(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)

John Drinkwater (17th Middlesex District)

For most of my life, I could not envision myself running for public office. Not because I didn’t see the importance of government, or because I didn’t recognize the critical role our elected officials play. Quite the opposite, I took an interest in politics and policy while attending Tewksbury High School, and studied Political Science and Economic Development at UMass Lowell. I always wanted to be involved in shaping public policy in a way that would improve the lives of average working people, and address the struggles they face in their daily lives. I just saw myself doing that as an advocate from behind the scenes, which I have done throughout my career working in the Labor Movement, passing pro-worker policies like Paid Family & Medical Leave into law. Putting my own name on a ballot was far from my mind.

So, as we close in on the fourth Election Day that my name will appear on the ballot, what changed? To put it simply, I realized that the experience and relationships I had gained through years of legislative advocacy on behalf of workers could be put to good use in local government to improve quality of life, and deliver good services. That experience, however, does not translate into votes. To gain enough votes to earn a seat on the Lowell City Council, it took knocking on thousands of doors, and having hundreds upon hundreds of conversations with residents. That experience taught me more about the issues that everyday families are facing than anything else ever could. And it’s why my campaign has knocked on over 10,000 doors since entering this race in March.

As a member of the Lowell City Council, I dug in on the small details to help move projects forward like paving the Reilly School parking lot and adding sidewalks to Douglas Road. I also focused on big picture issues that impact residents on a daily basis like the cost of housing and running a business. When third-party delivery services were charging exorbitant fees to small businesses that were hanging on by a thread during the pandemic, I proposed an ordinance that successfully limited what they could charge. As Chair of the Housing Subcommittee, I moved a policy that made it easier to add new housing to underutilized properties downtown.

Those examples help to show my approach to serving in elected office. It’s about both people and policy. It’s about putting your full energy into solving a problem for an individual constituent, as well as putting intellectual energy into solving problems that impact every resident of the Commonwealth. To the residents of the 17th Middlesex District, I can promise you that I will put my full effort into both, and my experience and record shows that I have what it takes to deliver for you on day one.

To learn more about me and my priorities as your next State Representative, please visit drinkwaterforrep.com, or reach out to me directly at john@drinkwaterforrep.com. I’m happy to answer any questions you may have as you make up your mind about how to vote.

I respectfully ask for your vote for State Representative on or before Tuesday, September 1st. It would be an honor to represent you, and one that I will not take lightly.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

John Drinkwater