Recap: Helina Fontes at July 15 meeting

Our guest speaker at the July 15 meeting of the Lynnfield Democratic Town Committee was Helina Fontes, a candidate for Governor’s Council.

She directs a Mental Health Program for a North of Boston Non Profit and offers a wealth of experience in Mental Health programs. Ms. Fontes’ desire to serve on the Governor’s Council is based on independent but intertwined criteria: her family’s personal experience with the criminal justice system, the perceived need to bring a non-legal voice to a predominantly lawyer oriented Council and to begin to develop a more diverse council that more closely resembles the statewide population.

She credits Emerge America, a Democratic party initiative to train and assist women to run for office as the turning point in her decision to become a candidate for Governor’s Council.

She believes that the process of vetting judicial candidates, a key Council responsibility, should be expanded beyond the review of resumes to include an assessment of a candidate’s knowledge and understanding of the communities that they will serve. Ms. Fontes also feels that it is time for the Council itself, primarily comprised of lawyers, to better represent its constituents by diversifying it membership by both race and occupation.

Thanks to Helina Fontes for attending our July meeting.

To learn more or to get involved in her campaign, please visit the Helina Fontes web site or the Helina Fontes Facebook page.