Alan Khazei: Candidate Profile 4th Congressional District

BROOKLINE, MA — Nearly a dozen candidates, including eight Democrats and two Republicans, are vying to represent the Massachusetts Fourth Congressional District as Rep. Joe Kennedy leaves to challenge Sen. Ed Markey for his seat in the senate. The district runs from Newton and parts of Brookline, Wellesley and Hopkinton and down to the South Coast.

To get to know the candidates, Patch asked them to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Among those running in the Democratic Primary Sept. 1, is Alan Khazei, 59.

Khazei moved from Jamaica Plain to Brookline 13 years ago, and that's where he and his wife Vanessa have raised their two children Mirabelle, 18, and Reece,12, with their dog, Zuzu.

Khazei went to Harvard for both his undergraduate and law degrees in the 1980s. The year after he graduated law school in 1988, he co-founded City Year with 50 corps members. Today, the volunteer service is in schools in 33 cities across the US.

He's also had a hand in helping to find nine other non profit organizations, including Be The Change Inc., an incubator for new movement building campaigns on national service, fighting poverty, and empowering Veterans, the Sister March Network which united 645 Women's marches across America. Most recently, he is founder of Democracy Entrepreneurs, which focuses on supporting change makers who are making American democracy more participatory.

He's also had some experience with government over the years, working with senators and presidents to pass legislation related to volunteer service. President George H.W. Bush appointed him to the Commission on National and Community Service. There, in the early 1990s he was elected as vice-chairman. He now sits on the Commission on Military, National, and Public Service.

Here's what he had to say about why he's running:

What politicians have inspired you and might you model your time in Congress after?

First Lady, Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who I have had the honor of working with since 1993 advancing the cause of national service and our democracy. Secretary Clinton, from 1992 through 2016, was literally on the front page for almost a quarter century “in the arena” putting herself on the line, taking unfair hits and criticism, but staying committed to what she learned from her faith to “do all the good you can, for all the people you can, for as long as you can.” She is a major historical figure who inspired millions and won the popular vote by more than 3 million votes and but for the Electoral College, a relic from our founding, would be president today.

Congressman John Lewis, for his commitment to racial equality, courage in fighting for our ideals by getting in “good trouble” and commitment to building the “beloved community” and a country of Justice for All. I had the honor of hosting Cong. Lewis at City Year several times and worked with him on National Service and fighting poverty.

Sen. Ted Kennedy, for his commitment to championing the most vulnerable in our society and ability to reach across the aisle to get big things done. I was blessed to work closely with Senator Kennedy for 20 years building the coalitions and movement to pass three major pieces of federal legislation to build the service movement.

Nelson Mandela, for his transcendent leadership, willingness to sacrifice and fight for his ideals such that he spent 27 and a half years in jail, and his ability to empathize with, understand and forgive his enemies, and idealism that helped him lead a movement to end the horrible Apartheid system in South Africa and also inspire the world. I had the great honor of meeting President Mandela in 2001 and with his support worked with South African leaders to develop City Year in South Africa.

Sen. Barbara Mikulski, who took her experience as a Social Worker to Congress, always remained “proximate” to her constituents and was a tireless champion for the people who most needed a champion. I had the chance to work closely with Senator Mikulski for 20 years and her leadership was essential in Saving AmeriCorps.

Congressperson and Sen. Paul Tsongas, for his actions in driving the revival of Lowell and commitment to always put his constituents first and challenge some of the orthodoxies of his own party. Senator Tsongas was a founding board member of City Year and a mentor and inspiration for me.

How would you summarize your campaign in 3 words?

People Before Politics

The single most pressing issue facing our district is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Covid-19. The unprecedented coronavirus public health and economic crisis has exposed and exacerbated the deep inequities in our society and reminded us, once again, how critical it is that we achieve universal health care as a human right. In addition, we have the unprecedented racial justice awakening in response to the brutal killing of George Floyd and others. These three crises will give us a New Deal Moment and a Civil Rights moment which requires big bold 21st century ideas that will address all of these in an intersectional way.

On March 16 I was the first candidate to release a to tackle this crisis, including calling for authorization of the Defense Production Act to provide the needed science-based, medical PPE equipment, field hospitals, ICU units and ventilators to fight this pandemic. The shortage of PPE equipment, the lack of action from the administration, this attitude of “you’re on your own” and medical equipment goes to the highest bidder is a failure of leadership and a moral failure.

