Green-Rainbow Party municipal candidates, Nov. 6, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Green-Rainbow Party members across the Commonwealth win re-election; challengers make solid bids for local office.

Contacts:

Merelice, GRP Co-chair, 617-277-1757, merelice@gmail.com
Nat Fortune, GRP Co-chair, 413-665-6739, nfortune@mac.com
Eli Beckerman, GRP Communications Director, 617-821-1453, elibeck@gmail.com

Nov 7, 2007, updated 11 Nov 2007

Created by eli_beckerman. Last modified on 2007-11-11 21:50:44

The Green-Rainbow Party congratulates all of its candidates for municipal office, along with their volunteers, for running a number of inspiring campaigns across Massachusetts.

Demonstrating party members’ success at building locally were Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner’s landslide re-election victory, and a higher placing by Cambridge School Committee member Luc Schuster. Their dedication to changing the status quo through a combination of local organizing and maintaining a strong voice for constituents via elected office represents the future of the Green-Rainbow Party in Massachusetts. “Turner’s bold leadership is showing the way, while Schuster’s is clearly starting to blossom,” said Eli Beckerman, a volunteer on Luc Schuster’s campaign.

On the heels of an impressive gubernatorial run in 2006, Grace Ross threw her hat into the Worcester political scene and came up just 532 votes shy of a seat on the city council in an attention-getting campaign. She received a significant increase in votes over her primary vote total, drawing many voters who would have otherwise stayed home. Her run for Worcester city government and her numerous union endorsements demonstrated her commitment to grassroots democracy and digging in locally to build from the ground up.

Finally, in Holyoke’s Ward 3, Rick Purcell’s run for city council drew a strong base of support, earning 33 percent in his first attempt at local office. While Purcell was defeated by a 2-to-1 count, he attracted large numbers of volunteers to his campaign and secured an important union endorsement. His relentless advocacy for Holyoke gave voters a "true and relentless voice" in the election.

“Many members of the Green-Rainbow Party would like to focus more on local campaigns” noted party co-chair Merelice, of Brookline. “So we are particularly proud of the party members who were candidates in well-run grassroots campaigns for municipal office this fall. Yesterday's winners join a number of Green-Rainbow members who won office in Town elections in the spring.”

“We are especially pleased by the ability of our candidates to reach across party lines and speak to the issues of every voter regardless of party affiliation,” said party co-chair Nat Fortune, of Whately. “Most of the votes received by our candidates came from people who are not yet members of our party, and many of those were voting for Green-Rainbow candidates for the very first time.”

Green-Rainbow co-chairs offered thanks and congratulations to all of yesterday’s candidates. “We are proud of all our candidates: they offer deep insights, bold visions, and a tenacious dedication to their communities. The number of Green-Rainbows holding elected office will continue to grow. We are pleased by our success at the local level and are ready to govern at the state level as well.”