2007 elections

Felix Arroyo: Anti-immigrant tide helped do me in

adamg — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 16:09:23 +0000

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. ...

Globe's local editor admits he doesn't give a damn about Boston elections

adamg — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 16:51:58 +0000

Adam Reilly analyzes the near-complete lack of city-council coverage in the local bigfoot dailies (and on WBUR) and gets some fun quotes from Globe local editor Brian McGrory about how bored he is with Boston politics. Reilly allows how McGrory might have a point about lackluster city councilors, but follows that up with a list of stories the media could have covered, but didn't.

Where's a postal inspector when you need one?

adamg — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 15:28:51 +0000

Did John Connolly's not-so-anonymous mailings violate federal postal regulations? Connolly only admits to sending out some of the anti-Murphy mailings, although the Herald reports the others had the same postal permit number as used by the Connolly campaign for other mailings.

Why the Boston Globe doesn't give a damn about Boston elections anymore

adamg — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 13:42:04 +0000

Michael Pahre gets to the heart of the matter: City Editor Brian McGrory finds the City Council boring. He makes the case by digging up McGrory's old columns on Boston politics, one of which, in 2003, summed up what we can expect from a McGrory-led city desk:

Exactly one decade ago, after covering Thomas M. Menino's first election as mayor, I set a lofty journalistic goal. My goal was to never spill a drop of ink writing about the Boston City Council, because no reader with even the hint of a normal life could possibly care about the collection of political miscreants and misfits who make up that perennially underachieving group.

Earlier:
boston.com couldn't even be bothered to post results on election night.

Neighborhood-by-neighborhood city-council number crunching

adamg — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 23:01:09 +0000

Matt O'Malley, who knows something about citywide elections (having run for at-large city councilor twice and having managed Suffolk Sheriff Andrea Cabral's election bid), analyzes how each of Boston's wards voted in Tuesday's at-large council election.

Among other things: He was shocked at how badly Arroyo did in normally progressive Back Bay/Beacon Hill (although he did win Ward 11 on the JP/Roxbury line, even if barely over Yoon) and was surprised Murphy came in third in Roxbury/South Bay (getting Deval Patrick to return your endorsement with one of his own pays off). Also: Look to Mission Hill to become a swing district.

Lovestruck Arroyo blames defeat on Cupid

adamg — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 15:38:24 +0000

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:

City Council election: Carrion bird waiting

adamg — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 12:54:42 +0000

Mike Ball analyzes Tuesday's vote:

... We have two newbies who may or may not make a difference. Connolly has solid ideas for funding, Council power, education and more. The new guy in Allston-Brighton, Mark Ciommo, has his own very specific to-do lists.

This certainly was no revolution. The old guard is still in those big old chairs.

Murphy does little and is not likely to start now. Flaherty is the carrion bird waiting, just waiting for his chance to become mayor. ...

Chris Lovett takes a look at turnout numbers in various parts of the city. Even high-turnout West Roxbury was down 25% over the past election, although the real collapse was in minority ares - turnout was down 58% around JP's Hyde Square.

Officials, media, rent garments over poor election turnout

adamg — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 14:54:35 +0000

But seem unable to look in the mirror.

The Outraged Liberal, meanwhile, compares democracy in Boston, where nobody votes and we have a Mayor for Life, and Pakistan, where lawyers are getting beaten by police and getting thrown in cells for daring to want the right to vote:

... Joni Mitchell said "you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone." The lawyers of Pakistan know. Do we?

It's Murphy AND Connolly; Arroyo learns what happens on rainy days

adamg — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 03:20:13 +0000

Winner:

Loser:

Big winner:

Winner:

Guy whose picture I didn't happen to take at the Roslindale Day Parade:
John Connolly

Steve 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.

Boston election results

adamg — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 01:10:08 +0000

The city is posting them here.

150 feet

02132 — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 23:57:05 +0000

"...no other poster, card, handbill, placard, picture or circular intended to influence the action of the voter shall be posted, exhibited, circulated or distributed in the polling place, in the building where the polling place is located, on the walls thereof, on the premises on which the building stands, or within one hundred and fifty feet of the building entrance door to such polling place."

I just came from the Joyce Kilmer School, scratching my civic duty itch for the year. As usual, the above law (MGL Chapter 54, Section 65) was being flouted. I've said something in the past to the offenders, but I didn't bother this year, because they all seemed friendly enough, and no one was too aggressive.

