As you may know, Tuesday is election day in many municipalities around the Commonwealth, and one of them is Medford. For the first time in decades, there is a hotly-contested race for Mayor between two candidates: former city councillor and city budget chief Stephanie Muccini Burke, and current city councillor Robert Penta. I’m happy to endorse Stephanie Muccini Burke for Mayor, and I hope the Medford voters among you will support her on Tuesday.
You may recall that there was a debate between the two candidates a couple of weeks ago. I went, and I wrote up my impressions here. I want to repeat my takeaway, because it sums up pretty well the basis of my endorsement.
[T]he biggest difference between the candidates, to me at least, was the sense of why they’re in the race at all. Penta, who has served for decades on the City Council, clearly has an enormous chip on his shoulder about the way the incumbent Mayor has treated the Council. He alluded to that relationship numerous times, and he also criticized the current administration for what he sees as its lack of transparency – something that he promised to change. Penta’s purpose for running feels personal – as though he wants to right an enormous wrong that has been perpetrated on him and the other members of the City Council, and by extension, the city as a whole.
Muccini Burke, in contrast, comes across as a technocrat (in a good way). She’s a budget wonk – she’s a CPA (as her campaign signs somewhat awkwardly inform you), and after serving on the City Council, she was the city’s budget director for several years. She talked about bringing a business sensibility to the operation of the city, referring to the election as being about who will be the city’s next Chief Executive Officer. (She amusingly noted in her closing that the election was not for Parking Czar.) And she also mentioned diversity and inclusiveness several times. So, my sense of her reason for running is budget wonkishness blended with a desire to make City Hall a more inclusive place.
Basically, I don’t think holding a grudge against the guy who’s retiring is an especially persuasive underpinning for a political campaign, yet that’s the vibe I get very strongly from Penta. In addition, Penta has a history of shooting his mouth off in ways that are, shall we say, less than sensitive, and he occasionally goes completely off the rails.
I think Muccini Burke’s reasons for wanting to be Mayor are much more compelling, and that, together with her experience in fiscal matters, her preferable stance on some issues like the Green Line extension, and her generally sunny, even-tempered personality (a contrast to her opponent), to me make her the clear choice in this race.
Turnout in municipal elections, even contested ones like this one, tends to be low, so your vote matters. The same is true in other municipalities, including Boston, which features some very interesting City Council races (particularly District 4, in which long-time incumbent Charles Yancey faces an unexpectedly strong challenge – including a Globe endorsement – from Andrea Campbell). So, if there’s an election near you on Tuesday, don’t forget to get out and vote!!
