Dear Friends:
From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Thank you for your vote, your donation, your willingness to put my sign on your lawn or make calls to your neighbors on my behalf, for hosting house parties and attending events.
I am proud of the diverse group of people who supported me and my campaign. I am proud we ran a positive, issue-based campaign. We reached every corner of this community in Portuguese, Spanish and English. We talked about issues and ideas that mattered to our fellow residents. The level of dialogue in our community has never been stronger than it has over the last six months. People engaged in conversation about our schools and shopping centers, and how to support our local businesses. You should be proud for helping that engagement. Most of all, we conducted ourselves in a positive manner.
Our new government has a very daunting agenda ahead of them: achieving the promises of the charter to increase transparency, participation, accountability and efficiency, all while filling three vacant shopping plazas, dealing with four underperforming schools, ensuring every kid has equal opportunity to succeed, relocating MassBay, building new schools, addressing the inefficiencies in our government and making sure our taxes are affordable for all. We have some tough challenges to face as our community.
You have stood with me and been an active member of our community. This did not end yesterday, nor does it end today. We need to continue to keep up that level of engagement. I am not going anywhere - neither should you.
Our first Mayor, our 11 Councilors and nine School Committee members all need our help in making our community a better place to live, learn, work and play. Because when we listen to each other and work together, there is nothing we cannot achieve.
Every one of us needs to recognize something that has occurred in every single one of the 17 communities who have recently gone from town to city: they have been very contentious. We have seen that here in the debate between city and town. We need to get beyond that debate as a community. And maybe it was too much for us to overcome throughout this campaign. But we, as a community, need to recognize the things that make Framingham great are our people, our institutions, our businesses, our neighborhoods. These are the things we fought for, the things we are about - these are the things that matter. We, as a community, need to stand up and work together.
I am not giving up. And I know you aren’t either.
Thank you, again, for helping me chase my dream. A dream of a kid from South Framingham to put his skills, talents and energy to work for the place he loves and calls home. I am so proud to have stood with you all - online, in our neighborhoods, in meetings and local events.
I am proud to call you my neighbor.
John