2012 alum made determined yet unsuccessful bid for State Representative the same year he graduated
While lessons learned in the classroom may determine which career paths we follow, it is often the lessons learned in the home that determine who we are and what we believe in.
For Lincoln Blackie ’12, it was one of the latter lessons that steered the 23-year-old to run for the seat of State Representative in the 6th Hampden District against incumbent Michael Finn in November 2012.
Blackie, who grew up and lives in West Springfield, was raised by his mother, who was very active within the community. An engineering intern with the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission, he’s a former intern for Sen. Scott Brown.
“I was taught early on that if you want to make a difference, you need to get involved, you need to work hard, and you need to work diligently,” says Blackie.
Graduating with a double major in public administration and regional planning, Blackie was concerned with the state of the “real world” that awaited him after university life.
“I’m part of a generation that is beginning life and inheriting a mess,” he says. “There is massive government debt, soaring prices, joblessness and stagnant wages. Many people are concerned the ‘American Dream’ is slipping away.”
Watching unemployment rise and business after business close in a community he loves, Blackie decided it was time for change and time to act. He felt a large part of the problem was career politicians who don’t control spending, lack ambition and are out of touch with their constituents.
Being disillusioned with the two-party system, Blackie decided to run as an Independent. He knew this would put him at a huge disadvantage but decided to go ahead.
“Being an unknown and unaffiliated candidate, such as I was, puts you at a huge disadvantage,” Blackie says. “I thought I would be able to appeal to both sides if given the chance. Idealism, however, is not a winning recipe in politics, and, in order to be a successful Independent candidate, you will need either a large amount of money, a well-established base of support or both.”
Despite being a political “outsider,” Blackie did have factors working in his favor. His dual majors from Westfield State encourage active community involvement and require public speaking.
“Being credible to others isn’t just having a degree or being a responsible person. It’s having the skills to accomplish tasks that make you credible, and Westfield State helped me obtain these skills,” Blackie says.
Another factor in his favor was running for office in the district where he lives. “People want to root for the ‘home-town kid,’” says Blackie.
By getting the word out about his vision, Blackie felt he had a fighting chance. He knew his inexperience could be seen as a weakness, but he didn’t think it was insurmountable.
“When people want change, that is exactly what is needed,” he says. “Experience is crucial for being effective, but so is ambition. Inexperience as a representative is something every freshman legislator will have. At the beginning, every new person is the low man.”
Blackie walked the community, “pressed the flesh” with his constituents, listened to their wants, desires and concerns and debated his incumbent opponent. In his opinion, he did all that he could do.
On Nov. 6, 2012, he cast his vote and waited.
In the end, his efforts weren’t enough. He lost to Finn with a tally of 9,469 to 5,401 votes.
Despite defeat, Blackie has no regrets.
“I feel I did everything right,” he says. “I would like to have done more mailings and other types of voter outreach. Unfortunately, I didn’t raise enough money to do more.
“Running for office is an extremely exciting and humbling experience,” he adds.
