Buonomo for mayor

Setting Somerville's agenda

In an ideal world, Somerville voters could elect Dorothy Kelly Gay in the May 11 special election to replace former mayor and newly elected congressman Michael Capuano. In the same election, John Buonomo could then be promoted from alderman-at-large to budget-and-planning czar. But that's not how it works. The mayor must have a strong grasp of the working details of the city, from the operating and school budgets to economic-planning and development initiatives. The mayor must also act as the leader in setting the city's political agenda and tone. The Boston Phoenix believes John Buonomo is the best-qualified candidate for this job.

Buonomo has been active in Somerville politics for the past 18 years -- as director of human services for former mayor Gene Brune, as a school-committee member, and as an alderman. As chairman of the Finance Committee for the Board of Aldermen, he is well versed in the details of how the city is run. By contrast, Kelly Gay is not. Although she served on the Somerville School Committee from 1987 to 1991, she has spent the last seven years outside of Somerville politics -- as a member of the Governor's Council (where her record is exemplary) from 1992 through 1996, and last year as an inspiring, but ultimately unsuccessful, candidate for lieutenant governor.

Although Kelly Gay is a far more dynamic candidate and brings excitement to the contest, trying to discern the real differences between her and Buonomo is like comparing Tom Brokaw with Peter Jennings: they look a little different, but they say the same things. Both mayoral hopefuls want to improve the schools, reform the city's troubled police department, and ease the crunch in affordable housing. Both support passage of legislation affording health-care benefits to the domestic partners of gay and lesbian city workers.

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But for Kelly Gay, the devil is in the details -- or lack thereof. Buonomo's grasp of fiscal minutiae (as evidenced on the campaign trail, during the April 26 candidates' debate, and in his meeting with the Phoenix) -- be it current budget figures, tax rates for Somerville and surrounding cities, or economic incentives for developers -- is nothing short of impressive. Kelly Gay, on the other hand, while an impressive leader, seems troublingly unversed in the specifics of municipal government. When Buonomo asked her about a housing-policy issue (residential tax exemptions) at the April 26 debate, for instance, she didn't appear to know what he was talking about. She was similarly stingy with details in her meeting with the Phoenix. If Buonomo were elected, there is little doubt that he could quickly pick up where Capuano left off. And given the city's healthy budget, its recent success in sending a mayor to Congress, and its enviable press (the Utne Reader dubbed Somerville's Davis Square one of the hippest spots in North America), taking up where Capuano left off is a pretty good starting point.

But that's not to say that the Phoenix doesn't have reservations about endorsing Buonomo. It's tough to choose between two such appealing candidates. And it remains to be seen whether Buonomo, a lifelong bureaucrat, can muster the charisma and strength of character needed to rise above the petty yet vicious infighting that has characterized Somerville politics for decades. He must also recognize the real need for leadership in reforming the city's police department: his campaign literature merely states that if the department needs change, it must come from the police chief. In person with the Phoenix, however, Buonomo was much more forceful about the need for reform and promised an independent review of the department. Such change is imperative. By all accounts, the results of this special election will be tight; whoever wins would be wise to keep in mind that voters (and losing candidates) will get a second crack at the post come November -- so campaign promises must be kept.

That said, for the past 10 years (after losing a close 1989 mayoral race to Capuano), Buonomo has been preparing himself for a second chance -- and it shows. The citizens of Somerville deserve a mayor as ready for the job as John Buonomo.

What do you think? Send an e-mail to letters[a]phx.com.