candidates, my congratulations to everyone who had the courage to put their names on the ballot and run. We saw several upsets on the council, the school committee, and the vocational board as incumbents Armand Mercier, Alan Kazanjian, Regina Faticanti and Michael Hayden lost seats to challengers Franky Descoteaux, Joe Mendonca, Patrick Murphy, Alison Laraba, and Fred Bahou—good hardworking, thoughtful challengers who earned the voters’ trust. As candidates, all we can do is work toward our goal, knowing we have given our best effort, but at the end of the day, the voters get to decide. Today, the voters decided I will continue to serve on the Lowell School Committee. For that honor and privilege, thank you.

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!

Yesterday, The Sun published an article about candidates and their voting records, where I was horrified to learn I got a 67 because I had not voted in 10 primary elections since 1995. (Ouch! A grade like that stings me in so many ways, not only because I’ve always been an excellent student, but because I consider myself a good American who votes and stays informed on the issues.) I don’t dispute the number, but I would like to explain it: For most of my life, I was registered as an Independent because I had grown up in a very polarized-partisan family. My father was a staunch Democrat and my mother a die-hard Republican who defended Nixon until her death. Every state or national election, they dutifully went to City Hall and canceled each other’s vote. By 18, I knew  partisan blindness was not something I wanted to emulate, and I decided I was going to vote the candidate rather than the party.

I don’t remember exactly when I switched to Democrat, but I know it was after I was elected to the school committee. During my first campaign in 2003, while knocking on doors, a voter demanded to know my party affiliation even after I explained it was a non-partisan seat. At the time, I remember being relieved to say that I was unenrolled, thinking no matter what his party, he would not be offended. At some point, however, it occurred to me that I had never voted for anyone but Democrats (who consistently aligned with own political beliefs better than other viable candidates). At that time, I also realized I was missing a huge opportunity to impact an election by not participating in heavily contested primaries. I decided to take a stand and get involved with the party, which I did. My large Irish-Italian family, however, still consists of hardcore party loyalists on both sides of the fence.

(This is Margaret writing, not Jackie.) I just wanted to weigh in on Fair Vote Lowell before it’s too late. I’ve felt all along that I was a supporter of this initiative, but I wanted to convince myself (or not) before Tuesday (better late than never!). My first stop was to read all the comments regarding this issue on a recent Left in Lowell post, then to read the Sun’s editorial against the measure-not too persuasive). Next I visited the Fair Vote website and watched the video with local Attorney Michael Gallagher interviewing Professor Douglas Amy of Mount Holyoke College who has written several books on voting systems. My conclusion is that despite some valid objections (the elimination of the primary system – oh, wait, that’s already been done for us – and the fact that it seems complicated are the most valid), the proposed system is better than what we have now. As for the idea that the system is too complicated, I actually think it is going to be very simple and intuitive for voters. (Dr. Amy’s research indicates that voters under choice systems are very pleased.)

Now for the benefits: For one thing, choice voting has the potential to increase voter turnout as well as encourage new candidates to run for office. Certainly, that would be a boon to Lowell, which has seen declining voter turnout for years. For me, the biggest benefit is the increased power given to the voter. A commentor on Left-in-Lowell complained that he disliked the ranking system, because he wanted all nine of his city council votes to be equal. I disagree; I most definitely do not want all my votes to be equal (it’s been a long time since I’ve even cast 9 votes for city council, but under the new system, one could conceivably find 9 candidates to support that might not be throwaway votes). I would rather send a strong message of preference to incumbents and new candidates alike. When Jackie first ran for School Committee, we were advised to tell our supporters to “bullet” Jackie. That way, your one vote would carry the most weight and not be diluted by the other votes you might cast. With choice voting, you can still “bullet”, but you can also show support to other candidates. I think it makes sense, it would allow more candidates to test the waters and it may break up entrenched voting blocks that prefer the status quo.

It’s less than a week until Election Day, and fortunately it’s not too late to support my campaign. Check out my new online donation page, which enables you to donate in minutes with a few simple keystrokes. You know I’m working hard and my leadership on the school committee is making a difference, but I can’t do it alone. I need your help. In troubled times, smart leadership is more important than ever, making now the perfect time to support my cause. We’ll both feel better when you do.

The Lowell schools, police and attorney general’s office are sponsoring a community forum tonight at LHS Auditorium, 50 Morrissette Blvd., 6-8 p.m., on prescription drug abuse among our youth. (The meeting will be televised on channel 22.)This problem is not unique to Lowell, however, we are taking a proactive position of partnering together to do something about it. As the parent of teens myself, I know what most of you are thinking: This isn’t a problem that impacts my kids. In fact, when I told my son he was required to attend the event, he gave me a similar response. “I don’t do drugs, so I don’t have to go.” Wrong! We all need to be informed—whether the problem hits directly at home or not. Someday it may impact your teen’s friend, a neighbor, or (God forbid) a family member; well-educated means well-prepared to deal with the issue. Join with us tonight to learn the dangers, warning signs, and actions we can take to protect our young people. Even one life derailed from drug abuse, hurts us all.

