Barry O. Lawton 5th Suffolk District "Community First" Campaign Continues.

"COMMUNITY FIRST"

Dear Supporter and Friend,


(October 6, 2010) - The Boston Globe endorsement of state representative candidate Carlos Henriquez and last minute support from former state rep Marie St. Fleur during the September primary signal the continuation of a “tradition” the people of Dorchester and Roxbury can no longer afford. As the Globe opined, “he (Henriquez) will be the best candidate to continue the tradition of leadership from the Fifth Suffolk district.”



What leadership tradition is that, of leaving the district in the lurch by leaving for other jobs?


The geographic majority of the Fifth Suffolk clearly disagrees with the Globe’s assessment of what we need in new leadership, as I carried a majority of the district’s precincts.


The past two state representatives from this district have left office midterm, leaving the district unrepresented for the equivalent of two years. The last representative, Marie St. Fleur, resigned to take a $140,000 position with the City in June of this year, leaving the district without a voice in the House until January 2011, thus leaving us without an advocate at the height of critical budget and social legislation negotiations.


The loss of anti-gang, elder care, and a host of other resources have made our community more vulnerable than ever. St. Fleur’s absence during the CORI debate and other votes stayed true to her tradition, which includes compiling the worst attendance of any legislators during her ten year tenure, missing 22% of roll call votes, many of them from her own Committee on Ways and Means.


Not only was her legislative record poor, but the way she represented the political will of the district was equally disturbing. In 2008, when her district voted over 80% for Obama, she endorsed Hillary Clinton. In 2006, when Deval Patrick eventually garnered nearly 90% of votes locally, she chose to run against him as Lt. Gov. running mate of Tom Reilly.


The tradition of Marie St. Fleur, a charismatic personality, is one that can be likened to taxation without representation and not putting community first. This is a tradition more suited to be a bookmark in history rather than a blueprint for the future.


Does representation, and showing up to vote, and paying attention to the District’s needs, really matter?


You bet it does. Lack of attention to resources like anti-crime funding may be attributable to the recent spike in crime. The CORI reform legislation, which is very important to citizens of our community, came down to the wire in July.


I was on Beacon Hill to advocate successfully for its passage. There was no elected state representative there for us to do so, and my opponent Mr. Henriquez was also absent from the scene and this debate.


Our district historically is the lowest voting in the state, and only 11% of voters showed up at the polls in September. Possibly the fact that their “leaders” have shown little interest in representing them is reflected in these abysmal numbers. Nonetheless, our people deserve much better.


It is time to start a new tradition whereby the people have faith in, are excited about and committed to candidates who have faith in them, are excited about representing them, and are committed to them over the long haul.


I have that faith, excitement, and commitment, and so that’s why I am continuing my “community first” campaign and running in November.




Barry O. Lawton

Barry O. Lawton Announcement Speech- March 10, 2010

Barry O. Lawton, Massachusetts State Representative 5th Suffolk District

Dorchester and Roxbury

"COMMUNITY FIRST"

I am running for State Representative for the Fifth Suffolk District because I will bring a fresh voice, new energy, and new vision to the people of Dorchester and Roxbury.

I run to restore the sense of community we once had. Like an inspirational leader we all know very well, I also have a dream: to empower a newly outspoken and confident Dorchester and Roxbury community, a place that is upbeat and on the move, a place where people live together in safety, harmony and prosperity, a place the outside world pays attention to and respects for the goodness and decency of its hard working residents.


I live in this neighborhood, I love this neighborhood, I know what its needs are, and I know we can do great things working together.


I am inspired by the young state representatives of Dorchester, Marty Walsh and Linda Dorcena-Forry, who have evolved into a source of pride and are receptacles for new ideas and old values.


I run to join them, and add to the chorus of legislators on Beacon Hill who understand that their job is not to run your life but to help make it better.


