Despite Berwick’s world-renowned record delivering change, the endorsement expresses “skepticism about whether [he] can deliver change, not just talk about it.” This man who led the largest U.S. agency, implementing controversial legislation amidst the hottest of partisan politics, and spent two decades improving national healthcare systems globally is dismissed as “politically inexperienced.”
Berwick has substantively outlined plans for single-payer healthcare in Massachusetts, one campaign document explaining, “… this is not uncharted territory – there are dozens of single payer systems around the world that have exceptional healthcare outcomes for far less money.” He has a proven record of bringing together diverse experts to solve seemingly intractable problems and has several Massachusetts legislators, including Senator Ken Donnelly, already endorsing his vision.
Healthcare costs, consuming over 40% of our budget, are indisputably an urgent economic issue for Massachusetts. Mr. Grossman’s website does not even list this among “Issues,” yet the Globe endorsement appears to take, on faith, that he will offer “a fresh initiative” to solve it.
Berwick is the one candidate who has brought this central fiscal issue, and a path toward solution, to the forefront. With his broad executive skills, wise priorities and visionary leadership, Don Berwick has my support and will have my vote on Sept. 9.
*Read the endorsement here >>
Susan R. Doctrow
Westminster Avenue
Berwick brings care and compassion to all
MA primary day – Sept. 9 – is approaching and we’ve got nothing either superlative or scandalous or about Governor Deval to cause us to run to the polls and pick a new executive for the corner office! Seems he’s been too good to cause much of a stir in the current race. We are a complacent electorate… until something either goes terribly wrong or terribly right.
Lucky us.
Sincere Thanks goes to Governor Patrick.
However, this is not the time to sit out a Primary Round.
We need some preventative medicine here, because the Commonwealth is in the position of either continuing to be a model State for policy and innovation or it can slip into mediocrity or worse. The next governor has significant issues to confront – matters including social justice, economic vibrancy, and environmental stewardship – either setting MA on a course of Health and Wellbeing; or the State may languish with social ills, a further income-achievement gap, ailing infrastructure, environmental deterioration, and the spread of broken trust in government.
Lucky us.
Doctor Berwick is on call, with a medicine bag full of measures to keep our Commonwealth strong and flexible as it matures over the 21st Century. Dr. Don Berwick has a resume that demonstrates his skill as a highly intelligent problem-solver who understands complex systems and knows which adjustments are needed to maintain coordinated health and productivity. He sees the links between our burdensome healthcare costs, recurring transportation woes, shrinking access to jobs and services, swelling numbers of people incarcerated, carbon fuel addiction, choking education system, and increased income inequality, just to list a few symptoms on his diagnostic chart. He has taken the pulse of the Bay State and is confident that he brings proven expertise to manage and improve our Commonwealth for the benefit of all who live here.
Dr. Berwick reflects my values and priorities. I will not fall prey to the pollsters and media-masked charlatans prone to predicting (and therefore tainting) voter choices. Examining how Don Berwick views us all as stakeholders, in a partnership, and how he plans to address our concerns, and be accountable to us all; he stands out as the most competent civil servant for All the People of the Commonwealth in this gubernatorial primary.
Lucky us.
Cast your own vote on Tuesday, Sept. 9. Your vote is your voice. It does make a difference.
Gina Sonder
Kimball Road
“A contest of values’
The gubernatorial primary on Sept. 9 is a contest of values. It is a contest about which of the three candidates running for governor will govern this Commonwealth with vision and integrity and compassion for all. I am voting for Don Berwick because as a leader he joins a brilliant mind with a loving heart and his life is a testament to that.
Berwick is a man with a plan and the experience and interpersonal skills to implement that plan. As a national healthcare reformer, he has been listed for decades as one of the most influential health care leaders in America.
He advocates for women: for their reproductive rights, for their equality in the workplace, and so poignantly with his pediatrician heart he advocates for mothers and their children in the first five years of life where real support has proven to make a huge difference.
Berwick reminds me of what it means to feel hope in political solutions at a time when campaign promises feel rhetorical and cronyism appears to be ingrained despite transparency claims to the contrary. Berwick’s plan cuts through the red tape of a healthcare system that spends billions of taxpayer dollars on redundancy. It takes our money out of the pockets of big insurance and puts it into our schools. Other candidates say they want pre-kindergarten for all, but with what funding?