In addition to making sure that everyone has health care and paid family and medical leave, we should also expand national service to 500,000 people immediately, and grow that to 1 million people by 2022. We need a public health corps to conduct contact tracing, an education corps to address learning loss and provide broadband access to students who need it for remote learning, similar to the Rural Electrification Act of 1936. We also need an opportunity corps to ease the undue burden the pandemic is putting on low-income people and communities and a climate action corps to expand our green infrastructure and put people back to work in its construction.

Secondly, we desperately need Emergency Wage Support in America to pay workers directly to stay in their jobs, rather than a convoluted PPP program that denotes access by existing banking relationships and thereby bars the smallest business and those in low-income communities from access, ironically the businesses that need support the most. We also need paid family and medical leave and expanded unemployment coverage, as well as presumed occupational infection for frontline workers who are at risk of contracting Covid-19 on the job.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I’ve spent my life in service, 32 years, since I co-founded City Year with my best friend, Michael Brown from my law school dorm room. I’ve been a social entrepreneur and movement leader who has founded or co-founded multiple non-profits all with the mission of engaging more people in our democracy to bring about transformational change and tangible impact to improve people’s lives.

As a citizen leader, I’ve built the coalitions and resultant outside pressure and support to help pass three major pieces of federal legislation and I successfully led the effort to Save AmeriCorps in 2003 when Tom Delay tried to kill it.

This was at a time when Republicans led the House, Senate and White House and was possible by mobilizing a grassroots movement that led to bi-partisan support. That important work saved the Corporation for National Service, a billion dollar agency that went from an 80 percent funding cut to a 50 percent budget increase. As a result more than 1.1 million people have served through AmeriCorps.

I’ve worked with every Governor of Massachusetts since Gov. Mike Dukakis and every president since George H. W. Bush and especially closely with President Bill Clinton’s administration and President Barak Obama’s. I’ve been appointed to two bi-partisan federal commissions on service. As a result of all of this, I know how to get Washington to work and have demonstrated as a citizen the ability to make a significant impact, even in the face of a government entirely controlled by the Republican party.

I’ve also learned that to solve any problem local, state or national you need both a grassroots movement and and to engage grasstops leaders. You need to bring together the four key sectors of our society: Non-Profit, local, state and federal government, private and education all undergirded by people’s activism at the grassroots.

I’ve done that repeatedly in building City Year and the other non profits I’ve founded and in moving legislation through Congress, and in preventing a Republican Congress from eliminating the AmeriCorps program.

In all of my efforts for change, I’ve realized that it isn’t about me, it is about the people.

I’ve learned that there is nothing more powerful than people who share values, united in common purpose pursuing social justice. We are in a time of movement politics and I have the experience, track record and strategy to tap the extraordinary energy we have in our streets to put people before politics, break open the doors of Congress, push out the special interests and restore a government of, by and for the people.

In what way has the current officeholder failed the district? What will you do better?Representative Kennedy has honorably and ably served our district. We have different experience and I would bring my experience as a non-profit entrepreneur, organization builder, and movement leader to tap the energy in our streets to build the coalitions to move on the issues that a vast majority of Americans want to see happen.

These include healthcare for all, the Green New Deal, a price on carbon and action to fight climate change, democracy reform, a federal jobs guarantee which would include one million people in national service and emergency wage support to save Small businesses and keep people in the jobs and action on gun safety to break the back of the NRA.

I support:

Green New Deal, Healthcare for all, Eliminating the filibuster, The 1619 Project in schools, Transgender troops in the military

I do not support:

Medicare for all

Repealing the second amendment.

What should Congress do to help the economy?

The first thing we need to do to address the economic downturn is enact a Federal Jobs Guarantee that will include a dramatic expansion of national service and emergency wage support to save small businesses and keep people in their jobs. We also need to embrace the Green New Deal, put a price on carbon and have a just transition to a clean energy revolution.

We also need an infrastructure bill that puts a premium on public transportation, accelerating South Coast Rail, electrifying the grid in the Southeast part of our district, many more buses and signal crossing to get more people riding buses.

We also need to provide a public option for broadband and treat it like a utility and ensure that everyone has access to free or low cost broadband so they can learn and become small business entrepreneurs. We did rural electrification in 1936, we need a similar effort now.

Finally we need to do much more to save our Small Businesses and spur more small business entrepreneurship. We desperately need Emergency Wage Support in America to pay workersdirectly to stay in their jobs, rather than a convoluted PPP program that denotes access by existing banking relationships and thereby bars the smallest business and those in low-income communities from access, ironically the businesses that need support the most.

The UK and Germany are both doing this, and their unemployment rates have risen by just 2-3 percent. It works. We also need paid family and medical leave and expanded unemployment coverage, as well as presumed occupational infection for frontline workers who are at risk of contracting Covid-19 on the job. Beyond the Covid-19 pandemic, I propose the creation of Restore the Dream Accounts for every child in America.

