A reminder: Wednesday night 3/2 is the event for Tim Schofield, State Rep candidate for the 18th Suffolk district. And with respect to our resident troll, you will definitely get to meet Tim if you so desire, and bend his ear about potholes, public transit, global warming, your achin’ back, what have you.
Here’s the info:
Wednesday March 2, 2005
6:00 ? 8:00 pm
The Kells (map)
161 Brighton Avenue
Allston, MA 02134
You can RSVP to me, or be spontaneous.
Various commentators talk about the relative depth of the Democratic "bench" in various states; that is, the ability of folks further down the ballot to step into leadership roles. Well, this is progressives’ opportunity to bolster our depth. Will we sign him up?
Please share widely!
thanks for the info CharleySignedThe Troll
Didn’t see you there. Or did I?
In all seriousness, it was a terrific event. Big BC law contingent; Tim was introduced by a former law professor who testified to Tim’s integrity and courage in law school, confronting an unfair professor.Tim spoke eloquently about the positive role of government in peoples’ lives — you may hate to pay taxes, but if your house is on fire, who’s going to put it out? He also spoke to the creativity that’s been unleashed on Beacon Hill as a result of Finneran’s departure, that folks are actually considering new solutions to old problems. And that here, at the state level, is where the solutions to problems like affordable housing, education, and health care are going to be found — the federal government as controlled by the Republicans just doesn’t care.All in all, a very succinct, optimistic, and apt description of what’s happening, and you got a great idea of what kind of rep he’d be: smart, creative, energetic, a problem-solver.Upon hearing him, I am glad — and frankly, relieved. The good guys aren’t giving up.
Sounds like it was agood time. How many people were there? And more importantly how many voters were there? Plus why knock Finneran? This election is in Finneran’s district where he has been re-elected time after time. Why offend people when you don’t have to. (yes, i know the district has changed some since the infamous redistricting)Rookie mistake.Get out, identify vote, create excitement, look hungrier then the other candidates, and most importantly, get your vote out on election day. A race like this, i would say 1200 to 1500 votes will win it, dependeing on weather. Rememebr, you can’t get your vote out unless you identify it. The candidate and his family (doesn’t work so much with friends and supporters) has to ask people individually for their vote.Free advice from the troll.Thanks
I am stupid. Sorry. I was mistakenly thinking that Schofield is runing for Finneran’s old seat. My mistake. Except for the knocking finneran part in aboive post, I stand by everytrhing else. Until i discover my next mistakeBye
Right, it’s in Golden’s old district. I gather that the main reason he got elected the last few times was because the progressives split the vote between them in the primaries. The same thing could very well happen again, this time with Glennon on the right vs. Schofield/Walsh/Moran on the left.I tried to do a quick head count — I think that about 50-60 people were there, including Rep. Jamie Eldridge from Acton. I have no idea the proportion of voters vs. other interested folks (like me). Considering it was a fundraising event, it was pretty impressive.Your point is correct, though, and I should have mentioned that Schofield did ask for as much shoe-leather help as possible, especially the weekend before. You can email the campaign here if you’d like to help out. Again, good stuff doesn’t happen by accident.
CharleyYou are some what right about golden. But he got elected because he knew people in Brighton. He knew families, his family knew families. He went to grade school and high school with people who still have family in the district. He organized. And he asked a lot of people for their vote. He followed up with them to get them out on election day. He may have even used poll checkers.Most voters don’t care about his progressive credientials. Is he a good guy and can he deliver for the district. If the answer is yes then most state rep can be excused for a lot of short comings.The thing you cannot underestimate is most people, even in progressive Brighton don’t give a crap who their state rep is. And just as important, this is a special election. Very little publicity. And this race is going to be won in the primary. Most people won’t know it is primary day. the candidate has to remind his voters and then lassoo them to get them to vote. The candidate who can do that will win. Not the one with the better progressive record. Most people in this district are not from here and don’t follow local politics. Even if they are very progressive most will not vote.ALL POLITICS IS LOCALIT IS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE
I quite agree with The Troll’s last comment. No question how this one will be won: the old-fashioned way. Golden beat Dave Friedman, a strong progressive candidate (full disclosure: Dave is a friend of mine), last time around not because more people agreed with Golden on the issues, but because more people who knew Golden, his family, whatever, showed up on election day. Simple as that. So it’s fine for Schofield to look to “progressives” (or whoever) to raise money, and to pick up endorsements from the Globe and the Phoenix (as Friedman did) – money is essential, and endorsements have some marginal value. But absolutely, the real work has to be done on the streets of Brighton. Good luck!
Golden also won because he locked up 500+ votes in a Russian-immmigrant residential complex in Brighton through a good relationship with Naakh Vysoky, a community leader who makes sure people get naturalized and get out to vote as a bloc for one candidate. Nothing wrong with that; delivering votes honestly is a basic democratic strategy and every voter has a right to vote as he chooses.Glennon was counting on inheriting this support from Golden, but Vysoky was quoted in the Globe recently saying he’s staying out of this race and not picking a candidate. This makes the race somewhat more open than it was. Glennon is really not an impressive individual, and he did run for Congress as a Republican, so I’m not sure he can even do as well as Golden. Interestingly, Joe Walsh speaks fluent Russian.
