To the Editor:
Martha’s Vineyard has an influential voice on Beacon Hill with state Sen. Julian Cyr, a legislator who truly delivers for his constituents and Island communities.
Since being elected in 2016, Sen. Cyr has worked tirelessly to address the critical issues facing the Island, including lack of affordable housing, water quality, the environment, access to healthcare, veteran benefits, transportation, and the opioid epidemic.
A lifelong resident of the district, Sen. Cyr knows that it is getting more difficult every day to live and work on Martha’s Vineyard, especially for young people and families. He was a leading advocate for the Affordable Housing Act, and made sure it included a seasonal communities designation to help our towns implement special policies to meet their unique needs. Housing is his top priority, and he will continue to fight for much-needed property transfer tax when re-elected.
He is also a powerful advocate for women’s reproductive freedom, who played a major role in establishing abortion access on Martha’s Vineyard for the first time ever.
Sen. Cyr remains committed to ensuring the Steamship Authority is indeed a dependable “lifeline to the Islands,” despite recent operational challenges. He worked with the Healey-Driscoll administration last year to raise the authority’s borrowing limit by $50 million, enabling it to purchase a new freight boat and other important assets to improve and enhance reliability. He is also an advocate for re-evaluating SSA oversight, including the consideration of term limits for its board and Port Council, and a potential review of the enabling legislation that created the SSA in 1960.
We need Sen. Cyr to keep working on the Island’s behalf in the State Senate. Please join me in casting a vote to re-elect state Sen. Julian Cyr on Nov. 5.
Holly MacKenzie
Tisbury
