Felix Arroyo
Call him Hizzonah again.Boston today gave Tom Menino a record fifth term today, re-electing him by a 57-43 margin over challenger Michael Flaherty.
"Let's be clear: We haven't made history with this election, but we will in what we create of it," Menino told supporters. History will not record the win until we make "a new Boston Miracle for our kids," he said. "Complacency is the highest hurdle we face. Let's fend off the temptation to rest on past accomplishments." Read more
The Jamaica Plain Gazette highlights this week's debate among at-large council candidates on park and open-space issues in the city. Somebody asked Felix Arroyo what "Asian Longhorned Beetles" meant to him; he replied he had no idea, but figured anything with horns was probably bad. The tree-felling beetles have yet to hit Boston, although people are starting to look for them, just in case. Read more
At-large City Council candidate Felix Arroyo says he's won the endorsement of Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral.
Arroyo said he's also picked up endorsements from the Greater Boston Labor Council, Painters District Council 35 and the Gay and Lesbian Labor Activist Network.
Arroyo, son of the former at-large councilor, is running for one of four open seats in the fall elections.
Complete statement: Read more
Wicked Local West Roxbury reports on the comments the three made before the Ward 20 Democratic Committee recently.
At-large council candidate Felix Arroyo (the younger) introduces himself to the Blue Mass. crowd.
At-large council candidate Tito Jackson unwraps his campaign Web site. It actually has a nice home page, and I'd be willing to forgive him the James Bondian doomsday countdown clock except: When you click on any of the menu links, absolutely nothing happens.
Or rather, absolutely nothing seems to happen. In fact, the links work. The problem is every single page (except for the PayPal donation link) consists of the same exact giant red/head shot taking up the first screen, with the actual text underneath it. Unless you mistakenly hit the scrollbar, you'll never see whatever it is Jackson wants you to see when you click on, say, "Issues." Terrible UI for anybody who isn't a high-priced designer with a giant monitor.
The Jamaica Plain Gazette reports that former state Sen. Jarrett "Fluff" Barrios recently moved to JP, where he is busy co-chairing Felix Arroyo the Younger's bid for an at-large city council seat in next year's elections.
The Gazette also reports that Carlos Enriquez is looking at running again for Chuck Turner's district seat, which just today might have become a bit easier to do.
Not the guy who lost last time. His son, Felix Arroyo the younger, the Globe reports.
New England Ethnic Newz interviews the former Boston City Councilor on Boston politics, ethnic politics, his past and future and the last election - which he says he lost in part because of immigrant haters, not because he was in love and disorganized and ran the world's lowest-key campaign in an election that the local dailies pretty much completely ignored:
The fact that you were not re-elected, could that be part of an overall anti-immigrant sentiment?
Arroyo: The anti-immigrant factor is definitely one reason, in particular because I assumed a leading role in the struggle for immigrant rights. ...
Felix Arroyo, who lost a re-election campaign because he was out-organized by other candidates (in part because he was in love), now plans to start a group to organize Boston residents to get more involved in city affairs, the Jamaica Plain Gazette reports:
... Arroyo intends to start a non-profit organization to educate and empower residents. The theme, he said, will be "one Boston for all ... [with a] common agenda of justice and equity." ...
No, not at all like a campaign organization.
Gosh, the Globe has an entire two whole stories today on this week's Boston City Council election, or roughly the same number of stories as it ran in the weeks before the election (good work, McGrory). In any case, one of the stories looks at Felix Arroyo's defeat, and includes this:
Arroyo said yesterday that he had fewer campaign workers, less money, and was much less organized than in previous campaigns. He also admits he has been a little distracted.
"I'm in love," he said. "Love distracts you."
Arroyo's fiancee, Selene Acosta, a gregarious woman from Venezuela, volunteered during his 2003 campaign and accompanied him on many campaign appearances this year.
