Cambridge Politics - The Sports Pages
(last updated Saturday, September 12, 2020 10:15 PM)

Sept 1, 2020 Primary Election Results (Official)

Sept 1, 2020 Primary Cambridge
Votes
Cambridge
Registered
Pct Total Votes
(unofficial)
Overall Pct
(unofficial)
City of Cambridge 33261 71469 46.5%    
U.S. Senate (Dem. Primary) 32304 71469 45.2%    
Ed Markey 25312     723876 55.5%
Joseph Kennedy 6841     580422 44.5%
Write-Ins 41        
Total Valid Ballots 32194        
Blanks 110        
U.S. Senate (Rep. Primary) 898 71469 1.26%    
Shiva Ayyadurai 418     96277 39.9%
Kevin O'Connor 437     145215 60.1%
Write-Ins 31        
Total Valid Ballots 886        
Blanks 12        
Rep. in Congress (5th District - Dem.) 16365 33699 48.6%    
Katherine Clark 14269        
Write-Ins 68        
Total Valid Ballots 14337        
Blanks 2028        
Rep. in Congress (5th District - Rep.) 379 33699 1.12%    
Caroline Colarusso 280        
Write-Ins 15        
Total Valid Ballots 295        
Blanks 84        
Rep. in Congress (7th District - Dem.) 15939 37770 42.2%    
Ayanna Pressley 14534        
Write-Ins 129        
Total Valid Ballots 14663        
Blanks 1276        
Rep. in Congress (7th District - Rep.) 519 37770 1.37%    
Write-Ins 139        
Total Valid Ballots 139        
Blanks 380        
Governors Council (6th District - Dem.) 32304 71469 45.2%    
Terrence Kennedy 11620     84742 54.0%
Helina Fontes 15590     72086 46.0%
Write-Ins 54        
Total Valid Ballots 27264        
Blanks 5040        
Governors Council (6th District - Rep.) 898 71469 1.26%    
Write-Ins 114        
Total Valid Ballots 114        
Blanks 784        
State Senate (2nd Middlesex - Dem.) 12123 23670 51.2%    
Pat Jehlen 8331     40784 81.99%
Gary Fisher 2506     8958 18.01%
Write-Ins 14        
Total Valid Ballots 10851        
Blanks 1272        
State Senate (2nd Middlesex - Rep.) 317 23670 1.34%    
Write-Ins 34        
Total Valid Ballots 34        
Blanks 283        
State Senate (Middlesex & Suffolk - Dem.) 14961 35153 42.6%    
Sal DiDomenico 11935        
Write-Ins 71        
Total Valid Ballots 12006        
Blanks 2955        
State Senate (Middlesex & Suffolk - Rep.) 462 35153 1.31%    
Write-Ins 64        
Total Valid Ballots 64        
Blanks 398        
State Senate (1st Suffolk & Middlesex - Dem.) 5220 12646 41.2%    
Joseph Boncore 3920        
Write-Ins 31        
Total Valid Ballots 3951        
Blanks 1269        
State Senate (1st Suffolk & Middlesex - Rep.) 119 12646 0.94%  
Write-Ins 8        
Total Valid Ballots 8        
Blanks 111        
State Representative (24th Middlesex - Dem.) 2252 5482 41.1%    
David Rogers 791     7540 56.28%
Jennifer Fries 1279     5858 43.72%
Write-Ins 3        
Total Valid Ballots 2073        
Blanks 179        
State Representative (24th Middlesex - Rep.) 63 5482 1.15%    
Write-Ins 6        
Total Valid Ballots 6        
Blanks 57        
State Representative (25th Middlesex - Dem.) 11638 25001 46.6%    
Marjorie Decker 9641        
Write-Ins 66        
Total Valid Ballots 9707        
Blanks 1931        
State Representative (25th Middlesex - Rep.) 238 25001 0.95%    
Write-Ins 28        
Total Valid Ballots 28        
Blanks 210        
State Representative (26th Middlesex - Dem.) 7828 18923 41.4%    
Mike Connolly 6375        
Write-Ins 100        
Total Valid Ballots 6475        
Blanks 1353        
State Representative (26th Middlesex - Rep.) 303 18923 1.60%    
Write-Ins 41        
Total Valid Ballots 41        
Blanks 262        
State Representative (29th Middlesex - Dem.) 6898 12951 53.3%    
Steve Owens 3523     7602 61.18%
Mark Sideris 1245     2972 23.92%
David Ciccarelli 778     1851 14.9%
Write-Ins 20        
Total Valid Ballots 5566        
Blanks 1332        
State Representative (29th Middlesex - Rep.) 205 12951 1.51%    
Write-Ins 19        
Total Valid Ballots 19        
Blanks 186        
State Representative (8th Suffolk - Dem.) 3688 9112 40.8%    
Jay Livingstone 2919        
Write-Ins 14        
Total Valid Ballots 2933        
Blanks 755        
State Representative (8th Suffolk - Rep.) 89 9112 0.98%    
Write-Ins 4        
Total Valid Ballots 4        
Blanks 85        
Register of Probate (Dem.) 32304 71469 45.2%    
Tara DeCristofaro 24321        
Write-Ins 152        
Total Valid Ballots 24473        
Blanks 7831        
Register of Probate (Rep.) 898 71469 1.26%    
Write-Ins 97        
Total Valid Ballots 97        
Blanks 801        
Rep. in Congress (4th District - Dem.) - 5:37pm, Sept 3     100% reporting
Jake Auchincloss       34971 22.41%
Jesse Mermell       32938 21.11%
Becky Grossman       28311 18.14%
Natalia Linos       18158 11.64%
Ihssane Leckey       17346 11.12%
Alan Khazei       14305 9.17%
Christopher Zannetos       5091 3.26%
David Cavell       2472 1.58%
Benjamin Sigel       2437 1.56%

Local Cambridge Elections: 2020 [updated June 20]

What's going on in the elections for the State Representatives and State Senators and other elected officials representing Cambridge?
I'll update this periodically with announced candidacies and credible rumors. Contact me with info. - RW

[Ward and Precinct Map] [Congressional District Map] [State Senate Districts Map] [State Representative Districts Map]

House Districts
24th Middlesex (Ward 11, Precincts 1 & 3)
David Rogers (D) - Incumbent
Jennifer Fries (D) is an announced challenger.

25th Middlesex (Ward 4; Ward 6, Precincts 2 & 3; Ward 7; Ward 8; Ward 10, Precincts 1 & 2)
Marjorie Decker (D) - Incumbent
Leslie R. Phillips (D), a perennial candidate, will likely (again) be a challenger for this seat.

26th Middlesex (Ward 1; Ward 2, Precinct 1; Ward 3; Ward 6, Precinct 1)
Mike Connolly (D) - Incumbent
Won't somebody please step forward and make a challenge for this seat?

29th Middlesex (Ward 9; Ward 10, Precinct 3; Ward 11, Precinct 2)
Jonathan Hecht (D) - Incumbent; announced Feb 10 that he would not be seeking re-election in 2020.
Steven Owens (D) of Watertown filed Feb 14 with OCPF.
David Ciccarelli (D) of Watertown filed June 4 with OCPF.
Mark Sideris (D) of Watertown filed June 4 with OCPF.

8th Suffolk (Ward 2, Precincts 2 & 3; Ward 5)
Jay Livingstone (D) - Incumbent
Kelechi Linardon of Boston filed Feb 7 with OCPF.

Senate Districts
Middlesex & Suffolk (Ward 1; Ward 2, Precinct 1; Ward 3; Ward 4, Precinct 2; Ward 6; Ward 7; Ward 8)
Sal N. DiDomenico (D) - Incumbent

First Suffolk & Middlesex (Ward 2, Precincts 2 & 3; Ward 4, Precinct 1 & 3; Ward 5)
Joseph Boncore (D) - Incumbent

Second Middlesex (Ward 9; Ward 10; Ward 11)
Patricia D. Jehlen (D)

Governor’s Councilor – all of Cambridge is in the Sixth District
Terrence Kennedy (D)

U. S. Representatives
Fifth District (Ward 3, Precinct 2A; Ward 4, Precincts 2 & 3; Ward 6; Ward 7; Ward 8; Ward 9; Ward 10, Precincts 1 & 2)
Katherine Clark (D) - Incumbent
Raffaele Santino Depalma (D)
Caroline Colarusso (R)
Steven Pinckney (R)

Seventh District (Ward 1; Ward 2; Ward 3, Precincts 1, 2, & 3; Ward 4, Precinct 1; Ward 5; Ward 10, Precinct 3; Ward 11)
Ayanna Pressley (D) - Incumbent

U. S. Senators
Elizabeth Warren (D) - current term ends Jan 3, 2025, currently seeking Democratic nomination for President of the USA.

Edward Markey (D, incumbent) - current term ends on Jan 3, 2021, seeking re-election in 2020
Joseph Kennedy III (D) is challenging Markey for the seat.
Shiva Ayyadurai (R), a perennial candidate, is also seeking this Senate seat.


Presidential Primary Official Cambridge Results (Mar 3, 2020)

Candidate
(Democrat)
Cambridge
Votes
Pct MA
Votes
Pct
Warren, Elizabeth 15805 42.1% 299733 21.4%
Sanders, Bernie 10533 28.0% 373173 26.7%
Biden, Joe 7626 20.3% 470294 33.6%
Bloomberg, Michael 2187 5.8% 164689 11.8%
Buttigieg, Pete 693 1.8% 37172 2.7%
Klobuchar, Amy 283 0.8% 16862 1.2%
Patrick, Deval 110 0.3% 6851 0.5%
Gabbard, Tulsi 101 0.3% 10616 0.8%
Yang, Andrew 58 0.2% 2621 0.2%
Steyer, Tom 48 0.1% 6666 0.5%
Write-Ins 35 0.1% 0.0%
No Preference 31 0.1% 5212 0.4%
Bennet, Michael 17 0.0% 1409 0.1%
Delaney, John 14 0.0% 1000 0.1%
Booker, Cory 8 0.0% 431 0.0%
Williamson, Marianne 3 0.0% 653 0.0%
Castro Julian 1 0.0% 297 0.0%
Total Votes 37553 100.0% 1397679 100.0%
 
Candidate
(Republican)
Cambridge
Votes
Pct MA
Votes
Pct
Trump, Donald 567 67.6% 236692 87.7%
Weld, William 199 23.7% 25182 9.3%
Walsh, Joe 25 3.0% 3075 1.1%
No Preference 24 2.9% 4277 1.6%
Unresolved Write-Ins 20 2.4% 0.0%
De La Fuente, Roque 4 0.5% 716 0.3%
Total Votes 839 100.0% 269942 100.0%

Cambridge
Candidate Pages

(municipal election)
Campaign Event Listings
and Candidate Forums
Submit campaign event listings

State Legislature
Campaign Finance

State Legislature
Special Elections
(Cambridge Seats, 2007-2012)
Campaign Finance Summaries


Calendar for 2009-10 Special State Election
(to fill vacancy caused by the death of Senator Edward M. Kennedy):

Scott Brown (Republican) elected
Martha Coakley (Democrat)


Candidates seeking to succeed State Representative Rachel Kaprielian (2008):

Stephen Corbett – www.corbettforrep.org
Julia Fahey
Jonathan Hecht – www.jonhecht.com elected
Joshua Weisbuch –www.electweisbuch.org


Barrios Vacancy (2007)
State Senate - Middlesex, Suffolk, & Essex

Primary Election - Sept 11, 2007
Tim Flaherty
Anthony Galluccio elected
Paul Nowicki
Jeff Ross

General Election - Oct 9, 2007
(no other candidates)


2006 State Election

Governor
Kerry Healey (Republican)
Christy Mihos (Independent)>
Deval Patrick (Democrat) - elected
Grace Ross (Green-Rainbow)
Chris Gabrieli (Democrat)
Tom Reilly (Democrat)

Lt. Governor
Reed V. Hillman (Republican)
Tim Murray (Democrat) - elected
John Sullivan (Independent)
Martina Robinson (Green-Rainbow)
Deborah Goldberg (Democrat)
Andrea Silbert (Democrat)

Attorney General
Martha Coakley (Democrat) - elected
Larry Frisoli (Republican)

Treasurer
Timothy Cahill (Democrat) - elected
Ronald Davy (Republican)

Secretary of State
William Galvin (Democrat) - elected
Jill Stein (Green-Rainbow)
John Bonifaz (Democrat)

Auditor
Joseph DeNucci (Democrat) - elected
Earle Stroll (Republican)

U.S. Senate
Kenneth Chase (Republican)
Edward Kennedy
(Democrat) elected
Kevin Scott (Republican)

U.S. Congress, 8th District
Michael Capuano (Democrat) elected
Robert Constantino (Republican)

Middlesex County Clerk of Courts
Michael A. Sullivan (Democrat) elected
Bruce Desmond (Democrat)

Register of Deeds
Eugene C. Brune (Democrat) elected

Massachusetts Senate
1st Suffolk and Middlesex
Robert E. Travaglini (Democrat) elected

2nd Suffolk and Middlesex
Steven Tolman (Democrat) elected

Middlesex, Suffolk, and Essex
Jarrett Barrios (Democrat) elected

Massachusetts House
24th Middlesex
Will Brownsberger (Democrat) elected
Libby Firenze (Republican)

25th Middlesex
Henry Irving (Republican)
Alice Wolf (Democrat) elected
Joseph P. Donnelly (independent)

26th Middlesex
Tim Toomey (Democrat) elected

29th Middlesex
Rachel Kaprielian (Democrat) elected
Keith Mercurio (Republican)

8th Suffolk
Martha "Marty" Walz (Democrat) elected

9th Suffolk
Byron Rushing (Democrat) elected

Governors Council
3rd District
Marilyn M. Petitto Devaney (Democrat) elected

6th District
Michael J. Callahan (Democrat) elected
William Barabino (Republican)
Rosemary A. Macero (unenrolled)
Ted Sarandis (unenrolled)

Ballot Questions (2006)
1 - Sale of Wine by Food Stores defeated

2 - Nomination of Candidates for Public Office (to allow fusion voting) defeated

3 - Family Child Care Providers (Collective Bargaining for Childcare Providers) defeated

Primary Election Results (selected contested races)

Candidate Total Pct. Cambridge (100%) Pct.
Governor (Democrat) - 100% reporting     Total = 18906  
Jay Gonzalez - star 346,873 64.42% 10,590 56.0%
Bob Massie 191,622 35.58% 8,151 43.1%
write-ins     165 0.9%
blanks     2,066  
Governor (Republican) - 100% reporting     Total = 925  
Charlie Baker - star 173,776 63.89% 692 74.8%
Scott Lively 98,214 36.11% 232 25.1%
write-ins     1 0.1%
blanks     25  
Lt. Governor (Democrat) - 100% reporting     Total = 18332  
Quentin Palfrey - star 305,771 58.91% 8,568 46.7%
Jimmy Tingle 213,313 41.09% 9,722 53.0%
write-ins     42 0.2%
blanks     2,640  
Secretary of State (Democrat) - 100% reporting     Total = 19338  
William Galvin - star 433,213 67.56% 9,486 49.1%
Josh Zakim 208,011 32.44% 9,826 50.8%
write-ins     26 0.1%
blanks     1,634  
Massachusetts US Senate (Republican) - 100% reporting     Total = 870  
Geoff Diehl - star 143,735 55.3% 373 42.9%
John Kingston 69,429 26.7% 275 31.6%
Beth Lindstrom 46,614 17.9% 215 24.7%
write-ins     7 0.8%
blanks     80  
District 7, US House, Massachusetts (Democratic) - 100% reporting     Total = 10639  
Ayanna Pressley - star 59,815 58.6% 6,006 56.5%
Mike Capuano 42,252 41.4% 4,626 43.5%
write-ins     7 0.1%
blanks     180  
Middlesex County District Attorney (Democratic) - 100% reporting     Total = 17781  
Marian Ryan - star 93,850 53.34% 8,164 45.9%
Donna Patalano 82,099 46.66% 9,583 53.9%
write-ins     34 0.2%
blanks     3,191  
State Representative - 25th Middlesex District (Democratic) - 100% reporting     Total = 6663  
Marjorie Decker - star 5,666 85.0% 5,666 85.0%
Lesley Philiips 984 14.8% 984 14.8%
write-ins 13 0.2% 13 0.2%
blanks 744   744  

Unofficial Results do not include Write-In, Auxiliary, Overseas Absentee or Provisional Ballots


Tuesday, September 4, 2018 Primary - List of Offices & Candidates (Cambridge)

If you are registered with any political party, you may only vote in that party's primary. Unenrolled voters may choose to vote in any party primary. Choosing to vote in a particular party's primary does NOT enroll you as a member of that party.

