Some residents are clear. Daniel Lander is far closer to their values — but say they’ll vote for the incumbent anyway, betting that Senator Brownsberger’s seniority means Watertown gets its cut. That math doesn’t add up. Watertown won’t fix the affordability crisis by hoping our Senator brings home a bigger slice of pie.
There is another, more optimistic way to think about the power of our vote and the power of shared values.
What actually helps us — as part of the many, not the few — is fixing the broken status quo. Good legislation has never seen the light of day because Brownsberger has the power to block it. And because our votes for transparency have been opposed by Brownsberger, it is difficult to hold legislators accountable when we don’t know their positions.
Backing the legislators with shared values — the ones who Senator Brownsberger has too often stood in the way of — and electing more of them, will yield us better outcomes. And we can back them, not be consumed with pushing them to agree on each or most pieces of legislation or policy change that impacts healthcare, housing, food, childcare costs.
I would put my bet on the champion of those values, Daniel Lander — a leader that recognizes the urgency and possibilities of the State’s role in tackling the affordability crisis.
Settling for less than your values is shortsighted and advocates for a profoundly hopeless path to progress. Without shared values, we effectively cripple our goals of expanding opportunities for all of us. Once you get to the top, protect it at all costs? What about everyone else? What about our values? What about the other legislators who have been blocked by the current leadership? Shouldn’t we join their ranks?
How divergent are the values of the two candidates? I think they are significant. Here are a few:
· Opposition to unionization and to ever “taking sides” in a labor dispute.
Lander strongly supports unionization as a way to improve wages and working conditions, and has walked picket lines in support of workers, including teachers and healthcare providers. He supports State House staffers’ right to unionize.
· Acceptance of money from corporate PACs, lobbyists, and special interests. Lander wants money out of politics. His policy advocacy has often challenged corporate interests.
· Relentless opposition to many efforts to invest in affordable housing, such as a Transfer Fee for very high end real estate deals, preventing millions from being available to our Affordable Housing Trust for years. Brownsberger favors almost exclusively relying on market-rate building.
Lander recognizes the strong public need for more housing, especially for affordable options, and will join with other legislators to endorse a variety of solutions (see his website).
Let’s be part of the change that will connect our Senator to the reality of urgency and public support for solutions. Let’s not give up on what’s possible. Let’s elect a Senator that reflects our values.
Jacky van Leeuwen
Watertown Resident