Jamaica Plain News (https://www.jamaicaplainnews.com/category/elections/page/4)
All four candidates running for the 15th Suffolk District state representative seat are scheduled to attend JP Progressives' candidate forum on May 24. The four candidates are Sam Montaño, Richard Fierro, Roxanne Longoria, and Mary Ann Nelson. The forum is scheduled to occur Tuesday, May 24 at 7 pm via Zoom. Click here to register to attend the forum.
All four candidates running for the 2nd Suffolk District state senate seat are scheduled to attend JP Progressives' candidate forum on May 19. The four Democratic Party candidates are current state Reps. Nika Elugardo (D-15th Suffolk) and Liz Miranda (D-5th Suffolk), Miniard Culpepper, and Dianne Wilkerson. Elugardo was first elected to the State House in 2018 after defeating incumbent Jeffrey Sanchez. Elugardo is the sponsor for bills to create rent control, has filed legislation to help incarcerated individuals and to reduce recidivism, and more.
The 15th Suffolk District state representative election is looking very competitive with four candidates, including Jamaica Plain resident Roxanne Longoria.
“I’m an experienced, progressive leader running for state representative because I want a more equitable, accessible, and compassionate government for all," said Longoria via press release. "After serving as the Director of Youth Homelessness Initiatives for the city of Boston, I became a caregiver to my 75-year-old mother and experienced housing instability at the height of the pandemic. I truly understood who is most impacted when systems aren’t working efficiently during these challenging times. They should be better and they can be better.”
Longoria said her priority issues are affordable housing, educational equity, and increasing transitional support services for young people who are currently in and aging out of foster care. Longoria provides more details about her views on key issues on her website, which is available in four different languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Haitian Creole.
As the Director of Youth Homelessness Initiatives for Boston, Longoria founded the Youth Experiencing Homelessness Training Institute, organized with more than 350 community service providers in the Boston area to distribute resources including $50,000 in life-saving direct aid to youth experiencing homelessness. “Since her time as the Network Coordinator for the Boston Youth Service Network, Roxanne has been a fierce advocate for young people,'' said Marcella Raines, Chief Advocacy and Community Engagement Officer at More Than Words via press release.
Richard Fierro, a three-year resident of Jamaica Plain, is a candidate to be the next representative for the 15th Suffolk County District. He answered questions from Jamaica Plain News about why he decided to run, how he can help the 15th Suffolk District, and the issues that are most important to him. Q: Why did you decide to run for the 15th Suffolk District state representative seat? Fierro: Several major crises affect the entire country, and we have not been spared here in our community and across the Commonwealth. These crises include climate change, housing shortages, the opioid epidemic, student loan and consumer debt, economic decline, and financial hardships.
Jamaica Plain resident Sam Montaño is running to be the next 15th Suffolk District state representative. Montaño, 32, answered questions about affordable housing, racial equity, community organizing, and more. Q: Why did you decide to run for the 15th Suffolk District state representative seat? Montaño: I have been involved in JP as a community organizer for seven years. Once I moved to JP I immediately delved into the community; I ran for the JP Neighborhood Council and won a seat, I volunteered to mentor youth at Hyde Square Task Force, I participated in the JP/Rox planning process and advocated for affordable housing as a community member and through my work, I helped bring a youth center back to Mildred C. Hailey Apartments.
State Rep. Nika Elugardo (D-15th Suffolk), who was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 2018, is running for the 2nd Suffolk District State Senate seat. Elugardo answered questions from Jamaica Plain News about her candidacy, bills she's sponsored to help incarcerated individuals, redistricting, and more. Q: Why did you decide to run for the 2nd Suffolk District State Senate seat? Elugardo: It's been exciting and fulfilling to represent the 15th Suffolk district as a State Representative. I play a hands-on role not only in shaping policy that affects my constituents and so many constituent groups that I care deeply about, but also in shepherding critical resources for community and economic development, for education, and so much more.
Democrats will convene virtually on March 12 to elect 22 delegates and 5 alternates to represent Boston Ward 11 Democrats at the 2022 State Democratic Convention. This meeting will be at 10 am. Attendees may participate remotely by registering at the Boston Ward 11 Facebook Caucus post or requesting link from either co-chairs, Anne Rousseau at revarousseau@comcast.net or Marie Turley at mimiturley@hotmail.com. Registered and pre-registered Democrats in Boston’s Ward 11 who are 16 years old by February 4, 2022 may vote and be elected as delegate or alternates during the caucus. Youth (age 16 to 35), people with disabilities, people of color, and members of the LGBTQ+ community not elected as delegates or alternates are encouraged to apply to be add-on delegates at the caucus or by visiting massdems.org/caucus.
State Rep. Liz Miranda has thrown her hat into the ring for the state senator position being vacated by Sonia Chang-Díaz. "I'm running for state Senate to build a district-wide agenda for community belonging, health equity, and economic opportunity. I'm running to take you all to the Senate with me," tweeted Miranda (D-5th Suffolk). Miranda joins state Rep. Nika Elugardo (D-15th) in the race for the 2nd Suffolk District senator seat. Chang-Díaz is vacating the seat to run for governor.
After carefully weighing her decision, state Rep. Nika Elugardo has chosen to run for the state senate seat being vacated by current state Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz. Elugardo was first elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 2018, defeating longtime incumbent Jeffrey Sanchez to represent the 15th Suffolk District seat. "I was trying to stay out to lift up others and learned through a variety of recent experiences that stepping into the race was the best way to serve. I’m excited about what 2nd Suffolk is ready for, and I’m so ready to bring it!" said Elugardo to Jamaica Plain News.
With Michelle Wu being elected as Boston mayor, we thought it would be interesting to look back at the mayors who called Jamaica Plain home. For the record, Wu currently lives one neighborhood over, in Roslindale. James Michael Curley
Many residents have stories about the house in the Curley era: clients who came to the door in the morning for help (as seen in the Curley novel, The Last Hurrah), the long line of mourners at the double funerals of his children, Mary and Leo, in 1950, and the famous people who visited 350 Jamaicaway over the years. The sale of the shamrock-shuttered home of James Michael Curley rightly drew the attention of a new generation to this legendary mayor’s long residence in our area. Though His Honor lived in the house from 1915 onwards, the second longest-serving mayor of Boston (16 years in all) did not die there.