Opinion: Letter to the Editor: Supporting Jesse Mermell for Congress
Pick up any newspaper, watch any news show, visit any internet news feed, chat with friends and family and one thing is crystal clear: these are times that try America’s soul.
Here, in the hotly contested 4th Congressional District, as Boston Globe columnist Shirley Leung recently observed, “The moment clearly calls for Jesse Mermell… who has spent her life preparing for it.”
Jesse’s to-do list is designed to dispel the nightmare of the Trump era and once again move America forward:
Tackling the COVID-19 public health and economic crisis.
Protecting the environment and combat global warming.
Rolling back Trump’s agenda of fear, division, and corrupt pandering to dark money super-donors.
Opening up new economic opportunities for all.
Assuring that every child can get a first rate public education from pre-K through college.
Supporting working families with paid parental and family leave and a $15 per hour minimum wage.
Safeguarding Social Security and providing universal health care.
When David Cavell suspended his campaign for the fourth district race and threw his support to Mermell, and when Attorney General Maura Healey endorsed Jesse too, it was because they knew and respected Jesse and her bold, progressive values.
From her early experience as an activist and organizer to her work as a leading spokesperson for Planned Parenthood, from her terms as the youngest person ever elected to the Brookline select board to her accomplishments as a major adviser in Gov. Deval Patrick’s administration, Jesse has proven she is no sunshine progressive but a full-time warrior for human dignity and for equal justice under law.
Like the late Congressman John Lewis, Jesse knows how to keep her eye on the prize and to create “good trouble” in a good cause. She has the heart and the smarts to take on the big issues and tackle the urgent needs of diverse households from Wellesey to Fall River. She also has a proven track record of building alliances and forming coalitions, skills that are key to legislative success.
Please get to know Jesse by taking a look at https://jessemermell.com. Then vote for Jesse Mermell in the Sept. 1 Massachusetts Democratic primary election.
Mark Levy
Park Street