2009 elections

Andrea Cabral for mayor?

adamg — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 18:53:18 -0400

The Globe (well, technically, a University of New Hampshire survey group hired by the Globe) is surveying Boston residents to try to discern who might put up a good fight against Tom Menino next year.

The list of potential challengers, as seen by Globe survey takers: City Councilor at Large Michael Flaherty, West Roxbury/JP City Councilor John Tobin, Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral, Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley, successful businessman and unsuccessful candidate Chris Gabrieli and, of course, 1-800 Joe 4 Oil Kennedy, who, by law, has to be included in every single poll taken in Suffolk County.

Among the basic questions are how satisfied residents are with everything from education and crime fighting to street cleanliness and the state of public transportation and taxi service in their neighborhoods (taxi service as a big issue next year?).

Michael Flaherty's e-mail mayoral campaign

adamg — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 22:20:45 -0400

Michael Pahre reports on e-mail from the councilor criticizing "the administration" for its failure to get a constituent-complaint tracking system running:

... I believe we have just heard the opening salvo of the 2009 Mayoral campaign. ...

You can stop dreaming about a Mayor Martin

adamg — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:28:26 -0400

Former DA Ralph Martin declines to run for mayor, citing ambivalence over how he wants to spend the next 10 years.

David Bernstein at the Phoenix: Will nobody step in with a serious campaign to enliven the tedium of the suffering political journalists?

Mayoral ambition in a trip to Brighton?

adamg — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 12:32:53 -0500

Michael Pahre takes note of newbie at-large city councilor John Connolly (best known in West Roxbury and Roslindale) and his quick learning of the BC expansion issue and wonders if it might already be time to add him to the list of possible candidates for mayor next year:

We'll watch those fund-raising numbers carefully over the next six months to see how well he replenishes his warchest.

Looks like Councilor Tobin has some thinking to do

adamg — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 15:46:59 -0500

Decisions, decisions. Does the West Roxbury city councilor (who also reps JP) roll the dice for 2009 and get ready to run for mayor next year (assuming Tom Menino decides he's had enough) or does he roll the dice for this fall and get ready to run for state senate (assuming Marian Walsh gets named a judge)?

In either case, he could face opposition from fellow councilors - in the mayor's race, from Michael Flaherty, who's been salivating after the mayor's office for awhile now (and who ended 2007 with $428,414.52 in the bank, according to the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance); in the senate race, from Rob Consalvo, whom I doubt anybody outside of Hyde Park and Roslindale has ever heard of, unless you remember his campaign to ban the sale of mini-bikes.

Did Obama's win in Boston signal trouble for Menino?

adamg — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 09:02:38 -0500

Why, hello there, Mr. Flaherty! Come on in, Mr. Martin! At the Herald, Jessica Van Sack declares: Obama reveals weaker Menino.

I dunno. When I went to vote on Tuesday (for Obama, for what it's worth), I wasn't trying to send Tom Menino a message. I wasn't thinking about the state of Boston public schools, the recent violence in my neighborhood or my property taxes. I was thinking national and international issues (especially the war, which is what tipped me to Obama).

So I'm not ready to consign Menino to the dustbin of history just yet - especially if you look at where Clinton (and thus by proxy, I suppose, Menino) did well in Boston (see Chris Lovett's analysis): West Roxbury, South Boston, Readville - the sorts of places that always vote in much higher numbers in municipal elections than such Obama redoubts as Allston/Brighton and the Back Bay. Next year could be an interesting election for mayor, if we get a well funded or well organized opponent (who knows, we might even get the Globe to cover the election this time!). But it'll be focused entirely on local issues, not what happened Tuesday.

Voting for state committe man, state committe woman, ward committee, electoral college

the zak — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 10:15:49 -0500

On today's ballot how do you folks select who you vote for
a. for state committee man?...
b. state committee woman?...
c. ward committee?...

d. How are the electoral college people actually selected?...

40 potential mayoral candidates

adamg — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 16:25:06 -0500

David Bernstein lists and rates their odds against another presumed Menino re-election bid in 2009. Interesting article, but the Phoenix really needs to find a photo of Michael Flaherty taken sometime more recently than 1983. Also: Joe Kennedy for mayor? Does the guy even live in Boston anymore? And even if he does, ugh, enough's enough with him and his presumed right to whatever office somebody thinks he's running for.

Flaherty in the Phoenix:

Flaherty last month:

John Tobin for mayor?

adamg — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 16:03:07 -0400

Riding a wave of public disgust over the lack of drug testing for firefighters? David Bernstein thinks it's possible.

Felix Arroyo's campaign contributors

adamg — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 22:48:41 -0500

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.