On Saturday, Carolina Ventura ended her campaign for the Ward 1 City Council seat, issuing this statement:
Friends,
First, I wanted to thank everyone for your support throughout my campaign. I have been humbled by the overwhelming support I have received from this amazing community.
As sometimes happens, life had other plans. My wife and I were granted an opportunity to purchase a forever home here in Newton, something that we have been pursuing for years. Unfortunately, our new home would be just outside of the Ward and while I would not live there during the entirety of the campaign, should I win, I would be living outside the Ward I wished to serve fully.
While we have considered many options, I felt it best to continue honestly, and in the spirit of transparency and accountability, and bow out of the race for Ward 1 City Councilor.
We should still be proud of the work we did together to get to this point. Together, we created a campaign based on effective progressive leadership that built consensus around difficult concerns. I believe in this vision and believe that this vision of progressive leadership far exceeds just one person.
As always, I will continue to be passionately involved in the civic life of this city, and look forward to joining together to move our city forward towards its best future.
Yours,
Carolina Ventura
Carolina- so sorry to hear this- you will be missed on the campaign trail. Congratulations on your new home.
I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Carolina in action. She’s passionate, well-spoken, and was working hard both to get elected and to observe and understand the Council’s business. So I’m sad for Newton– from what I’ve seen, Carolina would have been a fantastic addition to the Council.
One of Carolina’s platform planks was the struggle many young families like hers face in trying to locate in Newton. Her introductory speech included her family’s years-long effort to find stable housing as their young son grows into school age, and the high cost of locating here for working families. So I’m thrilled for her that she and her family have found a way to remain here.
It wasn’t that tough when we moved in–Newton was more affordable than Wellesley and Brookline, and had a wide range of economic diversity. That seems to be slipping away.
I expect and hope that Carolina will continue to be engaged in Newton public life. We need young, passionate and conscientious people participating along with those of us whose children are now adults.
I bet we’ll be hearing from Carolina again in the future. Congratulations on your new home, Carolina!
I’m sad to see Carolina leave the race. I was so impressed by her drive and her commitment to ensuring everyone in Newton gets a seat at the table. She would have made a great city councilor and I’m sure will be a great asset to Newton however she decides to serve. I also look forward to continuing to work with her on the Human Rights Commission.