Great Advice from My Good Friend Barney Frank!
Dear Friends,
My good friend Barney Frank and I recently had dinner together. It gave me a chance to
ask him how I could best serve as State Senator, based on his long experience. He served
his constituents in the 4th U.S. Congressional District for 32 years with courage, candor
and capability – to say nothing of achievement. His legislative service will be a model for
how I want to represent you as your State Senator.
His advice to me was this: Bring your passion, your integrity, your knowledge,
and all of your energy to the issues that really matter to your constituents.
And remember: humor helps everybody, but be serious about what matters.
I plan to do just that.
Barney Frank may be best known as House Sponsor of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street
Consumer Protection Act. Among other notable benefits for middle class folks, it’s
created the Consumer Finance Protection Board – an agency that makes sure
banks, lenders, and other financial companies treat people fairly.
Barney’s special expertise – housing, especially rental housing – wasn’t glitzy or flashy,
but it was critical to addressing the Great Recession of 2007-2009. Another colleague
who knows him well said: “For Barney, the question has always been: What works?
What can government do to make sure that people have the basic
necessities of life?”
He was also a leader in protecting our environment. He co-sponsored the Safe Drinking
Water Act Amendments of 1993 and the National Forest Protection and Restoration Act
of 2001. In 2003 the League of Conservation Voters awarded him a near perfect rating
of 95% for his pro-environment voting record.
Barney’s exemplary record of strong, smart, sincere leadership
in faithful service to his constituency - and his sound, practical
advice to me - will be the model for my own representation of
you as your State Senator.
On September 8th, vote for Sheila Lyons as your next State Senator for the Cape,
Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket. Join the movement!