At-Large Chelsea City Councilor and Candidate for State Representative of the Second Suffolk District, Damali Vidot, announced a wave of support from local and regional leaders in the past week as she continues to build campaign momentum towards the primary election on Tuesday, September 1.
Councilor Vidot has spent her career building relationships within her community and throughout the Commonwealth to get the job done. Within the Second Suffolk District, Councilor Vidot received endorsements from Chelsea Councilors Enio Lopez and Yamir Rodriguez, Chelsea School Committee Members Marisol Santiago and Roberto Jiménez-Rivera, and Chelsea community leaders Joan Cromwell, Roseann Bongiovanni, Maria Belen Power, Fidel Maltez, Tito Meza, Zaida Ismatul Oliva, Daniel Occena, Christian and Danille Calvo, Minnie Cruz, and Mswati Hanks. From neighboring Somerville, Damali earned the endorsements of School Committee Member Andre Green, as well as from City Councilors Ben Ewen-Campen, JT Scott, Jesse Clingan, and Council President Matt McLaughlin. Gerly Adrien, Jonathan Paz and Quinton Zondervan, City Councilors from Everett, Waltham, and Cambridge, respectively, also endorsed Damali Vidot in the race for the Second Suffolk seat.
In addition to local and regional support from elected officials and community endorsers, Councilor Vidot has been endorsed by a network of progressive organizations committed to building a more equitable Commonwealth, including: The Massachusetts Chapter of the Sierra Club, Mass Alliance, Sunrise Boston, Environmental League of Massachusetts Action Fund, Progressive Massachusetts, Run En Masse, and Mass Peace Action.
The praise from regional leaders poured in last week. Somerville City Councilor Ewen-Campen noted that Councilor Vidot is “the rare combination of a dedicated community activist and an experienced elected official who knows how to get things done.”
Fellow Somerville Councilor Clingan added that Councilor Vidot’s “progressive values and policy work are right in line with residents who are fighting for housing, racial, economic, and environmental justice” while Waltham City Councilor Paz stated that Damali “has the vision and passion to affect change at the systemic level.”
Vidot noted that “In order to serve residents and uplift my community, my work requires building where there is alignment on shared values with local leaders. That’s how I was able to create coalitions with community leaders, City Councilors, and state officials throughout Greater Boston to address housing insecurity, environmental injustice, and other key issues affecting the residents of Charlestown and Chelsea. It’s important for us to work collaboratively in the region so that we can continue to amplify community voices to affect change.”
Reflecting on these endorsements, Vidot was energized to action: “We are in uncertain times that have highlighted inequities that we can no longer ignore. The support and the momentum that my campaign is building with our collaborators in the region is a testament to the change we all seek and need for the 2nd Suffolk District. I’m ready to continue this critical work together.”