Every once in awhile Massachusetts comes up with a progressive leader who reminds the country of what it means when we say “with liberty and justice for all.” On Sept. 9, the voters of this state can give Don Berwick the opportunity to add his name next to Ted Kennedy and Elizabeth Warren’s.
The tortoise wins the race by being constant and true, but not without your vote. This election goes deeper than gender. It goes to the heart of every person in this state.
Vote your heart, for a man who will govern with his.
Jane Platko
47 Bailey Road
‘It’s not just talk’
Don Berwick, Democratic candidate for governor, speaks boldly about values and making Massachusetts a beacon for the nation. It’s not just talk — he has met bold goals throughout his career. Don is a creative leader with wise judgment and deep executive experience in complex bureaucracies, including as President Obama’s head of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, that vast $800 billion federal agency. His vision includes single-payer healthcare for Massachusetts, and he is the one candidate who understands how to make that happen; and, why it must happen, as rising healthcare costs consume over 40% of our state budget.
Senator Ken Donnelly and other progressive legislators endorse Don, as do thought leaders like Partners in Health founder Paul Farmer.
A recess appointee, Don left Washington after 17 months as the GOP blocked confirmation. On Fox, Glenn Beck proclaimed him “the second most dangerous man in America.” On NPR, he was called “something of a rock star in health policy circles”, even knighted (Honorary Knight Commander) by the Queen for improving UK healthcare.
As his detailed statements show, Don is no “one-issue” candidate. He thoroughly studies issues well beyond his core healthcare expertise. As a physician, Don realized early on that caring for people requires more than medical treatment, with a need to address poverty, homelessness and inequities. This moral compass has guided his life’s work. In his renowned Institute for Healthcare Improvement, he applied best business practices from many disciplines to improve complex healthcare systems throughout the world, bring care more efficiently and effectively to patients, and save lives.
“Thank-you for your work,” Don said kindly, as I volunteered at an Arlington event. My response was, “No, thank YOU for running.” We’re lucky to have this outstanding leader willing to serve. Vote for Don Berwick on Sept. 9.
Susan R. Doctrow
Westminster Avenue
Only candidate to oppose casinos
I write in support of Don Berwick for governor. I support Don because he is the only candidate for governor opposed to casinos.
In a strong field of likable candidates, this is decisive for me. I saw the Detroit casino pull the life out of the Greektown neighborhood there, so that it looked like a bombed out war zone.
Casinos did nothing to prevent bankruptcy in Detroit. Casinos AND hotels are closing in Atlantic city, and the owners of Foxwoods are selling off land and saddled with 1.7 billion in debt. Don Berwick is the only candidate running for governor who realizes that casinos are not a source of revenue, and would be like infectious boils sucking the life out of our Commonwealth. I hope you will join me in voting for him.
Deborah Sirotkin Butler
19 Overlook Road
Ex-selectmen asks you to consider Don
A month ago I was undecided about my candidate in the governor’s race. I had listened to speeches from the candidates and also went to a house party for Juliette Kayyem. My friends who went to the Democratic Convention came back raving about a guy named Don Berwick.
So I went to hear Don Berwick. What he said make complete sense to me. He is articulate, visionary, and has a good sense of humor. He has vast administrative experience. That last quality is something that we should make sure every Governor has. Don has run the bureaucracies of Medicare and Medicaid. In Washington, he made changes to those two behemoths for the better. Running Massachusetts would not be hard for this guy.
Don has a lot of ideas about how to save money in the health care system. Health care is a huge percentage of our state budget, as it is for our Town’s budget. Don wants to put those savings to work in the areas that really need it, like education and services for the homeless.
In the next few weeks, do some research, go take a look at his website or better yet, go listen to him. His ads will have started by the time this letter is in the paper. I think that you might be convinced too.
Clarissa Rowe
137 Herbert Road
Physician has track record
The economy, taxation and the personal health of your loved ones are all at stake in November, and I suggest you must consider Don Berwick for governor.
As a 35-year resident of our great state who has raised a family and served in government Arlington, I am painfully aware of the challenges we face in terms of taxation, economic development and meeting the needs of our citizens.
I have also been a healthcare professional for most of my career, and am saddened to see medical costs constantly increasing without real improvement in quality of care for most of us.