After that, if you’re looking for more to do, attend the school committee meeting at city hall, at 8 p.m.

Not one to shirk media criticism when it’s warranted, I take space here to express my disappointment with WCAP Radio. Last week was a pretty exciting news week for me. House Bill 481—a bill I helped initiate a year ago—was heard before the Joint Committee on Education on Tuesday, Oct. 20. When I contacted our two media outlets, The Sun and WCAP, to cover this issue, which currently impacts our school budget by $1.3 million as well as the lives of 23 children forced out of district, I was told by our local radio station that it was too close to the election for me to come on-air. Mind you, this was only days after station co-owner Sam Poulten, a member of the Nashoba Vocational School board familiar with the bill, suggested I contact WCAP to discuss the issue, as well as only days after Councilor Kazanjian went on the Warren Shaw show to discuss his news—regarding a subpoena—for an hour!

Okay, they’re different issues—one is a hearing about changing a law to protect kids and save money while the other is a legal mandate to appear in court and give testimony to determine if any laws were broken. Most would agree, however, that House Bill 481 is as newsworthy as a subpoena, which leads me to conclude that getting on WCAP these days isn’t about equal time or even newsworthiness, but rather, it is about who is asking. Perhaps I should feel better that when I mentioned the unfair treatment to co-host Teddy Panos, he admitted to having to “tip toe” around the newsy-enough issue regarding time for the councilor. But the fact is, the more I think about it, the more annoyed I am.

By the way, The Sun did cover the issue before and after the hearing. Besides being news with far-reaching impact on costs and kids, House Bill 481 is not done yet; we now need speedy passage, which is where the bulk of my energy will be invested next.

This morning, admidst swirling leaves, warm sunshine and bright blue skies, I finally got out on the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail from Lowell to Westford. Between work schedules, travel, and bike maintenance issues, I hadn’t yet had the chance to try the trail, although I’ve been an avid supporter for over ten years. Today turned out to be perfect for an inaugural ride. I caught the trail by taking Stedman Street from Westford Street to Route 110, riding straight across and taking a left which let me check out the first leg, which starts from the parking lot at the Crosspoint Towers. The tunnel under Route 3 could possibly be intimidating on a dark afternoon, but was utterly benign this morning, and the presence of joggers, families on bikes and dog-walkers gave the whole trail a pleasant ambiance. I turned around at Crosspoint, biked back across Golden Cove, and met friends in Chelmsford Center where there is bike trail parking by Brickhouse Pizza – I couln’t find a website but here is a write-up from Chowhound. Our friends had stopped there on a previous bike ride and raved about the quality food and good value. The Chelmsford street crossings are a bit convoluted, routing the bikers onto narrow sidewalks at times, but really, no complaints, just happy to not be biking through the Center with traffic which I have done in the past. (This was much better!) When biking through Chelmsford, it was interesting to see how local businesses were advertising to bikers and walkers, and given the amount of people out today, it could well be a recession-buster for these enterprising companies. Leaving Chelmsford, we paralleled route 27, where we escaped traffic noise and viewed marshes, a beautiful lake (I don’t think it could be Freeman Lake, but am not sure what other lakes Chelmsford has) and gorgeous fall colors. Away from the center, even on a busy day, the trail was quiet and allowed for three-abreast biking for long stretches. Arriving at the end of the trail, about six miles from Chelmsford where Route 225 crosses 27, we turned back and retraced our path, about 12 miles in all. I’m so pleased to have finally been out on the trail, to see how well-used it is, and to enjoy this beautiful day outdoors. Thanks to Bruce Freeman who had the vision, the Friends of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail who saw it to fruition, and to all the supporters who helped make this a reality. It is truly an asset to our communities.

A community forum “Get to Know You” will be held at the Stoklosa School, 560 Broadway Street, 6:30-8 p.m. with Judge Jay Blitzman of Middlesex County Juvenile Court and staff of the Lowell Public Schools. The event is free and open to the community, and refreshments will be served. Also tonight, Lowell High School will host its Distinguished Alumni Award Ceremony at the Irish Auditorium, 6-8 p.m. The annual event celebrates exemplary graduates who “have distinguished themselves by reaching the highest level of personal and professional accomplishment.” As the oldest, public co-educational high school in the country, LHS takes great pride in the accomplishments of its alumni as well as its scholarship endowment for future graduates. On that note, the cost of attending the reception is $50 and includes wonderful refreshments prepared by students in the school’s culinary arts academy.