Press Release – June 19, 2012
Campaign Announcement – Mike "No Money" Connolly
26th Middlesex State House District
It’s 7:23am on a Tuesday.
Like most weekdays at this time, I am getting ready to walk down to Lechmere to catch the Green Line into work. My fiancée Kacy is feeding our two cats, and in just a few minutes, she’ll hop on her bike and pedal over to her office in Porter Square.
It’s another perfectly average day for us, with one exception…
This morning, I am announcing my clean, “No Money” campaign to serve the people of Cambridge and Somerville as Representative in General Court for the 26th Middlesex State House District.
I am not a politician, but I am running to be your new State Representative because I understand that the people of Cambridge and Somerville are working harder than ever – just to make ends meet – and yet, when we look to our state legislature, we see a system that is clearly broken.
Beacon Hill is a place where corporate lobbyists and party leaders team up to put the interests of the rich and powerful ahead of our common needs. Meanwhile, rank-and-file legislators are granted a few favors in exchange for quietly going along with the status quo. In the end, the progressive issues that really matter to us—such as public transportation, single-payer healthcare, clean elections, and global warming—are neglected, rejected, nullified, and ignored.
Of course, talking about change is easy — politicians do that all the time. To transcend the status quo, we have to actually be the change we wish to see…
A few months ago, I started knocking on doors and meeting with local progressives. I told everyone the same thing: I want to be your new State Representative, but I do not want to raise any money to run for this public office. Instead, I want you to donate your attention, your energy, your knowledge, your ideas, and your artwork — and together, we will set a powerful, new example for our democracy.
Together, we quickly organized a successful signature drive to earn an independent spot on the November ballot, and then we were featured in the Huffington Post, on the Occupy Boston website, and in local blogs.
Meanwhile, over 40 volunteers have signed up to get involved, and we’re now assembling a structured operation, complete with a campaign manager, an issues committee, and a homemade-sign-making team. In addition, we’ve also received more than 200 individual contributions, each in the amount of $0.00.
In the coming weeks and months, we intend to ask some tough questions: Why did our legislature shackle the MBTA with billions of dollars of debt from the Big Dig? When will the legislature finally settle on a plan to pay for the Green Line Extension? Why can’t the state help us turn the McGrath Highway into a liveable city street? And is there a conflict of interest when one individual holds two public offices at the same time?
I hope you will join us as we work to answer these questions, but right now, I need to get going, or else I will be late for work! But don’t worry — come this weekend, I will be going door-to-door, working as hard as I possibly can to earn your support as the “Progressive Independent” candidate in the November election. I hope to see you around soon!
Sincerely yours,
Mike Connolly
Note: This House district is currently represented by Rep. Timothy J. Toomey.
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