[Check your voter registration status]     [Where do I vote?]

Democratic Primary Republican Primary Libertarian Primary
SENATOR IN CONGRESS
ELIZABETH A. WARREN, 24 Linnaean St., Cambridge GEOFF DIEHL, 10 Village Way, Whitman
JOHN KINGSTON, 16 Chestnut St., Winchester
BETH JOYCE LINDSTROM, 161 Wharton Row, Groton
NO NOMINATION
GOVERNOR
JAY M. GONZALEZ, 62 Putnam St., Needham
BOB MASSIE, 140 Sycamore St., Somerville
CHARLES D. BAKER, 49 Monument Ave., Swampscott
SCOTT D. LIVELY, 453 State St., Springfield
NO NOMINATION
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
QUENTIN PALFREY, 683 Boston Post Rd., Weston
JIMMY TINGLE, 27 Lawrence St., Cambridge
KARYN E. POLITO, 2 Tatassit Cir., Shrewsbury NO NOMINATION
ATTORNEY GENERAL
MAURA HEALEY, 40 Winthrop St., Boston JAMES R. McMAHON, III, 14 Canal View Rd., Bourne
DANIEL L. SHORES, 2706 Hockley Dr., Hingham
NO NOMINATION
SECRETARY OF STATE
WILLIAM FRANCIS GALVIN, 46 Lake St., Boston
JOSH ZAKIM, 177 Commonwealth Ave., Boston
ANTHONY M. AMORE, 182 Norfolk Ave., Swampscott NO NOMINATION
TREASURER
DEBORAH B. GOLDBERG, 37 Hyslop Rd., Brookline KEIKO M. ORRALL, 120 Crooked Ln., Lakeville NO NOMINATION
AUDITOR
SUZANNE M. BUMP, 6 Hoe Shop St., Easton HELEN BRADY, 1630 Monument St., Concord DANIEL FISHMAN,
36 Colgate Rd., Beverly
REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS - FIFTH DISTRICT (Wards 3-2A, 4-2, 4-3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10-1, 10-2) - MAP
KATHERINE M. CLARK, 64 Prospect St., Melrose JOHN HUGO, 20 Walnut St., Woburn
LOUIS KUCHNIR, 15 Foxhill Dr., Southborough
NO NOMINATION
REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS - SEVENTH DISTRICT (Wards 1, 2, 3-1, 3-2, 3-3, 4-1, 5, 10-3, 11) - MAP
MICHAEL E. CAPUANO, 172 Central St., Somerville
AYANNA S. PRESSLEY, 1910 Dorchester Ave., Boston
NO NOMINATION NO NOMINATION
COUNCILLOR (Governor's Council) - SIXTH DISTRICT
TERRENCE W. KENNEDY, 3 Stafford Rd., Lynnfield NO NOMINATION NO NOMINATION
State Senate - SECOND MIDDLESEX DISTRICT (Wards 9, 10, 11) - MAP
PATRICIA D. JEHLEN, 67 Dane St., Somerville NO NOMINATION NO NOMINATION
State Senate - MIDDLESEX & SUFFOLK DISTRICT (Wards 1, 2-1, 3, 4-2, 6, 7, 8) - MAP
SAL N. DiDOMENICO, 125 Clarence St., Everett NO NOMINATION NO NOMINATION
State Senate - FIRST SUFFOLK & MIDDLESEX DISTRICT (Wards 2-2, 2-3, 4-1, 4-3, 5) - MAP
JOSEPH A. BONCORE, 39 Sagamore Ave., Winthrop NO NOMINATION NO NOMINATION
State Representative - TWENTY-FOURTH MIDDLESEX DISTRICT (Ward 11-1, 11-3) - MAP
DAVID M. ROGERS, 18 Richard Ave., Cambridge NO NOMINATION NO NOMINATION
State Representative - TWENTY-FIFTH MIDDLESEX DISTRICT (Wards 4, 6-2, 6-3, 7, 8, 10-1, 10-2) - MAP
MARJORIE C. DECKER, 29 Raymond St., Cambridge
LESLEY REBECCA PHILLIPS, 1643 Cambridge St., Cambridge
NO NOMINATION NO NOMINATION
State Representative - TWENTY-SIXTH MIDDLESEX DISTRICT (Wards 1, 2-1, 3, 6-1) - MAP
MIKE CONNOLLY, 4 Ashburton Pl., Cambridge NO NOMINATION NO NOMINATION
State Representative - TWENTY-NINTH MIDDLESEX DISTRICT (Wards 9, 10-3, 11-2) - MAP
JONATHAN HECHT, 159 Russell Ave., Watertown NO NOMINATION NO NOMINATION
State Representative - EIGHTH SUFFOLK DISTRICT (Wards 2-2, 2-3, 5) - MAP
JAY D. LIVINGSTONE, 311 Commonwealth Ave., Boston NO NOMINATION NO NOMINATION
CLERK OF COURTS - MIDDLESEX COUNTY
MICHAEL A. SULLIVAN, 42 Huron Ave., Cambridge NO NOMINATION NO NOMINATION
REGISTER OF DEEDS - MIDDLESEX SOUTHERN DISTRICT
MARIA C. CURTATONE, 37 Munroe St., Somerville NO NOMINATION NO NOMINATION
DISTRICT ATTORNEY - NORTHERN DISTRICT
MARIAN T. RYAN, 8 Bradford Rd., Belmont
DONNA PATALANO, 12 Norwood St., Winchester
NO NOMINATION NO NOMINATION

New ImageCast Voting System for the City of Cambridge

The City of Cambridge is thrilled to announce the launch of the newly acquired ImageCast Vote Tabulators which will be utilized for the first time for the upcoming State Primary, Tuesday, September 4, 2018. We wanted to give our voters a brief introduction to the new equipment to provide a glimpse of what to expect on Election Day. While the design of the new tabulator is similar to the AccuVote system used in past elections, there are some new features which improve its usability. The new design makes it easier to navigate and is more user-friendly. Election workers at each polling location have been trained to assist the voter, if needed, during their introduction to the new equipment. One of the new features of the ImageCast Vote Tabulator is that the voter will be able to see if their ballot has been cast successfully or if a ballot error has been detected. If an error is detected, the voter will be provided with the option of having the ballot returned to them to make the correction or to cast the ballot without correction. After an option has been selected by the voter they will then proceed with casting their ballot. Voters are advised to watch the LCD screen on the tabulator to confirm that their ballot has been successfully cast.

ImageCast ImageCast

PLEASE DON’T FORGET TO VOTE!


The Reluctant Delegate - Part 3

June 3, 2018

Observation #1 - Fewer Sanders Sycophants than expected - a hopeful sign.

Best Speech - Jimmy Tingle
Runner-Up: Elizabeth Warren
That said, Senator Warren's speech-making could use a little freshening up. Must she really match the Sanders quota for how many times you mention "billionaires" and "Wall Street" in her stump speech? Will she persist in using the word "persisted" all the way to November and beyond?

Uncontested Seats: Four Women
U.S. Senate: Elizabeth Warren
Auditor: Suzanne Bump
Treasurer: Deborah Goldberg
Attorney General: Maura Healey

Contested Seats: Six Men
For Governor: Jay Gonzalez 70%, Bob Massie 30% (Massie got his ass kicked)
For Lt. Governor: Quentin Palfrey 59%, Jimmy Tingle 41% (Tingle turned a lot of heads at the convention)
For Secretary of State: Josh Zakim 54.9%, William Galvin 45.1% (wake-up call for Galvin, but not a fatal blow by any means)
So they will all be on the September Primary ballot having all received the minimum 15% delegate vote.

Observation #2 – In all seriousness, Jimmy Tingle exhibited more humanity than all the other boys on Saturday. It will be very difficult for either of the two Democratic candidates for Governor to top Charley Baker in the November election (because most people like him), but having a down-to-earth and totally likable candidate like Jimmy Tingle could help.

Observation #3 – It's entertaining to hear all the phrases that the Our Revolutionaries use to describe any Democrat who fails to worship at the feet of Saint Bernard Sanders. First it was "establishment Democrats", then "corporate Democrats". I just saw the phrase "retrograde Democrats" but the best one I heard at the convention was "masturbatory Democrats". I suppose when you're actually a Socialist posing as a Democrat it's necessary to carve out a little turf by rebranding the actual Democrats. There are a lot of those "establishment Democrats" who firmly believe that a major reason why the current occupant of the White House is there is because of Sanders and his Revolutionary Guard. It's also funny that the Revolutionaries seem intent on rejecting any political figure over age 65 – except One. - RW

PS - My Information Packet for the June 1-2 Convention arrived today (June 4). Good thing they had extras at the Convention.


The Reluctant Delegate - Part 2Mass Dems

Fri, June 1, 2018 - I was elected several months ago to be a Cambridge Ward 6 delegate to the Democratic State Convention, and the time has now come to go to Worcester to hob-nob with various species of Democrats. Actually, I don't expect to do much hob-nobbing with the Revolutionary Sanders Sycophants (RSS) even though my assumption is that the place will be crawling with them. You know, fists in the air, claims that they represent "the people", the belief that all who disagree with them are "establishment Democrats, or "corporate Democrats", or that they have somehow managed to sleep with every billionaire in every building on Wall Street. Mythology can be a very powerful thing. Good thing there are no guillotines around or the Revolutionary Ladies of the Left would be taking up knitting just in time for the heads to roll.

Aside from the personalities, there are actually some business matters that need to be taken up at this convention. This includes qualifying candidates to have their names on the September primary ballot (gotta get that 15%!) and maybe even blessing a few with an endorsement. I expect that with so few contested races there will be plenty of "issue peddlers" plying their trade on the floor of the convention. The Ranked Choice Voting crowd (with whom I generally agree) is guaranteed, but of late I have been getting emails about stopping "wage theft" and various other causes that are more or less expected at a Democratic event, e.g. anything having to do with labor.

As for the candidates, for Governor it will be Jay Gonzalez and Bob Massie looking for love and probable defeat at the hands of Charlie Baker in November. [I'm not trying to be mean here - just realistic.] For Lt. Governor it's Quentin Palfrey vs. Jimmy Tingle. They're both qualified, but I'm with our home-grown Jimmy Tingle. The problem is that come November you can't vote separately for Governor and Lt. Governor, so the fate of the Lt. Governor nominee will be decided by the Baker vs. The Other Guy race. My sense is that Tingle could be an advantage in November because Jimmy is such a likable guy whose heart is clearly in the right place, and that may actually pull a few Democrats back from the brink of going with Baker - who also scores very well on the likability scale.

For Secretary of the Commonwealth, it's a choice between long-time incumbent Bill Galvin vs. the upstart Josh Zakim. In that contest there's more than a little bit of the "put the old guy out to pasture" rhetoric being bandied about on social media. Now that I'm something of an old guy myself this makes me want to stick with the incumbent. Hey you kids, get off of my lawn! Actually, Galvin has done a pretty good job during his tenure and all of the literature from Zakim (and, yes, you get a lot of it when you're a delegate) makes it seem as though he's running against Trump rather than Galvin. Regarding Zakim's rhetoric about being a "bold, progressive leader in voting rights", the simple truth is that it's already absurdly easy to register to vote in Massachusetts and even easier to cast a ballot. I tend to prefer solutions to actual problems rather than imagined ones.

Let's see now - are there any other candidates that need to be chosen or blessed at this convention? Well, there's Elizabeth Warren's Senate seat, but I don't believe she has any Democratic challenger and it wouldn't matter if she did, and the November election should be a laugher. There are Congressional seats, but I don't believe the state convention has much to say about those and, in true undemocratic fashion, most of those are effectively uncontested. There is the Mike Capuano vs. Ayanna Pressley contest, but I suspect the only role the convention will play in that one is to provide a venue for relatively boring and predictable speeches about who is best qualified to overthrow Trump.

Even more distant are the local races, i.e. the State Senate and House races. For Cambridge, I'm pretty sure they are all uncontested except for Marjorie Decker's seat for which she will have the usual fringe challenger in September followed by a sleepy November.

So I guess the real attractions for the Worcester convention will be (a) the Alcohol; (b) the Sanders Sycophants, and (c) the Issue Peddlers. I'll try to take notes.

By the way, June 5 will mark the 50th anniversary of my interest in politics. I was recruited to do phone banking in New York for Robert F. Kennedy that day and he was assassinated that evening. This was pretty heartbreaking in a year that came close to being downright dangerous, and not just for civil rights leaders and presidential candidates. I continued to be active in political campaigns through 1972 when Richard Nixon was reelected. That was enough for me and I walked away from interest in anything political for about the next 21 years. By leaving politics I was actually able to lead a productive life. Any dabbling in things political since 1993 has been almost exclusively local. I don't know how I let myself get dragged into party politics, but I'll at least try to be an adult.

If anything interesting happens in Worcester (or if I visit any great diners), check back here for an update in the next exciting edition of The Reluctant Delegate. - RW


Update: State Rep. and State Senate races (Aug 26, 2016) - Primary Election Day is Thurs, Sept 8, 2016

Sen. Pat Jehlen vs. Councillor Leland Cheung (Second Middlesex - Senate)
This is an election in which two very qualified and electable candidates are competing.
Q:  If Leland pulls an upset and then resigns his City Council seat, who would take his place?
A:  Dennis Benzan - In the Final Round it would be Benzan 680 over Davidson 484.

Sen. Sal DiDomenico (Middlesex and Suffolk - Senate) - unopposed

Sen. Joseph A. Boncore (First Suffolk and Middlesex - Senate) - unopposed

Rep. Timothy Toomey vs. Mike Connolly (26th Middlesex - House)

There was quite a battle for endorsement by the Cambridge Ward 6 Democratic Committee. The votes were there for Tim Toomey from the start, but the insistence of a few Connolly supporters and the Ward Chair caused all of the trouble. In the end, it became necessary to force a vote over the objection of the Chair, and that vote was 11-3 for Tim Toomey of people actually present (with, I believe, 2 abstentions and one person voting Present). Had everyone been counted who "phoned it in" under rules made up on the spot by the Chair and her partner, it still would have been about 14-8 for Tim Toomey. Though the Chair has been known to send out press releases at the drop of any hat, it's unlikely that the results will be communicated to the Cambridge Chronicle or anywhere else since the vote was taken only after the committee voted to overrule the ruling of the Chair. The result is less important than the manipulations that went on in an effort to force one result. In some ways it was like the whole Bernie phenomenon in miniature - creative math, bending rules as a means to an end, and the intrinsic problem of small, not-necessarily-representative groups engaging in candidate endorsements.

Rep. Marjorie Decker vs. Leslie R. Phillips (25th Middlesex - House)
This is the same matchup every two years and the results will likely be the same as last time (83.2% Decker, 16.6% Phillips (and those were mainly anti-Decker votes)).

Rep. Jay Livingstone vs. Keith R. Anderson (8th Suffolk - House)
Nothing whatsoever from Keith Anderson - no website, nothing in Google - 29 years old, registered to vote in Cambridge on Jan 18, 2016.

Rep. Jonathan Hecht (29th Middlesex - House) - unopposed

Rep. David Rogers (24th Middlesex - House) - unopposed

Note: There are no Republican, no Green-Rainbow, and no United Independent Party challengers for any of these seats.

Where Do I Vote?


Democratic Debate for 2nd Middlesex Senate [Patricia Jehlen vs. Leland Cheung]

On July 21, 2016, Cambridge Community Television (CCTV) and Somerville Community Access Television (SCATV) hosted a debate between the 2 candidates for the 2nd Middlesex Senate District, incumbent Patricia Jehlen and challenger Leland Cheung. The debate was produced and hosted by Joe Lynch, producer of Greater Somerville. Panelists included Donald Norton, publisher and editor in chief of the Somerville Times, Alex Ruppenthal from the Medford Transcript and wickedlocal.com, and Robert Winters, founder of the Cambridge Civic Journal.


Democratic Debate for 2nd Middlesex Senate from Cambridge Community Television on Vimeo.