Love will keep them together - especially now that he won't be distracted by city business:
Winner:
Loser:
Big winner:
Winner:
Guy whose picture I didn't happen to take at the Roslindale Day Parade:
John ConnollySteve Murphy proved tonight he's the Model T of elected officials: He can get elected to anything as long as it's an at-large seat on the Boston city council. He came in second tonight, giving him one of the four at-large seats on the city council.
Felix Arroyo, meanwhile, proved that, on a rainy day, when not even 14% of registered voters show up, organization DOES matter, as in: If you don't have much of one, you're going to wonder what the hell happened.
And what the hell happened tonight was that John Connolly, who had an incredibly organized get-out-the-vote effort, especially in his home base of Roslindale and West Roxbury, simply got more votes than Arroyo (who came in second two years ago, which led to a brief Arroyo-for-mayor boomlet). If the flap over Connolly's anonymous anti-Murphy mailings had an impact, in the end, it didn't matter (except to possibly give Steve Murphy some sympathy votes).
Of course, above everybody else sits, again, Michael Flaherty. Not really a surprise there, and you know he already has people thinking what colors to use on the "Flaherty for Mayor" signs. The only question is whether he dares to take on Tom Menino in two years or waits until 2013 - when, who knows, maybe he'll be facing Sam Yoon, who also got re-elected tonight.
Of course, the big question is what this all means for actual policy making in Boston. Granted, we have a "weak" city council, which makes it hard for them to actually get anything done, but they do have the power to hold hearings and get to vote on the mayor's budget, so it'll be interesting to read in the GateHouse and college papers what happens (since we obviously can forget about the Globe and Herald writing much of anything about the council).
In other races:
Mark Ciommo beat Gregory Glennon to win the Allston/Brighton district council race by a roughly 60/40 margin (props to Michael Pahre for calling that margin). He takes over for Jerry McDermott, who moved out of town.
In Dorchester, Maureen Feeney easily maintained her position as the only woman on the council, swamping Michael Cote.
Charles Yancey did even better against J.R. Rucker in his Dorchester/Mattapan district.
It was Chuck Turner over Carlos Henriquez in Roxbury in another trouncing.
All other district races were uncontested.
Vote numbers from the city elections department.
The Optimistic Patriot doesn't get why City Councilor Felix Arroyo wants to ban spanking; he says a little paddling didn't hurt him:
... My mom used a wooden spoon on me. She wasn't a big fan of waiting till dad got home. Looking back on my spankings, I must say that I deserved every one of them. It wasn't a lot of fun getting spanked, but our little girl will get a few swats as she grows too. What my mom and I both know is that we're parents first, which means having a disciplined and respectful child is your number one priority. There's nothing wrong with giving a kid a few good whacks when they've earned them.
Perhaps, before trying to add thousands of immigrants to the city voter rolls, he should first help ensure the elections department can handle them.
Also, Mr. Mayor? Saying you're "delighted" by a report that finds one of your departments is unable to fulfill its most basic requirements because of years of underfunding just seems kind of, oh, impolitic.
Discuss, vote on Arroyo's immigrant proposal.
Mass. Marrier considers a civilian review board to look at how the police operate, why the police don't want it, and why the public should insist on it.
Two years before he runs for re-election (and possibly four years before he runs for mayor), Felix Arroyo quietly let the world know on Friday that a) He's contesting some back auto-excise taxes, b) he owes $25 for a missed 1997 property-tax payment and c) he no longer drives a car:
I also have an unfavorable driving record (I assure you that this does not and will never include operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol). I am now using public transportation.
Alas, his statement doesn't say what he did do to rack up that record.
Update: Sources tell the Hub (ooh, we have sources!):
It isn't to do with alcohol or anything of the like. He's just a crappy driver, and he knows it, so he's stopped driving. Actually, a pretty good policy.
The Globe recently reported that City Councilor Michael Flaherty, who topped the at-large ballot last month and who might run for mayor in 2009, raised two-thirds of his money from outside Boston.
