We have everything we need to make Massachusetts a place where every person thrives
We have everything we need to make Massachusetts a place where every person thrives. We can be a state where one job is enough for every worker, and where workers don’t have to trade off pay against working conditions at the bargaining table. We can be a state with affordable and reliable green transportation for every resident. We can be a state where people who need care can access it, regardless of what stage of life they are in and regardless of their wealth, and where the workers who provide this care have fair pay and working conditions. We can be a state where the social safety net catches and lifts up people facing hard times. We can be a state where older adults can stay in their homes and communities with predictable and stable housing costs and access to services.
But we’re not that state now. The biggest obstacle isn’t scarcity of resources — it’s a scarcity mindset in state government that teaches us that expansions of one service must always be accompanied by cuts to another. It tells us that affordable transit must be strictly means-tested, even when this makes it less efficient. We’ve structured state government around surviving scarcity; we need to refocus on thriving together with the abundant state resources we’ve built together. In this platform, I’ll talk about how I’m thinking about five areas of economic policy — labor, transportation, care work, the social safety net, and support for older adults — but this lens will influence every aspect of my policy approach as a State Representative.
Labor: As a union member (SEIU Local 509) from a union family, I’ve made workers’ rights a cornerstone of my campaign, my service on the Select Board, and my career. In the State House, I’ll fight for legislation to protect and expand the right to organize — I support pending House bills to extend collective bargaining rights to foster parents, rideshare drivers, and public defenders. Elected officials must also practice what we preach, and I strongly and unequivocally support State House staff in their unionization campaign. Finally, I’ll fight for legislation to enshrine more basic workplace protections in law — including the Essential Worker Bill of Rights. Too often, workers at the bargaining table are forced to choose between occupational health and safety and living wages, and we need to enshrine both in statute.
Transportation: As the costs of single-occupant car travel rise, we need to make greener and more affordable options feasible for everyone. Fare free buses are essential both for economic access to transportation and for reducing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with our transportation sector. They’re as close to a policy slam-dunk as I’ve encountered in government, and that’s why I spent much of my time on the Select Board fighting for a fare free 66 bus pilot with partners in Boston and Cambridge. Fare free buses are faster and more reliable, and if we act on a state level, many of the costs are paid for by averting nearly $1 billion in spending on fare collection systems. This money is far better spent on addressing the MBTA’s state-of-good repair backlog and making the system more reliable than on expensive new fareboxes. I also support expanding state rebates for electric bikes and establishing “parking cash-out” programs, where underpaid workers who don’t use free parking at work can receive the value of this service in cash or to defray other transportation-related expenses. The economic thriving of our state and our workers relies on reliable, affordable, and sustainable transit.
Childcare: As a parent of a one-year-old, I know that care work keeps our state running, but the people who provide this vital service are often underpaid and lack core labor protections. Massachusetts has the least affordable child care of any state, and it’s not even close — even caring for one infant would take up 23% of the median family’s income, and child care is unaffordable for 95% of families. I support the Common Start bill to subsidize child care costs for families and increase pay and professional development for care workers.
Older Adults: We need a similarly transformative investment in support for older adults — every resident should have the support that they need to age in community, and the option to access care homes at an affordable rate. I’ve met too many older adults on the brink of being priced out of Brookline. That’s why I fought for a property tax rebate for older adults and was the only Select Board member to vote for it — our housing crisis touches people of all ages, and older adults with fixed incomes face disproportionate harm from it. I’ll also fight for legislation to increase coverage for at-home care for older adults aging in place, to expand access to care homes, and to fund community-based services like the Brookline Center.
Safety Net: Economic thriving relies on a strong social safety net to get people through challenging times. During the worst of the pandemic, I led the effort to commit $175,000 to Brookline’s Safety Net Fund to provide critical temporary emergency assistance to those who needed it most. My work was instrumental in ensuring that funds were made available to Brookline’s METCO families, small business owners, and employees — all regardless of immigration or documentation status. In the State House, I’ll fight for a “no wrong door” approach to state assistance, allowing people to apply for every state benefit program for which they are eligible with one application.
Conclusion: Everyone in our state deserves to thrive, and we have all the resources we need to make that a reality — but we need to change how we think about economic policy to get there. To that end, I’m excited to host my fifth community policy conversation on Thursday, May 26th at 6pm. I’ll be joined by four community members who have been fighting for a Brookline where everyone can thrive: Brookline Educators Union Vice-President Bob Miller, childcare advocate Vena Priestly, Brookline Improvement Coalition Board President Deborah Brown, and former Brookline Community Foundation Executive Director Giselle Ferro Puigbo.