Is this normal at all city polling places? Does everyone gather as close to the door as they can reasonably get without blocking it? Was I wrong to not mention this to the cop at the checkout desk inside? Would he have even done anything?

Oh well. Let it be known that an annoying sign-holder at a voting station is as likely to make me not vote for someone as anonymous attack mailers. (And to the Stephen Murphy supporter, I'd rather a pen than a pencil, but thanks anyway.)

Adrian Walker, will you just shut up?

adamg — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 21:40:18 +0000

Adrian Walker has the gall today to complain that the city-council election this year is the quietest ever:

While it is tempting to blame the low-key council for at least part of the public's apparent apathy, that wouldn't be entirely fair.

Let me rewrite that sentence for you, Adrian:

While it is tempting to blame the almost non-existent coverage of the council election by the Globe and Herald for at least part of the public's apparent apathy, that wouldn't be entirely fair.

Although it would certainly be deserved. It is great that Michael Pahre at Brighton Centered and Harry Mattison at the Allston Brighton Community Blog did such wonderful jobs covering the election this year (the Tab also did a commendable job). It is just an absolute joke that daily newspapers with "Boston" in their names devoted more ink and electrons to "Britney Spears" between Sept. 1 and today (48 Globe mentions and 22 Herald mentions) than to the "Boston City Council" (9 mentions in the Globe and 9 in the Herald). Christ, the Globe couldn't even be bothered to report the results of a September preliminary election in Roxbury until FOUR days after the fact.

Yes, Adrian, it is, indeed, a shame that the biggest issue of the campaign might prove to be a couple of anonymous mail drops instead of something like crime, or education, or property taxes or even just Tom Menino. Now look in the mirror and explain to yourself how absolutely none of that is your fault.

Ed. obligatory hairshirt: I, too, did a sucky job covering the election; pretty much everything I posted consisted of links to Brighton Centered, the Allston Brighton Community Blog and the Tab, except, of course, for sentence after sentence about the anonymous mailings. My one saving grace: I'm not sitting here going "tut tut."

Vote notes

adamg — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 14:10:07 +0000

Yep, it's time to do your civic duty in Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, Quincy, Newton, etc.

For Boston residents, city-council links if you haven't decided whom to vote for in the at-large and Allston/Brighton races. The whole Connolly/Murphy mailing thing.

If you did vote today, what was it like?

I was voter 14 in my precinct around 7:40 this morning. There was a small mini-phalanx of four palm-card giver-outers standing right in front of the door (of course), although they formed a little mini-corridor to let me through. One guy said good morning and tried to give me a Connolly card. I shook my head no. "Oh, you're not voting?" "Yes, I'm voting, just not for Connolly," I replied. So, yeah, pretty boring. As I drove by Holy Name School in West Roxbury, I noticed Councilor Flaherty also ignoring that quaint law against politicking in front of a polling place - he was planted right in front of the door.

Who says Steve Murphy can't move fast?

adamg — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 16:53:00 +0000

Look what we got in the mail today:

Of course, as I've blathered, if Connolly loses because of this, it'll be because he attacked Murphy anonymously, not because what he said about Murphy was in any way untrue.

Election's tomorrow, natch.

John Connolly: Old Boston disguised in a New Boston coat

adamg — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 12:54:56 +0000

Michael Pahre explains why he thinks John Connolly is really your basic old-line Irish-American pol, not a harbinger of some new politics in Boston - and not just because of all his political relatives from back in the day:

More than anything else, Connolly's stance on schools betrays his old Boston roots. He's 34-years-old, so when he grew up Boston was already under court-ordered desegration and mandatory busing. He told me he did not attend the Boston Public Schools himself, and he also strongly favors returning to neighborhood schools. In fact, he sat down with me in August and lectured for probably a solid 10-15 minutes on why neighborhood schools were the key towards improving the public schools.

The problem with wanting a return to neighborhood schools is that the city may revert to pre-1970s battle lines with schools segregated based on neighborhood demographics, and uneven school quality from neighborhood-to-neighborhood. It's not a surprise that new Boston Councilor Arroyo opposes continued movement towards neighborhood schools. Councilor Yoon summed up a progressive take on the issue by ensuring equality of schools for all: fix the schools first so that every neighborhood has a good school, and only then can overhauling the school assignment system occur....