LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Support Walz

I am supporting Marty Walz to be the next State Representative for the 8th Suffolk District and I ask my neighbors to join me in voting for her on Tuesday, November 2nd.

I have worked closely with Marty for many years. I have seen first-hand how hard she works and what a strong advocate she is for our neighborhoods. We need Marty in the State House where she will be an effective leader, fighting for resources to improve the Esplanade and to bring an affordable grocery store to Beacon Hill and the West End. Her focus on improving our quality of life is vitally important.

I also know of Marty’s work with the Women’s Lunch Place, a daytime shelter for poor and homeless women where I am on the Advisory Committee and she is on the Board of Directors. No one can match her passion for solving our housing crisis so all people, rich and poor alike, have a safe and affordable place to live.

For those who want to learn more about Marty, I suggest you visit her website, www.martywalz.com.

I enthusiastically support Marty, and very much look forward to working with her.

Michael Ross
Boston City Council – District 8

Beacon Hill Times
October 26, 2004

Vote For Walz

I am writing to urge residents of the 8th Suffolk District to vote for Marty Walz, the Democrat running for State Representative.

Marty has a breadth and depth of experience that is unusual for someone seeking elected office. Her professional experience in the private sector, her work for Boston Public Schools, and the positions she has held with nonprofit and community groups gives her a balanced and thoughtful perspective on the many issues we face in our district and more broadly in Massachusetts.

Marty’s Republican opponent lacks the knowledge and experience that Marty has. Moreover, his values are out of step with this district. From his support for the death penalty to his fiscally irresponsible tax policies, he is not representative of the values we share in the 8th Suffolk.

Every representative from this district since January 1973, including Barney Frank, Thomas Vallely, Mark Roosevelt, and me, has endorsed Marty. The four of us, more than anyone else, know what it takes to be a successful representative for this district, and we all agree that Marty is the clear choice. She knows our neighborhoods inside and out and is ready to pick up where I leave off in January.

I strongly urge you to vote for Marty Walz, Democrat, for State Representative on November 2.

Paul C. Demakis
State Representative
8th Suffolk District

Beacon Hill Times
October 26, 2004

Davis supports Walz in election

I am supporting Marty Walz for state representative and urge you to vote for her in the primary on Tuesday, Nov. 2.

I've been impressed with Marty's boundless energy and commitment to serving our district. She's quickly grasped the issues that matter to Cambridge voters, things like adequate housing, support for schools and a safety net for those in need. In addition, she's ready to get to work to bring state services to us - getting maintenance and refurbishment for Magazine Beach, for example. She's been a leader in working with neighborhood groups and with nonprofits. And Marty will not only vote "right," she'll also take the initiative to get things done.

Don't forget to get out to vote on Tuesday and vote for Marty Walz, Democratic candidate for state representative. See you at the polls.

Henrietta Davis
City Councilor

Cambridge Chronicle
October 21, 2004

Babson’s mask peels away

In the last few weeks a number of flyers have come through my mail slot touting the political candidacy of Richard Babson for state representative of the 8th Suffolk District.

Babson claims to be pro-choice, pro-marriage and pro-tax rollback. Seems like a candidate in line with the educated and socially progressive residents of the 8th District - including as it does parts of Cambridge, Beacon Hill, and the Back Bay .

When you look for further detail on the issues Babson claims to support, the mask begins to peel away. On the issue of a woman's right to choose, Babson offers: "Government must be kept out of our bedrooms." I'm not quite sure what choice Babson is referring to - the mind boggles.

On the issue of marriage, Babson claims to be for it: "Marriage must be a right for straight and gay couples, promoting stability and families for all." Huh?

Babson's take on these issues was so vague and odd, I wondered exactly what kind of liberal party he was standing for this November. His materials don't claim any party affiliation. No elephant or donkey gave it away.

A couple of phone calls quickly revealed Babson was actually representing the Republican Party for the 8th District. No matter what positions he touts on his promotional materials, he would be quickly put back into place by the party leaders if he were to be elected. Of course, he does share some common ground with Dick Cheney with their "radical" positions on gay marriage!

