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Dear Fellow Somerville Democrats,

As long-standing Democratic Party activists in Somerville, we are writing to respectfully dissent from our City Committee’s endorsement and express our full support for the reelection of Erika Uyterhoeven to represent the 27th Middlesex district in the State House of Representatives.

We agree with the Committee’s endorsements of Elizabeth Warren, Ayanna Pressley, and Pat Jehlen – they have delivered on our progressive values. For the same reason, we are sticking with Erika Uyterhoeven.

The Committee’s endorsement of her opponent sharply diverges from that standard. Erika shares all the progressive values espoused by the challenger, but has already been serving our community in the State House as a strong voice and vote for those values.

Erika’s signature achievement was her central role in winning the Fair Share Amendment.  First she led the work to move it through the legislature and then played a leading role in the campaign to win it at the ballot in 2022.  That tax, only paid by the very wealthiest residents of the state, is already delivering over $2 Billion a year in new revenue for education and transportation. 

The Fair Share Amendment has already made community college tuition-free for all, ensured universal free meals in our public schools, and put hundreds of millions of dollars into upgrading the MBTA and fixing our roads and bridges.  Her leadership on Fair Share is bold visionary public service at its best. Erika – like Senator Warren, Congresswoman Pressley, and State Senator Jehlen – has demonstrated the determination and persistence to get things done!

To say one is for affordable housing, climate action, and reproductive rights is a minimum for our party these days. But to work for policies that actually keep people in their homes, measurably lower our impact on the climate, and enshrine those rights as inviolable takes a person who is committed enough, knowledgeable enough, and steadfast enough to keep the problems and their solutions front and center in the State House debate.

Erika is that person.

And that’s why we whole-heartedly endorse the reelection of Erika Uyterhoeven.  We urge you to join us in keeping her on the job to continue working on our shared goals!

Sincerely,

The undersigned Somerville Democrats:

 Wilfred N. Mbah, At-large City Councilor

Willie Burnley Jr, At-Large City Councilor

JT Scott, Ward 2 City Councilor

Ben Ewen-Campen, Ward 3 City Councilor

Naima Sait, Ward 5 City Councilor

Denise Provost, Ward 5, former 27th Middlesex State Representative

Mike Grunko, Treasurer, SDCC

Rand Wilson, Ward 6 Democratic Committee

Hala Jadallah, Ward 6 Democratic Committee

Daniel Wong, Ward 2 resident and former Ward 2 Committee Treasurer and Secretary

Harris Gruman, Ward 5

Marya Axner, Ward 5

Reebee Garofalo, Ward 7

Marianne Walles, Ward 4

Mark Stern, Ward 6

Susan Tannehill, Ward 1

Elaine Almquist, Ward 7

Sara Halawa, Ward 3

Dick Bauer, Ward 3

Jeff Uehlinger, Ward 2

Terence Cawley, Ward 3

Sara Dion, Ward 7

Mark Niedergang, Ward 5

Malcolm Cummings, Ward 5

Diane Wong, Ward 2, and Racial Justice Collaborative

Lawrence Rich, Ward 5

Cheryl Hirshman, Ward 3

Susan Eldridge, Ward 7

Surjeet Paintal, Ward 5

Chris Lay, Ward 5

Lael Backus, Ward 5

Susan Fendell, Ward 6 Democratic Committee

Paul Weiskel, Ward 2

Payton Corbett, Ward 1, B.A., Teamsters Local 122

Beth Grunko, Ward 4

Marcy Goldstein-Gelb, Ward 5

Jesse Clingan, Ward 4 City Councilor

Janine Fay, Ward 3

Robert Massie, Ward 4

Lance Davis, Ward 6 City Councilor

August 20, 2024