From James Conway, Oct. 28, 2015: The Unity Slate is running on an agenda that puts tackling income insecurity first while emphasizing progressive approaches to education, transit and development. Two are longtime friends and mentors of mine, whom I will highlight here, but they all deserve serious consideration by the voters.

Craig Kelley is a proud military veteran, an engineer, a Cambridge Public Schools parent and a bike rider who believes in mass transit and doesn’t own a car. He is a persistent fiscal conservative and independent-minded progressive. He has voted against city manager contracts and School Committee budgets when he feels they are not good enough for the city. Just recently he went to the State House to testify against raising the charter school cap, advocating on behalf of a truly public education system. He evaluates development on a case-by-case basis, restraining it when it is excessive, approving it when affordability and neighborhood input is part of the process. His continued presence as an independent voice of reason on the council is vital.

Marc McGovern is a social worker by trade, but he has the bridge-building skills of an engineer. Like me, he is a fourth-generation Cantab whose roots in this city go back a century, but he has brought old and new residents together around an agenda of compassionate government focused on keeping the city affordable for all its residents, not just the wealthy. He has personally delivered food and clothing to the homeless, and as part of an ongoing collaborative, has spearheaded a free backpack program working with Whole Foods Markets. He led the committee on income insecurity that paints a stark but accurate picture of the reality many folks face in Cambridge today. They may not be the hippest or most visible aspects of what makes our city great; the tenants in public housing, the seniors in assisted living and many other working families – but they have the same right to call Cambridge home. Marc has fought for their rights whether he is on the picket line or in the council chambers. For this reason, he deserves to be reelected as well.

James Conway is a former resident of North Cambridge intending to return to the city for graduate school.