Westenhoefer Announces Candidacy for State Rep

The following is a "Letter to the Editor" from Zack Westenhoefer.

My father taught me at a very young age to “do it right the first time, or else it’ll have to be done again.” He was talking about pulling weeds in our backyard vegetable garden, but all of my work since that time has been guided by the principles embodied in his words:

•      Prevention is the lowest cost solution
•      Attend to details
•      Work effectively as well as efficiently.

Reliance on these principles allowed me to fulfill a commitment to both my community and country as a member of the US Air Force. I enlisted in 1997, graduated from the Defense Language Institute with a degree in Russian in 1999, and soon thereafter joined the 390th Intelligence Squadron on Kadena AB in Okinawa, Japan. For three and a half years I flew with my fellow crew members on board the RC-135 aircraft conducting regional reconnaissance operations.

Taking on enormous responsibilities was an everyday occurrence, as we were responsible not just for the quality of our work but, more importantly, for our multimillion dollar aircraft, each others’ lives, and our national security. Upon my honorable discharge in 2003, I was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service.

Wasting no time while in college, in three years I graduated summa cum laude with degrees in Economics and International Business with a minor in Finance. An old friend in Cambridge then invited me to help him start what would develop into a successful network security consulting firm, but not before I became a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) to qualify myself for the venture.

In 2007 I switched gears and put my skills to work as an analyst in a Boston-based business-to-business technology market research firm. Over a three-year tenure I surveyed and interviewed thousands of business leaders throughout North America, Europe, and around the world. My mission: Determine the internal and external pressures they face, the decisions they make in response to those pressures, and the results of their decisions. Indeed, our analysts strived not to pontificate, but rather to listen, synthesize, and report on best practices that lead to success.

This is precisely the approach I intend to bring to my campaign and to the office of State Representative. By the end of the summer, you won’t know me for how many signs I posted on roadways or for how many times I robo-called your home phone. You’ll know me because we met and talked. You’ll know me not for being a “politician,” but for being that guy who listened to what you had to say and acted on it. And when I am in the State House, you’re going to have a representative working hard on your behalf and who does things right the first time, so they don’t have to be done again.

I am on break from Suffolk Law School until the primary election is held on Sept. 6, so there is plenty of time for us to get to know each other. I look forward to meeting you!

Zack Westenhoefer
Cambridge