A recent guest column in the Gazette asserted the time is here to elect someone new in Massachusetts’ 1st Congressional District, where Richard Neal has lingered for 37 years. Agreed! However, voters should know about our best choice: Nadia Milleron. Nadia is an Independent, a mother, a farmer, an attorney with the experience, persistence and intellect to accomplish some very specific, concrete measures that will genuinely improve our lives.

Nadia won’t be just ‘more of the same’ from a new Democrat. She won’t be beholden to the same corporations and special interests that have corrupted both political parties. And, Nadia’s run for Congress is not a step in political career-building; it is truly her personal mission to support our community in its congressional office, a place where she was unable to get help when she desperately needed it. Following her daughter’s death in 2019 on a Boeing 737 MAX that crashed and killed all on board, Nadia helped lead, without any help from her elected representative Richard Neal, the unanimous passage of the bi-partisan Aircraft Certification, Safety and Accountability Act in Washington. Her work didn’t stop there. She went on to Boeing’s home state of Illinois and spearheaded the overturning of a state law that protected big corporations over victims. Nadia began her career practicing law by advocating for children facing neglect and abuse.

Throughout her years spent in Washington and beyond, Nadia has honed her skill at exerting pressure to affect change. She is a no-nonsense candidate who deeply understands the ins and outs Congress: how bills get passed, how the rules processes work, how to pinpoint and how to talk to changemakers. Nadia is motivated to put her extensive knowledge to work in our MA-01 office, a place that should be accessible and responsive to all of us who live here. Nadia is focused and ready to achieve her four point platform:

1. Establishment of a healthcare trust. This will put an end to the theft of our dollars by greedy insurance companies who are siphoning money that should be spent on our healthcare to enrich their CEOs and shareholders.

2. Abolishment of federal income tax for those earning less than $100,000 a year. While our government is pouring billions of dollars into aggressive and illegal wars, average workers are barely surviving. Nadia will work with all in Congress to enact this popular policy and to ensure our money is spent on people not war.

3. Establishment of an emergency manufacturing zone in MA-01 to produce essential medical products, including medications, critical for the care of our residents. For long-term economic stability, western Mass requires more local manufacturing and Nadia believes our production should be of benefit to our residents, goods other than weapons of war.

4. Establishment of term limits. Nadia is committed to serving no more than six years in office, three two-year terms. She believes in bringing new people and ideas into the political process by limiting terms and training up others to lead while in office. It’s the way democracy should work!

Nadia is not left or right. Hers are common sense policies that masses of Americans support. Nadia is serious about transforming the MA-01 office into a resource for residents who need help and then training those after her to do the same. She does not accept any donations from corporations or PACs like AIPAC. Nadia supports a ban on corporations participating in elections, while Richard Neal takes in more corporate and special interest donations than almost anyone in Congress.

Because she is an Independent, Nadia’s name will not be on the primary ballot next month; voters can mark her name on Nov. 3!

In the meantime, you can learn more at NadiaforCongress.com. And, you can come meet Nadia and other candidates at the Democracy Starts Here: First District Congressional Forum in Springfield on Aug. 11 at 6 pm. Pre-register for this free event, sponsored by nearly 40 local organizations, at eventbrite.com. Come and see for yourself why we in MA-01 are so excited about Nadia!

Anne-Marie Smith, is a retired RN who lives in Granby and volunteers for the Nadia Milleron for Congress campaign.