On September 8th, Democrats in the 26th Middlesex district will make their choice for state representative, and that winner will almost certainly go on to win in November. Incumbent Tim Toomey is facing challenger Mike Connolly.
I served on the City Council with Tim, and I've known Mike for a few years now, starting during his days as an activist now this, his third bid for public office.
My view? The voters of the 26th should re-elect Tim Toomey.
I had the chance to watch Tim up close when I was on the Council. He was always a very good barometer of what was fair. He demonstrated over and over again that his deepest concern was for people who may not be graduates of Harvard or MIT but are grounded in Cambridge and its neighborhoods, who tend to see the world as a set of common sense trade-offs not as ideological battle cries, who are open-hearted and open-minded. Tim was their voice and he is still needed.
Some might say Tim is a throwback to a time that has past or that he's too local. Actually, he's the best representation of what local politics should be all about. He fights relentlessly and tirelessly for that group of people who cannot buy themselves out of a problem. He has only ever insisted that everybody be treated fairly. No special breaks for the rich or different treatment for the powerful. He is focused on the actual issues that matter to real people, not the ideological tests that consume the activists. He is all about making a positive difference in the lives of his constituents.
Tim should continue in the State House. He is a public servant who has proven his ability and fights hard for those people who need it most. The voters of the 26th should hear his request to continue to serve, and they should make it so.