Berwick is a physician who truly has the expertise and track record to lead us in improving healthcare delivery and payment. He speaks to the fact that 42 percent of the Massachusetts budget goes to healthcare. And that has a negative impact on resources for economic development, personal taxes, and public education.
Don has decades of experience improving efficiency and cost of care. And here’s the key- in addition to this nearly unique track record, he is a proven leader at high levels of government, takes a clear stand on intelligent environmentalism, and is well versed in the realities of business.
We have come so close to providing healthcare to all our residents; now it is time to achieve better and more affordable care. Don Berwick is the only candidate who understands and can impact the complex, critical issues plaguing our byzantine medical system. And certainly he understands that we desperately need to free up those resources to reduce tax burdens will revitalizing workforce development, local economies, and education funding.
This is an unusually strong candidate for our state, at this time. Please vote!
Sue Sheffler
26 Kensington Park
Supports environmental agenda
I support Don Berwick to be our next governor. An issue of major importance to me is protecting our environment. Don Berwick has a bold environmental agenda.
Some of his specific environmental goals are:
1. Make Massachusetts the first carbon-neutral state.
2. Address the problems of climate change. Berwick will appoint a Director for Climate Preparedness to make sure that Massachusetts can withstand severe storms such as Hurricane Sandy.
3. Improve water quality, especially in places like Cape Cod.
4. Upgrade management of solid waste, such as converting food and yard waste into energy.
5. Make our air cleaner. Advocate that other states (upwind of Massachusetts) reduce their air pollution as Massachusetts has done.
6. Move toward electric vehicles. Berwick will work to make sure that Massachusetts meets its commitment to put 3.3 million electric vehicles on the road by 2025.
In addition to his commitment to improving our environment, Don Berwick’s agenda includes creating jobs in an economy in which everyone has a chance to thrive, ensuring top quality public education to every child, ending child poverty and chronic homelessness, and developing a single payer health care system—like Medicare for All.
Berwick’s executive experience includes leading the Medicare and Medicaid programs in Washington with a budget of over $800 billion.
Don Berwick has the vision and experience to be a great governor for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Democratic primary is Tuesday, Sept. 9, and I will be voting for Don Berwick.
Catherine Farrell
Park Street
World-class candidate
Don Berwick is the kind of governor we need: A progressive in the mold of Elizabeth Warren.
At the “meet-and-greet Sunday, July 27, about 100 people showed up; and given the number of people who decided to contribute to his campaign after listening to his ideas, I have to assume he made quite an impression. He certainly impressed me. We would be so lucky to have a world-class person like Don Berwick as governor.
In 2005, Queen Elizabeth knighted him for his work making British health care more efficient.
In 2010, Obama picked Don to manage the $800 billion Medicare and Medicaid program, but because Republicans would never confirm him, he stepped aside after running the program for 17 months.
He is the only candidate who wants a health care system for our state that is essentially like Medicare, and the only candidate who is opposed to casinos coming to our state because of their negative effects on the communities where they are located.
Glenn Beck labeled him the “second most dangerous man in America.”
If that isn’t a recommendation, I don’t know what is.
He wants to raise the minimum wage to $11.00 an hour and to streamline the way business is done so that small concerns will have a better opportunity to thrive.
He wants to invest in universal access to pre-K, and to improve education in “low-income” schools.
To learn more about this outstanding candidate for governor, go to www.berwickforgovernor.com or join his Arlington campaign by emailing Arlington4Berwick at gmail.com.
Herb Rosenbluth
34 Webcowet Road
He had an impact on me
Please vote for Don Berwick, a pediatrician and leader in healthcare reform who will make the Massachusetts healthcare system more efficient and affordable while improving quality and accessibility.
In 1986, Dr. Berwick made important changes in procedures at Harvard Community Health Plan after my cancer was misdiagnosed.
He was a pioneer in applying business practices to improve the process of healthcare delivery. He founded the non-profit Institute for Healthcare Improvement and grew it into a major force for healthcare change. Its 100,000 Lives campaign reduced medical errors and saved many lives in hospitals across the country.
He is a very qualified administrator who headed Medicare and Medicaid, the largest U.S. Federal programs, making changes that improved the lives of people with low incomes and disabilities and who are elderly.
