A longtime community activist and organizer in Worcester, Ross said she decided to seek the governorship because she perceived that too many Massachusetts voters were “disconnected” to and “disempowered” by state government.
“I learned how to get things done by getting people to work together, to engage people, and to act on my beliefs,” Ross said. “I thought we needed someone as governor who was used to being on the street and talking to people. I believe politicians are elected to represent voters and should talk to people as much as possible.”
The role of affluence
As a third-party candidate in a predominantly Democratic state, Ross’s prospects for success were further undermined by existing campaign funding statutes in Massachusetts, which she said favor affluent candidates. While she said she is not affluent, Patrick, Healey, and Mihos are all multi-millionaires.
“The other candidates were chauffered to public appearances in limousines by their entourages, while I was driving my own car and talking to people on the street,” Ross said. “I think I gained important perspectives from talking to people that the other candidates missed.”
Ross said the Green- Rainbow Party, the Massachusetts affiliate of the national Green Party, was actually created from the merger of the state’s former Green and Rainbow parties. She ran for governor on a platform favoring abolition of poverty, expanding environmental protections, opposing racial discrimination,
supporting unions and the labor movement, withdrawing American troops from Iraq, and advocating equal rights for all citizens.
In response to questions from Brooksby community members who attended the discussion, Ross also said she favors proportional voting in elections and reducing property taxes in Massachusetts by revising the state’s income tax structure.
As for the future, Ross did not rule out another run for governor.
“I plan to stay involved in the political process, lobby legislators in Boston and create a foundation to pursue policies which I have advocated,” she said. “I’m also running for a seat on the Worcester City Council. For me, the future’s wide open.”
Impressive series
Bob Means, a member of Concerned Citizens, says Ross was a “very positive speaker.”
“I thought she was an extremely appealing speaker and laid out her case well,” Means says. “Of course, being a third-party candidate, she was shoveling against the tide because of the power of the two major parties. I thought she handled herself well and made a good case. “Politically, Brooksby is a very active place, we have our own voting precinct, and the turnout here for the 2006 elections was the highest of any precinct in the city of Peabody,” he adds.