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Newcomers invigorate Boston city elections
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ONE OF THE MOST refreshing things about this year’s city elections has been the emergence of three new and promising political talents: Patricia White, Matt O’Malley, and Ego Ezedi. Each is young, enthusiastic, and energetic. White, daughter of former mayor Kevin White, is running citywide, as is O’Malley, who has worked for former at-large councilor Peggy Davis-Mullen. Ezedi, a former aide to Congressman Michael Capuano, is running in District Four against incumbent Charles Yancey. Patricia White and Matt O’Malley each deserve your vote in Tuesday’s preliminary election, which will whittle the field of 14 candidates down to eight. There’s no question that White is running on her family pedigree in general (both of her grandfathers were city-council presidents, as was one of her great-grandfathers) and her father’s name in particular. Exhibit A: she’s raised more than $90,000, an almost-unheard-of sum for a first-time council challenger. But what’s most interesting about the 33-year-old candidate is what she’d bring to the council. In one word? Potential. White’s connection to politics isn’t limited to genetics. In 2002, she worked as a deputy field director for gubernatorial candidate Steve Grossman. In 1992 and 1996, she did press work for the Clinton-Gore campaigns. And in 1990, as an undergraduate at Boston University, she worked on John Silber’s campaign for governor. Consistent with this résumé, she is a political moderate. She speaks eloquently of the Boston housing crisis and its impact on city employees who must adhere to a residency requirement. She advocates loosening rules on development to spur the creation of new housing units. She would also like to see more of an emphasis on teacher training and the formation of mentor relationships for Boston public-school teachers. You would think that Matt O’Malley, who turned 24 this past Saturday, is just getting his start in politics. You would be wrong. As a kid growing up in Roslindale, O’Malley followed politics the way others on his block followed the Red Sox. Throughout high school, he interned for Davis-Mullen. While attending George Washington University, in Washington, DC, he worked as a clerk for DC ward councilor Jim Graham. And now he’s running for office in his own right. As befits a political junkie, he’s got a bunch of ideas for improving the city. Some notable highlights: expanding the Safe Neighborhoods Program, a pilot program in Dorchester that O’Malley describes as "community policing on steroids." The program pairs police officers with local youth centers and sees them setting up basketball games for local youth. O’Malley would like to see similar programs implemented throughout the city. He is also an ardent advocate of neighborhood schools, something that can be achieved, he says, only by building more of them. In District Four, which encompasses Dorchester and Mattapan, the Phoenix endorses newcomer Ego Ezedi, who, along with Arthur Sutton Jr., is challenging incumbent councilor Yancey. Ezedi is running an energetic, enthusiastic campaign for, as he likes to put it, "the community." He wants to see potholes filled, abandoned cars removed, and street signs put in place. He wants to see council representation at community meetings. He wants to have open communications with the mayor. Ezedi, 30, is one of the more interesting candidates to emerge this year. Born and bred in Boston, the Dorchester native attended school as a METCO student in Needham from kindergarten through high school, where he was voted class president. An associate minister at the Morning Star Baptist Church, he earned his undergraduate degree from Brandeis University. And in the street-savvy Capuano, Ezedi has a powerful mentor. Like White, Ezedi is full of potential. All that said, it must be noted that Yancey has served the city and his district with distinction. A former council president, Yancey has brought much to his district, from community centers and the Mattapan Police Station to more traffic lights than can be counted. He’s also responsible for a citywide ordinance mandating that every school bus have a safety gate installed, which prevents children from crossing in front of buses. Even so, this election campaign has seen an ugly undercurrent of criticism of Yancey, implying that the 20-year veteran has done nothing for his district. That is simply not true. But after two decades, it’s time for a change. Ezedi can bring that. There are five weeks before the final election in November. Although White, O’Malley, and Ezedi have introduced a new sense of energy into the race, they — along with more seasoned political veterans running for re-election — should use the time remaining to raise the level of dialogue. Boston needs new ideas on everything ranging from money management to reinvigorating the arts. We hope these talents — those new and those with experience — are up to the challenge. One final note: it is a sad, but curious, fact of political life that only 10 percent of eligible voters come out for city elections when the mayor isn’t running. It is often said that citizens should not be cajoled into voting, that if they don’t vote they are simply abdicating one of the most basic duties of citizenship and therefore deserve what they get — or don’t get. This is true. But it hurts us all. How odd is it that progressives — if we go by areas of the city with the highest levels of turnout (South Boston and West Roxbury) versus those with the lowest (South End, Roxbury, Back Bay) — are the ones who don’t participate in the most grassroots opportunity to state their preferences? This year, it matters who wins. But it matters just as much who actually turns out to vote. What do you think? Send an e-mail to letters[a]phx.com
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