 

Partial List of Endorsements

Pat Jehlen

Cambridge Ward 11 Democratic Committee

Medford Democratic City Committee

Somerville Wards 1-7 Democratic Committees

Winchester Democratic Town Committee

Medford4MA

MassEquality

Clean Water Action

Environmental League Action Fund

Sierra Club

Mass Alliance

Mass. Peace Action

Mass. Retirees

Mass. Voters for Animals

Mass Women’s Political Caucus

NARAL Pro-Choice MA

Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund

Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts

Progressive Massachusetts

Mass Teachers Association

American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts

Boston Teachers Union

Professional Fire Fighters of MA

Medford Firefighters

Somerville Firefighters

Somerville Municipal Employees Association

Mass. AFL-CIO

Bricklayers Local 3

International Association of Heat & Frost Insulators

IBEW Local 2222

SEIU State Council

SEIU Local 32BJ

SEIU Local 888

1199SEIU

Mass-CARE

Mass. Nurses Association

Mass. State United Auto Workers

Teamsters Local 122

UFCW 1445

UNITE HERE New England Joint Board

Leland Cheung

Former Medford City Council President Robert Maiocco

International Association of Firefighters Local 30 and Local 1564

Cambridge Police Patrol Officer's Association

Somerville Police Employees Association

Medford Police Patrolmen's Association

Massachusetts Municipal Police Coalition

Ironworkers Local 7

Sheet Metal Workers Local 17

 


Democratic Debate for 26th Middlesex State Representative [Tim Toomey vs. Mike Connolly]

On July 21, 2016, Cambridge Community Television (CCTV) and Somerville Community Access Television (SCATV) hosted a debate between the 2 candidates for 26th Middlesex Representative district, incumbent Timothy Toomey and challenger Mike Connolly. The debate was produced and hosted by Joe Lynch, producer of Greater Somerville. Panelists included Donald Norton, publisher and editor in chief of the Somerville Times and Susana Segat, correspondent from Cambridge Community Television.


Democratic Debate for 26th Middlesex State Representative from Cambridge Community Television on Vimeo.

Partial List of Endorsements

Tim Toomey

Planned Parenthood Action Fund

Massachusetts Teachers Association

MassEquality PAC

Environmental League of Massachusetts Action Fund

Cambridge Ward 6 Democratic Committee

Massachusetts Nurses Association

Greater Boston Labor Council

Massachusetts AFL-CIO

SEIU State Council

Carpenters Local 40

Laborers Local 151

SEIU 1199

SEIU 888

SEIU 509

SEIU 32BJ

IBEW Local 103

Bricklayers and Allied Craftsmen Local 3

Congressman Mike Capuano

State Senator Sal DiDomenico

Mike Connolly

Our Revolution

Sierra Club

Mass NOW PAC

NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts

Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts

Mass-Care


Ward 3 Precinct 1 - Polling Precinct Relocation [2016]

Please be advised that the polling precinct for Ward 3 Precinct 1 (King Open School) has been relocated to:Vote!
Frisoli Youth Center
61 Willow Street
Exercise Room
Cambridge, MA

All those who normally vote at the King Open School, 850 Cambridge Street, Cambridge will now vote at the Frisoli Youth Center. On Election Day signs will be placed at the old and new locations to help direct the voters. The new site is handicap accessible.

The Cambridge Election Commission approved the relocation of the polling precinct for Ward 3 Precinct 1, from the King Open School to the Frisoli Youth Center at a meeting held on Wednesday, June 1, 2016.

The relocation will be effective as of the State Primary which will be held on Thursday, September 8, 2016. As in past years, all registered voters in Cambridge will receive a polling notification card in the mail informing them of the location of their polling place. Registered voters may also verify their address, voting status, party affiliation and polling location on our website at https://www.cambridgema.gov/election/voterregistrationsearch.aspx.

All polls will be open on Election Day from 7:00am until 8:00pm. For information, please visit the Cambridge Election Commission office located 51 Inman Street during regular city office hours: Monday, 8:30am-8:00pm; Tuesday-Thursday, 8:30am-5:00pm; Friday, 8:30am-Noon, call (617-349-4361) or visit our website at www.cambridgema.gov/election.

Ward 3 Precincts 2 & 2A - Polling Location Renaming

Please be advised that the Area IV Youth Center, Ward 3 Precincts 2 & 2A, Area IV Youth Center has been renamed the Moses Youth Center. Only the name of the youth center has changed but the address will remain the same.

All those who normally vote at the Area IV Youth Center will now vote at the Moses Youth Center (formerly Area IV Youth Center), 243 Harvard Street, Lower Level, Rear Entrance, Cambridge.

As in past years, all registered voters in Cambridge will receive a polling notification card in the mail informing them of the location of their polling place and any changes to that location.


On request.... here are some of the unofficial results from the recent Democratic primary (2014). Only contested races are shown.
(No offense to our Republican friends, but there's really nothing to report until the General Election in November.)
There are still a few overseas absentee ballots to be included before the official results will be finalized.

Governor
Candidate Cambridge Votes Cambridge % Cambridge %
w/o Blanks
Overall Votes Overall %
Martha Coakley 4591 36.7 37.3 228754 42.4
Steve Grossman 3236 25.9 26.3 196585 36.5
Donald Berwick 4473 35.8 36.3 113976 21.1
Write-ins 14 0.1 0.1    
Blanks 181 1.4      
Total 12495 100.0 100.0 539315 100.0
Lieutenant Governor
Candidate Cambridge Votes Cambridge % Cambridge %
w/o Blanks
Overall Votes Overall %
Steve Kerrigan 1704 13.6 15.2 221583 50.8
Leland Cheung 8513 68.1 75.8 128352 29.4
Mike Lake 993 7.9 8.8 86037 19.7
Write-ins 24 0.2 1.2    
Blanks 1261 10.1      
Total 12495 100.0 100.0 435972 100.0
Attorney General
Candidate Cambridge Votes Cambridge % Cambridge %
w/o Blanks
Overall Votes Overall %
Maura Healey 7712 61.7 65.5 321264 62.2
Warren Tolman 4049 32.4 34.4 194844 37.8
Write-ins 13 0.1 0.1    
Blanks 721 5.8      
Total 12495 100.0 100.0 516108 100.0
Treasurer
Candidate Cambridge Votes Cambridge % Cambridge %
w/o Blanks
Overall Votes Overall %
Deborah Goldberg 5487 43.9 53.9 202077 42.7
Barry Finegold 2176 17.4 21.4 149188 31.5
Tom Conroy 2505 20.0 24.6 121802 25.7
Write-ins 18 0.1 0.2    
Blanks 2309 18.5      
Total 12495 100.0 100.0 473067 100.0
State Representative (25th Middlesex)
Candidate Cambridge Votes Cambridge % Cambridge %
w/o Blanks
Overall Votes Overall %
Marjorie C. Decker 3546 72.6 83.2 72.6 83.2
Lesley R. Phillips 709 14.5 16.6 14.5 16.6
Write-ins 5 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1
Blanks 622 12.7   12.7  
Total 4882 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
District Attorney (Middlesex - Northern District)
Candidate Cambridge Votes Cambridge % Cambridge %
w/o Blanks
Overall Votes Overall %
Marian T. Ryan 5199 41.6 48.6    
Michael A. Sullivan 5476 43.8 51.2    
Write-ins 30 0.2 0.3    
Blanks 1790 14.3      
Total 12495 100.0 100.0    
Rep. in Congress (5th District)
Candidate Cambridge Votes Cambridge % Cambridge %
w/o Blanks
Overall Votes Overall %
Katherine M. Clark 5633 78.2 89.6    
Sheldon Schwartz 646 9.0 10.3    
Write-ins 11 0.2 0.2    
Blanks 914 12.7      
Total 7204 100.0 100.0    

Results of Democratic State Convention in Worcester (June 14, 2014)

Governor
Candidate % Delegate Vote Notes
Steve Grossman 35.2% (1547 votes)  
Martha Coakley 23.3% (1024 votes)  
Donald Berwick 22.1% (972 votes)  
Juliette Kayyem 12.1% (535 votes) did not qualify for primary ballot
Joe Avellone 7.0% (311 votes) did not qualify for primary ballot
Lieutenant Governor
Candidate % Delegate Vote Notes
Steve Kerrigan 37.6%  
Mike Lake 35.4%  
Leland Cheung 16.2%  
James DeRosa 10.6% did not qualify for primary ballot
Attorney General
Candidate % Delegate Vote Notes
Warren Tolman 51.8%  
Maura Healey 48.1%  
Treasurer
Candidate % Delegate Vote Notes
Deb Goldberg 38.9%  
Tom Conroy 33.9%  
Barry Finegold 27.1%  

SPECIAL STATE ELECTION - 2013
Representative in Congress for Massachusetts
5th Congressional District
The Candidates - Pictures and links to candidate websites

SPECIAL STATE ELECTION

Representative in Congress for Massachusetts
5th Congressional District*
(to fill vacancy caused by the resignation of Edward J. Markey)

Calendar of Events Deadline Dates
  Party Candidates Non-Party Candidates
Last day for a person running in the state primary to enroll in a party or for a person running only in the state election to unenroll from a party, except for newly registered voters. May 15, 2013 May 15, 2013
5:00PM last day and hour for submitting nomination papers to local Registrars of Voters or Election Commissioners for the certification of signatures. July 31, 2013 Sept 17, 2013
Certification of nomination papers must be completed. Aug 12, 2013 Sept 26, 2013
5:00PM last day and hour for filing nomination papers, including enrollment certificate, with the Secretary of the Commonwealth. Aug 14, 2013 Oct 1, 2013
5:00PM last day and hour for filing withdrawals of or objections to all nomination papers and certificates of nomination with the Secretary of the Commonwealth. Aug 16, 2013 Oct 3, 2013
5:00PM last day and hour for filling vacancies caused by withdrawals for primary candidates. Aug 20, 2013  
PLEASE NOTE: ALL DATES AND DEADLINES BELOW ARE THE SAME FOR ALL CANDIDATES
Last day to register voters for the state primary; registration hours 9:00AM to 8:00PM (except in towns under 1500 registered voters, registration hours 2:00-4:00PM and 7:00-8:00PM). Sept 25, 2013
State Primary Oct 15, 2013
5:00PM last day and hour for filing withdrawals of or objections to nominations made at the state primary and for filing written acceptances by write-in or sticker candidates who won in the state primary with the Secretary of the Commonwealth. Oct 21, 2013
5:00PM last day and hour for filling vacancies caused by withdrawals at the state primary. Oct 22, 2013
Last day to register voters for the state election; registration hours 9:00AM to 8:00PM (except in towns under 1500 registered voters, registration hours 2:00-4:00PM and 7:00-8:00PM). Nov 20, 2013
State Election Dec 10, 2013

2,000 certified signatures required for all candidates.

Please see "A Candidate's Guide to Special Elections" available from:
Elections Division
One Ashburton Place, Room 1705
Boston, Massachusetts 02108-1512
(617) 727-2828 or (800) 462-VOTE
For information about campaign contributions
and expenses please contact:
Federal Election Commission
999 East Street N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20463
(800) 424-9530
*Middlesex County     Suffolk County Worcester County
Arlington
Ashland
Belmont
CAMBRIDGE:
Wd. 3, Pct. 2A
Wd. 4, Pcts. 2, 3
Wds. 6, 7, 8, 9
Wd. 10, Pcts. 1, 2
Framingham
Holliston
Lexington
Lincoln
MALDEN
MEDFORD
MELROSE
Natick
Sherborn
Stoneham
Sudbury
Pcts. IA, 2, 3, 4, 5
WALTHAM
Watertown
Wayland
Weston
Winchester
WOBURN
REVERE
Winthrop
Southborough

The Few, the Proud, the Cambridge voters who never miss an election

May 29, 2013 - I just merged the current registered Cambridge voter database with the voter history files for every city-wide election from 1997 through the recent April 2013 Special Senate primary election. There were 69,800 registered voters at the time of the April 2013 primary. The list of super-voters who have an unbroken streak voting in every Cambridge election since 1997 is now down to just 183 voters. - RW


May 28, 2013 - Voters Take A Pass in 8th Suffolk Primary

Special Primary elections rarely excite voters, and the election to fill the State Rep. seat vacated by Marty Walz proved to be about as interesting as watching paint dry. Jay Livingstone bested Josh Dawson by about a 2-to-1 margin district-wide and now moves on to a meaningless general election next month. In Cambridge the margin was 676-272 (not including write-ins and other ballots that require special handling). That's a total of 948 Cambridge voters expressing a preference out of a total of 4709 registered Democrats and another 3775 unenrolled voters eligible to vote in this Democratic primary (based on the April registered voter list). That's about an 11% turnout of eligible voters - not exactly a mandate. The 8th Suffolk district includes Precincts 2-2, 2-3, 5-1, 5-2 & 5-3.

Comic Tweet - Here's how one prominent elected official tweeted about the primary:

The special state primary election to fill the vagrancy for the 8th Suffolk Rep District. Polls 7-8: http://ow.ly/lmDnP


Nov 9, 2012 - updated Dec 30 - I'll have some statistics very soon on the recent election, but here are a few preliminary facts:

69,367 = Total number of registered Cambridge voters as of Nov 2, 2012
53,058 = Number of Cambridge voters listed as "Active" (though some Inactive voters will vote)
50,749 = Number of Cambridge ballots cast for President (not including write-ins, auxiliary, overseas absentee, provisional ballots)
73.16% = Percentage of all registered Cambridge voters who cast a Presidential ballot.


State & Presidential Election Official Results November 6, 2012
(Cambridge Totals and Statewide or District Totals - updated Dec 30, 2012)

