Monday, October 03, 2005

...Hear her roar. Fresh off her disappointing finish in last week's preliminary election, Patricia White has a new strategy. Forget building bridges. It's all about sisterhood now.

Earlier today, White held a rally in front of Faneuil Hall at which she presented herself as the candidate for Boston's women. I'm skeptical of this sales pitch, for reasons I'll explain in this week's Phoenix. In the meantime, here's how White presented her argument in an e-mail that went out this afternoon. (The emphasis isn't added.)

"Today women from all over Boston joined me for a rally to keep a woman's voice on the Boston City Council Citywide, because my candidacy is our one chance to do so.

Keeping a woman's voice on the City Council Citywide is important for one simple reason: women advocate for issues that affect women. I am the most qualified candidate to address these issues on the City Council, not only because I am a woman, a new mother raising a child, or a daughter caring for aging parents; but because I have the most experience advocating for the issues that affect women.

At the Heinz Foundation I advocated for women's health. At Work Family Directions I expanded childcare and eldercare services so that women could stay in the workforce. At Boston Partners in Education, I fought for resources for in classroom education in our public schools.

Boston is a city with a 2 billion dollar budget. Budgets are about priorities. We need a woman's voice at the table when these priorities are being set on education, eldercare, women's health, and public safety. Otherwise we risk losing all that we have gained in the last 32 years.

I need you to fight for me, so that I can continue to fight for you. Your help, as either a donor or a volunteer, is needed now more than ever. We have just made it through a tough primary and I need your help to continue to get our message out to the people of Boston. If you can help fund our fight, please click here. Your contribution will go a long way in helping us keep woman's perspective on the Boston City Council Citywide. Click here to volunteer for my campaign.

Deepest thanks,

Patricia White

P.S. Please check out some of the press surrounding our campaign:

'Patricia White, the campaign's only woman, also did well in some of the same sections of the city as Arroyo.

'White, who placed sixth behind Yoon, did well in both conservative and liberal neighborhoods.'

Boston Globe, September 30, 2005"