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By Munir N. Jirmanus
While there are three candidates on the ballot for governor, only two of these candidates were invited to participate in the two debates that were held on live TV and radio. This in spite of the repeated calls and emails to the sponsoring news outlets by many Massachusetts residents requesting that Andrea James be included in these debates, so that more people will get to know her and her stance on the many issues that are confronting our Commonwealth.
This flies in the face of our democracy and seems to be an attempt to exclude independent candidates from participating in our open elections. It clearly shows the bias for candidates that are supported by big donors and dark money, as dictated by the disgraceful Citizens United decision passed by the Supreme Court in 2010.
In an effort to address this undemocratic decision, I am listing some of the policies that Andrea James has committed herself to tirelessly work for if elected as Governor:
- Raise the minimum wage, ban captive-audience union-busting, require labor peace agreements for state contractors, and support worker organizing.
- Work to oppose the federal administration's partnership with OpenAI, largely due to the company's ties to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agencies.
- Demand that OpenAI be transparent about how AI is being deployed and consider input from state employees who are expressing distrust over integrating the same corporate AI tools into state government that have sparked internal OpenAI employee resistance regarding mass surveillance.
- Rescind the current administration’s sales and use tax exemption for data centers and work with the legislature to require companies proposing data centers to pay for any increased energy or water consumption costs, so they aren't passed on to consumers.
- Stop supporting companies complicit in genocide and oppose any restrictions on free speech concerning Israel/Palestine and the targeting of politicians, organizations, academics, students, businesses, or individuals who dissent from one-sided pro-Israeli government policies.
- Codify protections for gender-affirming healthcare and strengthen anti-discrimination protections by enforcing nondiscrimination protections in housing, healthcare, employment, and education, and ensuring that state agencies are accountable when those protections are violated. That includes safeguarding access to gender-affirming care, protecting LGBTQIA+ youth in our schools, and making sure every person can live safely and openly in their community.
These and other truly progressive positions are my reasons for supporting Andrea James in her effort to become our next Massachusetts governor. I am thus urging all registered citizens in Medford and beyond to vote for her in this November’s elections.
Munir N. Jirmanus has been a Medford resident for over 40 years.
