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Precinct moving flap in South Boston
By adamg on Tue, 07/28/2009 - 4:55pm
David Bernstein alerts us to a nascent controversy over the Boston Election Department's decision to move the "St. Brigid's polling place" (which is not actually at St. Brigid's) to, um, somewhere else. Michael Flaherty, in particular, thinks hijinks are afoot, given how Southie feels about the incumbent mayor, but the election folks insist they know how to do this right, so Flaherty should stop making a federal case out of (presumably because that's what the feds are for).
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Comments
identity politics?
Any reason to think Flaherty is engaged in identity politics, what with Southie having an Irish legacy; Flaherty, an Irish name; and Menino not or more specifically an Italian legacy?
No
Well, maybe there's a bit of that, but more likely it's because Southie and the mayor have long had a contentious relationship. Remember the whole dustup over saving parking spaces after snowstorms.
Also, where do you think Flaherty's from?
I'm not sure why you give an
I'm not sure why you give an unequivocal answer. Regardless, Flaherty is fighting an election board decision becuase he thinks (or he wants the people of south Boston to think) it unjustly harms his chances.
Just trying to head off trouble
Because the next step in the discussion is to accuse Flaherty of playing the Irish card and, if you ask me, that's BS. It's his home neighborhood and a neighborhood that's feuded with City Hall. There's no "identity" politics at work in this case.
In my opinion, of course. YMMV.
It's happening all around,
It's happening all around, maybe here maybe not - Sotomayor, Gates/Crowley, immigration reform, lou dobbs, tea baggers, palling around with terrorists, Obama is an Arab/Muslim, etc. - it's all laced with identity politics. I don't mind you demanding rigorous evidence I just don't agree we should dismiss it out of hand.
St. Brigids Polling location was already moved 2 years ago?
They've moved the polling place from St. Brigids already to a church around the corner, to accomodate handicap persons. The St. Brigid's Church was not at all easy for wheelchair bound voters. Are you saying that they are moving it to yet another location? A third move in 3 years? That's sounds like Menino to me! He had it moved it 2 years ago and he lost the precincts anyway, Ward 6 precincts 7, 8 & 9 are located there. Half of city point! St. Brigid's and the Condon School are the two largest triple voting places in Southie. What's wrong with St. Matthews? Oh, here's an idea, maybe they are closing ST. Matthews, too and converting it into more condos! Great, just what we need in South Boston, more frustrated yuppies & more condos in Southie. Give me a break.
huh?
Did you read the article? St Matthews is CLOSED (no heat or water). St Brigids before that was not accesible to handicaped. How does the Mayor have a role in any of this? And to your point about Southie becoming over condo'd....ask Flaherty about the 15 unit developement on O & 3rd that he and has father are building. Sad when Southie's own elected officials are OVER developing their own neighborhood. Would you vote for a guy like that?
Be suspicious
any time Menino's Election Department says it knows what it's doing. Whatever the motivation for moving the polling location, and whatever Flaherty's motivation is for expressing concern, we should all remember that the Election Department has had some very serious troubles in recent years (DOJ monitoring, State takeover), so scrutiny is absolutely warranted.
Exactly
However this is resolved, several parties have said previously in fact that the city doesn't know what it's doing when it comes to elections. Remember when the city ran out of paper ballots in some precincts and people were forced to wait or just left out of frustration? And that's just a recent example...