As a social worker and healthcare professor, I appreciate that Don is the only candidate committed to moving Massachusetts to a single payer health system as a way of improving quality and reducing costs. He is a strong supporter of improving services for people with disabilities including mental illness and substance use. He is the only governor candidate who supports the referendum to ban casinos, citing their many social costs.
I have worked for Don. He cares deeply about the welfare of others in a very personal way. He is a visionary and transformative leader. He is a problem solver who gets things done by listening to and collaborating with many stakeholders. This spring I have been impressed by his knowledge and commitment to addressing other “wickedly” difficult problems including the environment and response to global warming, housing, poverty, and job creation.
Please learn more about the best unknown candidate at www.berwickforgovernor.com, vote for him and urge your friends to do so. Join our band of volunteers, Arlington for Don Berwick, at arlington4berwick at gmail.com. Together, we can make a real difference in Massachusetts and continue to be a model for the nation.
Richard H. Beinecke
28 Fairmont St.
Ex-School Committee member endorses
As a retired teacher, a former Arlington School Committee member and a longtime advocate for excellence in education, I am excited to endorse Don Berwick in the Democratic primary election for governor of Massachusetts.
Don Berwick is an advocate for universal prekindergarten. He understands that quality early education is essential for future school success. Unfortunately, we now have over 30,000 children on waiting lists for these programs.
He believes that the best way to ensure that every child has an excellent teacher is to improve teacher preparation programs, enhance apprenticeships and mentoring programs, and promote sharing of best practices.
Berwick wants to rethink the use of standardized testing. Though some standards and assessments are important, he believes that policies that support teamwork and collaboration are essential for excellence to thrive.
He knows that a world-class education is dependent on funding that is adequate, predictable and equitable. All districts must have the money to provide the programs that will prepare students to be active well-rounded citizens and not just employees.
Berwick has proven himself to be a world-class problem-solver and an outstanding administrator. In 2010, he took charge of the Medicare and Medicaid program — an agency with a budget of $800 billion and 5500 employees. He was responsible for implementing some of the most important parts of the Affordable Care Act.
He sets and then exceeds goals that were previously thought unattainable. To reduce the number of unnecessary hospital deaths, Don initiated the “100,000 lives campaign.” This effort brought over 3,000 U.S. hospitals together to share and implement best practices. In just 18 months the program documented a reduction of over 120,000 hospital deaths.
Berwick is a bold visionary, who brings people together to solve complex problems. He will be an outstanding governor.
Barbara Goodman
Walnut St.
Delegate says candidate stands out
It’s summer and the Democratic primary seems to be a long way off, but it’s only weeks away! As a Democratic Convention delegate for Arlington, I had to learn about the gubernatorial candidates early. I went to debates and house parties to learn what the candidates had to say. One candidate stood out, Don Berwick.
I like his big-tent approach “All Means All” and am thrilled by his track record of getting things done. As executive of a large nonprofit for nearly 20 years and administrator of President Obama’s Medicare and Medicaid, Don Berwick has proven experience and skill to run complex organizations and make tremendous gains both in services and efficiencies. This is what I want to see in our next Governor.
I was brought to tears by Don’s speech about Isaiah who suffered from two diseases (cancer, which was cured; and poverty, which finished him). But tears are not enough. What I am impassioned about, is that Don does his research. He doesn’t just consult the field, but solicits input from other disciplines (whether an unrelated agency, a Fortune 500 company, or an academic expert) to figure out how to make systems work efficiently without losing track of the goal at the center, getting each person the tools or services they need.
You can see his 100,000 lives campaign (improving healthcare systems) at the IHI website. This campaign set measurable goals, implemented efficiencies, got buy-in from affiliated organizations and was so successful they expanded the effort to saving 5 million lives. Using this model, homeless advocates consulted with Don to implement a 100,000 homes campaign for the homeless which has also been far more successful than expected.
This gubernatorial candidate is exciting. I believe Don can make Massachusetts a beacon for the rest of the country to emulate and his emphasis on caring is one I share.
I hope you check out Don Berwick at www.berwickforgovernor.com/, and if you get inspired, I hope you join Arlington4Berwick and help us get the message out arlington4berwick at gmail.com. He needs all the volunteers he can get. And we need Don Berwick!
Colleen Kirby
16 Pamela Drive
These letters were published Monday, July 28, 2014, and updated Sept. 3.
