My normal approach to elections is to read enough material about the candidates to make an informed decision. Period. My comfort zone does not include writing letters to the editor and canvassing on the street. However, this year I had a chance to attend a house party in Maynard and meet one of our candidates for the Massachusetts Third Congressional District, Alexandra Chandler. I now believe we all should get a chance to meet our candidates and ask the questions that are most important to us. After spending some time listening to her talk about a wide range of issues and after then attending the candidates’ debate in Hudson last month (another first for me), I became convinced that she was the best in a very crowded field of good candidates running for the Democratic nomination.
There is a lot riding on this year’s midterm election. The list of issues that matter to me includes dealing with the insanity of health care costs, climate change, green energy, infrastructure investment, immigration policy, international alliances (what’s left of them), and national debt. At the very top of my list is salvaging our democracy by getting corporate money out of politics. On all of these issues, I find Alexandra separates herself from the pack. She is experienced as a military intelligence officer. She served as a board member at a community health center. She was educated at Brown University and Brooklyn Law School. She is raising a family. She is a transgender gay woman who transitioned while working at the Pentagon and managed to maintain the respect and admiration of her colleagues. This, I imagine, was no simple task. With her courage, intellect, focus, and creativity, I could not ask for a better candidate.
Best of all, she’s coming to Harvard this Friday, Aug. 24, for a meet and greet event upstairs at the General (7 to 9 p.m.). Come see for yourself how refreshing it is to engage a candidate in person and ask the questions that matter most to you!
Dennis Collins
Littleton Road