ELECTORS OF PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT Party Cambridge
Votes
Cambridge
%
Statewide
Votes
Statewide
%
Johnson and Gray Libertarian 568 1.1% 30920 1.0%
Obama and Biden Democratic 43515 85.7% 1921290 60.3%
Romney and Ryan Republican 5476 10.8% 1188314 37.3%
Stein and Honkala Green-Rainbow 938 1.8% 20691 0.6%
Write-in   122 0.2% 6552 0.2%
Blank   130 0.3% 16429 0.5%
Total   50749 100% 3184196 100%
SENATOR IN CONGRESS Party Cambridge
Votes
Cambridge
%
Statewide
Votes
Statewide
%
Scott P. Brown Republican 7637 15% 1458048 45.8%
Elizabeth A. Warren Democratic 42622 84% 1696346 53.3%
Write-in   53 0.1% 2159 0.1%
Blank   437 0.9% 27643 0.9%
Total   50,749 100% 3184196 100%
REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS Party Cambridge
Votes
Cambridge
%
District
Votes
District
%
Fifth District
Edward J. Markey Democratic 21972 85% 257490 70.7%
Tom Tierney Republican 2373 9.2% 82944 22.8%
Write-in   52 0.2% 675 0.2%
Blank   1453 5.6% 23092 6.3%
Total   25850 100% 285134 100%
Seventh District
Michael E. Capuano Democratic 20117 80.8% 210794 73.9%
Karla Romero Independent 2749 11.0% 41199 14.4%
Write-in   61 0.2% 843 0.3%
Blank   1972 7.9% 32298 11.3%
Total   24899 100% 285134 100%
COUNCILLOR, Sixth District Party Cambridge
Votes
Cambridge
%
District
Votes
District
%
Terrence W. Kennedy Democratic 39829 78.5% 268662 71.6%
Write-in   422 0.8% 4298 1.1%
Blank   10498 20.7% 102237 27.2%
Total   50749 100% 375197 100%
SENATOR IN GENERAL COURT Party Cambridge
Votes
Cambridge
%
District
Votes
District
%
Middlesex and Suffolk District
Sal N. DiDomenico Democratic 19380 77.5% 47586 75.8%
Write-in   179 0.7% 511 0.8%
Blank   5440 21.8% 14666 23.4%
Total   24999 100% 62763 100%
First Suffolk and Middlesex District
Anthony W. Petruccelli Democratic 6890 76.8% 45230 70.5%
Thomas J. Dooley, III Republican 814 9.1% 10199 15.9%
Write-in   28 0.3% 174 0.3%
Blank   1234 13.8% 8511 13.3%
Total   8966 100% 64114 100%
Second Middlesex District
Patricia D. Jehlen Democratic 13201 78.7% 66267 76.2%
Write-in   128 0.8% 968 1.1%
Blank   3455 20.6% 19770 22.7%
Total   16784 100% 87005 100%
REPRESENTATIVE IN GENERAL COURT Cambridge
Votes
Cambridge
%
District
Votes
District
%
24th Middlesex District
Tommasina Anne Olson Republican 182 6.1% 4448 18.5%
David M. Rogers Democratic 2285 76.8% 12633 52.5%
James F. Gammill Open Innovative Government 212 7.1% 4898 20.4%
Write-in   8 0.3% 29 0.1%
Blank   290 9.7% 2042 8.5%
Total   2977 100% 24050 100%
25th Middlesex District
Marjorie C. Decker Democratic 15453 80.28% 15453 80.28%
Write-in (Alice Wolf)   6 0.03% 6 0.03%
Write-in (other)   178 0.92% 178 0.92%
Blank   3613 18.77% 3613 18.77%
Total   19250 100% 19250 100%
26th Middlesex District
Timothy J. Toomey, Jr. Democratic 7858 63.7% 10898 62.7%
Thomas Michael Vasconcelos Republican 607 4.9% 1021 5.9%
Mike Connolly Progressive Independent 2887 23.4% 4010 23.1%
Write-in   15 0.1% 31 0.2%
Blank   977 7.9% 1424 8.2%
Total   12344 100% 17384 100%
29th Middlesex District
Jonathan Hecht Democratic 7720 79.2% 17742 79.2%
Write-in   69 0.7% 215 1.0%
Blank   1957 20.1% 4432 19.8%
Total   9746 100% 22389 100%
8th Suffolk
Martha Marty Walz Democratic 5124 79.7% 14844 75.3%
Write-in   69 1.1% 288 1.5%
Blank   1239 19.3% 4590 23.3%
Total   6432 100% 19722 100%
Middlesex County Offices Cambridge
Votes
Cambridge
%
District
Votes
District
%
CLERK OF COURTS, Middlesex County
Michael A. Sullivan Democratic 39769 78.4% 535438 70.7%
Write-in   325 0.6% 5227 0.7%
Blank   10655 21.0% 216715 28.6%
Total   50749 100% 757380 100%
REGISTER OF DEEDS, Middlesex Southern District
Maria C. Curtatone Democratic 38532 75.9%    
Write-in (includes 9 for Maryann Heuston)   353 0.7%    
Blank   11864 23.4%    
Total   50749 100%    
SHERIFF, Middlesex County (to fill vacancy)
Peter J. Koutoujian Democratic 35447 69.8% 461836 60.7%
Ernesto M. Petrone Unenrolled 4722 9.3% 140948 18.6%
Write-in (incl. 23 for James Williamson)   245 0.5% 2300 0.3%
Blank   10335 20.4% 152296 20.1%
Total   50749 100% 757380 100%
STATEWIDE BALLOT QUESTIONS (For full text of the statewide ballot questions (questions 1-3), please see http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/ele12/ballot_questions_12/message12.htm
Question 1: Availability of Motor Vehicle Repair Information Cambridge
Votes
Cambridge
%
Statewide
Votes
Statewide
%
Yes 36971 72.9% 2353603 73.9%
No 4798 9.5% 392562 12.3%
Blank 8980 17.7% 438031 13.8%
Total 50749 100% 3184196 100%
Question 2: Prescribing Medication to End Life Cambridge
Votes
Cambridge
%
Statewide
Votes
Statewide
%
Yes 31962 63.0% 1466866 46.1%
No 14930 29.4% 1534757 48.2%
Blank 3857 7.6% 182573 5.7%
Total 50749 100% 3184196 100%
Question 3: Medical Use of Marijuana Cambridge
Votes
Cambridge
%
Statewide
Votes
Statewide
%
Yes 37237 73.4% 1914747 60.1%
No 9761 19.2% 1108904 34.8%
Blank 3751 7.4% 160545 5.0%
Total 50749 100% 3184196 100%
NON-BINDING PUBLIC POLICY QUESTIONS Cambridge
Votes
Cambridge
%
Statewide
Votes
Statewide
%
Question #4:  Shall the state senator from this district be instructed to vote in favor of a resolution calling upon Congress and the President to: (1) prevent cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Veterans benefits, or to housing, food and unemployment assistance; (2) create and protect jobs by investing in manufacturing, schools, housing, renewable energy, transportation and other public services; (3) provide new revenues for these purposes and to reduce the long-term federal deficit by closing corporate tax loopholes, ending offshore tax havens, and raising taxes on incomes over $250,000; and (4) redirect military spending to these domestic needs by reducing the military budget, ending the war in Afghanistan and bringing U.S. troops home safely now?
Yes 33843 66.7% 362960 61.4%
No 7328 14.4% 114817 19.4%
Blank 9579 18.9% 112924 19.1%
Total 50750 100% 590701 100%
Question #5 (Wd 1, Wd 2 Pct 1, Wd 3, Wd 4 Pct 2, Wd 6, Wd 7, Wd 8, Wd 9, Wd 10, Wd 11)
Shall the state senator from this district be instructed to vote in favor of legislation that would allow the state to regulate and tax marijuana in the same manner as alcohol?
Yes 26802 64.1% 89905 60.0%
No 7527 18.0% 33435 22.3%
Blank 7454 17.8% 26428 17.6%
Total 41783 100% 149768 100%
Question #5 (Wd 2 Pcts 2&3, Wd 4 Pcts 1&3, Wd 5)
Question #6 (Wd 1, Wd 2 Pct 1, Wd 3, Wd 4 Pct 2, Wd 6, Wd 7, Wd 8, Wd 9, Wd 10, Wd 11)
Shall the state representative from this district be instructed to vote in favor of a resolution calling upon Congress to propose an amendment to the U.S. constitution affirming that (1) corporations are not entitled to the constitutional rights of human beings, and (2) both Congress and the states may place limits on political contributions and political spending?
Yes 35780 70.5% 415390 64.4%
No 6014 11.9% 112340 17.4%
Blank 8955 17.6% 117247 18.2%
Total 50749 100% 644977 100%
Question #7 (Wd 9, Wd 10 Pct 3, Wd 11)
Shall the state representative from this district be instructed to vote in favor of a resolution calling upon Congress and the President to: (1) prevent cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Veterans benefits, or to housing, food and unemployment assistance; (2) create and protect jobs by investing in manufacturing, schools, housing, renewable energy, transportation and other public services; (3) provide new revenues for these purposes and to reduce the long-term federal deficit by closing corporate tax loopholes, ending offshore tax havens, and raising taxes on incomes over $250,000; and (4) redirect military spending to these domestic needs by reducing the military budget, ending the war in Afghanistan and bringing U.S. troops home safely now?
Yes 8181 64.3% 308545 60.1%
No 1778 14.0% 110374 21.5%
Blank 2764 21.7% 94153 18.4%
Total 12723 100% 513072 100%

In Somerville, Question 4 (Community Preservation Act) passed on a 76%-24% vote.


Sept 7 - The Boston Globe (and boston.com) did a great job posting all the Primary Election results - even for the minor offices. Here are the Globe links:

In particular, congratulations to Marjorie Decker for demolishing the competition in the 25th Middlesex House Democratic primary. (She took 84% of the vote.) In the 24th Middlesex House race, Dave Rogers won handily with 43% of the (low turnout) vote, edging out Margaret Hegarty (39%) and Robert Reardon (17%).

The other noteworthy result is that Maria Curtatone won the Register of Deeds Democratic primary (Middlesex Southern District). In this six-way race, Curtatone edged out Maryann Heuston by a 24% to 22% margin. Curtatone will be unopposed in the November general election. It must be noted that any election system that elects a candidate with less than a quarter of the vote in a winner-take-all, low-turnout, Thursday primary in September who will then be unopposed in November is a ridiculous way to conduct an election. It should also be noted that it may well have been the Curtatone robo-call recorded by her 10-year-old daughter Isabella Maria that provided the margin of victory. - RW


Roster of Candidates seeking District, State, and U.S. seats in Cambridge - 2012

Office Sought / Candidate
(updates appreciated)
Sept 6 Primary? Party Start Receipts
(Jan1-Aug19)
Expend
(Jan1-Aug19)
Balance Liabilities
24th Middlesex - State Representative [includes Precincts 11-1 and 11-3]              
Robert Paul Reardon, Jr. D Democrat $0.00 $17,400.00 $7,027.27 $10,372.73 $0.00
David M. Rogers D Democrat $0.00 $20,348.24 $13,802.19 $6,546.05 $4,174.38
Margaret Hegarty D Democrat $0.00 $28,051.91 $10,365.80 $17,686.11 $10,898.91
Tommasina (Tomi) Olson R Republican $0.00 $4,096.88 $3,711.88 $385.00 $2,621.88
James F. Gammill   independent $0.00 $47,262.00 $25,139.31 $22,122.69 $12,000.00
25th Middlesex - State Representative [includes Wards 4, 7, and 8; and Precincts 6-2, 6-3, 10-1, and 10-2]              
Marjorie Decker D Democrat $1,604.34 $65,949.00 $44,926.59 $22,626.75 $15,642.60
Gayle Johnson D Democrat $0.00 $3,864.80 $1,271.00 $2,593.80 $82.75
Lesley Rebecca Phillips D Democrat $11.82 $5,125.00 $132.41 $5,004.41 $0.00
Hasson J. Rashid   write in (Rep.) no reports filed
26th Middlesex - State Representative [includes Wards 1 and 3; and Precincts 2-1 and 6-1]              
Timothy J. Toomey (incumbent) D Democrat $2,305.18 $25,008.75 $12,173.96 $15,139.97 $25,145.00
Thomas Michael Vasconcelos R Republican $0.00 $1,584.02 $1,415.02 $169.00 $1,415.02
Mike Connolly   independent $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
29th Middlesex - State Representative [includes Ward 9; and Precincts 10-3 and 11-2]              
Jonathan Hecht D Democrat $414.71 $269.31 $105.00 $579.02 $0.00
8th Suffolk - State Representative [includes Ward 5; and Precincts 2-2 and 2-3]              
Martha Marty Walz (incumbent) D Democrat $97,584.18 $21,785.00 $8,240.28 $111,128.90 $0.00
Middlesex and Suffolk - State Senate [includes Wards 1, 3, 6, 7, and 8; and Precincts 2-1 and 4-2]              
Sal DiDomenico (incumbent) D Democrat $49,975.20 $65,268.87 $35,669.80 $79,574.27 $15,700.00
First Suffolk and Middlesex - State Senate [includes Ward 5; and Precincts 2-2, 2-3, 4-1, and 4-3]              
Anthony Petruccelli (incumbent) D Democrat $12,005.36 $75,065.32 $55,370.07 $31,700.61 $0.00
Thomas Dooley R Republican no reports filed
Second Middlesex - State Senate [includes Wards 9, 10, and 11]              
Patricia D. Jehlen (incumbent) D Democrat $27,386.88 $13,816.75 $2,675.47 $38,528.16 $34,810.00
Governor's Council - Sixth District     Receipts and expenditures through Aug 31, 2012
Terrence W. Kennedy (incumbent) D Democrat $31,135.02 $30,950.00 $59,043.80 $3,041.77  
Francis X. Flaherty D Democrat $0.00 $15,310.00 $9,993.47 $5,316.53  
Register of Deeds - Southern Middlesex District     Receipts and expenditures through Aug 31, 2012
Thomas Concannon D Democrat $0.00 $750.00 $0.00 $750.00  
Frank J. Ciano D Democrat $0.00 $49,302.97 $43,894.55 $5,408.42  
Robert Antonelli D Democrat $0.00 $4,000.00 $3,998.88 $1.12  
Maryann Heuston D Democrat $0.00 $75,652.04 $70,827.08 $4,824.96  
Maria C. Curtatone D Democrat $0.00 $44,268.32 $43,499.16 $769.16  
Tiziano Doto D Democrat $0.00 $55,467.99 $54,387.35 $1,080.64  
Clerk of Courts - Middlesex County     Receipts and expenditures through Aug 31, 2012
Michael A. Sullivan (incumbent) D Democrat $68,150.85 $41,224.91 $50,678.14 $58,697.62  
Sheriff - Middlesex County     Receipts and expenditures through Aug 15, 2012
Peter J. Koutoujian (incumbent) D Democrat $23,128.24 $118,625.00 $108,389.62 $33,363.62 (Aug 31)
Ernesto Petrone   independent $0.00 $1,708.98 $1,363.68 $345.30  
Michael Stewart   independent no reports filed
Robert Lucas   independent no reports filed
Jack Morrissey   independent no reports filed
U.S. Congress - 5th District [includes Wards 6, 7, 8 and 9; Precincts 4-2, 4-3, 10-1, and 10-2; and part of 3-2]              
Edward J. Markey (incumbent) D Democrat $3,107,744.02 $975,608.16 $818,102.31 $3,265,249.87 $0.00
Frank Addinivola R Republican $8,846.51 $6,416.45 $3,024.65 $12,238.31 $5,423.56
Jeffrey Semon R Republican $623.08 $13,899.00 $12,033.55 $2,488.53 $0.00
Tom Tierney R Republican          
William F. Wilt   independent          
U.S. Congress - 7th District [includes Wards 1, 2, 5 and 11; Precincts 3-1, 3-3, 4-1, and 10-3; and part of 3-2]              
Michael Capuano (incumbent) D Democrat $151,735.63 $774,699.16 $436,572.90 $489,861.89 $0.00
Karla Romero   independent          
Al Habersham-Bey   Independent Party          
United States Senate [statewide]              
Scott Brown (incumbent) R Republican          
Elizabeth Warren D Democrat          
James Bennett   Independent Party          
Bill Cimbrelo   independent          
Alwin Hopfmann   independent          
Mary J. Charbonneau   independent          
Walter A. Meissner   independent          
Paula Courtney   independent          
Reid V. Douglas   independent          

If you know of any other candidates, please submit them so that they can be included in the roster. Other statewide offices will be added as information becomes available.


Candidates who sought seats in Cambridge (2012) and dropped or did not qualify

Office Sought / Candidate
(all of these candidate have withdrawn or did not qualify)
Party
24th Middlesex - State Representative  
Susan L. Sheffler Democrat
Lalig Musserian Democrat
Phillip Lohnes Republican
8th Suffolk - State Representative  
Thomas J. Dooley, III Republican
Second Middlesex - State Senate  
Rachel Sposato Democrat
Robert L. Capucci, Jr. Republican
Register of Deeds - Southern Middlesex District  
Sergio Cornelio Democrat
Sheriff - Middlesex County  
Frank Volpe Republican
U.S. Congress - 7th District  
Ronald Peden Democrat
United States Senate [statewide]  
Marisa DeFranco Democrat
Jim King Democrat
Paul Giza Democrat
John Zeloso Democrat
Eno Mondesir Democrat
Pat Neary Democrat

Press Release - June 20, 2012
Campaign Announcement - Hasson J. Rashid
Write-In Candidate for 25th Middlesex State House District

"THE PEN IS MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD (SO WRITE ME IN)."

Hassan J. RashidDear beloved public citizens and residence, this is an official notice directed, towards informing the public of Cambridge, MA of my intentions of becoming a Write-In Candidate. I, Mr. Hasson J. Rashid of 820 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA have entered as a "Write-In Candidate for the Public Office," that represent the "Twenty-Fifth Middlesex (25th) Commonwealth of Massachusetts Legislative District" of Cambridge, Massachusetts, for the Massachusetts House of Representatives. My registered voters party affiliation is that of Republican. As an older returning adult student, in May of 2003, I graduated from Lesley University, Cambridge, MA with an undergraduate BS degree in Human Service/ With a Specialization in Counseling. On May 12 of 2007, I graduated from Springfield College's, MA School of Human Service, Springfield, MA, with a MS degree in Human Service Organizational Management Leadership, with instructions anchored in Springfield College's guiding philosophy as Humanics, which emphasize the dedication of spirit, mind, and body. My academic experience has nurtured me to go out into the community, and practice caring, and this is the attitude I had to offer in 2009, when I enrolled in the School of Public Service, PhD degree program at Capella University, MN to major in Human Service/ with a Specialization in Management of Nonprofit Agencies.

