Boston Mayoral preliminary election results---not as bad as I thought.

[No Elephants]

I posted yesterday that Connolly, the pro-charter school candidate, had the most money and had been ahead in the polls all along. (In fairness, he was also the first to start running. The other dozen jumped in only after 20 year Mayor Menino announced that he would not run.)

Well, as I type this morning, Connolly is indeed one of the finalists. However, the guy who got the most votes, Walsh, was once a union leader.

In the world of labor, I am for worker-initiated labor action first, but, when it comes to employers vs. unions, I am, of course, pro-union all the way. And Walsh ran on making Boston better for working families (whatever that means in practical reality).

And, although Walsh was not one of my top two choices, FWIW, my top two choices did make a good showing on no money at all.

So, in all, the results of the preliminary election were not as bad as they could have been.


Walsh, btw, featured his mum in his campaigning. His mailer--I think he did only one--was written from her point of view and she did his robo call in her lilting Irish accent, with the tone of a nervous mum, very anxious to do a good job for her son and speaking quickly to try to get in a lot of info before the inevitable hang up on a robo call. I have to admit, she tugged at my heart, even as I thought that using her was somewhat cynical. As a mom, I feared she would blame herself if he lost.

So, congrats to Mrs. Walsh, too. You did your son a huge solid. I hope that, as your son, he returns the favor. And congrats to whoever came up with that campaign strategy. It was cynical, but you can't argue with success. I expect that future candidates will be stealing the idea, especially if mum sounds as appealing as Mrs. Walsh.

On the down side, two Irish male Democrats are running against each other for Mayor of Boston. For Boston politics, that is an old, old story, interrupted only by Menino, and seems anachronistic given that Boston is now either a majority minority city or close to it.

Walsh comes out of the Boston contruction industry, which is not exactly the cleanest. Although he is 18 years sober, he is an alcoholic and the pressure of the job might do him some damage. (Not too long ago, our Lt. Gov. resigned office after what seemed to be drinking related incidents.) To Walsh's credit, as far as strategy, he surfaced that in his campaign head on, before anyone could use it against him.'

And turnout was only something like 25% of registered voters--and that does not even reflect people who are eligible to register, but don't bother.

BTW, I once called the U.S. Census Dept to ask what % of American adults eligible to vote do not register. The answer was stunning: EWe don't track that." That's how much they care if we vote.

The City of Boston, which does not conduct any census anyway, periodically mails me, asking me to sign a paper under oath, reporting how many dogs live towith me. Apparently, knowing the potential for dog poop is more important to Boston than knowing how many Americans do not register to vote is to America. And then, there was that hasty vote by a Democratic Congress, signed by a Democratic President who used to work with ACORN to register voters in his district, defunding ACORN over a doctored video. Hmmm.

[Enthusiast]

1. I'm glad to hear it!

The ACORN thing still pisses me off.

[No Elephants]

3. A lower court declared it unconstitutional, which it certainly seemed to be.

(bill of attainder). However, the Circuit Court reversed. I did not understand why. I probably should try to read the opinion. Then again, the bill of attainder issue does not come up every day, and so I am reluctant to spend a lot of time trying to figure it out. ACORN did not take it to the Supremes. I don't know if it was simply broke by then, or whether its lawyer advised against an appeal. Guess we'll never know.

[rpannier]

2. Good

Here's hoping the charter school guy goes the wya of charter schools and disappears completely from public life

[No Elephants]

4. Both winners of the preliminary election favor charter schools. Walsh is on the board of a charter

school. His website describes him as a "founding board member."

So, Boston voters will have no choice at all on that issue, I fear.