The choices in the only contested state rep primary race in Newton are clear, and those in the district have an enviable option of choosing an excellent candidate: one who values putting the good of the majority over profits for a few; preserving the environment, mitigating climate change and getting good value for tax dollars spent.

This candidate has also demonstrated the ability to tackle complex issues and to
change positions when confronted with evidence that you were wrong. When a mysterious vapor—Trichloroethylene (TCE)–was sickening Nonantum neighbors, Alison took the lead in leveraging state and local resources to find the source and mitigate its health effects.

Alison also recognizes the ways utilities try to game communities to increase their profits and keep the state addicted to fossil fuels; she works hard and reads deeply when confronted with complex stomwater, flooding or infrastructure issues.

Most importantly for the state, Alison will be a vote for transparency in the state legislature—one of the few bodies that can ignore the Open Meeting Law and Public Records Law—and for Medicare for all.

For all of the above reasons, I endorse Alison in the Sept. 1 primary.

Andreae Downs

Former ward 5 at-large city councilor