I'm also the holder of a Paralegal Certificate and Diploma for studies undertaken at Bristol County Community College, MA and Northeastern University, MA. I have served in internships, been employed, and the holder of numerous volunteered position, relating directly and indirectly, to the occupation of civil rights /human service worker. I produce and host, two TV programs, entitled "Human Service News and Information," and "The History Community Life and Diversities of Muslim Americans in New England." I also hold the position of board member, in two community entities. The first of these is "Cambridge Community TV (CCTV)" of Cambridge, MA, a public access station, and the "Alliance of Cambridge Tenants (ACT)," a citywide low income tenant advocacy organization. I have also received graduate instructions in Museum Studies at the Harvard Extension School.

As a professional and volunteered TV broadcast journalist, human service professional and worker, and low income tenant/civil rights advocate, I have also work to prevent and eliminate, discrimination against individuals in the delivery of programs and services administered, and to make all programs and activities, accessible to people with disabilities. I'm engaged with diverse populations, who need accommodations, or who have questions or complaints related to discrimination, or the delivery of human services. With my education and training, in paralegal studies, I'm also able to help out in supporting the basic legal rights of our district's human service consumers. My two TV programs serves as a supportive community voices, for the diverse segments of the population, that represent my weekly base of community television viewers. As a TV announcer of a human service news and information program, at CCTV Cambridge, MA, I broadcast important news and information weekly, from and about the human service sector and industry, as it exist, here in Eastern Massachusetts, New England, and beyond, to a diverse public of human service consumers. Both non-paid volunteered positions, involve service to a diverse population of citizens, and immigrant residents. The desired impact has been helping human service organizations, agencies, and government entities to render better services, towards helping individuals and families, in becoming better human beings.

I worship as a practicing Muslim American with a quasi-mixtures of devotees from every corner of the earth here in Cambridge, MA. The idea of giving back to the community is foremost in my mind, and at the roots of my community commitments, as an American convert to the Islamic faith, and as Human Service professional Scholar-Practitioner, TV broadcaster, host, and producer of weekly TV Program, entitled "Human Service News and Information," and board member, of a "Non-Commercial/ Nonprofit Community Public Access TV Station, and board member of a "city wide, low Income housing tenant advocacy organization," in the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts.

All write-ins votes on my behalf should include my correct name and address as mentioned above. Courts have ruled that a vote should be counted whenever the intent of the voter can reasonably be determined, even if a voter omits the candidate's address or makes a mistake in the name or address. In O'Brien v. Board of Election Commissioners, 257 Mass. 332, 338-339, 153 N.E. 553, 556 (1926) the court said "that if the intent of the voter can be determined with reasonable certainty from an inspection of the ballot, in the light of the generally known conditions attendant upon the election, effect must be given to that intent... The omission of the residence ... on some ballots on which the name had been written by the voters rightly was found not to invalidate such votes." Maiewski v. Board of Registrars of Voters, 347 Mass. 681, 199 N.E. 2d 680 (1964). This includes where a voter fails to complete the vote indicator next to the write-in space – the write-in or sticker vote will still be counted.

My sole intent in this communiqué is to inform you the public at large, residents and citizens of the 25th Middlesex of Cambridge, MA, of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, that I enter as a Write-In Candidate for public office being abandon by Rep. Alice Wolf. I thank you all in advance for your Write Ins.

Yours In Peace,
Mr. Hasson J. Rashid

Note: This House district is currently represented by Rep. Alice Wolf who is not seeking reelection this year.

Press Release - June 19, 2012
Campaign Announcement - Mike "No Money" Connolly
26th Middlesex State House District

It's 7:23am on a Tuesday.

Like most weekdays at this time, I am getting ready to walk down to Lechmere to catch the Green Line into work. My fiancée Kacy is feeding our two cats, and in just a few minutes, she'll hop on her bike and pedal over to her office in Porter Square.

It's another perfectly average day for us, with one exception...

This morning, I am announcing my clean, "No Money" campaign to serve the people of Cambridge and Somerville as Representative in General Court for the 26th Middlesex State House District.

I am not a politician, but I am running to be your new State Representative because I understand that the people of Cambridge and Somerville are working harder than ever – just to make ends meet – and yet, when we look to our state legislature, we see a system that is clearly broken.

Beacon Hill is a place where corporate lobbyists and party leaders team up to put the interests of the rich and powerful ahead of our common needs. Meanwhile, rank-and-file legislators are granted a few favors in exchange for quietly going along with the status quo. In the end, the progressive issues that really matter to us—such as public transportation, single-payer healthcare, clean elections, and global warming—are neglected, rejected, nullified, and ignored.

Of course, talking about change is easy — politicians do that all the time. To transcend the status quo, we have to actually be the change we wish to see...

A few months ago, I started knocking on doors and meeting with local progressives. I told everyone the same thing: I want to be your new State Representative, but I do not want to raise any money to run for this public office. Instead, I want you to donate your attention, your energy, your knowledge, your ideas, and your artwork — and together, we will set a powerful, new example for our democracy.

Together, we quickly organized a successful signature drive to earn an independent spot on the November ballot, and then we were featured in the Huffington Post, on the Occupy Boston website, and in local blogs.

Meanwhile, over 40 volunteers have signed up to get involved, and we're now assembling a structured operation, complete with a campaign manager, an issues committee, and a homemade-sign-making team. In addition, we've also received more than 200 individual contributions, each in the amount of $0.00.

In the coming weeks and months, we intend to ask some tough questions: Why did our legislature shackle the MBTA with billions of dollars of debt from the Big Dig?  When will the legislature finally settle on a plan to pay for the Green Line Extension? Why can't the state help us turn the McGrath Highway into a liveable city street? And is there a conflict of interest when one individual holds two public offices at the same time?

I hope you will join us as we work to answer these questions, but right now, I need to get going, or else I will be late for work! But don't worry — come this weekend, I will be going door-to-door, working as hard as I possibly can to earn your support as the "Progressive Independent" candidate in the November election. I hope to see you around soon!

Sincerely yours,
Mike Connolly

Note: This House district is currently represented by Rep. Timothy J. Toomey.

Comments?


Sept 14, 2010 State Primary Candidates (for Cambridge voters)
Contested races highlighted

Governor/Lt. Governor
Democrat: DEVAL L. PATRICK / TIMOTHY P. MURRAY (incumbent) Republican: CHARLES D. BAKER / RICHARD R. TISEI
Green Party: JILL STEIN / RICK PURCELL
(will appear only on the November ballot)
Independent: TIM CAHILL
(will appear only on the November ballot)
Treasurer
Democrat: STEVEN GROSSMAN
Democrat: STEPHEN J. MURPHY
Republican: KARYN E. POLITO
Green Party: NAT FORTUNE
(will appear only on the November ballot)
 
Auditor
Democrat: SUZANNE M. BUMP
Democrat: GUY WILLIAM GLODIS
Democrat: MIKE LAKE
Republican: MARY Z. CONNAUGHTON
Republican: KAMAL JAIN
Attorney General
Democrat: MARTHA COAKLEY (incumbent)
Secretary of State
Democrat: WILLIAM FRANCIS GALVIN (incumbent) Republican: WILLIAM C. CAMPBELL
Representative in Congress (8th District)
Democrat: MICHAEL E. CAPUANO (incumbent)
Governor's Council (3rd District) [Pcts. 9-2, 9-3, 10-1, 10-3; Ward 11 (all)]
Democrat: MARILYN M. PETITTO DEVANEY (incumbent)
Democrat: COREY A. BELANGER
Governor's Council (6th District) [Wards 1 through 8 (all precincts); Pcts. 9-1, 10-2]
Democrat: SUZANNE R. ENGLISH-MERULLO
Democrat: TERRENCE W. KENNEDY
Republican: PAUL A. CARUCCIO
State Senate
First Suffolk and Middlesex District [Ward 1 (all); Ward 2 (all); Pcts. 3-1, 3-3; Ward 4 (all); Ward 5 (all); Pct. 8-3]
Democrat: ANTHONY W. PETRUCCELLI (incumbent) Republican: FRANK JOHN ADDIVINOLA, JR.
Second Suffolk and Middlesex District [Pcts. 9-2, 9-3, 10-1, 10-3; Ward 11 (all)]
Democrat: STEVEN A. TOLMAN (incumbent)
Democrat: WILLIAM B. FEEGBEH
Middlesex, Suffolk and Essex District [Pct. 3-2; Ward 6 (all); Ward 7 (all): Pcts. 8-1, 8-2, 9-1, 10-2]
Democrat: SAL N. DiDOMENICO (incumbent)
Democrat: TIMOTHY R. FLAHERTY
Republican: BARBARA T. BUSH
State Representative
Eighth Suffolk District [Pcts. 2-3, 3-3; Ward 5 (all)]
Democrat: MARTHA MARTY WALZ (incumbent) Republican: BRAD MARSTON
Ninth Suffolk District [Pct. 2-2]
Democrat: BYRON RUSHING (incumbent)
24th Middlesex District [Pct. 10-3; Ward 11 (all)]
Democrat: WILLIAM N. BROWNSBERGER (incumbent)
25th Middlesex District [Ward 4 (all); Pcts. 6-2, 6-3; Ward 7 (all); Ward 8 (all); Pcts. 10-1, 10-2]
Democrat: ALICE K. WOLF (incumbent)
26th Middlesex District [Ward 1 (all); Pcts. 2-1, 3-1, 3-2, 6-1]
Democrat: TIMOTHY J. TOOMEY, JR. (incumbent)
29th Middlesex District [Ward 9 (all)]
Democrat: JONATHAN HECHT (incumbent)
District Attorney (Northern District)
Democrat: GERARD T. LEONE, JR. (incumbent)
Sheriff (Middlesex County)
Democrat: JAMES V. DiPAOLA (incumbent)
Coming up in the November 2, 2010 State Election: BALLOT QUESTIONS (Laws Proposed by Initiative Petition)

Question 1: Sales Tax on Alcoholic Beverages
Do you approve of a law summarized below, on which no vote was taken by the Senate or the House of Representatives before May 4, 2010?

SUMMARY: This proposed law would remove the Massachusetts sales tax on alcoholic beverages and alcohol, where the sale of such beverages and alcohol or their importation into the state is already subject to a separate excise tax under state law. The proposed law would take effect on January 1, 2011.

A YES VOTE would remove the state sales tax on alcoholic beverages and alcohol where their sale or importation into the state is subject to an excise tax under state law.

A NO VOTE would make no change in the state sales tax on alcoholic beverages and alcohol.

Question 2: Comprehensive Permits for Low- or Moderate- Income Housing
Do you approve of a law summarized below, on which no vote was taken by the Senate or the House of Representatives before May 4, 2010?

SUMMARY: This proposed law would repeal an existing state law that allows a qualified organization wishing to build government-subsidized housing that includes low- or moderate-income units to apply for a single comprehensive permit from a city or town's zoning board of appeals (ZBA), instead of separate permits from each local agency or official having jurisdiction over any aspect of the proposed housing. The repeal would take effect on January 1, 2011, but would not stop or otherwise affect any proposed housing that had already received both a comprehensive permit and a building permit for at least one unit.

Under the existing law, the ZBA holds a public hearing on the application and considers the recommendations of local agencies and officials. The ZBA may grant a comprehensive permit that may include conditions or requirements concerning the height, site plan, size, shape, or building materials of the housing. Persons aggrieved by the ZBA's decision to grant a permit may appeal it to a court. If the ZBA denies the permit or grants it with conditions or requirements that make the housing uneconomic to build or to operate, the applicant may appeal to the state Housing Appeals Committee (HAC).

After a hearing, if the HAC rules that the ZBA's denial of a comprehensive permit was unreasonable and not consistent with local needs, the HAC orders the ZBA to issue the permit. If the HAC rules that the ZBA's decision issuing a comprehensive permit with conditions or requirements made the housing uneconomic to build or operate and was not consistent with local needs, the HAC orders the ZBA to modify or remove any such condition or requirement so as to make the proposal no longer uneconomic. The HAC cannot order the ZBA to issue any permit that would allow the housing to fall below minimum safety standards or site plan requirements. If the HAC rules that the ZBA's action was consistent with local needs, the HAC must uphold it even if it made the housing uneconomic. The HAC's decision is subject to review in the courts.

A condition or requirement makes housing "uneconomic" if it would prevent a public agency or non-profit organization from building or operating the housing except at a financial loss, or it would prevent a limited dividend organization from building or operating the housing without a reasonable return on its investment.

A ZBA's decision is "consistent with local needs" if it applies requirements that are reasonable in view of the regional need for low- and moderate-income housing and the number of low-income persons in the city or town, as well as the need to protect health and safety, promote better site and building design, and preserve open space, if those requirements are applied as equally as possible to both subsidized and unsubsidized housing. Requirements are considered "consistent with local needs" if more than 10% of the city or town's housing units are low- or moderate-income units or if such units are on sites making up at least 1.5% of the total private land zoned for residential, commercial, or industrial use in the city or town. Requirements are also considered "consistent with local needs" if the application would result, in any one calendar year, in beginning construction of low- or moderate-income housing on sites making up more than 0.3% of the total private land zoned for residential, commercial, or industrial use in the city or town, or on ten acres, whichever is larger.

The proposed law states that if any of its parts were declared invalid, the other parts would stay in effect.

A YES VOTE would repeal the state law allowing the issuance of a single comprehensive permit to build housing that includes low- or moderate-income units.

A NO VOTE would make no change in the state law allowing issuance of such a comprehensive permit.

Question 3: Sales and Use Tax Rates
Do you approve of a law summarized below, on which no vote was taken by the Senate or the House of Representatives before May 4, 2010?

SUMMARY: This proposed law would reduce the state sales and use tax rates (which were 6.25% as of September 2009) to 3% as of January 1, 2011. It would make the same reduction in the rate used to determine the amount to be deposited with the state Commissioner of Revenue by non-resident building contractors as security for the payment of sales and use tax on tangible personal property used in carrying out their contracts.

The proposed law provides that if the 3% rates would not produce enough revenues to satisfy any lawful pledge of sales and use tax revenues in connection with any bond, note, or other contractual obligation, then the rates would instead be reduced to the lowest level allowed by law. The proposed law would not affect the collection of moneys due the Commonwealth for sales, storage, use or other consumption of tangible personal property or services occurring before January 1, 2011.

The proposed law states that if any of its parts were declared invalid, the other parts would stay in effect.

A YES VOTE would reduce the state sales and use tax rates to 3%.

A NO VOTE would make no change in the state sales and use tax rates.

Where do I vote?

Comment: My general practice is to leave blank any uncontested race. If you are given no choice, why pretend that you have one? - RW


Complete State Senate Primary Election Results (Middlesex, Suffolk, & Essex)
[The table can be sorted by any column.]
The Final Election was essentially uncontested.


Update on the State Senate Special Primary (Apr 13, updated Apr 17, 2010):

The word among politicos at the Cambridge Senior Center on April 13 where the Cambridge votes were being counted was that Sal DiDomenico had a lead of between 125 and 135 votes over Tim Flaherty in the entire district. This estimate proved to be accurate with the unofficial totals giving a 134 vote margin with just a handful of provisional and overseas absentee ballots possibly still to be counted. The predictions of several months ago proved to be accurate, namely that "Sal DiDomenico has the best chance right now in this election with Tim Flaherty driving hard for the hoop. Much of this is determined by the fact that Everett is expected to generate 30% or more of the votes in this election and Sal is the Everett candidate (with Cambridge roots)."

In Cambridge's 11 precincts in this Senate district, the results were Tim Flaherty 1347 (46%), Denise Simmons 904 (31%), Dennis Benzan 371 (13%), Sal DiDomenico 173 (6%), Michael Albano 92 (3%), and Dan Hill 27 (1%). Voter turnout in Cambridge appears to be about 15%.

In Everett, the story was all Sal. The numbers were Sal DiDomenico 2599 (74%), Tim Flaherty 681 (19%), Michael Albano 91 (3%), Dennis Benzan 74 (2%), Denise Simmons 42 (1%), and Dan Hill 13 (0.4%).

In Somerville, the breakdown was Sal DiDomenico 212 (48%), Michael Albano 98 (22%), Tim Flaherty 71 (16%), Dennis Benzan 26 (6%), Denise Simmons 26 (6%), and Dan Hill 5 (1%). Voter turnout was reportedly 13%.

Tim Flaherty cleaned up in Allston-Brighton, though the numbers were initially misreported by the Cambridge Chronicle. The Allston-Brighton Tab provided accurate numbers: Flaherty 293 (62%), Simmons 61 (13%), DiDomenico 41 (9%), Albano 36 (8%), Benzan 33 (7%), and Hill 8 (2%).

