Special to the Transcript
Several labor unions, individually and as part of the Greater Boston Labor Council, have endorsed Hannah Belcher for Town Council President. Belcher is a union member of the Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers. “I am honored and grateful for the support of the hard-working men and women of our unions. Unions are able to provide protections including protecting the promise of safe job sites and appropriate wages, and I’m ready to ensure that I’m doing everything possible to provide the same level of care and consideration for the working class through advocacy for stronger public transit, an affordable cost of living, strong schools, and easily accessed information about all areas of Winthrop’s government.”
Along with being endorsed by the Greater Boston Labor Council, Belcher was endorsed by Unite Lo-cal 26 (hotel workers), Teamsters Local 25, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 103, In-ternational Union of Painters and Allied Trades, District 35, and United Auto Workers Region 9A. While Winthrop has not seen endorsements from labor unions in its municipal elections in the past, it has a longstanding history of being a working class community well served by Union representation across many fields and industries.
Not unlike other communities in the area, the middle class in Winthrop is feeling financial pressures locally. The cost of housing – whether through sale or rentals – has skyrocketed, along with the price of goods and services, creating budgetary constraints. “There are many community members – myself in-cluded – that want to stay in the town we love. That can be an immense challenge in this economy. While the Town Council cannot control the housing market, we can certainly dedicate ourselves to exhausting all avenues for cost savings for our residents.” Belcher stated when asked about her plans to support the middle and working class from the Council if elected, “We are not a town that is exclu-sively available to those with high-paying roles in the corporate world – we never have been. We need to be a town where our police, teachers, and workforce can afford to live. I have been on the doors, at the bus stops, at the ferry dock, and at the T. I meet hard-working people every day, and I have to say, people love this town and want to stay here. Part of my advocacy for working people is ensuring they can get to work, which requires reliable public transportation and safe roads.”
“As a fellow union member and a champion for working people, Hannah Belcher’s leadership is need-ed for Winthrop to build a safe, equitable and inclusive community. The Greater Boston Labor Council is proud to endorse Hannah Belcher for Town Council President because Hannah will fight for an economy that works for all of us. Winthrop’s working families can count on Hannah to lead with in-tegrity and make Winthrop a place where everyone can thrive.” said Darlene Lombos, President of the Greater Boston Labor Council.
The Town Council President role is the highest elected office in Winthrop. Per the town’s charter, this position wields significant power in the direction that the council moves, having the President solely responsible for agenda setting and council committee assignments, among other important charges.
“Winthrop is at a pivotal moment, as many communities are. It is long past time to look to the future and ensure we’re protecting Winthrop’s working class both today, and for generations to come.”, Belcher said of the upcoming election. “Everyone in our community deserves to feel the same pride for Winthrop as I do, and in order to do that we need to ensure we have everyone’s best interest in mind. I have met our community members – new and old, spanning generations, from all kinds of varied back-grounds. We have an immense opportunity to engage Winthrop in ways that make sense in the modern world and bring new ideas forward to keep Winthrop thriving. I am committed to doing that from day one.”
The municipal election will be held on Tuesday, November 4th. Polls will be open from 7am through 8pm The last day to register to vote in the election is October 25, and the last day to request an absentee bal-lot is October 28.