December 10, 2019 submitted by Melissa Smith
As the New Year approaches, the Smith campaign grows in strength and speed. Already, the campaign has mailed more than 3500 postcards introducing district voters to Melissa Smith, candidate for State Representative. Meeting voters at events and door-to-door is well underway.
Smith, who grew up in Georgia and has lived in Hingham for the past 10 years with her husband Ben and 8-year-old son Everett, is running in the Democratic primary for State Rep because she believes the district deserves a State Representative who is an engaged, vocal, and passionate advocate for the issues facing the district. Since leaving her career as a retail consultant just prior to the 2016 presidential election in order to get more involved in community issues, Smith has helped organize educational forums, hosted postcard parties and issues-focused events, and worked on a wide range of challenges all over the South Shore. The natural next step in this evolution is running for office.
“For the past three, almost four, years, Melissa has worked really hard to engage people all over the South Shore on everything from climate change to women’s health to issues like immigration and civil rights,” says campaign manager, pediatrician, and former State Senate candidate Dr. Katie McBrine. “She never stops bringing new people to the table to lobby legislators, to talk to their neighbors, to write letters to the editor. The next thing for her is being elected to an office where she can use that platform to continue her good work.”
Smith’s campaign is specifically focused on bringing transparency to the State House. “I believe that the operation of our state and local government should be easy for voters to follow. Right now, it’s very difficult to track bills moving through the state house, and public communications from legislators are vague and noncommittal. I am making my priorities and positions clear on my website, and when I am elected, I will publish all my votes regardless of whether the House takes a roll call, alongside detailed explanations for why I voted the way that I did. I also intend to host town halls and forums, so that I can make sure that I understand how my constituents are feeling, and so that I can learn from them what is going on in the community that I might not have heard about yet.”
Smith is a passionate advocate for environmental protection, civil rights, and benefits for workers and working families. “For me, it’s all social justice,” Smith says. “I believe that government should prioritize the health and well-being of people above all other concerns. The compressor station which is being built in Weymouth is a prime example of government reluctance to consider the human toll. Environmental degradation and pollution hurts people. Loss of property value hurts people. Having nightmares about burning to death in the unlikely event of an explosion does definite harm. Government is how we take care of each other. It’s how we build things we all need, like schools, roads and bridges, and law enforcement and fire departments. If the government isn’t prioritizing the health and well-being of people, it shows, and we end up with approval of a dangerous project like this abominable compressor station. When I’m elected, my first question, and the most important question, will always be ‘How is this going to affect people’s lives?’”
Meet Melissa this Thursday (12/12) at the Rt. 18 Starbucks (980 Main St, Weymouth) between 10-11. Regular public office hours and coffees will be held throughout the campaign and posted at https://votemelissasmith.com/events/.
Melissa Smith is a Democratic candidate running for the 4th Norfolk seat in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. The district includes parts of Weymouth and Hingham. Her campaign motto is “Government is how we take care of each other," which reflects a commitment to prioritizing the health and well-being of people above all other concerns, on every issue. Melissa Smith lives in Hingham with her husband and son. For more information about the campaign, visit www.votemelissasmith.com, or facebook.com/votemelissasmith. To support the campaign financially visit https://secure.actblue.com/donate/votemelissasmith.