I am running for State Senate for the honor of representing you and your neighbors in Arlington, Billerica, Burlington, Lexington, and Woburn on Beacon Hill. I want to bring my leadership, commitment and passion to crafting and promoting legislation that serves the vital interests of our residents and nourishes a strong economy in which we can all work and thrive.

We are faced with big challenges as a commonwealth: sustaining our environment while addressing our energy needs, providing the education needed to compete in a global economy, ensuring quality health care for all while reining in sky-rocketing costs, and expanding economic opportunity for all our residents in times of fiscal uncertainty.

But where there are challenges there are also opportunities:

• We have an opportunity to provide education that is excellent from pre-school through college to equip all our children to compete in the new economy and be full participants in our civic life.
• We have an opportunity to harness the extraordinary brain power and labor talent in this state to expand our economy through good jobs in arenas like life sciences, energy, technology and healthcare.
• We have an opportunity to clean up our environment and become leaders in alternative energy.

With the right leadership, courage and commitment we can grasp these opportunities and build a thriving commonwealth with strong, healthy communities.

I have spent my career as a firefighter and an activist for social and economic justice, helping those in need and standing up for what I believe is right. As a labor leader for the past 22 years I have worked with legislators and community leaders, building coalitions among diverse groups, writing and passing legislation that enhances the quality of life for residents across the commonwealth. As a state-appointed commissioner of the public employee pension system with oversight responsibility for over sixty billion dollars, I understand first-hand the economic realities facing the state, our cities and towns, our elderly citizens, and working men and women across the commonwealth. As your Senator, I will bring this knowledge along with my leadership, courage and commitment to the legislature.

I know we can find opportunity in challenge and we can take on the big issues and win.

I respectfully ask for your vote on September 16th and the privilege of representing you in the Massachusetts Senate.

Thank you