Can politicians be people too? If your name is Mark Boughton.

Forget politics. Next week, thousands of Hatters will go to the polls to vote for the Mayor of Danbury with their minds already made up. For those who haven’t, the choice is simple: Mark Boughton is the person to continue leading Danbury forward.

Whether you lean left or right, no one can deny that Mayor Mark is one of us. He’s not some elitist who graduated from a well-known university and spent time on Wall Street before getting into politics. He’s as blue-collar as they come, having taught history at Danbury High School teacher prior to running for office. He’s not living in some upscale house avoiding the spotlight. He runs his own social media accounts and is always holding himself accountable to the people of our great city. Most importantly, his struggles, like ours, are very real. Most of you have heard about Mayor Mark’s health issues, yet he has never used them as an excuse to duck his responsibilities.

That, my friends, is not the typical background of a politician, especially one from Connecticut. And it’s certainly not the background of his opponent, who graduated from a private high school, holds a degree from one of the top law schools in the country, lives in a home valued at almost 60 percent higher than the average home in Danbury, and whose Twitter feed is atypical of those politicians whose social media accounts are handled by their campaign teams.

The reality is that when it comes to representing Danbury, there is no better person we can ask for than Mayor Mark. Those against him will point to his multiple failed runs for higher office and make you believe he has lost his passion for the job. Utter nonsense.

Anyone who questions Mayor Mark’s dedication and love for the city only has to look at all of the personal sacrifices he has made throughout his 18-year mayorship while making the city better for all of us. His marriage. His health. His reputation. His privacy. Yet, still he seeks office again because of his #DanburyPride. Is that not the definition of a leader? Sacrificing his own self-interest for the good of the whole. Yes, that’s Mayor Mark.

Like many of you, I’ve never met him, but certainly feel like he’s a good friend of mine. He listens. He’s supportive. And he’s always there, no matter what else he has going on. As you head out to vote next Tuesday, remember that you’re choosing between a person and a politician. Only one of them will put your—and this city’s—needs before his own. People over politics. Yup, that’s Mayor Mark.

Matthew Chudoba is a strategic communications professional with over six years of agency and internal experience. He graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2009 with a degree in Journalism.