Published: 9/9/2019 7:30:15 PM
Northampton’s Ward 7 has proven its civic chops! Not only have we had some of the highest voter turnout in the city over the last several years, but we have three candidates running for City Council for the term that begins Jan. 1, 2020.
This means that Ward 7 voters will have a preliminary election on Sept. 17 to narrow the field of council candidates from three to two candidates. The top two vote-getters will be on the ballot in the general municipal election on Nov. 5.
I will be voting for Rachel Maiore for Ward 7 city councilor in the preliminary and encourage you to join me in doing so. Rachel is a resident of Leeds who together with her husband is raising three young boys. She is a public health professional who, before she came to the Valley, worked as a community health planning director in Nicaragua, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Bolivia.
Rachel is a community organizer and progressive activist who has proven her commitment to this community through her ongoing engagement with the issues that touch our everyday lives, from advocating for fair wages for workers to calling for equitable access to health care.
Many of us have worked with Rachel over the last several years as she has organized rallies, events and ongoing campaigns in our community and region. A hallmark of her work is how she organizes across generations from kids to teenagers to baby boomers and beyond. People want to work with Rachel because of her kindness, deep integrity, intelligence and strategic vision.
Rachel listens carefully and respectfully and always responds with compassion and the desire to work together to address what needs to be done. I have no doubt that Rachel will be a hard working city councilor for Ward 7 and a strong advocate for her constituents.
Please join me in voting for Rachel Maiore for Ward 7 city councilor in the preliminary election on Sept. 17.
Alisa Klein
Leeds
The writer is Northampton’s current city councilor for Ward 7. She is not running for reelection.