For my husband, Cambridge City Council candidate Mike Connolly, the countdown to November 3rd, 2015 has been more than 20 years in the making.

Mike grew up in a public housing project in Norwood, Massachusetts, the only son of a single mother with health issues. I remember Mike's recounts about saving his high school pocket change to buy round trip tickets into Boston and then over to Cambridge on the subway. Even today, he recalls those trips clearly; how he was struck by the diversity of this city, a sense of community that he witnessed nowhere else. For him, Cambridge symbolized hope. Opportunity. The possibility of having a more vibrant place to call home.

But for Mike, myself, and so many residents like us, that vision for a life in Cambridge is becoming increasingly unattainable. We watch our friends, families, neighbors, and colleagues get pushed out due to unaffordability. We wonder if we're next.

With Tuesday’s election, we have the opportunity to preserve more of what makes our city great—ensuring that Cambridge stays affordable, diverse, and livable for all. Defined by its people; not its luxury developments.

I am voting number 1 for Mike because I've seen his unwavering commitment to the residents of Cambridge actualized, time and time again—whether in the charge for campaign finance reform, the movement for a net zero carbon emissions plan, or in driving the conversation around housing affordability.

In Mike, I see what Cambridge was and what it can be. I see hope, possibility, and opportunity for everyone.

Please consider giving Mike Connolly your number 1 vote on November 3rd. Your support would mean the world to us.

— Kacy