The State Rep Race -- A Perspective

Well, the race for the State Representative Seat for the 28th Middlesex District is over – at least for now. Councilman Stephen Stat Smith came within a hair of defeating long-time incumbent Ed Connolly, and a recount is on the horizon.

This was an interesting race from the beginning. When Smith first started making noise about running – as far back as last November – people rolled their eyes and told him he was crazy. Connolly was unbeatable – that was the conventional wisdom. He had a strong base, and that base would not dessert him.

But a funny thing happened on the way to September 14. Smith started gaining momentum. He worked harder than almost any politician in recent memory. He could be seen throughout Everett and Malden every day, knocking on doors and doing the face to face work that novices and seasoned politicians alike know is crucial to the success of a campaign.

The Connolly camp took another approach. They accused the Smith campaign of receiving the assistance of “outside” sources that were intent on removing Connolly from office. They alleged that those sources were supporters of gay marriage and pro-choice advocates. The Connolly camp claimed that these groups had put their support behind Smith because of Connolly’s pro-life/anti-gay marriage stands, and there is evidence, in the form of mailings, endorsements and one fundraiser, that some gay rights groups and one pro-choice group did, in fact, support Smith’s candidacy.

Smith had decided from the beginning to run a positive campaign. His camp made no negative commentary about Connolly. Smith’s contention was that it was simply time for a change. He did not talk about his opponent’s record on Beacon Hill, which is unremarkable, given the number of years he has served. He made no mention of the fact that Connolly has been in failing health over the past few years. He even chose not to point out that there were also “outside” sources who had targeted Smith for defeat – namely, anti-gay marriage/pro-life advocates who were much more vocal and much more vitriolic in their efforts to keep Connolly in office. Local pro-life supporters even sent out mailings and did neighborhood drops – complete with photos of fetuses -- referencing Smith’s pro-choice stance and accusing him, in round-about fashion, of lacking character and values. One of these letters, written by Mr. John Koch of Wilbur Street, appeared in the local papers. Yet Smith continued to take the high road, which may have been to his detriment. He chose not to point out, for example, that Connolly opposes the construction of a new high school on the Terraces at Glendale Park and that, despite his pro-life stand, he voted in favor of the death penalty.

It is interesting to look at the numbers in this race. In Everett, each candidate won 9 out of 18 precincts. Smith won the vote in the one precinct in Malden that is part of this district, and it was, in fact, the Malden numbers that narrowed the margin of Connolly’s victory to 67 votes.

In Connolly’s stronghold areas – namely, all three precincts in Ward 4 and Ward 3, Precinct 1, he won 58% of the vote. Smith did well in Ward 3, Precincts 2&3, taking 56% of the vote, and in Malden, taking an impressive 66% of the vote.

Other wards showed interesting number as well. Ward One is notable for the fact that Smith had a tremendous amount of help from Councilman Wayne Matewsky, who was making claims that he could deliver the ward for Smith. Given the final numbers – 415 for Smith to 413 for Connolly – it could hardly been considered a show of strength. Matewsky’s home precinct did turn out in good numbers for Smith, where he took 58% of the vote. However, in Precinct 1 & Precinct 2, Connolly took 53% and 54% respectively.

In Ward Two, Smith won two of the three precincts; however, not by enough of a margin to offset the win that Connolly had in precinct 3. Smith won precinct 1 by two votes and precinct 2 by one vote. Connolly won precinct 3 by 40 votes. It’s difficult to assess why this would be true . . . Ward Two could easily have been considered by each camp as a toss up. However, there were public shows of support for Connolly by at least one elected official from Ward 2 – Lou Sierra – which may have contributed to Connolly’s success in that area.

Ward 5 is a puzzle. Connolly took 54% of the vote, but there was no clear indication through the campaign that this area could be a stronghold for him. There may have been a few factors working against Smith in this ward. The first is the Prescott Hotel, located on Church Street. There has been a group of neighbors that, over the years, have had complaints about the hotel and the activity that it causes in the area. In addition, Ward Five Alderman Robert Van Campen sent Dear Friend cards on Connolly’s behalf to every registered Democrat in Ward Five, which certainly could’ve swayed some votes in his direction. Finally, the letter writing campaign of the pro-life advocates may have played well for Connolly in this area, as it is in the heart of the Immaculate Conception Parish.

The one ward that Smith won handily was Ward Six, taking 56% of the total vote. This could be attributed both to Smith’s hard work and to the fact that the Mayor was quietly supporting him. In addition, Anthony Ranieri, a Councilman in Ward 6, is a long time rival of Connolly’s and it could therefore be assumed that he would throw his support behind Smith.

It could be said that to win by a margin of 67 votes is really not a win at all for someone like Connolly who, when he finishes this term, will have held public office in one form or another for 50 years. It is not the note upon which one would wish to end their political career, especially if you consider that the popular thinking leading up to Election Day was that Connolly would take it by 1,000 votes. And he now faces the daunting prospect of a recount, which one has to experience to appreciate the tediousness and frustration inherent in the process.

The final chapter has not yet been written for this particular volume of Everett politics, but it is safe to say that this election will go into the record books as one of the more fascinating and closely watched in recent history.