To the editor:

On the morning of June 5, 2012, the city of Newburyport came together around three critical projects we could no longer afford to ignore. That day, around six o'clock in the morning, I kissed my three boys goodbye and headed out to meet then-Councilor Alison Heartquist for coffee before hitting the pavement to Get Out The Vote.

At the time, my youngest son, Asher, was just 5 years old. Now – somehow – he's about to graduate from Newburyport High School. Before I left that morning, he wrapped his little arms around me, looked me straight in the eyes, and asked, "Will you be OK if you lose?" A tender question from a child too young to fully understand the stakes, yet wise enough to sense their weight.

Asher knew how important this campaign was – not just to me, but to all of us. I was chairing a citizens group called Port Pride, formed to rally community support around three proposed debt exclusions: building a new Bresnahan School, renovating the Nock and Molin schools, and creating a brand-new Senior/Community Center.

We knocked on doors. We gave tours of our aging schools. We hosted coffee talks in kitchens and living rooms across the city. We waved signs, cheered in Market Square, planted yard signs like seeds of hope all over town. What we were doing felt bold, even impossible. Many told us we were dreaming too big – "You might win one, but three? No way."

But we believed otherwise.

Why?

Because we listened.

Because we had conversations with neighbors who cared deeply, even when they had no direct stake in the outcome.

We met empty nesters who had recently moved to Newburyport. They had no children in school and felt too young for a senior center. We worried about asking them to raise their taxes for things they wouldn't directly use. But their response? "It's our turn to pay it forward. We're in. Yes on all three."

That's Newburyport. This community shows up for what matters. For the hard things. For the future.

So when I answered my son that morning, I told him I believed we'd win – not because of campaign strategy or signs or speeches but because I trusted our neighbors. I knew they would do the right thing for the next generation.

Now, with Asher preparing to head off to college, it's my turn again – to pay it forward, to keep showing up.

The Kinseys are proud to have five yes votes on May 13.

Here's to our community.

To our city.

To our children.

Port Pride, always.

MEGHAN KINSEY

Newburyport

Editor's note: The letter writer is a former Newburyport city councilor and writes a column for The Daily News.