By Anthony D’Ambrosio
The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted our community in virtually every way imaginable. It laid bare all our society’s vulnerabilities and inequities, as well as the ways in which our leaders are failing in their obligations to Massachusetts residents. The pandemic also accelerated our country’s shift to online learning, remote work, and virtual healthcare and legal services. Many of these changes are never going away, and we need leaders who thoroughly understand them. I am the right person to lead this district forward as we begin to not only recover from the pandemic but also rebuild for the 21st century.
At Yale and the University of Cambridge, I studied how periods of dramatic technological change altered America’s culture and economy. My classes often drew comparisons between the present day and the Gilded Age, with our technology CEOs acting as glorified robber barons. Those comparisons are accurate but also inadequate; the rise of big data and mega-monopolies within the technology industry today poses a truly unprecedented threat to jobs, privacy, and economic development. We have never seen anything like this before.
In my private sector career, I have worked with some of the most innovative technology companies in the world. The integration of technology companies into our economy grows exponentially every day, which is why it is absolutely vital that we have representation that understands how these companies work and how their decisions impact our communities. I am the only person in this race with the experience to secure a real seat at the table with the CEOs, Boards of Directors, and key stakeholders of the organizations that are driving change within this state and country. I have sat across the table from technology executives before, and, if elected, I will do so again to fight for the interests of our residents. The power of workers will not be ignored.
I also have a deep background in education. I have served as an elected member of the Revere School Committee, and I played a pivotal role in guiding the City through the COVID-19 pandemic. At the height of pandemic turmoil last spring, my colleagues and I posited a data-oriented approach for determining how and when to re-open schools.
During the pandemic, I made it my mission to work directly with students and school administrators on developing new strategies to overcome the many psychological and physical challenges that children face today. I have observed many of these challenges firsthand while teaching public school classes on disability and mental health issues related to social media and academic performance. That is why I joined my School Committee colleagues in implementing enhanced districtwide mental health services for students. It is clear that many of our children are suffering.
On the School Committee, I also spearheaded the creation of a citywide Equity Advisory Board that brings together parents, teachers, students, and other community stakeholders to develop creative solutions to address educational inequities. In developing the Board, I drew on my previous experience as the leader of Dwight Hall, a 3,500-person non-profit organization. Dwight Hall’s mission is “to nurture and inspire students as leaders of social change and to advance justice and service.” Dwight Hall’s programs strive to form a more just society that meets the needs of the community in a fair and dignified way. I have sought to continue this mission through my work on the Revere School Committee.
My experience in education, technology, and finance, within both the private and public sectors, provides me the experience to ensure that our Commonwealth recovers fully and that our children are properly prepared for the jobs of the 21st century.
Please join me in this effort.
Anthony D’Ambrosio, BA Yale, MA University of Cambridge and candidate for State Senate.