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Just days ago, many residents started receiving a flier sponsored by the campaign committee of Select Board candidate Nancy Tawadros.
The flier marks a bit of a new frontier for Reading politics. For many years, you’d notice clusters of signs in certain yards, driven mostly by common goals and priorities. After a while, some of that clustering was driven by loose affiliations between candidates working together to identify common supporters. Later, lists of recommended votes would circulate from groups like One Reading (formerly known as Make Reading Great Again) and the POP Huddle (formed after the Women’s March in 2017).
But with this flier, funded by Ms. Tawadros’ campaign, she and several candidates for the RMLD and Library Board have essentially run as a ticket, explicitly endorsing dozens of Town Meeting candidates as well. If a candidate is going to cross a threshold to fund an entire ticket, the signatories to this letter think it’s important that Reading voters have an understanding of the values professed by some of those endorsed on the flier:
- One candidate went on a homophobic rant during the 2021 Annual Town Meeting, having to be repeatedly interrupted and eventually cut off by the Moderator.
- One candidate, while speaking against the creation of a position focused on equity, casually used the “n word” in telling a story to attempt to argue that racism is no longer a problem.
- One candidate, in a town forum to address a rash of swastikas and other hate speech, minimized the impact and significance of anti-Semitism and racism and asserted that “radical Islam” was the greater threat to Reading.
- One candidate, in response to a recent METCO grad’s suggestions for how to make Reading a more equitable community, questioned on a social media page whether we “need to start bowing down to every black that crosses our path.”
- One has been consistently and vocally transphobic on a number of Reading’s social media pages, spreading antiquated and hateful tropes about members of the transgender community.
- Several candidates were among the 10% of members who voted against a resolution condemning the murder of George Floyd; thankfully it passed Reading’s Town Meeting and joined the voices of other town elected bodies, houses of worship, the Reading Police Department and other leaders.
- Others have been vocally opposed to the schools, criticizing teachers for addressing “progressive” positions like climate change and equity.
We think elections are about values – who are we as a community and whom do we entrust to vote our values? The many individuals listed above are far from what we see as the mainstream when we’re out in Reading, coaching our kids’ sports teams, volunteering with PTOs, serving on any number of boards and committees, raising money for charitable organizations, running small businesses, or caring for elderly family and neighbors. Our values, and those of most Reading voters, are deeply rooted in a desire to build a community open to everyone.
To be very clear, this is by no means about everyone endorsed on the flier. There are a number of residents included who would be excellent assets to Town Meeting. Many of those endorsed probably didn’t know they would appear on this flier. In fact, there are even some that appear on “competing” lists of endorsements. But the individuals at the top of the ticket have chosen to affiliate themselves with some of the most extremist individuals in town.
This is one of the most consequential elections in years, as every single Town Meeting seat is up for election. Please don’t overlook the significance of this moment. Please don’t let the incredibly small number of people who reliably turn out to vote determine the next ten years in Reading. Please vote your values. Please show up on April 5th.
Signed,
John Sullivan, Precinct 7
Anne Landry, Precinct 5
Sarah Littlefield, Precinct 1
Kate Goldlust, Precinct 8
Josh Goldlust, Precinct 8
Heather Clish, Precinct 7
Etain O’Dea, Precinct 6
Mary M. Parr, Precinct 5
Kevin Leete, Precinct 1
Rachel Hitch, Precinct 3
Jason Clarke, Precinct 3
Theresa Wiggins, Precinct 8
Amy Cole, Precinct 8
Keri Fox, Precinct 4
Genady Pilyavsky, Precinct 7
Rebecca Bailey, Precinct 1
Chris Feudo, Precinct 4
Joe Carnahan, Precinct 6
Erin Gaffen, Precinct 4
Eric Gaffen, Precinct 4
Helena Johnson, Precinct 5
Michele Sanphy, Precinct 6
Sasha Corken, Precinct 8
Shawn Brandt, Precinct 8
John Lippitt, Precinct 7
Karin Elizabeth (Liz) Whitelam, Precinct 4
Kaitlyn Mercurio, Precinct 2
Steve Herrick, Precinct 8
Laura Wilson, Precinct 2
Julie Ross, Precinct 5
Sherilla Lestrade, Precinct 5
Vanessa Alvarado, Precinct 5
Carolyn Johnson, Precinct 2
Joe Martel-Foley, Precinct 4
Aujanetta Stith, Precinct 6
Jesse Arnold, Precinct 6
Ed Ross, Precinct 5
John Parks, Precinct 7
Christine Parks, Precinct 7
