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Quiet September preliminary in Boston features just two elections
By Shelagh Dolan on Sun, 08/09/2015 - 2:24pm
District 4 candidates: Campbell, Lacet, Williams, Yancey
Most Boston voters will get to ignore the Sept. 8 preliminary elections for city council: Only District 4 (Dorchester, Mattapan) and District 7 (Roxbury) have enough candidates to warrant an election - and neither has any candidate debates or forums scheduled between now and the election.
In District 4, incumbent Charles Yancey of Dorchester, who will remind you at the drop of the hat that he is the city's longest serving councilor, faces opposition from Andrea Joy Campbell of Mattapan, Jovan J. Lacet of Mattapan and Terrance J. Williams of Dorchester.
Yancey, first elected in 1983, is now serving in his 16th term. He ran unsuccessfully for mayor - but simultaneously successfully for re-election - in 2013.
Campbell is a lifelong resident of Boston, a graduate of Boston Public Schools, Princeton University and UCLA Law. Before running for public office, she served as deputy legal council for former Gov. Deval Patrick.
Lacet is a Boston Public School grad, an 18-year practicing attorney, former Boston police officer and a veteran of the United States Marine Corps.
Williams has worked for the Boston Water and Sewer Commission for almost 25 years, as well as the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department. An active community organizer, he started Mighty Mission Youth Program out of the Tobin Community Center to help Boston youth go to college. He also ran against Yancey in 2013.
Whichever of the three gets the most votes will run against Yancey in the final election in November.
In District 7, incumbent Tito Jackson faces five opponents: Charles Clemons Jr. of Dorchester, Kevin Dwire of Roxbury, Haywood Fennell Sr. of Roxbury, Althea Garrison of Roxbury and Roy Owens of Roxbury.
Clemons, a co-founder and General Manager of Touch 106.1 FM, ran for mayor in 2013.
Dwire made an unsuccessful District 7 run in 2011 as a member of the Socialist Workers Party.
Fennell is a Boston University and UMass Boston graduate, a Vietnam era US Army Veteran, author and playwright. An ex-offender, he is an advocate for prison sentencing reform.
Garrison, who served one term as a state representative (1993-1995), runs every year for one office or another.
Owens, who also runs for something every year, is a church elder at the Walthall Chapel Church of God in Christ and an anti-abortion, anti-LGBT and anti-rock and roll activist.
Preliminary municipal elections for Districts Four and Seven will take place on September 8. General City Council elections for all other districts and at-large seats will be on November 3.
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Comments
Good luck
Good luck to challengers and incumbents both.
Sad state of affairs that none of the other 645,000 residents of our city didn't feel like running.
And which office are you running for?
Before you point back, I've done it once.
If Dan the Bagel Man and Doug Bennett can run, anyone can.
I'm writing myself in on the ballot on vote day.
One vote for me!
Suggestion:
Suggestion: Hold municipal elections in Boston in odd-numbered years, separate from federal and state elections. That'll help keep interest and turnout down, which will make the machine's job easier.
An idea
Instead of skipping elections because there's not enough people to run, or allowing people to run uncontested (a big problem in MA), have an election for every position, and if two parties have not put up candidates, then the slate reads "Candidate A," and "No Vote." That way, there's no more winning by showing up.
It would be good if enough
It would be good if enough non votes was considered a vote of non confidence.
NOTA
None of the Above campaign. Wikipedia link for more, too.
Preliminary elections
The purpose of a preliminary election is to reduce the number of candidates to two (or, for at-large city council, to twice the number of at-large seats). If there aren't that many candidates, there's no need for the preliminary so it doesn't happen.
In Somerville, we are having a preliminary only in my ward, where four people are running for ward alderman after the incumbent Rebekah Gewirtz decided not to run for re-election. It will be on an unusual date, Thursday, September 17.
I hope Campbell wins, and
I hope Campbell wins, and Tito stays.
Same here.
I have a feeling we'll see Yancey yet again, for two more years. I don't live in his district, otherwise I'd vote for Campbell.
Yancey does not get a bye to
Yancey does not get a bye to the November finals. Yes, he'll finish top two on 9/8 so it's kind of a moot point.
You're right
And blame me, not Shelagh, for that little bit. Theoretically, yes, Yancey could come in third and then we'll never see him get his high school built. But the odds of that happening (coming in third, not getting the high school built, that is)?
Incumbent finishing third
does happen on occasion. Somerville's previous mayor, Dorothy Kelly Gay, finished third in a preliminary election in 2003, beaten by both Tony Lafuente and current mayor Joe Curtatone.
Everybody cut footloose!
Roy Owens: Standing up here before you today... with a very troubled heart. You see, my friends... I've always insisted on... taking responsibility for your lives. But, I'm really... like a first-time parent... who makes mistakes... and tries to learn from them. And like that parent... I find myself at that moment when I have to decide. Do I hold on... or do I trust you to yourselves? Let go and hope that you've understood... at least some of my lessons. If we don't start trusting our children... how will they ever become trustworthy? I'm told that the senior class at the high school... has gotten use of the warehouse in Boston... for the purpose of putting on a senior dance. Please... join me to pray to the Lord to guide them in their endeavors.
Candidates' Reports http://www.ocpf.us/Reports/SearchItems
Candidates' Reports
http://www.ocpf.us/Reports/SearchItems
Dion Irish Named Boston Elections Commissioner
https://www.wbur.org/2015/07/23/dion-rish-boston-elections-commissioner
The Board of Election Commissioners meets in the conference room of the Election Department Room 241, Boston City Hall.
The board meetings are open to the public.
Check the calendar for the next scheduled meeting.
http://www.cityofboston.gov/elections/
http://www.cityofboston.gov/boardsandcommissions/default.aspx?boardid=52
Minutes of the last 2 Public Meetings of the Elections Commission available by email, request at
http://www.cityofboston.gov/contact/?id=33
__________ ____________________
District 4 Dorchester, Dorchester/St. Mark’s , Roslindale, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan, Hyde Park
Mattapan's Jovan J Lacet, Veteran, email
lacet4boston at gmail.com
Mattapan’s Andrea Joy Campbell, email
campbellandreaj at gmail.com
Present District 4 City Councilor Dorchester's Charles Calvin Yancey, email
ccyancey at aol.com
Dorchester's Terrance J Williams, email
mrwilliamsmission at yahoo.com
__________ ____________________
District 7 Roxbury, South End, Fenway, Dorchester
Dorchester's Althea Garrison, Former State Representative, email ?
Roxbury's Charles L Clemons Jr, email
djccsounds at aol.com
Present District 7 City Councilor Grove Hall's Tito Jackson, email
tito4boston at gmail.com
Roxbury's Roy Owens, email
prince.albert204 at yahoo.com
Roxbury's Kevin A Dwire, email
kadwire at hotmail.com
Roxbury's Haywood Fennell Sr, Veteran, email
haywoodfennell at gmail.com
__________ ____________________
Compare Cambridge
http://cambridgecivic.com/?p=4193
http://cambridgecivic.com/?p=3904
Remember 20 years ago when
Remember 20 years ago when Massachusetts effectively passed a term limits bill by referendum, and the SJC quashed it? To have more active elections, you need term limits, otherwise the incumbent becomes hard to replace.
Make the city council a 4
Make the city council a 4 year term and have concurrent with the Mayoral Election saving the taxpayers in Boston over $500,000. Maybe even have the election during the state election for Governor etc...
Update the Boundaries of the Wards and the Precincts
Update the Boundaries of Wards and Precincts
http://bostonwardsprecincts.blogspot.com
I think you should do that
And I'll get working on Cambridge.