Sydney Levin-Epstein for State Senate

Sydney will deliver for our communities to create more jobs, combat the opioid epidemic, and finally connect our Commonwealth with West-East rail. Sydney grew up behind the counter of Jonathan’s Sports World on Route 9 in Hadley, her family’s small business that had to close when big box stores arrived. When her family struggled to afford health care, Sydney’s father found a new career with the American Federation of Government Employees and joined the TSA workforce at Bradley International Airport. Watching her family build and then have to close down a business drives her commitment to supporting economic growth in the 413. We need better jobs and West-East rail to keep the next generation living and thriving in Western Massachusetts. Sydney attended Pioneer Valley Performing Arts High School in South Hadley and began her college education at Springfield Technical Community College, where she prepared to find success when transferring to George Washington University, from which she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in political science in 2017. She knows how to fight for Western Massachusetts because she has been leading for her entire career. Sydney served in the 114th, 115th, and 116th Congressional sessions in Chairman Richard Neal and Senator Ed Markey’s offices where she promoted key issue areas impacting the 413 and informed associated communication strategies via research, briefings, and constituent relations. During her tenure in Washington, Sydney ​​advanced local transportation priorities and foreign policy agendas, with specific oversight of Jewish affairs strategy and portfolio, and managed civilian and military constituent communications, fielding over 1,000 calls and 500 foreign policy letters weekly. Sydney knows how policy and elective politics can be a transformational, sustainable change for our communities—but the work begins at the grassroots level. While serving her community on Capitol Hill, Sydney worked as a hostess at a restaurant and babysat for every family she could find. She returned to Western Massachusetts to help elect State Senator Eric Lesser. During that time, she was Tweety Bird at Six Flags New England and scooping ice cream at Friendly’s. Like Sydney, many folks in Western Massachusetts work two jobs to make ends meet—but it doesn’t need to be that way. Sydney will fight for better jobs so we aren’t working two gigs to keep the heat on in February. As Deputy Finance Director, Sydney helped secure Senator Markey’s re-election in 2020. Because he won that race, Senator Markey has delivered $60 million to connect Massachusetts children to the internet at home, $12 billion nationally for intercity passenger rail projects like West-East Rail, and $100 million to promote broadband access across Massachusetts. After Senator Markey’s victory, Sydney answered the call to service in Georgia and helped flip the Senate with Senator Jon Ossoff. The historic American Rescue Plan passed because of the efforts that resulted in a Democratic Senate. The 413 needs an unwavering voice in Boston who will fight to get our fair share of state funding, and Sydney has the experience to lead. As State Senator, Sydney will deliver resources to our communities for creating more jobs, combating the opioid epidemic, and finally connecting our commonwealth with West-East rail.