An election of consequence

I grew up in Spokane, and have lived all over the country, in towns large such as Boston and Pittsburgh and in towns small, such as Hays, Kansas, and Waterville, Maine. Mayoral elections rarely reflect a national mood — all politics are local, as Tip O’Neill would say — but this is an exception.

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is battling, as his number one concern, homelessness. The safety net for the marginal has been systematically destroyed since the 1980s — the consequences have been nationally felt on a hundred local levels. The solutions require engagement, attachment, hands on experience, and a true desire to help those whose are in need — while also, at the same time, preparing the city for its movement into the middle of the 21st century.

Little should be said of (Nadine) Woodward — a slight candidacy, fueled by fear of the poorest and weakest among us, and funded by real estate millionaires with a vested interest in perpetuating Woodward and (Mayor David) Condon’s “misery for profit” plans. (Ben) Stuckart offers years of experience fostering and promoting a community investment involving corporate, private, educational, and governmental interests in an alliance designed at raising the living standards of the homeless and the entire Spokane community.

Antony Penders

Spokane