Tim Flaherty also did well in Charlestown, Chelsea, and Revere, but Sal DiDomenico beat all others by a large margin in Saugus. The numbers were relatively difficult to come by in most parts of the district, but Cambridge had them all up on the City website within hours. Four days later, Cambridge was the only city/town in the Senate district that had their numbers posted.

Tim Flaherty initially called for a recount, alleging irregularities in Everett, but has since backed off from that plan - a long shot in this district where, I believe, almost all of the votes are reliably machine counted. Flaherty has made it clear that he will challenge Sal DiDomenico (and any other candidates) in the do-over Democratic primary in September.  - RW


What's Missing from this Picture?

Apr 5, 2010 - With the State Senate Special Primary Election just a week away, one might expect good Cantabrigians to be pulling together for their favorite sons and daughters in this race to fill the seat vacated by Anthony Galluccio. Certainly former mayors would be pulling for their fellow former mayors, right? Perhaps not. Shown here is the signage in front of the home of City Councillor Kenneth E. Reeves. Dennis Benzan is now back from Belmont and living in Cambridge (even if only formally) and Tim Flaherty is a favorite son. Wasn't there another Cambridge candidate in this race?

It would appear that the mayoral deadlock continues in the minds of some.


Apr 9, 2010 - Apparently, Mr. Reeves must have realized that he'd neglected another State Senate candidate with Cambridge roots - Sal DiDomenico. That oversight has now been rectified with another sign. Now wasn't there another Cambridge candidate..... a former mayor..... somebody named Denise, perhaps?

I suppose if you're going to rub someone's nose in it, you may as well really go all out. There may be other jobs out there waiting for Mr. Reeves, but diplomat is not one of them.

This should be a delightful City Council term with payback all around. Let's not forget that Marjorie Decker was also a candidate for this seat for a time but withdrew supposedly because of other Cambridge candidates that greatly diminished her chances.


Mar 1, 2010 - Marjorie Decker has withdrawn from the State Senate race to replace Anthony Galluccio.
Here's what she had to say:

After consulting with my family, friends, and close supporters over this past weekend, I have decided to withdraw from the Special Election for the Mass State Senate to replace Anthony Galluccio.

I chose to run for Senate for many of the same reasons that motivate me to serve on the Cambridge City Council. To me, public service is advocating for good jobs, affordable housing, better access to health care and equal opportunity.

Last year I called on my family, friends and constituents to give me their time, effort and financial support for my re-election to the City Council. They worked hard and sacrificed much to help me win that election. I have never run for office just for the sake of running.

When the Special Election for State Senate was first announced, I considered the prospects for victory extremely promising. Since I announced my candidacy, the number of candidates has increased dramatically – more than doubling – thus my chances of winning have been greatly reduced.

In good conscience, I cannot ask my family, friends and supporters to give more time, effort and financial support if there is no realistic prospect of success.

Consequently, I have decided that at this time I can best serve by focusing all of my energies and efforts toward my role as a Cambridge City Councilor. As the effects of the recession continue to devastate working families, we have many challenges that must be addressed.

I want to thank my family, friends – new and old, and supporters – from Cambridge, Charlestown, Chelsea, Somerville, Revere, Saugus, Somerville, Allston and Brighton for their willingness to consider my candidacy and to offer their support to me.

It's worth noting that, up to a point, it was the fact that there were many candidates in this race that helped make Marjorie's campaign viable - as the only woman in an election that would likely be determined by vote-splitting and personal identity. Denise Simmons' entry into the race changed the equation substantially, and now Simmons' candidacy becomes immediately viable for the same and related reasons. Denise is now the only woman in a six-way race and she will likely be able to use her status as an African-American woman, an openly gay woman now legally married to her partner, and as the most recent Mayor of Cambridge to her advantage. This should translate into campaign donations from within the Senate district and from outside the district from various interest groups just as Jarrett Barrios was able to draw those donations a number of years ago for this same seat. Whether this helps her to succeed throughout this district remains an open question.

One factor worth considering in Marjorie's decision to withdraw (though you'll have to ask her!) is that she would have to share the support of labor unions with several of the other candidates. Another important factor is that this April/May election will have to be done all over again in September/November and you can only spend your campaign donations once. It is likely that, regardless who wins in the special election, many of the same candidates will do it again this fall, and short-term incumbency is not likely to provide that much of an advantage. It's entirely possible that Marjorie will keep her resources intact and try again in September under more favorable conditions. If not, she really does have the potential to be a very good city councillor if, as we teachers like to say, she would only apply herself.

Regarding the Simmons vs. Decker aspect to this, I ran some numbers yesterday using the November 2009 municipal election ballots from the 11 Cambridge precincts in this Senate district. Denise Simmons was ranked somewhere on 48.9% of those ballots compared to Marjorie Decker being named on 21.1% of those ballots. Certainly, Marjorie's status as a write-in candidate was a factor, but it's reasonably clear that Denise Simmons would have the greater degree of Cambridge support in this election. Denise will, of course, have to share that Cambridge support with Tim Flaherty, Dennis Benzan, and Sal DiDomenico, each of whom have some base of support in the Peoples Republic.

Most of the speculation continues to be that Sal DiDomenico has the best chance right now in this election with Tim Flaherty driving hard for the hoop. Much of this is determined by the fact that Everett is expected to generate 30% or more of the votes in this election and Sal is the Everett candidate (with Cambridge roots). However, the likelihood in this race where vote-splitting will determine the outcome as much as anything is that the winner will largely be dictated by who can raise the most money and assemble the strongest get-out-the-vote effort on April 13. -- Robert Winters


Jan 22, 2010 - The Plot Thickens.....
The contest to determine who will fill the State Senate seat formerly occupied by Anthony Galluccio is getting interesting. It exhibits all the worst aspects of a plurality election without runoffs and with vote-splitting, strategic voting, and ulterior motives. Here's the latest roster of possible candidates:

ID Name Address Office Sought Party
15031   DiDomenico, Sal 125 Clarence Street, Everett Senate, Middlesex, Suffolk & Essex     Democratic
15001 Hill, Daniel C. 60 Sullivan Street, Charlestown Senate, Middlesex, Suffolk & Essex Democratic
13783 Simmons, E. Denise     188 Harvard Street #4B, Cambridge     Senate, Middlesex, Suffolk & Essex Democratic
13736 Decker, Marjorie C. 61 Walden Street, Cambridge announced, not yet filed Democratic
13239 Flaherty, Timothy 5 Concord Avenue, Cambridge Senate, Middlesex, Suffolk & Essex Democratic
15023 Albano, Michael J. 32 Crest Avenue, Chelsea Senate, Middlesex, Suffolk & Essex Democratic

We'll likely learn on Monday whether or not Denise Simmons' bid is a real one or just a poker move for leverage in the still unsettled mayoral sweepstakes in Cambridge. Marjorie Decker is seen by many as a long-shot candidate whose hope rests in being the only woman candidate in a field where they may be significant vote-splitting. She'll also have to share the union and real estate money with some of the other candidates, but they all have the advantage of a new calendar year with a blank ledger for campaign finance donation limits. Denise Simmons's chances are between slim and none for this Senate district, but she would likely harm Decker's chances among Cambridge voters. Though Decker has not yet officially filed as a candidate for the seat, she made it clear at a Jan 14 meeting of the Cambridge Democratic City Committee that she was running for the seat and had her campaign manager Jeni Wheeler in tow.

It's worth noting that about 30% of the district is in Everett and only 20% is in Cambridge with the remainder spread across portions of Allston-Brighton, Somerville, Chelsea, Saugus, and Revere. Anthony Galluccio was able to build substantial support in Everett which was pivotal in his winning the seat in the 2007 Special Election to replace former rival Jarrett Barrios. Much of that Galluccio support will likely transfer to Everett City Council member Sal DiDomenico who also has deep roots in Cambridge. Tim Flaherty also ran for this seat in 2007 and should be able to quickly reassemble some of his campaign apparatus for this relatively short election cycle. He also retains some name recognition as a result of his previous run and his family's history in Massachusetts politics. The other Cambridge candidates are basically unknown outside the Peoples Republic.

There's no word yet on any challengers from any other political party, so (as usual) the contest should be decided at a low-turnout party primary on April 13. Then again, maybe Scott Brown has a cousin in Revere who drives a pickup truck.

300 valid nominating signatures due with local city and town officials - March 2, 2010
Primary Election - April 13, 2010
Special Election - May 11, 2010


Calendar for Special State Election (U.S. Senate)
(to fill vacancy caused by the death of Senator Edward M. Kennedy)


Calendar of Events
Deadline Dates
Party Candidates Non-Party Candidates
Last day for a person running in the state primary to enroll in a party or for a person running only in the state election to unenroll from a party, except for newly registered voters. August 5, 2009 August 5, 2009
5:00pm - last day and hour for submitting nomination papers to local Registrars of Voters or Election Commissioners for the certification of signatures. October 20, 2009 November 24, 2009
Certification of nomination papers must be completed. October 29, 2009 December 3, 2009
5:00pm - last day and hour for filing nomination papers, including enrollment certificate, with the Secretary of the Commonwealth. November 3, 2009 December 8, 2009
5:00pm - last day and hour for filing withdrawals of or objections to all nomination papers and certificates of nomination with the Secretary of the Commonwealth. November 6, 2009 December 11, 2009
5:00pm - last day and hour for filling vacancies caused by withdrawals for primary candidates. November 12, 2009  
PLEASE NOTE: ALL DATES AND DEADLINES BELOW ARE THE SAME FOR ALL CANDIDATES
Last day to register voters for the state primary; registration hours 9:00am to 8:00pm (except in towns under 1500 registered voters, registration hours 2:00-4:00pm and 7:00-8:00pm). November 18, 2009
State Primary December 8, 2009
5:00pm - last day and hour for filing withdrawals of or objections to nominations made at the state primary and for filing written acceptances by write-in or sticker candidates who won in the state primary with the Secretary of the Commonwealth. December 14, 2009
5:00pm - last day and hour for filling vacancies caused by withdrawals at the state primary. December 17, 2009
Last day to register voters for the state election; registration hours 9:00am to 8:00pm (except in towns under 1500 registered voters, registration hours 2:00-4:00pm and 7:00-8:00pm). December 30, 2009
State Election January 19, 2010

10,000 certified signatures required for all candidates.

A Candidate's Guide to Special Elections (PDF, 670k)

also available from:
Elections Division
One Ashburton Place, Room 1705
Boston, MA 02108-1512
Telephone 617-727-2828 or 800-462-8683

For information about campaign contributions and expenses contact:
Federal Election Commission
999 East Street N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20463
800-424-9530

This Calendar was announced on Monday, August 31, 2009 by the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.


CCJ Goes National! .... not really

Feb 10, 2008 - It's been entertaining to watch how CNN and Faux News have been giving saturation coverage to this year's presidential race. You would think that with that many talking heads at least a few of them might actually try to quantify their data juggernaut. Perhaps it's the proximity of Super Tuesday and the Super Bowl, but it seems to me that it's all been treated like a sports event and the news stations are obsessed with declaring who the winners are.

Here are a few observations I would make about the whole show:

1 - Apparently, the George Bush era has left Democrats lost in the desert in search of meaning. Now that the Bush era is finally coming to a close, many Democrats are seeking not so much a president but a messiah. Enter Barack Obama. In the lexicon of politics, this is a fabulous example of ultra-sandbagging, i.e. raising expectations to such stratospheric levels that the candidate can never live up to the hype. I think Obama's a decent guy with a decent head on his shoulders, but to paraphrase Lloyd Bentzen, “Senator, I served with the Messiah. I knew the Messiah. The Messiah was a friend of mine, and Senator, you're no Messiah.” Can you image any way that Obama can live up to the expectations of his disciples?

2 - What exactly did Hillary Rodham Clinton ever do to inspire so many right-wingers and left-wingers to hate her so much? The right-wingers seem to never have gotten over Hillary's famous “You know, I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies and had teas...” quote. While the right-wingers see Hillary as the ultimate liberal, the lefties have never gotten past husband Bill's “end welfare as we know it” remarks in his first State of the Union speech. Social welfare programs, after all, have been the mother's milk of Democratic politics for 70+ years, so I suppose anyone who advocates welfare reform surely must be a conservative. But wait... wasn't that Bill Clinton's policy? Oh, yeah, it's “The Clintons” who are running for the presidency. Hillary Clinton has to answer not only for anything she's ever said and done but also for Mister Bill's every action. Personally, I don't know a whole lot about feminism, but it's not hard to see the misogyny in most of the Hillary-haters on the right and on the left.

3 - On the Republican side of the circus, John McCain is being subjected to a similar crossfire from left and right. Many conservatives hate him for his positions on campaign finance reform, on his realistic views on immigration, and more. I suspect they also worry that he might, God forbid, want to keep the separation between church and state. Meanwhile, the lefties have become convinced that McCain is the ultimate war hawk, possibly based on his comments about the US keeping some military presence in Iraq for the next 50 years. Let's see now... we still have military bases in Germany even though World War II ended in 1945, and US soldiers can still be found in Korea over 50 years since the end of the Korean War. I believe the McCain-haters from both sides hate him because, like Clinton, he's a centrist - a moderate - and a reasonable moderate is the greatest threat to those who dwell at either end of the political spectrum.

4 - Personally, I don't pay a whole lot of attention to the professed positions of any of the candidates. Once a candidate is elected, the realities of the job generally take precedence over any prior positions. The intelligence and character of the actual person are really the only things that matter. I would like to know that if a crisis came, the next president would be able to exhibit the right mix of sense and fortitude to take the country through it. I'm no fan of the Iraq War and would like to see a reduction of US presence there, but I certainly wouldn't want the next president to build foreign policy entirely out of the need to fulfill a campaign promise. Some things should transcend political posturing. I'm reminded of Reagan's quote “You got to dance with the one that brung you.” This refers to the political practice of doing the bidding of whatever constituency helped get you elected. Bill Clinton routinely broke that rule and infuriated the left wing of the Democratic Party. It's an open question whether Barack Obama would stand up to The Left or if John McCain would stand up to The Right. If Hillary Clinton is anything like her husband Bill, she'll piss off The Left and The Right. That might not be such a bad thing.

5 - I've been looking over the numbers from the Democratic primaries and caucuses. Generally speaking, Clinton's done well in the primaries and Obama's done well in the caucuses. Why the difference? My hypothesis is that caucuses are generally the province of the hardcore - for both parties. That's certainly been my experience with local caucuses in Cambridge. They are about the least representative political sample, but the party power brokers love them because they are easier to manipulate than the electorate. In Massachusetts, those who attend the Democratic Party State Convention have about as much in common with registered Democrats as a fish has with a bicycle. I can only assume that other states have a similar disconnection between party animals and the electorate. Here are some numbers:

Caucus states for Democratic Party
State “Winner” Percentage of registered voters who participated
Minnesota Obama 6.9%
Colorado Obama 4.1%
North Dakota Obama 3.8%
Nebraska Obama 3.4%
Idaho Obama 3.1%
Kansas Obama 2.2%
Nevada Clinton 1.0%
Washington Obama 0.86%
Maine Obama 0.35%
Iowa Obama 0.12%
Alaska Obama 0.09%
Note: In caucus states, Obama leads in delegates 278-148 (margin of 130) as of Feb 16, 12:20am. Only Hawaii (Feb 19) and Wyoming (Mar 8) remain for the caucus states.
Primary states for Democratic Party
State “Winner” Percentage of registered voters who participated
New Hampshire Clinton 33.4%
Massachusetts Clinton 31.2%
Dist. Of Columbia Obama 30.5%
Illinois Obama 27.0% (Obama's home state)
California Clinton 26.2%
Maryland Obama 24.0%
New Jersey Clinton 23.1%
South Carolina Obama 21.2%
Virginia Obama 21.2%
Georgia Obama 20.3%
Alabama Obama 19.8%
Missouri Obama 19.6%
Oklahoma Clinton 19.3%
Arkansas Clinton 18.5% (Clinton's former home state)
Connecticut Obama 17.6%
Delaware Obama 16.9%
Tennessee Clinton 16.8%
Florida Clinton 16.5% (The state's 210 delegates are currently disqualified.)
New York Clinton 15.3% (Clinton's current home state)
New Mexico Clinton 13.0%
Arizona Clinton 12.8%
Louisiana Obama 12.6%
Michigan Clinton 8.3% (The state's 156 delegates are currently disqualified.)
Utah Obama 7.2%
Note: In primary states, Clinton leads in delegates 1065-984 (margin of 81) as of Feb 16, 12:20am. Upcoming primaries include Washington, Wisconsin (Feb 19); Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont (Mar 4); Mississippi (Mar 11); Pennsylvania (Apr 22); Indiana, North Carolina (May 6); West Virginia (May 13); Kentucky, Oregon (May 20); Montana and South Dakota (June 3).
Note: Statistics derived from CNN website. -- Robert Winters

Sept 22, 2007 - Final Official Results in the Special Primary Election to succeed Jarrett Barrios in the State Senate.

