Bidwell Advisors
August 27, 2018
To neighbors and friends, Ward 2 and elsewhere,

I hope all of you are enjoying a wonderful summer, and are looking forward to a great fall.

Our primary election will be held Tuesday, September 4. Many people will be surprised to know that this critical election is happening the day after Labor Day, but that's the way the electoral calendar worked out.
The polling place for Ward 2, Precincts A and B (and also for Ward 5 Precinct B) is Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School, 80 Locust Street. The polls will be open from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm.

Three ballots will be available: Democratic Party, Republican Party, and Libertarian Party. If you are enrolled (registered) with one of these three parties, you may vote only in that primary. If you are unenrolled (independent), you can request any one of the three primary ballots at the polling place.

The sample Democratic ballot is here

The Republican and Libertarian Party sample ballots, and other information about this and other elections, is available on the webpage of the Northampton City Clerk.

Absentee ballots are available until noon on Friday, August 31 in the City Clerks' office in Northampton City Hall. Alternatively, if you can't vote in person on Sept. 4, you can use an absentee ballot to vote in person in the City Clerk's office up until 5:00 pm on Friday, August 31.

This is a critical election, as it will be determine who represents us in the State Senate (in the Hampshire Franklin Worcester District, in the wake of Stan Rosenberg's resignation) and in the House (in the First Hampshire District following the tragic death of Peter Kocot.) In addition to the races for Senator Representative, these other primary races are on the ballot (not all of them contested): US Senator, US Representative, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Treasurer, Auditor, Councillor for the 8th District, District Attorney for the Northwestern District, Clerk of Courts, and Register of Deeds.

I am very happy to endorse Jo Comerford as a write-in candidate in the race for State Senate, and Lindsay Sabadosa in the race for State Representative. Please read more below on why I support these candidates. 

Sincerely,


Dennis Bidwell
Jo Comerford for State Senatejo
I am enthusiastically working on the campaign for Jo Comerford because I am convinced she is by far the best prepared to effectively represent our interests and values on Day One, drawing on her outstanding leadership and organizing background and on her abundant personal strengths.

Here is Friday's whole-hearted endorsement by the Daily Hampshire Gazette of Jo.

Here is a 30-second video where Jo explains why she wants to be our State Senator: 

Jo's campaign website https://jocomerford.org/ has information on Jo, on how to help out in the remaining days of the campaign, and how to vote for Jo as a write-in candidate. If you would like to join me in holding signs for Jo at the polls on Election Day (Ward 2 or elsewhere in the City), please go here

Here is my Daily Hampshire Gazette Letter to the Editor about Jo:

Dennis Bidwell: Why I'm Supporting Jo Comerford for State Senate

My friends and constituents know I have worked closely on the Northampton City Council with Ryan O'Donnell, have known Steve Connor through his veteran services work, and have been acquainted with Chelsea Kline for years. I'm often asked why I've decided to support Jo Comerford in the race for Stan Rosenberg's Senate seat. The answer is that Jo Comerford will be a truly outstanding and inspiring state senator. I greatly admire the commitment to public service of the other candidates, but Jo is in a category by herself. (More
Lindsay Sabadosa for State Representativelindsay
I have known Diana Syznal for a number of years in her role as aid to the late Representative Peter Kocot. I admire the work she has done and commend her for seeking the State Representative post.  So it wasn't easy for me to decide to support Lindsay Sabadosa in the race. I've simply become convinced that Lindsay best combines the traits that I believe we need in a State Representative. She's a grass roots activist with tremendous organizing and coalition-building skills. She's a smart-as-a-whip policy expert, yet always interested in learning more and hearing varying points of view.  And all of this is wrapped up in the sort of dynamic personality that will help her to quickly build the relationships necessary to get things done on Beacon Hill. 
Jo statement continued...more
I worked closely with Jo when she served as Executive Director of National Priorities Project while I chaired the organization's Board of Directors. So many things impressed me about her then and now. In a series of leadership positions over twenty years she has developed a great command of a wide range of policy matters, with a special passion for democratizing the budget process. She will work to realign our budget priorities, with a focus on health care for all, a carbon tax to combat global warming, economic development and improved affordable transportation networks. I'm especially drawn to Jo's bold commitment to public education from pre-K through college, which is rooted in the family she grew up in and the family she and Ann are raising now.

It is Jo Comerford's personal qualities - as they translate into leadership ability and organizing skills - that really set her apart. Jo has the rare ability to speak with strong conviction yet deliver the message with a softness and humility that draws people in. She practices the politics of inclusion, always looking to broaden the coalition, to expand the movement. Jo listens carefully, recognizing that most issues are complicated and deserving of study and nuance, not just bumper sticker platitudes. Jo's progressive credentials run deep and pure, but they are tempered by respect for varying points of view. As a State Senator, this means Jo would serve and represent all the people of the First Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester district. The ease with which she works with people, the confidence and maturity with which she conducts herself, means that on Day One she would represent our interests effectively.

Please join me and thousands of others by writing in Jo Comerford for State Senate on September 4.

Dennis Bidwell

The writer is Northampton's Ward 2 City Councilor
Dennis Bidwell City Council Ward 2
  413-584-2732 | dbidwell@northamptonma.gov
19 Forbes Avenue
Northampton, MA 01060