Campaign Trail Updates

In no particular order....

-One of the people from Allston/Brighton who has been supportive of me told me tonight that he doesn't put signs up in his window anymore because one time he supported a candidate who wasn't part of the "in" crowd and he suddenly started getting tickets for trash and parking. Previous to that he hadn't received any for 11 years. Democracy is in a sad state of affairs here in Boston when people are afraid to voice their support for someone. Hey, we're all democrats!!!

-I was bemused to see that John Connolly didn't write his own position paper on education according to the Herald. I did glance over it one night, and complemented John last week on putting out a more definitive statement, although I haven't had the time to look at it in any detail. Apparently John said a staffer had written the position paper and that was why there was an error about a person mentioned in the report.

-Speaking of position papers, a long time ago I was speaking with Patricia White who said she would have an education platform out "soon". I checked the website tonight and still nothing.

-Jim O'Sullivan from the Dorchester Reporter interviewed me this week and asked if I was talking alot about Sam Yoon for any particular reason on my blog, and I said no, it is just random who I run into out on the campaign trail. Jim, and the staff of the Reporter, are doing a great job of covering the election and they have profiles of all the candidates (except yoon, o'malley and me-coming next week) at http://dotnews.com/atlargeprofiles.html. Elsewhere on my blog is an article written in the spring by Jim exposing how the BRA is trying to rewrite the zoning code for 1/2 the city to help one politically connected family keep their home. Great journalism.

-Speaking of Sam, last week we were at a neighborhood meeting in the Leather District with local district candidate Susan Passoni. We were all asked a question about how to fix the streets and sidewalks in the neighborhood and in the city. I spoke about how having a city planning agency where we planned ahead 5 years and identified which streets would get redone was a professional, proactive way to bring better government to everyday issues. Susan spoke similarly about professional management. Sam said that people should call him up, and that 5 people could come to his office and he would get their sidewalks fixed. I give Sam a mulligan on this one (we all flub answers on the campaign trail), because what he was describing is just the same old world politics of getting things done because of who you know. I hope that is not what they are teaching at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

-Most of the candidates were at a fundraiser tonight for the Presentation School in Brighton. Shirley Kressel was asking all of them where they stood on eminent domain takings of private property to give to other private property owners. Patricia White answered something to the effect of "not being comfortable discussing that issue" but that she would have a position paper out on that soon. Once again, if the voters would like someone who will discuss important issues facing them my number is 617-267-2453. In the meantime, we'll look out for that position paper.

-Ed Flynn, real gentleman on the campaign. He thought I was getting married last saturday so he called to congratulate me. Nice. But I'm getting married in September. I mentioned I only had two events to go to that day and he INCREDIBLY kindly told me about 4 other events to go to. He maybe short on details in his campaign, but he is honest, hardworking and knows the city. I would like to see a website or some details about where he stands on stuff.

-Steve Murphy. Turns out we dropped some campaign literature at his house in Hyde Park last week. I didn't know it was his house (a very nice contemporary home I might add, that he told me he had upgraded when they bought it) when we dropped off the literature. One of the residents on the street said to me "do you know who's house that is? That's Steve Murphy's place". I don't think I'll get Steve's vote, but I thought he'd get a laugh out of getting my campaign literature.
Something he doesn't have. Out on the campaign trail he just hands out his business card. No literature. No website that I'm aware of. I find it hard to believe in this day and age people would vote for someone who has absolutely no stated positions on anything. How do you hold him accountable??? It sounds like Louise Day Hicks "You know where I stand...." except that I don't.