Dear Retirees,
Because of the difficult time we retirees have had during the past year and a half in fighting to maintain our comprehensive health plans, people have asked about our views on city council and school committee candidates. The UTL and involved retirees have conducted numerous interviews with a number of the candidates and they have made recommendations for “those who have committed to, or have shown commitment to treat all current employees and retirees with dignity and fairness on issues of vital importance to us.” And though we may not agree on every position taken by every candidate, we concur with the following recommendations (along with their ballot number):
City Council: #5 Rita Mercier, #7 Patrick Murphy, #8 Corey Belanger, #11 Edward Kennedy, #13 Marty Lorrey, and # 15 Armand Mercier.
School Committee: #18 David Conway, #23 Robert Gignac, #24 Kristen Ross-Sitcawich, and #25 Kim Scott.
Unless you have a favorite candidate not on out recommended list, we advise you to vote ONLY for the recommended candidates.
Here’s how it works … although you can vote for up to nine (9) city councilors and up to six (6) school committee members, your votes have a stronger impact if you don’t vote for the maximum number. When you vote for the maximum number of candidates, your additional votes could actually CANCEL OUT the chances of the recommended candidates being elected.
We recognize and appreciate that many of you may have your own personal ‘favorite’ candidates and we strongly urge you to also consider voting for the above recommendations that have been identified as being actively responsive, or have promised to be responsive, to retiree issues.
WE NEED ALL OF THESE PEOPLE IN OUR CORNER! These are the people who will hear our concerns. What else can you do? Use your influence with friends and family to share our recommendations with them! Call your favorite labor and retiree friendly candidate to ask how you can help at the polls on Election Day!
Remember that the election of these folks who will fight for us is pivotal and crucial in stopping the constant assault on our health care plans! There has never been a more critical time for US to support each other in advocating for these candidates! Let’s make sure our elected officials know where we stand by the votes we cast on Election Day! (If you don’t live/vote in Lowell, please contact family and friends who do to get this message out!)
