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To the Editor:
On October 15, voters will elect Democratic and Republican candidates in a special primary election to fill Ed Markey’s seat from Massachusetts’ Fifth Congressional District.
We need progressive Democrat Peter Koutoujian to be our next representative to Congress. Whether it may be women’s rights in health care and the workplace, responsible gun violence prevention, public safety, protecting the environment and addressing climate change, education from preschool through adulthood, and building a strong 21st-century middle-class economy, Peter is hands-down the right person for the job.
A representative with Peter’s strength of character and presence will stand strong for our progressive values and effectively address the broad range of issues confronting a stalled Congress. He will defend our values, but he has the collaborative experience to reach across the aisle when bipartisan progress is needed.
After getting his master’s degree in public affairs from the Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, he has served as Middlesex County prosecutor, served for 14 years as state representative from Waltham, and most recently was appointed Middlesex County Sheriff by Governor Patrick. He has taught and lectured on government, public health, criminal law, and legal ethics.
In the Legislature, he chaired the Joint Committees on Health Care, Public Health, Financial Services, and the Commission to End Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. He authored legislation to spur economic growth, protect victims of domestic violence, improve nutritional standards in schools, and provide for a healthier workplace environment, and he played a key role in development of the Massachusetts health care reform.
Peter is not new to the gun control debate. His first address on the House floor in 1997 focused on the need for gun control. He has the will and knowledge to support commonsense and comprehensive solutions to gun violence.
Peter believes in an economy that is built from the middle out. He has stood up for training for 21st-century workplace skills, green industry innovation, and high-technology jobs that the Fifth District needs.
Peter’s commitment to safeguarding and strengthening Social Security and Medicare is unshakeable: the decision to disagree with President Obama on this issue is a testament to his tenacity and courage.
I am supporting Peter in this race because he has the broad, progressive and effective legislative experience needed to be successful in Congress. Join me in voting and volunteering for Peter.
For more information, visit his website at www.koutoujianforcongress.com.
Sincerely,
Gary Davis
Gary Davis is chair of the Lincoln Democratic Town Committee.
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