Day 20 Counts Are In
A word from Joe:
The collective power of Quincy’s citizens is the only force that can start to regenerate democracy and justice in Quincy. This is the goal of A Just Quincy.
When I initially composed these words for the website, I didn’t fully anticipate the tremendous grassroots movement that would mobilize under the ‘A Just Quincy’ banner. Over the past 20 days, hundreds of volunteers have approached thousands of residents, asking them to sign a petition aimed at repealing salary increases they deemed inappropriate or unfair, and at worst, corrupt and avaricious. Although we were unable to meet the unworkable requirements to submit the referendum petition that would force the city council to repeal the ordinances implementing these raises or to put the issue to a public vote, our volunteers’ dedication remains unwavering. They chose to spend their summer days outside grocery stores, T-stations, and racing to meet residents at their homes before and after their commutes. Some even transformed their porches and mudrooms into little outposts of democracy. Their commitment to this long-shot initiative speaks volumes about their passion and the impact they hope to achieve. Additionally, many everyday citizens who typically avoid the prickly terrain of local politics reached out to us, meeting us at our homes to sign the petitions. Some printed the petitions themselves and asked their friends and neighbors to sign.
A Personal Note of Gratitude to all involved in this project
While this message comes from me personally, I know it echoes the sentiments of many within the AJQ core group: THANK YOU!
Thank you for restoring our faith and reminding us of the true fabric that weaves our city together. Your actions show that, in this age of terrible polarization, there is still common ground.
Thank you for courageously pushing back against Quincy’s cult of personality, boldly asserting that right remains right and wrong remains wrong. Your recognition that a dictatorship, benevolent or otherwise, has no place in the birthplace of a founding father and a founding son speaks volumes.
And most importantly, thank you for holding Quincy’s political clique accountable. While they may have wielded power largely unchecked, your efforts have made it clear that consequences now await their actions.
Now, onward.
We’ve affectionately described “A Just Quincy” as a ragtag group of passionate citizens. True to our diverse backgrounds and perspectives, we haven’t always seen eye-to-eye on the best ways to achieve our goals. And that’s okay—we don’t expect constant consensus.
However, there’s one unshakable agreement among us: We’re far from finished. Our determination propels us forward, ready to assert the people of Quincy’s will whenever and wherever possible. Decisions will be made collaboratively, through conversation and shared vision. I hope many of you join us. The more the merrier, the more the mightier.
The anticipation is palpable—I can’t wait to witness what’s next.
Our mayor gave himself a 79% raise!
No one truly believes this is right or fair, yet it is happening nonetheless. Our City Council appears to have forsaken their oath and adopted a strategy of appeasing the mayor. In return, they were offered a substantial raise of 58%. To mitigate public outrage, they reduced their own raise to 50%. However, in practice, it feels as though they were rewarded for facilitating the mayor’s salary increase.