Why People Back Gil

Some People Talk About Community. Gil Lives It.

I want to tell you about something small that says something big.

Go to the Essex senior center on the right day and you will find Gil there. Not because he has to be, not because a camera is rolling, but because he genuinely wants to be. You will see him leading a fitness class, coaxing laughter out of a room full of older adults, making each person feel seen and strong and alive. In a world that moves so fast it often leaves its elders behind, Gil slows down. He shows up. He stays.

That image has never left me. And it is the reason I back him completely.

Because here is what I believe: the truest test of a person's character is not how they treat the powerful. It is how they treat the vulnerable. By that measure, Gil Frieden passes with flying colors. He has spent years quietly, consistently pouring himself into the lives of people who needed a hand. Delivering meals to homebound neighbors during the darkest stretch of the pandemic. Teaching seniors how to build strength and balance so they can stay in their own homes a little longer. Sitting across from an older adult whose finances had become overwhelming and helping them find solid ground again.

None of that is glamorous work. All of it is necessary work. And Gil did it without fanfare, because that is simply who he is.

The Kind of Leader We Actually Need

What excites me most about Gil in public office is this: he brings the full picture. He is not just warm. He is sharp. He has worked in finance at a serious level, which means he can read a budget, spot a loophole, and hold institutions accountable without being intimidated by them.

And underneath all of that skill is something you cannot teach: a genuine love for this place and the people in it. Gil grew up around a dinner table where housing policy and community planning were everyday conversation. His mother shaped young minds as a teacher. His father spent his career figuring out how to build communities where people could actually thrive. That foundation shows in everything Gil does.

I support Gil because hope is not just a feeling. It is a practice. And Gil practices it every single day. Essex and the North Shore deserve someone who will walk into the State House carrying the faces of real people: their seniors, their kids, their struggling families, their coastal workers. And fight like he means it.

That is Gil. That is why he has my full and unwavering support.