Interesting as far as it goes, but dagnabbit, why didn't they also tell us where Felix Arroyo's money came from? After all, he came in second on the ballot last month and he might run for mayor in 2009.
So naturally, I downloaded Arroyo's financial records from the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance so I could see the rest of the story. Read more
Yeah, yeah, nice that you got re-elected. Now that the coffers for your 2009 mayoral campaign are filling up, could you do your constituents a favor and buy an automated calling system that disconnects when somebody hangs up on it? Sooner or later, somebody will get a call from your automaton double thanking them for voting for you and they will hang up and then they'll have a heart attack and they'll try to dial 911 only they won't be able to because your voice is still on the phone babbling away and then they'll die. And that just wouldn't look good on the evening news.
Polls may show dissatisfaction with the state of the city, but you wouldn't know it from the results - Menino beat Hennigan 2-1 - overwhelming not only the hapless city councilor but people who either voted for her or cast blanks as a protest against the nascent Imperial Mayor.
On the city council, the big news is the election of Sam Yoon to an at-large seat. First Asian-American to hold such a seat. Felix Arroyo came in second to vote machine Michael Flaherty. For me, the big surprise was Steve Murphy's re-election. After his shellacking in the sheriff's race last year, he seemed to be on his way out. Shows you what I know - and how important the union vote still is in this town. At the district level, South Boston's Jimmy Kelly easily swamped the South End's Susan Passoni, as West Roxbury's John Tobin did to Jamaica Plain's Gibran Rivera (hmm, imagine if, somehow, JP and the South End were joined in a single district).
So what's it all mean? Read more
Adrian Walker hauls out the newcomer cliche column and doesn't say anything new about people like Sam Yoon and Susan Passoni, just that they are new.
Adam explains why he'll be voting for Hennigan, Arroyo, Yoon, Connolly and O'Malley.
The Globe looks at the at-large race as a preliminary for the 2009 mayoral election and at efforts by service unions to get out the vote for minority candidates. The Herald basically says there's an election tomorrow.
A lot of the stuff Hennigan says about cleaning house is pretty much identical to what a new Mayor Menino said in 1993.
Less than resounding endorsement from the Phoenix, but better than nothing: basically, Menino's gotten soft and tired and Hennigan's at least as qualified as Menino was 12 years ago. Also getting the paper's nod: Sam Yoon, John Connolly, Patricia White and Felix Arroyo. As well as Susan Passoni in the South End/South Boston, John Tobin, sort of, in JP and West Roxbury and Jerry McDermott in Allston/Brighton.
Hennigan also picks up the endorsement of Mel King
The Globe gets Menino and Hennigan to talk about education.
Maura Hennigan rolls out new TV ads that portray Boston as completely unprepared for earthquakes, hurricanes, terrorists and the release of bioweapons.
Will Councilor Charles Yancey endorse Hennigan today?
The Globe makes its at-large endorsements: Connolly, Yoon, Arroyo and Flaherty.
Was the head of a statewide Latino advocacy group taken out of context in a Globe puff piece on Felix Arroyo, or does she simply regret saying some whites will vote for Arroyo because they feel guilty about displacing poor Hispanics in yuppifying Boston neighborhoods (hmm, and is "yuppifying Boston neighborhoods" redundant)?
Will progressives and minority voters bullet vote for Arroyo and Yoon (to help the former get more votes than Flaherty and the latter get on the council)? Will Maura Hennigan be able to pay off her second mortgage?
Meanwhile, the Globe makes endorsements in district council races - all incumbents except for Susan Passoni in the South End/South Boston.
Above right: Artist's rendition of Felix Arroyo, if Arroyo dressed up as a pirate for Halloween.
The Weekly Dig can't think of anything particularly insightful or new to ask at-large city council questions, so after lobbing some predictable questions, asks the eight candidates if they are Communists and who the ugliest candidates are. Read more
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