The federal government will invest $15,000 in a child’s account when they are born, paid for by the estate tax and, with standard average market returns, these accounts will grow to $50,000 by their 19th birthday. To unlock these funds, one has to complete a year of national service by their 28th birthday. Restore the Dream Account funds can be used for purposes we typically associate with the American Dream, including college, job training programs and certifications, down payments for first homes, starting a small business or non-profit, savings for retirement, and paying for emergency medical, auto, or home expenses.

Families can also contribute to these accounts. Any investments that a family makes will go to the child, whether or not they complete a year of service.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

Ultimately, our campaign is all about People Before Politics; building a grassroots, people-led movement based on inclusivity, intersectionality and activism. We believe in building diverse coalitions grounded in social justice for all and aspire to build a Massachusetts 4th District and America that works for everyone. We aspire to build a broad-based coalition made of people from different backgrounds including income, race, religion, sexual preference/identity, and ability.

I am doing something unique in this campaign. Inspired by what Congressman Paul Tsongas did in Lowell, I have put together a Legislative Action Plan for all 34 Cities and towns in the Fourth District. This plan focuses on the resources of each town, their particular local challenges and what I will do if elected to Congress to help address these challenges. This plan will be available on my website in a few days.

What accomplishments would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

My experience as a serial social entrepreneur, building City Year and nine other nonprofit organizations from the ground up, demonstrates my propensity to build coalitions to drive change — exactly what I will do in Congress.

We started City Year in 1988 with 50 corps members in Boston. Today, City Year is in 33 Cities across the US, and in the UK and South Africa with more than 3000 corps members serving 200,000 low-income children in school every day. City Year served as the model for AmeriCorps and I worked closely with Senator Kennedy and presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama to build the coalitions to pass three major pieces of federal legislation to build the service movement.

And when Congressman Tom Delay tried to eliminate the AmeriCorps program with an overnight 80 percent funding cut in 2003, I organized the coalition that not only saved AmeriCorps and the Corporation for National and Community Service and we went from an 80 percent funding cut to a 50 percent increase. Even in the face of a Republican government— we were able to save domestic national service in America by building a broad coalition to demonstrate the intersectional support of the American people.

I am the only candidate in the race who has built a movement that has inspired a federal program that has delivered billions of dollars in resources and jobs to the people of the Fourth District, Massachusetts and our country. More than 1.1 people have served in AmeriCorps performing 1.7 billion hours of service fighting poverty, fixing schools, preserving our environment, and caring for seniors and veterans. In the process, they have earned more than $3 billion in educational scholarships.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

From my mother, Carmeline Picardi Khazei. She told me "Alan, every single person has a special gift to give and the way you bring that out is by loving them."

My favorite aspect of this district is...

How historic it is and how diverse it is.

Taunton was the first community in America to raise its own Flag and demand independence from the British.

Franklin is the home of America’s first public library and of Horace Mann who invented public education in America.

Brookline was a stop on the Underground Railroad.

Fall River is home to Battleship Cove.

Attleboro was known as the “jewelry capital of the world.”

I’m also consistently impressed by the deep commitment voters in MA-04 have to their communities, and how passionate they are about solving the issues within them and amplifying the policies and institutions that work. Political indifference appears foreign to this district.

What else would you like voters to know about you and your positions?

I want to take this deep commitment to community in MA-04 with me to Washington D.C. to break down the doors of Congress, break the logjam and finally let the people in. To do that, I’m putting together a comprehensive policy plan for each of the 34 cities and towns in the fourth district that we’re calling the “Plan for the District”— not written by me or my campaign, but co-authored with the people of the fourth district. We’ll be releasing the plan this week on our website, and will be mailing the town-specific plans to residents of every city and town in MA-04. Because I don’t want to go to Congress to push my agenda—I want to go to advocate for yours.

I have spent my life in public service. This is fundamentally a service job. People go to their Congressperson for their medicare, Medicaid, social security and veterans benefits, help with immigration, student loans, safety net programs, appointments to the Academies and more. I would be so honored to represent the fourth district and continue to serve.

Campaign website and social media:

@AlanKhazei (twitter), @AlanKhazei (instagram), www.facebook.com/khazeiforcong...

www.AlanKhazei.com

Read more:

• Alan Khazei, MA-04 Candidate, Releases Plan To Fix
• Brookline's Alan Khazei, The Man Who Founded City Year Runs For Congress
• Patch User Profile for Alan Khazei for Congress
• Khazei, Auchincloss Rake In Most Money For ...
• MA 4th Congressional District: Voter Guide

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