Left In Lowell

We heard from declared City Council candidate Ryan Berard in comments of my last post, and I wanted to “front page” it so everyone was sure to see it.

Ryan is a Lowell native (in his bio he talks about living in Centralville and Christian Hill) and is currently attending UML. He writes in comments:

I have to say that like most other people in Lowell, I desire new blood on the city council. Massachusetts, as many of us are aware, is now, and always has been, the land of the incumbents. Once you win an election here you know that your chances of being ousted decrease dramatically. What does this say about our democratic system? Why do we allow our representatives, people we choose to represent our values, to do whatever they desire with no oversight? I am not saying that I dislike the system, I adore our elective process, and I believe it to be one of the best in the world. However, we, the voters, always desire change, yet are content to continue the status quos. Well I am personally no longer willing to only dream of change. That is why I have decided to run for the Lowell City Council and bring a fresh perspective to our local government.

(Check out what Ryan has to say on the subject of ethics on his website.) He then continues in comments:

I do not come to this decision lightly. I know that the road ahead will be filled with obstacles and obstructions, but if the citizens of Lowell feel as I do, I firmly believe that I can not only win, but that I can impact meaningful change. There are many who would doubt even the most seasoned political veterans’ chances in such a tightly packed local race. I am under no illusions; there will not be much support for me, at least in the beginning. Yet, when I think of all the major politicians whom I have heard speak, the one story that seems to connect them all, regardless of party or ideology, is that they were not given great odds in their first elections. This is true of many of our state representatives, senators, our governor, and even our current president.

I have faith and confidence in my abilities and I ask for nothing more than a chance to prove myself. I have started a website, RYANBERARD.COM, where voters can go to get a better sense of who I am and what I stand for. It is a little rough around the edges right now, but it has the basic information you need to find out where I stand. You can email me at ryan@ryanberard.com to let be know what you think or if you are interested in helping out. Even though right now most people may scoff at the idea of such a “weak” challenger, I am anything but. Not only am I capable and motivated, I am also confident beyond doubt that I will be one of Lowell’s City Council members come this November.

Dick points out (and as he says, a first for Lowell for sure) that Ryan has a facebook presence to go with his website.

A young person in the race may be able to galvanize more youth to volunteer and vote in the upcoming election, so I’m all for it. Congrats to Ryan on his decision, and we look forward to seeing more of him as the election season rolls on.