Dear Friends,

I’m running for Lieutenant Governor because I want to help get Massachusetts moving again, and I have what it takes to get the job done! I’m the fifth generation of my family to live here— my children are the sixth—and I’m committed to making sure our children and grandchildren have every opportunity to stay in Massachusetts.

My great, great grandparents came halfway across the world to make a better life for their family. They started a small store in the North End of Boston, at the corner of Prince and Salem Streets. With strong values and hard work, my family grew that store into one of New England’s largest grocery chains, Stop & Shop. I grew up in that business, and my parents taught me that it’s all about people: your employees, your customers, your community.

For the past 16 years, Republican Governors have given us no leadership, shown little interest, and haven’t delivered for the people of Massachusetts. Our economy is growing at only half the rate of the rest of the country. We’ve lost jobs and population. Property taxes are through the roof, and families are struggling to make ends meet. The state has pushed everything down to the local level and forced communities to choose between firefighters and teachers; between the elderly and kids. That simply has to stop.

We need leadership that understands what it will take to create and keep jobs here. Education and training—not just test scores—are the key to jobs in Massachusetts. We need schools that teach our kids skills that will make them and Massachusetts competitive, particularly in biotech and the life sciences. We must make better use of our community colleges and the UMASS system. These are the schools that will train the kids who will stay and work in Massachusetts. Right now we’re at the very bottom of the list when it comes to state public higher education funding! There’s no excuse for that. Our kids deserve better.

We also have to make sure everyone in this state has quality, affordable health insurance. We're getting less and less and paying more and more. We need to get everyone to the table—everyday people, businesses, insurers, and providers. It’s my priority to see this happen now.

Getting Massachusetts moving again means getting the entire state moving again. For too long, cities and towns outside Boston have been ignored, overlooked, and short-changed. Our state is not healthy unless the whole state is healthy. Pittsfield, Springfield, Woods Hole, and Haverhill have very different needs, and I know what to do about it. My experience in a business with stores in ever corner of the state and my public service in my own community have given me the skills to help grow our economy—from east to west, north to south.

With your support and with your help, we will get Massachusetts back on track and give families more to look forward to. We can have a better future; we just need to do it together!