Sharon Antia
In the November 4 election, Lincoln resident Sharon Antia, an Independent, is challenging incumbent State Rep. Thomas Stanley (D-Waltham) for the Ninth Middlesex district seat in the state legislature. Last week, the Lincoln Squirrel asked her some questions and Antia responded via email. Her responses have been edited for clarity and links have been added. The Squirrel also emailed questions to Stanley, but he has not responded.
Why are you running as an independent without the backing of one of the major parties—doesn’t it seem pretty unlikely that you would win? Or do you have another goal in mind by running?
I have been unenrolled for 15 years or so. When I went to Boston to pull papers and run for state representative, I found out it was too late to change to one of the two major parties. I can’t say for sure if I would have registered for one of them or not; given the choice, I like being Independent. I use to be a Democrat and I support the Democratic values. I’m frustrated by the stagnation in our country that’s a result of the two parties having trouble putting aside their differences. People have asked me, win or lose, will I consider changing to Democrat? My response has been a solid maybe. I don’t have the brain space to consider that right now.
What is your opinion of Stanley? Why should people vote for you instead of him?