Candidate Cambridge Boston Everett Somerville Chelsea Revere Saugus Total Pct
Galluccio 1178 836 1584 188 331 386 187 4690 42.09%
Nowicki 29 414 751 12 1414 206 142 2968 26.63%
Flaherty 671 735 571 74 186 66 60 2383 21.20%
Ross 380 192 208 58 178 21 68 1105 9.92%
Write-ins 4 6 6 0 0 0 2 18 0.16%
Total 2262 2183 3120 332 2109 679 459 11144 100%
Blanks 1 3 1 0 36 3 1 45 -

Source: Massachusetts Secretary of State's Office


Sept 11, 2007, 9:43pm - According to the Cambridge Chronicle, it appears that Anthony Galluccio has prevailed in the Special Primary Election to succeed Jarrett Barrios in the State Senate. Details as they come in may be found at http://blogs.townonline.com/campolitics/ [no longer exists]

The news story is here: http://www.townonline.com/cambridge/homepage/x1822773381 

Preliminary results as of the day after Election Day, as reported by the Cambridge Chronicle:

Candidate Cambridge Allston/Brighton Charlestown Everett Somerville Chelsea Revere Saugus Total Pct
Galluccio 1119 170 644 1451 188 322 386 187 4467 41.76%
Nowicki 28 25 380 691 12 1387 206 142 2871 26.84%
Flaherty 666 227 496 507 74 176 66 60 2272 21.24%
Ross 370 99 91 195 58 175 21 68 1077 10.07%
Write-ins 4 * 6           10 0.09%
Total 2187 521 1617 2844 332 2060 679 457 10697 100%
Blanks   * 3           3  

The Middlesex, Suffolk, & Essex State Senate Race gets ugly (2007)

What started out as a sleepy little filling of a vacancy in the State Senate has, as Primary Election Day (Tues, Sept 11) approaches, begun to show signs of a schoolyard fistfight - a fight primarily waged not only by the candidates but by various surrogates and other interested parties. We've all heard by now about the well-orchestrated campaign to portray Anthony Galluccio in the harshest possible light over his past indiscretions. One need look no further than Blue Mass Group to see how three bloggers will pull out all stops to torpedo a candidate and put all Democratic Party candidates on notice as to whose rings must be kissed. The BMG Three decided to whack Galluccio early, and the only thing left to decide was which candidate to back who could hurt Galluccio the most. They chose Tim Flaherty to be that candidate. Blue Mass Group has often been a good source of current information on political matters, but the BMG environment has grown increasingly hostile of late, and a principal focus has been on explicit and implicit endorsements of candidates by the owners of the weblog.

Not to be outdone by the arbiters of democracy on BMG, one commenter on that blog recently posted comments that attempt to connect Tim Flaherty's candidacy with proponents of casino gambling in Massachusetts. It's true that Flaherty has accepted some large donations from people associated with the gaming industry and his responses to questions on casino gambling have been that it's a done deal and that the only things left to decide are when, where, and how. The fact that Flaherty's father, former House Speaker Charlie Flaherty, is a lobbyist for the gaming industry did not go unnoticed by this blogger. Recent literature from Jeff Ross, by the way, has focused on distinguishing himself from his opponents as being the only one unambiguously opposed to casino gambling.

Perhaps the biggest blockbuster is the posting that appeared on BMG early Sunday morning (Sept 9) that reads like an indictment of Jeff Ross. In this very long post, entitled simply “Questions for Jeff Ross”, writer Larry Lopez laid out a scathing criticism of the financial, professional, and personal life of Ross. I have no idea about the validity of the claims, but it does hang together pretty well and it's hard to ignore. It definitely offers a decidedly different view of "The Progressive Democrat" in this race. [Update: The Larry Lopez posting about Jeff Ross was expunged mid-day Sunday without explanation but has now been restored on Sunday evening. (I had the foresight to save it - just in case). Since all four candidates are lawyers, one could easily see how threats of libel could be a factor in its temporary disappearance. Curiously, any and all allegations about Galluccio remain and have been consistently promoted at BMG.]

My preference would be for candidates to be measured on the merits rather than on any real or alleged personal failings. Wasn't that the original motive of "MoveOn.org" when they got started during the Republican campaign to destroy Bill Clinton? They advocated that we should "Move On" from all the scandalizing tactics. MoveOn now seems to have declared themselves to be the arbiters of all that is right and wrong in America. Under current quasi-journalistic “gotcha” standards, every indiscretion is potentially a political death sentence. Joe McCarthy would be proud.

And then there are the newspapers. Tim Flaherty has invested a good deal of money in surveys and media consultants as part of what I've heard referred to as his “smash and grab” strategy to win this election. He managed to win the Boston Globe endorsement, but there's no knowing who was involved in that process, i.e. who was talking to whom, and many have noted that the endorsement was light on details. The local paper, the Cambridge Chronicle, also gave Flaherty the nod, but the combined institutional memory at that paper is quite short. A well-packaged load of BS can have a lot of impact under those conditions. Sadly, the Chronicle seems to place a lot of weight on Galluccio's storied past and on Flaherty's pretended future. Cambridge's other little North Cambridge paper, The Alewife, gave the nod to Galluccio but strangely used the unrelated (and silly) issue of having a directly elected mayor in their reasoning to move Galluccio out and up the political ladder.

And then there's the Wolf factor. When all four candidates were asked by Scott Harshbarger at a recent forum which of the two previous occupants of the Senate seat, Tom Birmingham or Jarrett Barrios, they might want to emulate, Paul Nowicki stole the show by joking that he was “better-looking than both of them.” Galluccio said something like "I'll be a flaming liberal in Cambridge and Italian as hell in Chelsea" and got some well-deserved laughs for that. However, when it was Flaherty's turn, he said he would want to emulate State Representative Alice Wolf - and bowed to her as he said it. Anyone who's been watching Cambridge politics for a while knows that Galluccio and Wolf were opponents on two occasions for the seat now occupied by Wolf, and that Wolf defeated Galluccio on both occasions. It is also common knowledge that Wolf at least feigned interest in running for this Senate seat not only when Barrios was considering running for District Attorney, but also when Barrios resigned to initiate the current contest. It would seem that Wolf feels compelled to defeat Galluccio even when she's not willing to risk being a candidate. [By the way, a pretty good account (without spin) of the most recent State Senate debate is available here.]

From this writer's perspective, the two candidates who have shined brightly through all of this process have been Paul Nowicki and Anthony Galluccio. There's been barely a hint of BS from either of them, they have very comparable experience as city councillors and as Chairs of their respective city councils, and they both exhibit a wealth of detail in the mechanics of what works and doesn't work in their respective parts of the district. Experience matters a lot more than talking points written by media consultants.

-- Robert Winters     Sept 9, 2007


Thurs, Sept 6, 2007 
7:00pm   Democratic Candidates for State Senate Forum - moderated by Scott Harshbarger> (Lesley University in the Porter Exchange Building, 1815 Mass. Ave., Porter Square)

The Cambridge Democratic City Committee will hold a public forum on September 6, 2007 featuring the four Democratic candidates seeking to replace Jarrett Barrios as the state senator representing the Middlesex, Suffolk, & Essex District (MSE).

Moderated by Scott Harshbarger, former Attorney General of Massachusetts and Democratic nominee for Governor in 1998, the forum will be the last debate before the special Democratic primary election on Tuesday, September 11, 2007.

The four Democratic candidates are: Tim Flaherty, Anthony Galluccio, Paul Nowicki, and Jeff Ross. The senate seat opened in July when Sen. Jarrett Barrios resigned to become President of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation.

The candidates will answer questions submitted by the audience and posed by the moderator, as well as ask and answer questions from each other. From 7 to 7:30 p.m., the audience will be able to meet the candidates. The debate will begin promptly at 7:30pm and end at 9:00pm. The event will be held at Lesley University, in the 2nd floor Amphitheatre of University Hall (formerly Porter Exchange).

The MSE District includes parts of Cambridge (11 of 33 precincts), as well as Charlestown, Chelsea, Everett, and parts of Allston-Brighton, Revere, Saugus and Somerville. The District includes voters who vote at the following Cambridge polling places: DPW Headquarters, City Hall Annex, Vernon Hall, Youville Hospital, Baldwin School, Gund Hall, Graham & Parks School, Friends Center or Lexington Fire House.

The Cambridge Democratic City Committee is the grassroots arm of the Massachusetts Democratic Party in Cambridge. Meetings are open to the public and any Democrat registered to vote in the city is eligible to become a member or associate member.

This event will be held from 7:00pm to 9:00pm at Lesley University, 2nd floor Amphitheatre of University Hall (formerly Porter Exchange), located at 1815 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge and one block from the Porter Square T stop. The event is free and open to the public.


Special Election Calendar (2007)


Aug 7, 2007 - Four candidates on the ballot for the Sept 11 primary to fill the State Senate seat vacated by Jarrett Barrios

According to the Mass. Secretary of State's Office, four candidates have met the required minimum of 300 certified voter signatures to qualify for the Sept 11 Democratic primary election. They are Cambridge City Councillor Anthony Galluccio, Cambridge resident Tim Flaherty, Jeff Ross (who only moved to Cambridge when Barrios announced he was vacating his seat), and Chelsea City Councillor Paul Nowicki. At least two other potential candidates filed signatures but failed to meet the minimum. To the best of my knowledge, there are no Republican or independent candidates at this time for the Oct 9 general election, so the winner on Sept 11 will almost certainly be the one to succeed Barrios.

It is in the nature of special elections that the winner is often the candidate who can conduct the most effective get-out-the-vote campaign to get "their voters" to the polls on election day. In this race, that advantage probably goes to Galluccio who has built up a substantial organization in Everett and elsewhere in addition to his home town. Other candidates, notably Nowicki and Ross, are resorting to "robo-calls" - pre-recorded phone messages delivered to every available phone number in the district like e-mail SPAM. It's not clear how effective these calls are, but it seems like a popular alternative for candidates with little or no field organization. Time will tell how much money is sunk into this race by the four candidates, but the word on the street is that Mr. Ross has already committed to pulling $100,000+ of his own money out of his carpetbag to buy this seat - a very "progressive" sum indeed.

A most unfortunate outcome in this race would be for the three Cambridge candidates to split the Cambridge vote and hand the election to the other candidate with less than a majority vote. This most unfortunate side-effect of plurality elections is preventable by having a runoff election (or using "Instant Runoff Voting"), but a this is not an option for this election and will likely never be available as an option as long as our head-in-the-sand Mass. Democratic Party remains comfortable with the devil they know. Neither the Democratic nor Republican parties in Massachusetts have expressed much interest, if any, in reforms proposed in the name of achieving fair elections. -- RW


June 12, 2007 - Galluccio's Running.... Wolf is Not

The Cambridge Chronicle today reported that State Representative Alice Wolf sent a fax saying, “After much thought, I have decided not to run for the senate seat being vacated by Senator Barrios. There are many factors that played a part in my decision, and the strongest factor is that I love my job serving in the House of Representatives and representing the people of Cambridge and the 25th Middlesex district. I appreciate all the support and encouragement I have received from my constituents and from people across the senate district. I look forward to continuing to work with them on common goals.”

Later in the day, Anthony Galluccio told the Chronicle that he would be seeking the seat.

Here's the Chronicle story on Galluccio's entry into the race for the seat being vacated by Jarrett Barrios.

It is my understanding that Chelsea City Council President Roseann “Rosie” Bongiovanni will also be a candidate for the seat. [Nope - not registered as a Democrat]


Q: Who's to succeed Robert Travaglini in the Mass. Senate? The Special (Democratic) Primary Election is May 29. The uncontested state election is June 26.  - Answer: Petrucelli
Anthony Petruccelli: http://anthonypetruccelli.com           Dan Rizzo: http://danrizzo.org


Mar 27, 2007 - NEWS RELEASE - Toomey Will Not Seek Senate Seat

Cambridge, MA -State Representative Timothy J. Toomey, Jr. (D - Cambridge/Somerville) has decided not to run for the State Senate seat vacated by former Senate President Robert Travaglini.

“I am incredibly appreciative of the many people that offered their support and backing,” Toomey said. “In the end, however, I realized that what I love most about being in politics is the daily interaction with my friends, neighbors and constituents in Somerville and Cambridge.”

“I have proudly served the people of the 26th Middlesex District for the last 15 years as their State Representative and I've been a Cambridge City Councilor for the past 18 years. The people of Somerville and Cambridge have supported me time and time again, election after election. If I had entered this race, all of my energy and focus would have been on the campaign. I feel that the campaign and demands of representing an expanded district would detract from the attention and care I am used to giving to my constituent base in Cambridge and Somerville, and today I reaffirm my commitment to the families of Somerville and Cambridge.”

“A victory in the special election would have pulled me away from projects and issues in Somerville that I have been involved in for years,” Toomey said. “The Green Line extension and redevelopment of Assembly Square will have a major impact on the future of East Somerville and Union Square and I am determined to continue to make sure that the interests of my constituents are considered. New Americans face tremendous social and economic injustices; I want to remain a leader in the fight for immigrant rights at the local and state level. My constituents need more affordable housing, better access to quality health care and help in keeping their neighborhoods safe. Those are their priorities and those are my priorities.”

Nov 1 - What the gubernatorial election it's really all about: Speculating rampant on filling state positions (Boston Globe)


Ex-Boston City Councilor Scondras nabbed in underage sex sting (Boston Herald, Oct 10, 2006)

It's nice when a first-rate fraud and total jerk like Scondras gets what's coming to him. Do you think maybe the Area 4 crowd will want their award back? Perhaps they'll make half an effort to find out more about their recipients in the future. I guess the “Progressive Democrats of Cambridge” will have to find someone else's house for their barbecues.

Boston Globe article (Oct 11, 2006)      Boston Herald article (Oct 11, 2006 - link expired)

Oct 12, 2006 update - Scondras seems determined to drag others down into his personal cesspool. Here's what he said to Margery Eagan of the Boston Herald on Oct 11: “I would love to tell you everything - I really would - and I’ve been ordered not to, but I’m assuming that when I’m able to talk you’ll still be interested. Ken Reeves (Mayor of Cambridge) might give you something.” Full article by Margery Eagan

This is really something. As Scondras self-destructs, he chooses to drag his friends down with him. He's now drafting Ken Reeves to be his personal press secretary. [For those who don't know, Scondras was planning to run for a City Council seat in 2007.]

And now there's more. The Herald  is reporting on Deval Patrick visiting Scondras' house with Ken Reeves for an Aug 27 barbeque. No fault of the candidate, mind you, but on what planet does visiting trash like Scondras help someone's political career?

The Cambridge Chronicle (which wrote a puff piece on Scondras on August 24) is also reporting the story. The Eagle Tribune (N. Andover) provides additional details.

Oct 13 update - Scondras' contract with the City of Cambridge as Area 4 Community Liaison ($20K/yr) was terminated on October 10.


September Primary -- Cambridge Election Results (33 of 33 precincts - 100%)  - These are just the Cambridge results!

Governor (Democratic)
Deval L. Patrick 12,315 (72.33%)
Christopher F. Gabrieli 2554 (15.00%)
Thomas F. Reilly 2141 (12.57%)

Lieutenant Governor (Democratic)
Andrea C. Silbert 5201 (34.44%)
Timothy P. Murray 5124 (33.93%)
Deborah B. Goldberg 4746 (31.43%)

Secretary of State (Democratic)
William Francis Galvin 9659 (70.81%)
John Bonifaz 3939 (28.88%)

Clerk of Courts (Democratic)
Michael A. Sullivan 11,662 (85.52%)
    [and he won BIG everywhere - good going, Mike!]
Bruce M. Desmond 1949 (14.29%)

United States Senator (Republican)
Kenneth G. Chase 177 (62.54%)
Kevin P. Scott 101 (35.69%)


Today's Quiz Questions - Sept 15, 2006

I just compiled the merged database of all currently registered Cambridge voters with their voting histories since 1997. There are now 58,068 registered voters in Cambridge. Of these, 45,680 have voted at least once in Cambridge since 1997.

