A new day dawns in Quincy
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been in a state of shock since Tuesday, when Quincy voters elected seven new city councilors and two new school committee members into office. Most ran on a platform of reform, and if those election results don’t represent a mandate, I don’t know what does!
Starting in January, any proposals will have to pass muster with reform-minded members in order to get council approval. This is not to say that the new council will be obstructionistic; none of us wants that. But the days of the council simply rubber-stamping administration proposals are over. Dissenting opinions will be heard! (Watch this video by A Just Quincy’s Joe Murphy to see exactly how much of a reversal that will be. It got me in the feels.)
Reform councilors-elect David Jacobs (Ward 1); Anne Mahoney (at-large); Deborah Reilly (Ward 6); Ginny Ryan (Ward 4); yours truly, with a jaunty leaf on my head; and Ziqiang Susan Yuan (at-large).
And our votes will only matter on the council because so many of YOU voted! About 23% of eligible voters cast ballots in this election, which beat the 17% we saw four years ago in the last similar election as well as the 18 to 20% predicted for this year. At least some of that increase came from infrequent voters who turned out this year because they were fed up with the status quo and hopeful for change – I met several of them on Election Day and have received giddy messages from others in the days since. One voter emailed me: “I love Quincy the city, but this is the first time since I've lived here that I've really felt optimistic about Quincy city government and governance!”
What makes Tuesday’s results so sweet is that they did not seem possible right up until they happened. Reform candidates knew that winning our races was a long shot – we lacked the money and powerful connections that most incumbents have. But we ran anyway to offer voters a choice and to highlight the need for more transparency and accountability in local government.
We spent months talking – and more important, listening – to thousands of our neighbors, finding common ground and building community with every conversation. On Tuesday, we learned just how much those connections meant not just to us but to the folks we met. It turns out that people want to have a say in making our city fairer and more inclusive. Fancy that! 🙂
I’ll be reaching out soon to invite folks to join “citizen councils” centered around particular issues and neighborhoods, and I’ll be using my campaign email account to keep people posted on news and other ways to get involved (sign up for the list here). But for now, let’s savor the knowledge that we can bring about change when we work together and don’t give up hope. It may take multiple attempts, but if we just keep trying, together we can form a more perfect union.
Which brings me to my final point, which is to express my undying gratitude to all the folks who nurtured a flame of hope and worked to get me elected. Without all the help I got door knocking, phone banking, card writing, sign holding, party throwing, goody baking, media posting, coffer filling, finance reporting, pin producing, pumpkin carving, endorsement writing, and morale boosting, I would never have gotten across the finish line. I am eternally grateful, and I will carry that torch of hope and determination onto the council.
Onward and upward!
Maggie
