Thank you, residents of the Fifth Suffolk District, for trusting me with the job of proudly representing you as your state representative. This is the moment where we can create systemic change that will affect generations to come. As state representative, my goals are threefold: delivering resources to the district; providing world-class constituent services; and creating policies that will improve the lives of residents.

Throughout my career, I’ve heard the same complaint about the government: It isn’t there when you need it most. In my first term serving the Fifth Suffolk, I will strive to change that reality for so many in my district. Liz Miranda, my predecessor and the newly elected state senator for the Second Suffolk District, did an incredible job serving this community and I am eager to combine forces with her to continue making our district a better place to live.

Delivering resources to my community entails increased, predictable, affordable public transportation, updating our infrastructure, and ensuring that our citizens have access to affordable healthcare. Our seniors, our youth, and our new and returning citizens need resources and I will do my best to deliver them.

As a former constituent services director and community outreach liaison for the state, I understand how imperative it is that people have access to their elected officials. I believe in community-based leadership that empowers residents, and delivers effective and responsive constituent services. My brother, City Councillor Brian Worrell, and I will open a joint district office that will serve as our community’s home base. We will host office hours and meetings where constituents can voice their opinions. This will create an accessible pipeline between my community and the State House.

Growing up in Dorchester, I felt the implications of biased policies that negatively impacted my community. As your representative, I will launch the Black and Brown Economic Empowerment Agenda on Beacon Hill. I will push for progressive legislation that helps Black and Brown people and promotes issues specific to the Fifth Suffolk district. These issues are rooted in our neighborhoods. By increasing accessible affordable homeownership, demanding increased public safety, and improving our schools, we can create tangible change.

I grew up on Fuller Street and then Hewins Street, and I had the opportunity to see my parents and grandparents pursue the American dream of homeownership. My wife and I now own a home in the same neighborhood with our two beautiful children and are pursuing our passions in life. I am living my dream and I want to help others live theirs.

Many Bostonians are often forced into insecure housing situations. This leads to relocation out of the city, or even the state, separating families and taking their creativity, energy, and resources elsewhere. We need to reimagine what housing opportunities look like for Black and Brown communities in Massachusetts. I plan to spearhead the development of affordable housing, not just to rent, but to own, for people in our community.

When I worked at the State House for state Sen. Nick Collins, we passed the police reform bill. I hope to continue these efforts to diversify the force, increase accountability, and prioritize mental health resources. I plan to put public safety at the forefront of my priorities and will support measures to create a safer environment for our residents and our police.

I’ve also seen first-hand the disparities in educational opportunities in Massachusetts. As a student in METCO, I rode the bus for an hour and fifteen minutes each way to Lincoln-Sudbury and experienced one of Massachusetts’s better-resourced districts. I then attended BPS in high school and saw the vast differences between our education systems.

From the nutrition of the lunches to bars on the windows, to air quality, to the lack of learning material, I was a witness to the inequalities that set some up for success and others for failure. It is my mission to close the educational wealth gap so all children have an equal chance at academic achievement.

I am honored to have been chosen to represent the incredible people that make up the Fifth Suffolk District of Massachusetts. You have placed your faith in me to improve your lives and the lives of our future generations. I intend to leverage this opportunity to create change for the people that need it the most: our community.

Chris Worrell is the state representative for the Fifth Suffolk District.