Catherine Belinfante-Penn endorses Juan Jaramillo for State Representative

Special to the Transcript

Former Revere City Council President Catherine Belinfante-Penn has endorsed Juan Jaramillo, a lifelong resident of Revere, for State Representative for the 19th Suffolk District, which encompasses the communities of Revere and Winthrop. Belinfante-Penn was elected in 1981 to represent Ward 2, where Juan grew up and lives today and went on to serve as the council’s President. Belinfante-Penn, daughter of the late Councilor Charles Belinfante, served four terms before returning to her passion as an educator in the Revere Public School system.

Belinfante-Penn, the first of only two women in Revere’s history to ever serve as Council President, enthusiastically endorsed Juan saying, “Juan is incredibly hard working and knows how to deliver for our city and for this district. We are neighbors and he was the first to offer aid to everyone in our building when the pandemic hit the state in early 2020.”

Humbled by Belinfante-Penn’s endorsement Juan said, “Council President Belinfante-Penn has been a major inspiration for my career.  Ms. Belinfante-Penn has been a fierce advocate and trailblazer for Revere and I intend to be the same at the State House. I am honored to receive her endorsement.”

Belinfante-Penn highlighted Juan’s leadership throughout the pandemic, “In Revere and Winthrop, we have a large elderly population who are dependent on their front line workers for critical care.  As a union organizer, Juan has spent the entire pandemic fighting to ensure these essential employees have the workplace protections they need to perform their jobs.  Juan’s efforts are keeping our front line workers, our most vulnerable populations and the Revere and Winthrop communities safe. That is why I am voting for Juan Jarmillo for State Representative.” Since the start of the pandemic, Revere and Winthrop have been two of the hardest hit communities in the state by the COVID-19.

The special election to fill former Speaker Robert DeLeo’s seat in the House of Representatives is scheduled for Tuesday, March 2. Juan Jaramillo is a lifelong Revere resident and currently the only Revere candidate certified to appear on the March 2nd ballot.