Ted
Kennedy's loss stirs up many different emotions both personal and
political, and in the end they are one in the same. I remember a
conversation with Senator Kennedy in his Washington office when I was
Mayor of Cambridge. I told him some of the stories my father passed on
to me about his brother Jack and the early campaigns in our
neighborhood as young returning veterans. Even then it was obvious that
Ted had difficulty speaking about his brother.

As a human being
he aspired to serve his fellow Americans and this came first for him.
As a politician he embodied the brand of Massachusetts politics now
ingrained in all of us. It is this personal attention to his
responsibilities and his constituents that I admire the most. I
remember calls to the Mayor's office when my staff would say Senator
Kennedy is on the phone and I would pick up and hear "Mr. Mayor, how is
everything in Cambridge…". He would then go on to update me on some
issue or some funding coming our way.

I also loved the Kennedy
style of campaigning because Ted obviously ran the show. One summer I
received a call late on a Friday to put together a rally in Cambridge
for the Senator. I chose the parking lot at Fresh Pond apartments where
we had just extended affordability. The location was also across from
Russell Field where a home football game was being played. The rally
was a huge success with hundreds of people coming out to greet and chat
with Senator Kennedy. About a year later, I saw Ted at a reception in
Cambridge and he said, "Anthony, I think more people were at that rally
for you than for me!" I didn't think he would even remember the rally,
but Ted Kennedy didn't miss a thing with local politics. He had a deep
respect for local officials who were on the front lines. He remembered
names and would pick up the phone to connect, and not just when it was
time for his campaign. That standard of respect for public service is
what Ted Kennedy embodied.

Sacrifice, pain, humility and in the
end, affection and love for ALL people is what defined Ted Kennedy for
me. He set a standard that has forever changed the face of politics in
Massachusetts. A standard we all should aspire to respect and hold true
too. I will miss Ted Kennedy but it is my hope that his spirit will
live on in all of us.

-Anthony Galluccio