Sharon Antia
In the November 4 election, Lincoln resident Sharon Antia, an Independent, is challenging incumbent State Rep. Thomas Stanley (D-Waltham) for the Ninth Middlesex district seat in the state legislature. Last week, the Lincoln Squirrel asked her some questions and Antia responded via email. Her responses have been edited for clarity and links have been added. The Squirrel also emailed questions to Stanley, but he has not responded.
Why are you running as an independent without the backing of one of the major parties—doesn’t it seem pretty unlikely that you would win? Or do you have another goal in mind by running?
I have been unenrolled for 15 years or so. When I went to Boston to pull papers and run for state representative, I found out it was too late to change to one of the two major parties. I can’t say for sure if I would have registered for one of them or not; given the choice, I like being Independent. I use to be a Democrat and I support the Democratic values. I’m frustrated by the stagnation in our country that’s a result of the two parties having trouble putting aside their differences. People have asked me, win or lose, will I consider changing to Democrat? My response has been a solid maybe. I don’t have the brain space to consider that right now.
What is your opinion of Stanley? Why should people vote for you instead of him?
This is a tough question. Other than having met him several times on the campaign trail, I don’t know him well enough to have an opinion of him. He has been nothing but courteous to me personally, but in the paper, he has said things that are patently untrue. That’s both frustrating and confusing for me. I’m also frustrated that he won’t engage in a forum or debate and I’m disappointed that he doesn’t hold local office hours or seek out opportunities to engage with us, the people he represents. And I’m concerned that he’s a Waltham city councillor and a state representative and that he’s also running for mayor of Waltham. He does not appear to be committed to the job of state rep.
Since our interview last summer, what have you learned about being a candidate, or specifically being a candidate in this race?
That’s a really good question. I have learned a lot! I have learned that people are fabulous but they are tired of empty promises—well, OK, I knew that. I’ve learned some of the nuances of how difficult it is as an Independent to launch a campaign against a mainstream incumbent.
The main theme, though, has been that people really want to be listened to. They want to know that their needs are being heard, that someone is paying attention to what’s going on right here in our community and that same someone will go to bat for them. Win or lose, they want to know someone is at least making an attempt to address their concerns. They want to know that if they have a problem, there’s someone to call that cares. On a personal level, I’ve learned that I should have invested in a different pair of shoes. Or been wearing sneakers. My feet and my bones have taken a beating. And I’m amazed I’m not losing weight… Waltham is very hilly!
It’s hard to know exactly when, on weekdays, to go “door knocking.” The last thing I want to do is annoy anyone, but if I go to early in the afternoon, people are still at work, if I go later they’re fixing dinner, and if I wait too long it’s dark. I’m always trying to find that “sweet spot.”
Finally, I’ve learned so much about various individual’s personal lives. Most people don’t want to talk more than a minute but every once in a while, especially when someone discovers I am the candidate [in person, rather than a campaigner for the candidate], they tell me intimate details of their lives. It’s both humbling and an honor to be able to be there and listen. In fact, I’ve already been able to help several people, which as you can imagine is a privilege.
Can you give some examples?
Sure. One woman had a small business and her customers were getting parking tickets. They did not understand the parking regulations on their street. Seems simple but it’s more complicated than I realized. I went to the City of Waltham’s web site and couldn’t find the information. Next I went to the traffic department and they didn’t have a writeup I could give her. I talked with the traffic engineer, went home, drew up a map with explanations, sent it to the engineer, got his approval and brought it to her. She was thrilled. You can see the document here.
A common issue I hear about is veterans’ concerns. I had two different families tell me very different but equally compelling stories about their situations. Neither family knew how to get the help they needed. I went to Waltham Veterans Services and described the situations I’d encountered, but of course I wasn’t able to answer many of their questions, so I left their office with their business cards and a request for the families to call them. I went back to both houses and gave them the cards and the information, and I can’t express how happy they were. I didn’t solve their problems, but I gave them a glimmer of hope. I wish I could have done more but, once (or if) I get elected, I expect to be able to do more.
What have you been doing during the campaign to get your message out?
Lots of door-knocking. I haven’t yet figured it out but I’m sure I’ve knocked on over a thousand doors, all in Waltham. Right or wrong, I figure there’s a fairly large percentage of people who know me in Lincoln and a low percentage who knew me in Waltham, though that’s changed now. More and more people say to me, “Oh, you’re Sharon Antia!” I’ve also been continuing my work with the Lincoln Council on Aging and have had five “meet and greets” in Lincoln and 11 in Waltham. I’ve been to many concerts on the common in Waltham and met with many Lincoln town officials and many community service agencies in both communities. I also was on a radio call-in show in Waltham called Radio Uganda Boston—that was a blast! I’ve spent a lot of time talking with people in the Ugandan and Latino communities, as well as with senior citizens and veterans.
What kind of questions and feedback have you been getting on the campaign trail in Waltham as well as Lincoln?
People want to know if, after I’m elected, will I still be available. As many people have asked me that as anything else. They want to know that their representative will pay attention. To all who ask and many who don’t, I tell them yes, I will be available—that’s who I am.
Other than that, traffic is a huge issue. There’s concern that the development at the Polaroid site in Waltham will have a major impact on both Lincoln and Waltham, concern about the traffic on 128 as well as the traffic on Main Street in Waltham, which is already difficult and may get even more stressed with the new residential development in the works. After traffic, people talk about jobs, education and schools, veterans’ benefits, the environment and health care, in that order.