Quiz #1 -- How many of these registered voters have voted in Cambridge in the last 14 consecutive elections, including primaries?

Quiz #2 -- How many have voted in Cambridge in the last 5 consecutive general elections (Nov 2001 - Nov 2005)?

Let me know your answers to the quiz questions. [click to send e-mail]

Sept 16 addendum: Here's the breakdown of Cambridge registered voters by party designation:

33,670 - Democrat 262 - Libertarian 3 - Natural Law Party 1 - Reform Party
20,072 - Unenrolled 57 - Independent 3rd Party 2 - Conservative Party 1 - Rainbow-Coalition
3,447 - Republican 34 - Green Party USA 2 - American Independent 1 - Prohibition Party
503 - Green-Rainbow 10 - Socialist 2 - America First Party 1 - World Citizens Party

Sept 6, 2006 - Recommended reading:  Elections aren't about issues (Boston Globe Op-Ed by Paul Waldman)

Do you really want to read up on the defining issues in the Massachusetts gubernatorial election?
Read the MassINC Briefing Book.


Sept 2, 2006- A few electoral thoughts for a September Day

Mexico Elections - I have not yet seen a news report noting that the real problem with the disputed Mexican presidential election is that it's a plurality winner-take-all system with no runoff provision. Obrador is claiming that he is the legitimate victor in the election due to irregularities in the vote, but there were actually five candidates in this election and there's no way Obrador would have even been close if there had been any kind of runoff, be it Instant Runoff or a typical "top two" runoff election. The preliminary totals were: Felipe Calderón 35.89%, Andrés Manuel López Obrador 35.31%, Roberto Madrazo 22.26%, Patricia Mercado Castro 2.70%, Roberto Campa Cifrián 0.96%. The remaining 2.88% consists of write-ins and invalid ballots. I'm no expert in Mexican presidential politics, but it seems certain that the Madrazo voters would be much more likely to choose Calderón than Obrador as their next choice. Recent polls indicate that if a head-to-head contest between the two leading candidates were held today, Mexican voters would choose Calderón over Obrador by a 25% margin.

   The most amazing thing is not the continuing controversy of the election result, but the fact that no media outlet even mentions the issue of the flawed election mechanism. This is yet more evidence that elections are, in the minds of most voters, more about sports than governance or democracy. If people really believe in majority rule, they should insist on runoff elections of one form or another.

Massachusetts Gubernatorial Primary Election - Cambridge is quite a little fishbowl. If you follow local Democratic party politics, you'd think that Saint Patrick (Deval Patrick, that is) and Andrea Silbert were the only legitimate choices among the Democratic hopefuls for governor and lieutenant governor. I guess this will make me a pariah among local Democrats, but I just don't see the appeal of Deval Patrick. He tells all the lefties everything they want to hear and they fawn over him as if he were the second coming of Christ (or the first, depending on your perspective). I haven't yet decided how I'm voting in the primary, but I find a policy wonk like Chris Gabrielli or a guy who worked his way up through the ranks like Tom Reilly a lot more appealing than a self-anointed saint exalted by a constituency of lost souls, i.e. the Cambridge Democratic City Committee. [I am a member of the CDCC, but I see myself as a representative of the moderate minority. The compositions of the Democratic City Committee and all registered Democrats in Cambridge have little in common, in my opinion.]

   Regarding the upcoming Democratic primary (Sept 19), my prediction is that Patrick's statewide total is capped at about 36-38% of the vote and he wouldn't have a chance in a two-person race. His best chance is for Reilly and Gabrielli to remain in a dead heat in the days leading up to the election. If one of them falls behind in the polls in the closing days before the primary, voters will switch to the other to increase the margin and eclipse Patrick. If this happens, you may see a final result like Gabrielli 38%, Patrick 36%, Reilly 28% (assuming Gabrielli is the one in front). Then again, I could be full of beans. In any case, there's a very real chance that the winner of the primary will be someone who would not have won had there been a runoff election mechanism.

   In Europe, people think about the mechanics of elections. Proportional representation and runoff elections are standard practice. It's funny to think that in the USA we talk about exporting democracy to places like Iraq and Afghanistan, yet we never propose election systems there like our own. I guess that's a good thing. - RW


July 12, 2006 Constitutional Convention - The Mass. Senate and House are meeting today in joint session for the Constitutional Convention to consider numerous proposed initiatives, including the first round for the proposed constitutional amendment to prohibit same sex marriage. Click here for the complete agenda for the session.

The agenda gives the full text of the proposed amendments and special rules governing the constitutional convention. The short list of initiatives is as follows:

1. Proposal for a Legislative Amendment to the Constitution creating a permanent "Rainy Day" fund to provide stable revenues for the Commonwealth.

2. An Initiative Amendment to the Constitution relative to the provision of health insurance.

3. Proposal for a legislative laws created by the people using the Initiative process.

4. Proposal for a legislative amendment to the Constitution relative to Constitutional officers.

5. Proposal for a legislative amendment to the Constitution allowing absentee voting.

6. Proposal for a legislative amendment to the Constitution electing the Lieutenant Governor and Governor separately.

7. Proposal for a legislative amendment to the Constitution increasing the term of the General Court from two to four years.

8. Proposal for a legislative amendment to the Constitution establishing an independent redistricting commission and criteria for redistricting.

9. Proposal for a legislative amendment to the Constitution promoting the representative character of ballot questions.

10. Proposal for a legislative amendment to the Constitution relative to vacancies in the Governor’s Council.

11. Proposal for a legislative amendment to the Constitution relative to the certification of judges.

12. Proposal for a legislative amendment to the Constitution establishing county government.

13. Proposal for a legislative amendment to the Constitution relative to emergency appointments of elected officials.

14. Proposal for a legislative amendment to the Constitution authorizing the General Court to provide for absentee voting.

15. Proposal for legislative amendment to the Constitution relative to a vacancy in the office of Governor or Lieutenant-Governor.

16. Proposal for legislative amendment to the Constitution to change the length of term for Representatives and Senators from two years to four years.

17. Proposal for legislative amendment to the Constitution relative to redistricting for the House of Representatives, Senate and Governor’s Council.

18. Proposal for legislative amendment to the Constitution to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

19. An Initiative Amendment to the Constitution relative to the definition of marriage.

20. A Proposal for a Legislative Amendment to the Constitution prohibiting eminent domain takings for the purpose of economic development.

Addendum - The Constitutional Convention adjourned (by design) before getting to the controversial item regarding prohibition of same-sex marriage. Conveniently, the legislators chose to delay the vote until after Election Day. Regardless of how one feels about the underlying issue, it's insulting to voters and democracy itself to push this past Election Day. If the opponents felt a delay was needed to convince fence-sitting legislators to vote this down, then they could have reconvened in October.


June 3, 2006 - The good folks at the Boston Globe hit the nail on the head in today's editorial (see below). Let's not forget that when voters had an actual choice between Jarrett Barrios and Gerry Leone for District Attorney, Barrios dropped out. Then when voters had a choice between Anthony Galluccio and Jarrett Barrios for State Senate, Galluccio dropped out. Could there be anything more insulting to voters? The Democratic Party delegates at this weekend's convention will have an opportunity to deliver the worst insult of all. If they prevent either Tom Reilly or Chris Gabrielli from being on the September primary ballot, they will have raised a middle finger at all registered Democrats and unenrolled voters in Massachusetts. Same goes if they fail to give John Bonifaz a place on the September primary ballot for Secretary of State. – RW

Addendum - Gabrielli, Patrick, and Reilly will all be on the September Democratic Primary ballot for governor. Tim Murray, Andrea Silbert and Deb Goldberg will all be on the ballot for Lt. Governor. Both John Bonifaz and William Galvin will be on the ballot for Secretary of State. Now, if only we had Instant Runoff Voting for the three-way races we could determine a majority winner and not have to worry about vote-splitting. Look to Vermont if you're really a progressive.


Incumbents rule – June 3, 2006 Boston Globe Editorial (link expired)

   RESULTS ARE in from the candidate filings with city and town clerks statewide, and the winners are: the incumbents. And the losers are: the voters.

   Only 14 of the Senate's 40 seats, and only 58 of the 160 seats in the House, are being contested this year, raising the question of where democracy has gone.

   If you think of it, to “elect” means to choose. If there's no choice, how can there be an election? And if there's no true election, where's the democracy?

   The fact is that Massachusetts has a disgraceful record of non-competitiveness in its legislative races, ranking worst, or next worst, of all the states over the last two decades. The 2004 state election saw what appeared to be a healthy spike, with 125 of the 200 seats contested, largely due to Republican Governor Mitt Romney's efforts to recruit Republican challengers. But most were ineffective. And those who followed the advice of Romney's hired consultants ran bruising attack campaigns that were rightly and soundly squashed by the voters. The GOP lost seats in both branches.

   Romney could have tried again, with better technique, but he did not. So now the ledger is back near its low point, with candidates in nearly two-thirds of the districts running completely unopposed. One reason is that the General Court is full of legislators who think the current system is fine -- after all, it put them in office. So when a reform such as the public-financing Clean Elections Law comes along seeking to give challengers a better chance, legislators kill it, even though it was approved by the voters. It is an equal-opportunity travesty: Despite the dominance of the Democratic Party in the Legislature, Republican incumbents are almost as likely to escape challenge as the Democrats.

   The phenomenon is not confined to the Legislature. In an extraordinary development, the high office of attorney general, being vacated by Tom Reilly, will apparently go to Middlesex District Attorney Martha Coakley uncontested by a challenger from either party. [Correction: Coakley will face Republican challenger Lawrence Frisoli, a Cambridge attorney.] Voters will not be asked to express an opinion.

   Massachusetts enjoys a reputation as a birthplace of democracy and a hotbed of politics. But for legislative incumbents, and some others, the home of the Freedom Trail has become the home of the free ride.


The Year of the Unelection – Galluccio Drops Out of Senate Race (2006)

Just as Jarrett Barrios bailed out of the Middlesex County DA race when the hill became too steep, Anthony Galluccio yesterday bailed out of the State Senate race against Barrios. The theme is no longer "let the people decide," but instead "I've decided for you." Uncontested (or barely contested) elections have become the new standard.

Here's what Galluccio had to say:

“Over a year ago, I began my campaign for the Middlesex, Suffolk and Essex State Senate seat, which at the time was being vacated by Senator Jarrett Barrios. As you have seen over the past few months, our campaign had gained considerable momentum, garnering widespread support from elected officials, community leaders, organized labor and thousands of residents across this district.”

“Over the past few weeks, I have carefully analyzed what the impact of the re-entry of Senator Barrios – a well-financed, incumbent, Democratic State Senator - into the race would mean for my candidacy. It became increasingly evident to me that we were facing an uphill climb that would turn into a divisive battle that would divide our communities and the party. After careful consideration with my family and key supporters, I have made a decision to withdraw from the race, instead choosing to build on the strong foundation that our campaign has formed so that one day, I will be able to represent you in the State Senate.”

“The outpouring of support that I have received during my campaign has been a truly humbling experience. I feel no regrets, only appreciation for the support I have received and friendships that I have made. While my campaign for State Senate ends today my determination to help people remains intact. I consider myself one of the most fortunate elected officials in the world.”

Your friend, Anthony D. Galluccio

I hear Senator Travaglini may be hitting the road soon. Could it be that Anthony is waiting in the on-deck circle? - RW


Barrios drops out of DA race

April 5, 2006 – It's official. Jarrett Barrios has dropped out of the Middlesex County District Attorney race leaving a clear path for Gerald Leone to win the primary and the general election. Instead, Barrios will seek reelection to his Senate seat, the same seat now being sought by Anthony Galluccio. In Barrios' message, he says, "I have no doubt that we would have been successful on Election Day." He states that his primary motivation for dropping out of the DA race is the need to spend more time with his children.

   This is going to be an unusual race. I don't know anything about the other candidates who are considering running for this Senate seat, but I do know Anthony Galluccio and Jarrett Barrios. Both are very good men and both would serve us well in the State Senate. However, why can't anyone just speak openly and honestly any more? It is OBVIOUS that Jarrett is dropping out of the DA race because he would be slaughtered in the primary. There's no shame in admitting this. To claim otherwise is “slippery.” I used this same term last week at a Democratic ward committee meeting at which Anthony spoke. Anthony is a great guy who belongs in the state legislature. He's also a human being, just like you and me, and he occasionally screws up. Rather than dodge questions on his several episodes of bad judgment behind the wheel of a car, he would be much better off giving a sincere apology, admitting his mistakes, and moving on to where he stands on the issues - and he's VERY GOOD on the issues.

   It could be worse. There are two other Cambridge candidates who previously expressed interest in the Senate seat. Thankfully, one chose to hold onto her (uncontested) state rep. seat and the other turned around and ran back to the relative safety of the Cambridge City Council.


Feb 24, 2006 - Edward J. Sullivan, Middlesex County Clerk of Courts, has announced he will not seek reelection later this year. City Councillor Michael A. Sullivan, has indicated that he will run for the office to succeed his uncle. [Courting retirement, by Brian Mooney, Feb 24 Boston Globe]

With Councillor Anthony Galluccio running [unopposed so far] to succeed Jarrett Barrios in the State Senate and Councillor Tim Toomey already serving as a State Representative, this raises the question of what limits there may be to holding multiple government positions. Speaking personally, I would like to see all three of these men remain on the City Council. Opinions will vary on this and there may even be some fundamental reasons why two jobs may be incompatible. Nonetheless, Councillor Sullivan knows more about how the Cambridge City Council should operate than anyone else in the (appropriately named) Sullivan Chamber, and I'd hate to see him exit the chamber. He's also a hell of a nice guy and I would prefer to see the 70+ year tradition of electing a member of the Sullivan family remain intact. I'm a sucker for history. Any Sullivans out there interested, just in case?


The issue of holding multiple positions also begs the question of how burdensome is the job of a city councillor. When controversial issues arise and there is a flood of phone calls, e-mail, and meetings to attend, then the burden rises. However, this is not the rule most of the time. The fact that city councillors have successfully held multiple offices and additional jobs supports this view. In fact, most city councillors - past and present - have held other jobs, and that's the way it ought to be.

A related issue, and one which we may be hearing more about in the near future, is whether city councillors should have personal staff in addition to the current shared staff of the City Council Office. I believe the answer is an emphatic NO. The people are not well served in a moderate-sized city like Cambridge when contact with their elected representative is filtered through unnecessary staff. Elected officials should return their own phone calls and e-mails and write their own letters. The responsibility of submitting orders and resolutions should also be in their hands and not in the hands of others. The existing staff of the City Council Office and the Office of the City Clerk are capable and available when the need for additional support arises. They are also not tied to the political campaigns of any councillor - and that's an important distinction when we're talking about the expenditure of public funds for staff.

This matter came before us several years ago in the wake of resentment among some city councillors when Frank Duehay was Mayor and then Vice-Chair Anthony Galluccio received additional support from the Mayor's Office beyond what other councillors were granted. At the time, this was seen as a reward for the mayoral vote. During the following term when Anthony Galluccio was mayor, Vice-Chair David Maher (I believe) received no additional staff support. However, the controversy led other councillors to call for their own personal staff, a proposal which the City Manager strongly opposed based on cost and potential conflicts with the Plan E Charter. Hearings were held and the matter was put to rest, perhaps coincidentally, when councillors were granted a significant pay raise with permanent cost-of-living adjustments built into the ordinance so that they would never again have to vote on their own salary increases.

Two years later, during the first mayoral term of Michael Sullivan, Vice-Chair Henrietta Davis did get additional staff support. Last term, the practice was taken to a new level when we saw the use of the phrases "Office of the Vice-Mayor" and "my assistant" from the Vice-Chair of the City Council. There are indications this term that a deal may have already been struck to grant personal staff out of the Mayor's Office to some councillors - possibly justified by appointment as chair to more Council subcommittees than other councillors. This back-door effort, if true, is troubling.

I guess we would all like to have personal secretaries and/or other assistants to cater to our every need. That wish, however, doesn't necessarily translate into good fiscal sense or better representation by our elected officials.

Robert Winters