CANDIDATE STATEMENT: "VACANCY OF BRADFORD" CONCESSION

Following the news services' call of the "Vacancy of Bradford" Metropolitan Water Reclamation District election, I have reached out to my opponent on the ballot, M. Cameron "Cam" Davis, to congratulate him on his victory.

It has been a pleasure and a privilege to run on a ballot line with as qualified and capable a candidate as Cam Davis. "Opponent" is a misleading term in this race -- while we pursued different party's nominations, both of us have clearly sought needed improvements at the MWRD, and I look forward to seeing Cam's work on the Board of Commissioners.

In recent months, Cam Davis and I were named co-defendants in a legal challenge over our right to be on the ballot, and I was pleased to see the courts uphold the right of voters to choose their preferred candidate, rather than to have a gubernatorial appointee serve for two more years. I hope that many more Cook County elections see voters given a similar choice between two (or more!) qualified, dedicated office-seekers.

The issues that the Greens for MWRD campaign raised over the course of this cycle -- responsible use of MWRD land, third-stage disinfecting treatment at MWRD wastewater plants, climate change readiness as part of the MWRD mission, and an end to campaign contributions from MWRD contractors -- are issues that the Green Party will continue to press for in future MWRD election cycles, and I sincerely hope and believe Cam Davis can be a leader within his own party on those same issues.

To all my supporters and voters this year: from the bottom of my heart, thank you. We have shown that a grassroots, small-dollar campaign can exceed all expectations, and I firmly believe that we can organize and grow to become an even more formidable force by 2020.

Solidarity,

Geoffrey Cubbage

Greens for MWRD, "Vacancy of Bradford" Candidate