Thanks B – this is great info. I assume Schofield’s campaign knows this stuff too…?
It was on the front page of the Globe metro section some days ago. I can’t speak for the campaign, but I don’t see how they could have missed it, even assuming they didn’t gather as much from their own contacts.
I love how progressives/Schofield move into a neighborhood and think that they are going to be the savior of the neighborhood. Allston Brighton survived long before Schofield came along. The “progressives” do not give enough credit to the locals and most see through his bullxxxx. Do not count out Michael Moran. He has ties to the neighborhood that schofield could never possiblely have or understand.
Hi Dawn,I really didn’t get the impression from Schofield that he’s thinks he’s going to be “the savior of the neighborhood”. As for his alleged “bullshit”, what exactly are you referring to? I don’t know where you get that, unless perhaps you have an axe to grind for another candidate. If it’s Moran (as it would seem to be), by the accounts I’ve heard and read, he seems to be a credible candidate, a decent guy, and someone with deep roots in the community. I wouldn’t count him out at all.I honestly don’t know how long Schofield has lived in the district, but I ask you: how long is enough to accurately and energetically represent the interests of the residents? Two years? Ten? Thirty? What’s your cutoff, and why?And keep in mind, a lot of Allston/Brighton residents haven’t been there all that long. Do they count? Do they vote? We’ll see. As for the newly minted “The Troll’s” comments on the ground game: he’s absolutely right, and put it very concisely and powerfully. I’m thinking of copying and pasting it into my emails to my friends in the district, reminding them that their vote actually does count — with permission and due credit, of course. Shai Sachs and co. of Drinking Liberally (“We’ve got your social capital right here in this bottle”) have been pounding pints and pavement for Tim Schofield.
I live in Rep Honan’s District so I don’t have to deal with the election but from someone who does have roots in the community I do get offended by 2 year residents that think they know whats best for the Community. I also do ont think that the progressives do not give Joe walsh much credit. I like schofield.
Dawn, thanks for writing back. You’re not the first or only person to be concerned about the length of residency, but I’m not sure I understand that reaction — then again, I don’t live in the 18th, so what do I know? As far as an outsider (which again, I don’t know that Schofield is) coming in and “knowing what’s best”, certainly, a State Rep deals a lot with constituent services, and not necessarily things that are glamorous, state-wide issues. And he or she should definitely know the neighborhoods and the particulars of his district — which can be very hard with our kooky districts.Now, I think that has a lot to do with temperament: is he a good listener? Is he all about himself and his personal hobby-horses, or does he have a genuine compassion for his neighbors? Is he curious? Responsive to injustice? Is he a media-hog, or a grinder?Look, I think that some peoples’ bells go off when they hear of a young lawyer, maybe not a lifelong resident (and again, I don’t know his story about that), running for a leadership position. I’m just saying, give the guy a chance. Check out the website — hell, call the office, see if he’s around. Don’t just assume that he’s some slick carpetbagger — if you got that impression from what I wrote, then I didn’t write very well.
Dawn-Give me a break would ya? You get offended by people who are new to the area and want to make a difference? Well, I moved here two years ago and I’m as much a resident as anyone, thank you very much. In fact, I suspect I am more informed about what is going on then the long time residents who live around me. I suspect from my conversations with them that don’t even care that there is any election or what the issues are.As far as the candidates go, there is only one who has bothered to knock on my door, and that is Tim. From the rest I get flyers in the mail. I’m voting for Tim because he made the time to knock on my door and talk with me, like a real person, and from that conversation I am convinced he will not change his position on the marriage amendment.Moran might be a nice guy, and I won’t cry if he wins, only Glennon is on my shit list. But I don’t know what “bullshit” you are talking about with regards to Tim, so unless you want to explain that remark, keep your indignation to yourself.
ZedI apoligize for my bullxxx comment It was not directed at Tim. I am new to blogging I should of re-read my comments before hitting the send button. I took Charlies advise and called tims campaign. I agree with anyone but Glennon.I commend the fact that you are involved in the community. I wish more People would get involved. Sadly most people just think of Brighton as a place to live untill they buy a house or have to school their kids. Brighton is a neighborhood with many people that have deep roots. Thats why I think its important for the rep to know the history of the neighborhood.
Dawn, great point about people setting up in Brighton and then moving out shortly. In fact, Tim Schofield made almost exactly your point in his brief speech, and keep in mind he was speaking mostly to “young professionals” and law students, i.e. demographically, the folks that are most likely to leave soon. I wish I had a transcript…
Charlie I still think that any rep should live in the area they want to represent longer than 2 years. I’m still not convinced that Tims the right fit for the rep seat but I have looked at his web site and spoken to his campaign office.
Dawn is the kind of voter a campaign can’t waste much time on.
In fact, they can’t waste any time on her, since she doesn’t live in the district.Maybe it’s reasonable to consider the amount of time someone’s lived in a district. But maybe it’s not the only thing to consider, just one of several factors.