Candidate For Congress: Brookline's Alan Khazei

BROOKLINE, MA — Alan Khazei said he is ready with plans and strategy should he be elected in September to fill the seat for U.S. Representative from Massachusetts's 4th Congressional District that State Rep Joe Kennedy will leave behind next year.

The Brookline resident comes armed with the most money any candidate has raised so far, and lessons from mentors like Paul Tsongas, Hubie Jones and Ted Kennedy and Harris Wofford. He says he's also heavily influenced by his upbringing outside of Pittsburgh, son of an Italian Catholic mother who taught him the value of service and love and an Iranian immigrant father who instilled him a love for his country and political science. Khazei, himself a father of two, said serving the district is a natural fit.

"This is a service job and I really feel I can make a difference for the people who need it the most.," he told Patch in an interview. "The question voters are asking the candidates is how are you going to get it done? What’s your strategy? And where’s your track record? And where can you point to results? I actually have a track record, I didn’t just show up, I helped organize the March for Our Lives Sibling Marches, I didn't just show up, I helped organize the Women's March, I believe I'm the only candidate who has spent time in Washington lobbying Congress," he said, pointing to 2003, when AmeriCorps, a service-based organization, he helped start was on the chopping block. He organized a lobby in Congress that lasted 108 hours, in an ultimately successful effort to convince lawmakers not to cut funds.

He's also the only candidate in the race with his own Wikipedia entry. And he has attempted twice before to run for a U.S. Senate seat from Massachusetts. Khazei is an organizer, he calls himself a "movement guy." He’s an entrepreneur, a service guy, a connector and an ideas man.

One of his ideas for the district, which stretches down to Fall River and Taunton, is to help revitalize the business sector in those two communities. It reminds him of the town he grew up in and, while he can't do anything about that town, he can do something here.

Another idea he has is to tie service to the American Dream and asset development. Every 18 year old should be challenged to serve our country, either by joining the military or Peace Corps, Ameri Corps, or something along those lines. I think all young people should be challenged to serve their country," he said.

He wants to create something similar to a 529 account or the GI bill and create an "American Dream" account. The idea would be each child gets a small sum of money in an account when they're born and it grows as interest or with donations from family members but rules around that fund mean it can't be accessed until the individual finishes a year of service.

"It would be an account for lifelong learning," he said, a way to start out life with assets at a time when many people are just $500 away from financial dire straits. The funds, he said, would come from the Estate Tax, which currently isn't earmarked for anything in particular.

He said he's a fan of Nancy Pelosi and compares her to his Italian grandmother a tough woman who used to cook for the entire neighborhood. "She's cooking for the country now," he said of Pelosi. "She's putting truth to power."

He said he's learned from former State Rep Barney Frank and Kennedy that he will need to have great local constituency service, so he's prepping now by getting to know all the mayors and movers and shakers.

Khazei announced his decision to run in September, joining Ihssane Leckey of Brookline who declared she was running in May, expecting to challenge Kennedy himself. Since then the field has only grown. In October former Brookline Selectwoman Jesse Mermell became the third Brookline resident to announce she was running, followed by Brookline's Dave Cavell. Newton City Councilors Becky Walker Grossman and Jake Auchincloss are also running in the race.

The Fourth Congressional District includes parts of Bristol, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth and Worcester counties. Before Kennedy was elected in 2012, Barney Frank held the seat from 1981 until Kennedy took over.

Read more:

• Joe Kennedy Announces Run For Senate
• Leckey Of Brookline Runs For Congress
• Newton City Councilor Jake Auchincloss Announces Run
• Newton's Grossman Declares Run For Kennedy House Seat (Sept.24)
• Candidate For Congress Jesse Mermell: Civic Engagement Runs Deep (October)
• Dave Cavell, Another Brookline Resident Runs For Congress (Oct.19)
• Money Race: How Much 4th Congressional District Candidates Raised (Jan. 2020)

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).