To the Editor:
In the past few weeks, while getting to know Tobias Glidden, who is running for state representative, I have been repeatedly struck by Tobias’s mind. Not only is he smart, he is illuminated! His mind naturally thinks in the framework of solutions, and he would not be one to argue for limitations. He chooses instead to passionately subscribe to innovation and alternative ways of solving problems, for he is blessed with super-strong critical thinking skills that lend themselves to creating the visionary he is and at the same time produce his ability to dwell in the moment.
I met Tobias by chance at the SSA terminal on my way off-Island, and at the end of sharing the ferry ride with him, I was so impressed with his insights that I felt driven to help him in his campaign. So we have had weekly “political rallies” in the morning around my dining room table with coffee and muffins, just six of us at a time so that we can get right to the issues that concern us and get our fair share of Tobias’s incredible mind and his very astute answers to our questions. After each of these meetings I always hear, “Now that’s a rising star! He is so smart and has accomplished so much In his 28 years!”
Tobias is no ordinary guy, and not just a young man who decided to run for state rep. — he was asked to do so by Tim Madden, who saw Tobias’s extraordinary abilities. Tobias is astonishingly accomplished for his years, having been elected to Nantucket’s board of selectmen at the age of 24, the youngest ever elected to this position. He managed its $100 million budget, 600 employees, and 25 departments. He has traveled to South America, Africa, Europe, and many more places to study educational systems, the environment, housing issues, and governing bodies. His accomplishments on Nantucket are very well respected in the areas of affordable housing, fisheries and water quality, energy policies, and the mental health and opioid crises, to name a few. He and his five brothers and sisters were home-schooled by their mother, and Tobias has been active in the school system on Nantucket. He has his own business as a stonemason, and helps run his family’s fish market, which has been in the family for over 100 years.
We are facing many pivotal crossroads on the Island, and I think that being an Islander, Nantucket-born and of seven generations of Nantucketers, having had positive experiences in an elective office, being gifted with a very solution-oriented mind, and with his devotion to all things local, Tobias is the man who will represent us exactly as we would want our voice to be heard in Boston. I encourage all of you to meet and greet this amazing young man, as you will find him out there campaigning, and you will know in a mere few moments why he is our man for this hour. And, above all, please vote for Tobias, as he is truly a rising star that we so need for the Island.
Doris Ward
Edgartown
