I'm running for City Council!

Dear friends & family,

I'm running for Boston City Council, for one of the four "At-Large" seats. This is a tremendous task but it also means the many friends and supporters I've made over the last 30 years can vote for me and help my campaign - no matter where they live in the city.

As many of you know, I ran for State Representative last year and challenged an incumbent who'd been in office for 27 years. My vote count was low but I got near 10%, which is typical for first-time candidates who  challenge a popular or entrenched incumbent.

I distributed 20,000 pieces of literature; met a few thousand Bostonians; made hundreds of new friends; and did a lot of fun things like have my own float in Boston Carnival. Perhaps most importantly - in terms of my ability to win - I learned on the road to losing. I know what it takes to win in terms of gathering volunteers; raising money; making thousands of voter contacts and door knocks - all part of collecting the "1's" needed to win.

book lent to me by an
elderly voter in Roxbury

The regular voters I met - and their often incredible stories - gave me tremendous hope for our city and only increased my love for the "hidden treasures" among us. I know that may sound like a cliche but it is the absolute truth - campaigning is one of the few things left in our society where you can connect with thousands of complete strangers. The experience confirmed my training and my belief in Asset-Based Community Development: we must listen and discover what is actually occurring in our neighbors' lives - not what we think is happening; and every discussion about our communities should start with "what do we have" rather than what we don't.

I need your support, your knowledge, your friends and family. Thank you in advance! And thanks to everyone who helped last year.

Jed