Having fulfilled his pledge to visit all 39 cities and towns in Massachusetts’ 6th Congressional District in his first 30 days as a congressional candidate, Rick Jakious, the former chief of staff and district director for Rep. Seth Moulton, formally launched his campaign.
He recently unveiled a robust housing policy proposal, which will be a keystone of his campaign, at the Granite Coast Brewing Company surrounded by more than 100 supporters.
“I spent the first 30 days of my campaign traveling our district, meeting people where they’re at, and talking about the things they care about, and top of mind for nearly everyone is just how hard it is to make ends meet,” Jakious said. “… For too long, politicians have gotten away with just showing up on cable news and talking about what they think our problems are. Over the course of this campaign, I will challenge our community to expect more from its leaders; our representative should listen to you, understand your challenges, and then work to fix them.”
After dozens of conversations with voters at senior centers, VFW halls, coffee shops, grocery stores, farms, clam shacks, businesses, and roast beef shops, Jakious said the cost of living is, far and away, the main concern throughout the region and that chief among those concerns is the runaway cost of housing.
In response, Jakious rolled out his four-pillar, 35-point plan for housing. One of the 35 points is a commitment to introduce the ROAD to Housing Act in the House of Representatives on his first day in office. The bipartisan bill, sponsored by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Tim Scott (R-SC), has passed the Senate but has not been introduced in the House. The Bipartisan Policy Center has called the bill “the most impactful and comprehensive piece of housing legislation since the Great Recession.”
According to data from the Greater Boston Association of Realtors, home prices in the Greater Boston area recently exceeded $1 million for the first time, making them among some of the highest in the nation. To afford a 20% down payment on a home in Massachusetts, prospective buyers need to make $165,000 annually, pricing out most families in the 6th Congressional District.
According to Census data, in Peabody, the district’s second largest community, the median household annual income is $95,000. In Lynn, its largest community, the median household income is about $74,000.
“Almost everything is going up — the cost of groceries, electricity, housing, healthcare, and childcare — but not wages. They have been stagnant, and that’s putting unsustainable pressure on the average family’s budget,” Jakious said. “If we want our kids — my own kids — to have a future here, and we want Massachusetts to continue to thrive, we have to build a community where working families can afford to live.”
During his speech, Jakious announced his plan to make housing more affordable throughout the region. His plan includes 37 policy commitments grouped into four pillars: accelerating housing supply at scale, supercharging transit-oriented development, partnering with the private sector, and protecting middle class stability.
The summary of his plan is available on his Substack.
While there is still quite some time before voters cast their ballots and officially decide who will represent the 6th Congressional District, a handful of Peabody leaders have already endorsed Jakious.
Councilor-at-Large Jon Turco said he’s known Jakious since he was first elected to Peabody City Council in 2015. Turco shared that Jakious has “always been extremely responsive to me anytime I’ve reached out on behalf of a resident. Beyond that, he has gone out of his way to meet with me in Peabody to ask about what issues we are facing and how the Congressional office can help.”
Turco added more as to why he thinks Jakious’ background sets him up nicely to lead the district.
“He’s assisted the City in navigating the process for receiving a $1,000,000 grant for the Riverwalk Project and a $4,000,000 Brownfield Grant to clean up the old Bob-Kat Tannery site,” Turco said. “It makes sense since he’s been active in the district and since he knows it so well that he would be the obvious choice to fill the Congressional seat for the 6th District.”
Library Trustee Peter Bakula, who is also on the Peabody’s Democratic Committee and a State Democratic Committee member as well, agreed with Turco, having also endorsed Jakious.
“Having worked alongside the congressman, Rick essentially has already been doing the job with staff, so I think he’ll be kind of ready to go from day one,” Bakula said. “He can hit the ground running, while most of the other candidates in the race will probably have a little bit of a learning curve.”
Ward 5 Councilor Dave Gamache said he is “excited” that Jakious is running.
“I am so impressed by his enthusiasm and more importantly his vision not only for our district but for our country,” Gamache said. “He is personable, and I believe he can bring our needs to Washington. Rick’s plans for affordable housing are a great start.”
Jakious has also been endorsed by Ward 3 Councilor Stephanie Peach.
