“We’re hoping that this will work, that you don’t need to essentially take money from special interests to be elected,” he said. “If that’s what it takes to be elected, I think that’s a sad indictment on the state of our electoral system.”

“The core message of our campaign is sustainability,” he added. “What that encompasses to me is both economic prosperity as well as...protecting our environment and preserving our natural resources.”

E. DENISE SIMMONS

Simmons, whose nearly three decades of political involvement include a stint as Cambridge mayor, is currently serving her fifth term on the Cambridge City Council.

She said that her identity as an openly gay African-American woman has helped in her campaign.

“Certainly, other women, other people of color, other members of the LGBT community want to see someone that understands them working for them in the local government,” Simmons said. “At the same time, when someone comes to me and says ‘Councillor Simmons, I need help’...it doesn’t matter to them that I’m a woman, or a person of color, or openly gay.”

Simmons said that she plans to focus on economic development, job creation, environmental protection, and funding for essential services if elected.

While she admitted that she’s “never been the candidate that goes out and raises the most money,” she said she prefers “focusing [her] time and energy on speaking with the voters.”

“We’ve been getting some great feedback with all the phone calls, the door knocking, and just being out in the community,” she said.