We have been active progressive political organizers in Jamaica Plain since 2006. Over that time, members of our group have helped Deval Patrick, Barack Obama, Sonia Chang Diaz, Ayanna Pressley, Suzanne Lee, Michael Capuano, Martha Coakley, Elizabeth Warren, Ed Markey, and most recently Charlotte Golar Richie, among other candidates around the city and state.
Most of us were also among the founding members of the JP Progressives, an organization that was dedicated to progressive issues advocacy and voter engagement. We held several extremely successful candidate forums, and became known for our tough but fair questionnaires. Sadly a few of our original founding cast have moved on to… well… let’s say browner pastures, but we miss them nonetheless.
We want to introduce you to JP Progressives 2.0. We’re merging our electoral work with the issues advocacy and voter engagement we accomplished with the JPP. We are also joining as a chapter of a great statewide progressive organization, Progressive Massachusetts.
Because many of us have been working hard for progressive candidates in Jamaica Plain, we will continue our work on progressive campaigns and advocacy through JPP 2.0. The networks of activists and volunteers that we work with is important to us, and if you are receiving this email and reading this, you are an important part of the work we do.
Our steering committee (list below) has taken it’s initial endorsement vote, and we are actively supporting two candidates for Boston City Councilor: At Large City Councilor Ayanna Pressley; and a challenger in a district race outside of Jamaica Plain, Suzanne Lee. (More on these races below.)
What’s Next: The Mayor’s Race
In the next 24 hours we are going to take our vote on who JPP 2.0 will be believe is the best progressive choice for Mayor of Boston.
Before we take that vote, we’d love to hear from you. We’d love your feedback, thoughts and reasons why you are supporting Marty Walsh or John Connolly in the race for Mayor, or what the biggest issues are on your mind for the city. Email us at moreinfo@jpprogressives.com.
Also: Save The Date
This is an early Save-The-Date notice for the evenings of Nov 20 and Dec 4 when we have scheduled open conversations in Jamaica Plain with each of the 2014 Democratic candidates for Governor. Currently scheduled: Joe Avelone, Don Berwick, Martha Coakley, Steve Grossman and Juliette Kayyem. We’ll be sending more information about this after the Mayoral election November 5. For now, mark your calendars for those two evenings for an important and substantive conversation leading into next year’s race.
More on Ayanna Pressley
We are solidly with Ayanna Pressley because she has truly changed the conversation around a number of critical issues in our city. She has fought hard in our city around issue of poverty, race and gender. She has been a tremendous advocate in particular for young women and girls, talking about issues of sex education, diversity and opportunity that goes to the core values she brings to the office. We are incredibly proud of the courage and passion she brings to the office. She is a star, a political behemoth in this city, and a wonderful person that we’ve had the pleasure to get to know over the last 4 years.
More on Suzanne Lee
Suzanne is in a tough fight. Two years ago she challenged incumbent Bill Linehan in the District 2 race and fell just 97 votes short. Since that time she has been active in the district, while her opponent has been more interested in advocating for redistricting plans designed to protect his job. She is a former Boston Public School principal, a leader in the Chinese Progressive Association, and a progressive champion. What we find most compelling is her ability to connect the interests of the low- and moderate-income families of Chinatown to those in the South End, South Boston, and yes even Jamaica Plain. She would be a progressive beacon in City Hall. There is every reason to believe she can and will win the seat this time around.
JPP 2.0 Thanks You!
We thank you for continued interest in our election work, in our issues advocacy, and we hope you’ll stay involved in this evolving organization.
If you are interested in playing a larger role in JPP 2.0, feel free to reach out to us at moreinfo@jpprogressives.com.
All The Best,
Annie Rousseau
Nancy Sableski
Michael Rousseau
Tara Rousseau
Katie Forde
Georgia Hollister Isman
Ben Wright
Reuben Kantor
