This coming Tuesday, November 5th, I am asking for your vote again in our general election for the open Ward 5 councilor seat, so we can work toward becoming a community for everyone.
I announced my candidacy for Ward 5 councilor in June 2018 and released my platform immediately, so that people would know where I stood and why I was in this fight. In February of this year, when there was still snow on the ground, I started knocking on doors to make sure as many people as possible had a chance to meet me, to let me know their biggest issues or concerns in the city or their neighborhood, and to hear directly from me where I stood on the issues, whether we agreed or not. (Fortunately, it seems like most of the people I spoke to agreed!)
This week, I reached my 8,000th door knocked in Ward 5. Including my volunteers, my team has knocked over 9,100 doors around 4 full passes (and a bit more) across the Ward!
Irina, my campaign organizer, categorized every issue brought up to me in a conversation with voters since kicking off my door knocking in February. Topping the list:
1. Road/Sidewalk Repair, Road Safety, & Bike Lanes
2. Development, Zoning, & Teardowns
3. Environment/Climate, Transportation, & Clean Energy
4. Housing
5. Traffic
Our team has also been on the phones all week talking to supporters, undecided voters, and people we haven't reached in the four passes to remind them of Tuesday’s election!
Together, we can win this seat on Tuesday – but I’m going to need your help to do it. No matter how many supporters we identify all year long, in the end it only matters if they show up on Election Day and cast their vote for me. That’s where your help is essential.
How You Can Help in the Final Four Days
1. Please email everyone you know in Ward 5 and let them know why you’re supporting me and why they should choose me on Tuesday.
2. On Saturday, Sunday, and Monday our team will be joining me to distribute door-hanger reminders to voters in Ward 5! If you are interested in helping out, please fill out this form.
3. We are also looking for volunteers to help hold signs near polling locations on Tuesday! Please fill out this form if you are interested in showing your support!
4. If you are unable to commit to either of these opportunities, but would still like to get involved, we are also still looking for volunteers on voting day (Tuesday) to make phone calls to supporters starting at noon! The phonebank will be held at 128 Dorset Rd in Waban or, alternatively, email me to get a remote list to work on from home!
Final Endorsements
This week, I am proud to announce some more endorsements of my campaign from Quentin Palfrey, the 2018 Democratic Lieutenant Governor nominee, and the Newton North Climate Advocacy Club! (Newton North’s school district includes about four streets at the edge of Ward 5 in West Newton, and I’m delighted to have the support of any of our city’s climate activists.)
Palfrey said, “Bill Humphrey will be a powerful voice for environmental protection, affordable housing, and convenient transportation in the Newton City Council, representing Ward 5.”
The Massachusetts Nurses Association, though already having endorsed my campaign earlier in this election season, also sent a new mail piece to their members talking about my candidacy:
"Bill's mother has spent her career at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Bill has stood with her and fellow MNA members during difficult contract fights. He has walked on many picket lines to demand better patient care alongside MNA nurses."
You can still add your name too in support here and if you want to send me a quote to put out on social media before Tuesday, please do so.
Now here is a quick recap of just a couple of the things I did during the past week...
Hemlock Gorge Fall Cleanup
Last Saturday, I participated in this year’s second Friends of Hemlock Gorge Cleanup Day in the morning (before I went out to knock 120 doors in Newton Highlands!) and my dad and I were part of the team that picked up litter around the Gorge to keep it beautiful for all to visit.
Area Council Candidates Debate
This past Sunday, I participated in the joint Area Councils sponsored candidates debate! This was the final candidate debate of the year and is available online here.
As I said during the debate, I’m already starting to get more and more constituent questions and requests for help just by doing the door-knocking and making myself available across all platforms, and I’m looking forward to continuing that service on the City Council in January.
My accessibility will be a key advance since the last time the seat turned over, back when social media was new: I don’t just get phone calls or emails from constituents, but also messages on Facebook from our seniors and messages on Twitter from our younger residents. Any method where I can help, I’ll be there!
Candidates Night Nomad Story Slam
On Wednesday, I participated in the Politics-Free Candidates Night Nomad Story Slam at Gregorian Rugs organized by Jerry Reilly of Upper Falls. The night featured 16 of the 25 candidates running for contested City Council seats citywide (selected on a first come-first serve basis). I got to use some of my theatre kid and speech team background to talk about a trip I took to South Dakota with my dad, and it was a lot of fun!
Coming Up: Saturday Night at the Races
This coming Saturday (tomorrow night) is the collaborative candidates event put on by the League of Women Voters, Green Newton, and Mothers Out Front for City Council candidates in all of the Ward races to interact with and answer questions from voters. It will be held from 5 to 7 pm at the War Memorial at City Hall! Please come ask me any questions you want!
Ballot Reminder
On this year’s ballot, the Ward 5 Councilor race will be listed absolute last on the back side of the Ward 5 ballow, next to the three contested School Committee races. A preview of the ballot can be found here.
Absentee Voting Reminder
In-person absentee voting at City Hall ends at noon on Monday November 4. The City Clerk office is open today until 5 PM and on Monday opens at 8:30 AM (but you need to vote before noon).