For the voters' sake, they shouldn't have to spend valuable time scratching their heads over the policies of seemingly independent politicians. All candidates should be required to clearly state which party they are representing on their campaign materials.

Anthony Butler

Cambridge Chronicle
October 21, 2004

Gay 8th Suffolk residents support Walz, too

As Laura Kiritsy reported in her Oct. 7 article, the upcoming election is especially important to gay and lesbian voters as we seek to elect and re-elect state legislators who will fight to protect our equal marriage rights. We are losing a key ally as Representative Paul Demakis retires. Fortunately, there is a candidate, Marty Walz, who will be as strong an advocate as Rep. Demakis.

Marty has been endorsed by the Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus and the Cambridge Lavender Alliance. We support Marty, as do many leaders in the GLBT community, including Congressman Barney Frank, Sue Hyde, and Valerie Fein-Zachery. These endorsements reflect an important principle: GLBT voters will support the person they believe can best do the job, regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation. We look for the most qualified candidate to be true leader on our community’s issues AND on issues that affect the quality of life in our city. In this race, we believe that Marty Walz is clearly that candidate.

The 8th Suffolk District (Back Bay, Beacon Hill, the West End in Boston and Cambridgeport, Area 4 and MIT in Cambridge) has a special legacy. Here, perhaps more than anywhere else in the state, the representative has always been a strong and effective leader for our equal rights. We should continue that tradition. We should elect someone who will have a seat at the table with Speaker DiMasi and who will stand up to Governor Romney. We should elect Marty Walz.

We urge our neighbors in the 8th Suffolk District to vote for Marty Walz for State Representative on Tuesday, November 2nd.

Peter Flynn
Boston, Massachusetts

Gary Daffin
Boston, Massachusetts

Bay Windows
October 21, 2004

To the Editor:

We are West End residents who support Marty Walz for State Representative. We urge our neighbors in the West End and on Beacon Hill to vote for her on November 2nd.

Marty has attended many of our recent community meetings and has been an effective speaker as well as a good listener.  She understands the issues facing our community and will effectively represent us.

Our community will benefit from Marty's extensive experience as a neighborhood advocate.  As President of the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay, she dealt with many of the same issues we face. As a member of the Citizens Advisory Committee for the Millennium project, she successfully protected the Back Bay from an out of scale, 60-story tower that would have loomed over the neighborhood. She will bring valuable experience to the job of being our State Representative, and our community will benefit from her knowledge, energy and commitment.

We need a strong advocate in the State House. Marty has a long track record of success and has proven herself as an articulate, and a passionate community leader. Marty is far and away the most qualified candidate. Representing our communities isn't easy, but we are confident that Marty Walz is more than ready to take on the challenge of being our State Representative.

We enthusiastically support her and hope you will join us in voting for Marty on November 2.

Stephen Mazur
65 Martha Road

Kathleen Ryan
2 Hawthorne Place

Alex Trombetta
Whittier Place

Ivy Turner
6 Whittier Place

Beacon Hill Times
October 12, 2004

To The Editor:

The Cambridge Ward 5 Democratic Committee enthusiastically endorses Marty Walz for State Representative in the 8 th Suffolk District, which is comprised of Cambridgeport, part of Area 4, and part of Ward 2 in Cambridge, Beacon Hill and Back Bay in Boston. Paul Demakis, who did not run for re-election, is the current representative.

We appreciate the progressive leadership that Marty will bring to this position. With the many challenges facing Cambridgeport, our city and state, we need someone like Marty Walz, who has a proven track record of leadership and integrity, to represent our progressive values in the State House. Her opponent is a conservative Republican.

Marty has shown us that she is an incredibly hard worker, intelligent, and devoted to our interests. She volunteers her time to help poor and homeless women. She is a strong advocate for women's reproductive rights. She has repeatedly said that she is committed to being a Cambridge representative.

