(As part of our continued efforts to bring you the most comprehensive local election coverage around, we invited each of the candidates vying for the Democratic Party nomination in the 16th, 17th and 18th Middlesex Districts to submit their “closing statement” as the campaign winds down. Below is the statement submitted, in its entirety, by the candidate)

Anthony Leite (17th Middlesex District)

Over the course of this campaign, I’ve had the privilege of speaking with people throughout the 17th Middlesex District, at forums, on doorsteps, over the phone, and throughout our neighborhoods. I want to sincerely thank everyone who has taken the time to participate, ask questions, share concerns, and have meaningful conversations with me. Those conversations have reinforced exactly why I entered this race. Public service must always begin with listening to the people you are asking to represent.

My life has been built around service. As a United States Marine, a Lowell firefighter, President of IAFF Local 853, a community educator, and Co-Director of the Greater Lowell Emergency Services CISM and Peer Support Team, I have spent years serving people in very different ways. I’ve educated students, residents, and businesses about fire safety, hazard mitigation, and opioid prevention. I’ve supported first responders and veterans through difficult moments, advocated for working families, negotiated across the table, and worked with people who don’t always agree to find solutions that make sense.

That is the same approach I will bring to Beacon Hill.

We need responsible policies that address housing while respecting local control and the individual needs of our communities. We need stronger infrastructure, greater accountability and transparency in government, support for public safety, working families and our most vulnerable residents, and thoughtful solutions to the challenges affecting affordability and quality of life.

I don’t believe compromise means abandoning your principles. I believe it means being willing to sit at the table, listen, find common ground where common ground exists, and never allow politics to become more important than progress.

I’m not running to represent a political party or a select group of people. I’m running to represent every person in the 17th Middlesex District.

My commitment is simple, I will show up. I will listen. I will do the work.  I will bring the same dedication to the State House that I have brought to every position of service I have been entrusted with throughout my life.

“Putting People Before Politics and Community Before Party” isn’t just a campaign slogan, it is the kind of representative I intend to be.

I respectfully ask for your vote for State Representative of the 17th Middlesex District, and I would be honored to serve you.