I have been encouraged by the civic associations that serve as community conduits that safeguard our neighborhoods and bring people together.


I salute these institutions, especially the health centers that have stretched far beyond their capacity to weave a community blanket that covers all of us. I want to take their voices and ideas and needs to the State House.


I run to work with and help Mayor Menino keep his promise of moving Boston forward with new voices, faces and resolve. He has done much, but there is much to be done.


The promise to “form a more perfect union” was not an empty one. And it was the Massachusetts Constitution that served as a model for the US Constitution that set a course for the greatest democracy on earth.


It was a promise that has made this state, the leader in reform and expression through this great nation’s history. A promise our founding fathers and mothers set forth and left in our care.


The people of Roxbury and Dorchester want to share that quest. But it cannot be done without a unity of purpose and willingness to actively participate, and quite simply, put the community first when it counts.


We need a lot of that and it will not happen magically, it will not happen by chance, luck or premonition; it will only happen with leadership;


Leadership that is active and engaged, courageous and compassionate and willing to withstand the forces of complacency and ambivalence.


Over the past 28 years, I have watched Dorchester and Roxbury transform into a multicultural haven with so much potential. I have been active in embracing that multiculturalism and as your State Representative, I will represent everyone who lives here.


Dorchester and Roxbury are rich in heritage and unique in evolution. We have survived gentrification, demographic and political shifts, social unrest and a cyclical local economy.


We possess the highest crime, Cori and incarceration rate, the highest infant mortality and aids rate and insurance rates.


In aggregate terms we have the lowest public and private investment in the infrastructure and in some parts of this district, rapid transit is defined as running to the bus stop.


And if you live here you are more likely to die sooner than in many other communities across the commonwealth. These realities are neither shocking nor new.


What is new is the realization that the potential of this community is becoming more and more evident. And that more and more people are willing to entertain change and new approaches to solving our problems.


As 18th century philosopher Emanuel Kant most aptly put it; “reality creates its own structures.”


We cannot solve problems by ignoring them. Albert Einstein defined insanity as; “doing the same thing again and again, and expecting different results."


When you lay out the challenges that face this district; they are overwhelming, but I do not believe they are insurmountable. I believe attacking our problems from the root, with a short and long term strategy combined with resolve, perseverance and patience will bring the progress and hope we aspire.


I am under no illusions that the forces against change are great and that this campaign will not be an easy one. But it is not an opponent or institution I fear, but persistent apathy and lethargy, that has diminished our voice and deadened our senses.


As an educator for the past 22 years, I have been on the frontline of our future. I see, daily, the promise and hope in the eyes of our young.


I feel the pain of the frustrated learner, I witness the consequences of an unstable home, I hear the hopelessness of far too many young people, and I am compelled to do more.


I run because I have not forgotten those who have been affected by violence. For our elders who are in virtual lockdown because of the shootings in our streets and those who prey on the weak and fragile.


As your State Representative, I will do more than talk. I will listen and act. The Fifth Suffolk District is among the most diverse communities in Massachusetts, yet we all want the same things; to educate our young, to have a good job and good health care, and to enjoy a quality of life that respects other cultures and people.


I will work tirelessly with anyone that can help the people of this district reach those goals and honored to do so.


I want to finish by talking about three “vees” – values, vision and a vow.


My values include integrity, openness, inclusion, communication, accountability, responsibility, leadership, hard work, and taking action.


My vision is: a fifth Suffolk District that is safer, cleaner and better educated, more promising to our youth and more prosperous for all, a neighborhood where services are delivered efficiently, a neighborhood that is all around a more desirable place to live and work.


My vow to you is this: because I will be a strong voice for the Fifth Suffolk District on Beacon Hill, we will be heard, we will seek real solutions to our problems, and ultimately, we will have a better neighborhood in which we can be proud to call home.

Tonight, I run to bring the “Common Wealth” to the people of Dorchester and Roxbury.


Thank you very much.

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