New Albany, we can do this. Let’s elect nine women to city council in 2019.

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Above, you’ll see a provocative exchange at Twitter.

As for the 2019 council races, I’d settle for just about any combination of nine women in terms of political orientation, given this means little at the grassroots level apart from sectarian patronage obligations.

However, I hope (a) not all of them attended New Albany High School, (b) they grasp that our street grid is a huge social justice issue, and (c) they’re a diverse group.

A boy can dream. In the following passage, I’ve emphasized a key point.

The Women Candidates Shocking the Competition, by Sarah Holder (CityLab)

Access to money is often the greatest hurdle for non-establishment candidates. But local female politicians say the excitement of a non-traditional candidate is not only motivating voters, but in some cases, opening pockets.

This week, Boston city councilor Ayanna Pressley set herself en route to making history—again.

After winning the Democratic primary for Massachusetts’ District 7, she’s virtually assured to become the first African-American woman to represent the state in Congress. But Pressley had already become a first a decade ago when, in 2009, she became the first woman of color elected to the Boston City Council. Two years later she worked successfully to fight off a comeback campaign from a veteran Boston politician, and finished atop a crowded field.

Pressley’s rise began with local ambition and king-slaying, and races from Phoenix to Rochester, New York, seem to be following her trajectory: In recent and upcoming 2018 elections, first-time candidates, women, people of color, and LGBTQ candidates are running and winning more than ever, especially at the local and state-house level. In the past, the high price tag of a campaign, even on the local level, has made the cost of running a rising hurdle, one that compounded the other challenges for non-establishment candidates.

Pressley herself faced a competitor who had raised $1.7 million to Pressley’s $900,000 by August. But after Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez shocked people by winning the primary for U.S. representative in New York’s District 14 over a 10-term Congressional incumbent who raised over $2 million to her $860,000, people noticed a tide shift.

As Walter Shapiro wrote after her win: “Money is not destiny.”

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