薩福克郡治安官 Steve Tompkins 公開支持吳弭選波士頓市長

Photo by Chutze Chou

            (Boston Orange 周菊子綜合報導) 吳弭(Michelle Wu)參選波士頓市長，今(31)日再添一名重量級支持者。薩福克郡治安官(Suffolk County Sheriff) Steve W. Tompkins在瑞吉路易斯中心(Reggie Lewis Center)揚言，將率同他的支持者一起撐吳弭。

Photo by Chutze Chou

            波士頓市長候選人吳弭(Michelle Wu)近日一連串造勢活動，8月26日舉辦每年一度的街區派對(block party)，向民眾介紹在自家門前辦街區派對，向市政府申請許可的流程；29日(週日)早上邀民眾一起搭乘全線免費的28號巴士，宣傳她倡議的公共交通工具免費搭乘理念，下午出席至德三德公所在喜臨門大酒樓為她舉辦的籌款會；30日早上在南端的波多黎各老兵紀念碑(Puerto Rican Veterans Memorial)前，數十名拉丁裔支持者為她站台，中午宣佈民主黨波士頓第一選區背書支持她，今日再有薩福克郡治安官Steve W. Tompkins公開支持。

            本身是黑人民選官員，又是執法人員的Steve W. Tompkins，二個月前曾舉辦過一次波士頓市長候選人論壇，把6名主要參選者邀進獄政大樓，讓有投票權的在監人犯有機會聆聽他們的政見，也讓這些候選人設身處地從在監人犯的角度考慮一些政策問題。

            他說，在距離初選日只有2星期的此刻站出來支持吳弭，是他經過深思熟慮的決定。早從2012年，吳弭還在為伊莉莎白沃倫助選時，他就認識吳弭了，就在那段時間，他也親眼看到吳弭忙著籌辦婚禮，準備畢業，還要助選，忙得一蹋糊塗，卻能夠每樣事都安排得很好，可見吳弭是個能夠把事情做成的人。這些年來，他看到吳弭在服務社區，為所有人爭取經濟正義，公平待遇，可負擔住宅，公共安全，精神健康，有品質教育等的努力。他相信吳弭是最能夠把波士頓市帶到另一個層次，最適合的波士頓市長人選。

            Steve W. Tompkins也直言，他和吳弭在優先為人們精神健康、經濟支持上，看法一致，都希望找方法幫助囚犯，在他們獲釋後，能夠順利地重新融入社會，避免再回到監獄。Steve W. Tompkins還設立了「共同點學院 (Common Ground Institute)」這職業培訓項目，教給囚犯們一套職業技能。

            愛默生學院(Emerson)和第7號電視台最近合辦的一次民意調查顯示，25%的選民心意仍然未決，黑人選民投票給Kim Janey或Andrea Campbell這2名黑人女性參選人的機率更高。在這次的民調中，Kim Janey得到的支持率為31%，Andrea Campbell得到24%。Suffolk County Sheriff Steve Tompkins Endorses Michelle Wu for Mayor of Boston

 Boston, MA— Suffolk County Sheriff Steve Tompkins has endorsed Michelle Wu for Mayor, citing her commitment to the communities of Boston and economic justice for all. Wu and Tompkins have known one another for nearly a decade and worked together to elect Senator Elizabeth Warren. They have continued to share policy priorities of offering mental health and economic supports to seek to reduce the number of people who come into contact with the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department. He has also worked to reduce recidivism and help support reentry for community members returning from incarceration.

Tompkins has been a leader in economic empowerment programs, creating the innovative “Common Ground Institute,” a vocational training and re–entry program that teaches marketable vocation skills in a classroom setting.

“I have known Michelle for nearly a decade, and over that span, I have seen firsthand the pure devotion to service that she has for the City of Boston and the people and organizations that operate within its borders,” said Sheriff Steve Tompkins. “With her tireless advocacy for more addiction recovery treatment and services for people struggling with mental illness, fair and equitable public transportation, housing that is truly affordable, public safety, access to quality education, and work on a host of other quality-of-life issues that are important to the residents, businesses and agencies of Boston, I am both incredibly proud to be able to give my support to Michelle and supremely confident in her ability to bring this city to its next level of greatness.”

“I’m honored to earn the endorsement of my friend, Sheriff Steve Tompkins. Sheriff Tompkins has worked for years to provide educational opportunities, economic development and reentry support for formerly incarcerated community members. I look forward to partnering with him in City Hall to ensure all our neighborhoods have the resources they need to be safe, supported and healthy,” said Michelle Wu. 

Steven W. Tompkins, a member of the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department since 2002, was appointed to serve as the Sheriff of Suffolk County on January 22nd, 2013 by Governor of Massachusetts, Deval Patrick, and was elected in November of 2014. 

Sheriff Tompkins is the President of the Massachusetts Sheriff’s Association – his second time serving in this capacity – and is an engaged community leader and respected advocate, currently serving as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Roxbury Community College and as the inaugural President of the Massachusetts Chapter of NOBLE (National Organization of Law Enforcement Executives). He previously served as Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees for Roxbury Community College, and completed a three-year term as a member of the prestigious Emerging Adult Justice Learning Community at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. In 2011, Tompkins was appointed by Governor Patrick to serve as a Board member of the Boston Finance Commission. Sheriff Tompkins also serves on the Foundation Board and formerly served as chair of the Community Service Board for the Dimock Center, a Roxbury-based community health center that provides convenient access to quality medical and mental health care and human services. The Sheriff previously served as the Dimock Center’s Director of Marketing and Public Affairs prior to joining the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department. 

Sheriff Tompkins’ endorsement adds to the Michelle for Mayor campaign’s enthusiastic coalition of multigenerational, multicultural grassroots supporters including leaders Senator Elizabeth Warren, Boston City Councilor Lydia Edwards, Boston City Councilor Liz Breadon, State Senator and Assistant Majority Leader Sal DiDomenico, State Representative and Assistant Majority Leader Mike Moran, State Senator Julian Cyr, Representatives Tram Nguyen, Tommy Vitolo, Natalie Higgins, Vanna Howard, Maria Robinson and Andy Vargas; former State Representative and Assistant Majority Leader Byron Rushing; labor unions Teamsters Local 25, New England Joint Board of UNITE HERE!, UAW Region 9A, Alliance of Unions at the MBTA, MBTA Inspectors Union Local 600, OPEIU Local 453; climate organizations Sunrise Boston, Sierra Club, the Environmental League of Massachusetts, 350 Mass Action; Progressive West Roxbury/Roslindale; Boston’s Ward 4 and Ward 5 Democratic Committees; and fellow municipal elected officials from across Greater Boston and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. For all of Michelle for Boston’s endorsements, visit michelleforboston.com/endorsements.