We urge you to join us in voting for Marty Walz for State Representative on November 2, 2004.

The Cambridge Ward Five Democratic Committee
Submitted by Mark Sutherland

Cambridge Chronicle
October 7, 2004

Poll was dishonest and unethical

I received a telephone call last night purporting to be a legitimate campaign poll. I quickly realized the poll was anything but legitimate. It was a push poll paid for by Richard Babson, the Republican running for the 8 th Suffolk District against Marty Walz, the Democrat who overwhelmingly won the primary election.

What Babson is doing is dishonest and unethical. In the call, Marty Walz' position on issues was caricatured and misrepresented. Instead of commissioning fake polls to mislead voters about his opponent, I think Babson should be spending his money and time putting his own views before voters. Let us decide, instead of trying to trick us.

Marty is a true progressive and leader. I was proud to support her in the primary and will be proud to vote for her on November 2. I urge my neighbors to do the same.

Ari Goelman

Cambridge Chronicle
October 7, 2004

Push poll was unethical

On Thursday, September 30, I got a telephone call from someone purporting to be a pollster. The poll centered on the two candidates for state representative in the 8 th Suffolk, the Democratic candidate Marty Walz, and the Republican candidate, a Mr. Babson. It was soon apparent that it was being taken on behalf of Mr. Babson.

While the poll began legitimately enough, it then shifted and became a push poll, i.e., a poll designed not to inquire after voters' opinions, but to shift them. There were a series of questions about the respective positions of Marty Walz (slanted so as to disfavor Marty Walz) and of Mr. Babson (slanted so as to favor Mr. Babson).

Push-polling is neither legitimate polling nor ethical campaigning, but I guess this sort of thing is par for the course for Republican candidates in 2004. Fish rot from the head.

Clifford A. Truesdell

Cambridge Chronicle
October 7, 2004

To the Editor:

I am writing to urge my neighbors in the 8 th Suffolk District to vote for Marty Walz on Tuesday, November 2.

I have seen Marty first-hand at Jumpstart for Young Children, where she is Vice President of Development and I am the Director of Human Resources. Jumpstart pairs at-risk preschool children with college students for a year of mentoring before kindergarten. We achieve extraordinary results, and Marty is a key part of our leadership team.

Marty's commitment to children and her passion for education is unrivaled. As anyone who has spoken with her already knows, she is smart. And, as the Boston Globe wrote in its endorsement of her for the primary election, Marty is "a strategic thinker." Her mix of skills and talent is what we sorely need in the State House.

Unlike her opponent, Marty doesn't just talk about improving education. She's doing it.

I am proud to support Marty Walz and urge my neighbors to join me in voting for her on November 2.

Kasi Cruz
83 Pearl Street

Cambridge Chronicle
October 7, 2004

To the Editor:

Your September 28 story about the race for the 8th Suffolk District noted that someone attending the recent Ward 5 Democratic Committee meeting characterized the Republican candidate, Richard Babson, as a "liberal." A review of his position on myriad issues demonstrates that nothing could be further from the truth.

Mr. Babson is a conservative Republican. For example, when another newspaper asked Mr. Babson about his position on Massachusetts moving toward health insurance coverage for all residents, he replied "I'm for letting the market work."

The market has created the current reality: over 600,000 people in our state do not have health insurance and those who have insurance pay a great deal for it. There is nothing liberal about leaving hundreds of thousands of our friends and neighbors without health insurance.

Mr. Babson also supports immediately rolling the income tax back to 5%, which will result in deep budget cuts to education and human services. There is nothing liberal about eliminating arts and music programs, increasing class size, and closing schools, all of which deprive children of a high quality education.

Mr. Babson also supports the death penalty. Here again, he is no liberal.

I urge voters to look beyond campaign rhetoric and analyze a candidate's position on issues. The analysis here reveals that Mr. Babson is conservative and out of step with our district's values.

Marcy Axelrad
17 Phillips Street

Beacon Hill Times
October 5, 2004