Educator explains why she’s voting for MacKay over Decker in election for state representative

I taught children about the importance of communication. Here’s why I’m voting for Evan MacKay.

As a retired early childhood educator who has lived in Cambridge for more than four decades, including more than a decade on Hancock Street, I’ve had Marjorie Decker as my state representative for quite some time. With Election Day arriving Tuesday, I find myself increasingly concerned about her actions and transparency. These concerns are why I am voting for Evan MacKay.

Cambridge Day reported that shortly after her election as state representative, Decker took a lucrative second job with the law firm Berman Tabacco, despite not being a lawyer herself. She has never acknowledged this position. When I read this report, I immediately had multiple questions: How did she get this job? What type of work does she do there? How much is she paid? Is it possible for her to fully represent our district and listen to all her constituents while holding a high-paying job on the side (totaling more than $800,000, at minimum)? Most importantly, why has she kept this job a secret for so many years?

None of these questions have been answered or even acknowledged by Decker.

Unfortunately, this isn’t Decker’s only act of secrecy. In her many mailers and on her website, Decker never acknowledges two of her three committees: the Joint Committee on Rules and the House Committee on Rules. She is the former vice chair of these committees. If she were doing great work aligned with our values on these committees, why would she shy away from them?

These actions go against my values. As an educator, I have always worked directly with families, and communication is especially important to me. I taught children to communicate with each other and have the courage to be authentic.

In my childhood, my father, George Dangerfield, a historian and author, introduced me to the civil rights movement and explained why his close friend and co-author, Otey Scruggs, had to leave Santa Barbara because of the color of his skin. He taught me that homosexuality was something to respect. He was friends with Christopher Isherwood. Everything that was instilled in me then I see reflected in the work of Evan MacKay.

MacKay’s platform is completely different from Decker’s. Evan is a union leader, pro-democracy organizer and teaching fellow. Evan is a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community and they organize in Cambridge around issues of social, racial and environmental justice. Evan has extensive experience organizing for accountability and transparency with their union caucus, Unite All Workers for Democracy.

People in Cambridge know about this type of openness and honesty. It’s why I fell in love with the city when I visited for the first time at 15 years old.

As a young teacher I began working at Harvard Law School Child Care Center. We were members of the UAW, which helped us to get health insurance. I then went to Lesley College to get a degree in integrated arts in early childhood, retired as a pre-K teacher of 35 years. My work with children has always had a focus on internalizing justice and respect for each other. They can learn to be allies even at such a young age.

My story helps me understand even more clearly and urgently why we must make our state legislature more just, with a place at the table for all of its constituents. A healthy, productive government places its constituents first and guarantees a system that is truly democratic, ensuring that people’s needs are treated equally and are voted on transparently.

Openness and honesty are essential – whether it’s in a classroom or within our government. It’s what we in Cambridge deserve from our leaders.

Hilary Fabre, Hancock Street, Cambridge

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