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CITY-COUNCIL PRELIMINARY
Livin’ at-large
BY ADAM REILLY
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The first big test for Boston’s 15 at-large city-council hopefuls comes next Tuesday, when voters pick eight candidates who will advance to November’s final (where the final four will be crowned). With that in mind, the various contenders have been ratcheting up the intensity of late. For example, Patricia White — who just missed out on a council seat in 2003 — recently unveiled the first TV ad of this year’s at-large campaign, a 30-second spot in which White and a plastic folding chair visit with a strategically diverse array of Bostonians. (See, the chair is your seat on the Boston City Council.) Sam Yoon — who would be Boston’s first Asian-American councilor — announced his endorsement by the Black Political Task Force, a development that could help Yoon with the African-American electorate. And Kevin McCrea, who has an addiction to self-promotion, kindly invited the media to his September 24 wedding at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross ("It is sure to be a memorable occasion, full of surprises!" read the press release/wedding invitation). All of which raises the question: is this publicity push really a good idea? True, for candidates like McCrea, who might be in danger of falling out of the top eight, any PR is useful right now. And Yoon’s finish in the preliminary could determine whether he’s treated as a diverting anomaly or a genuine contender for the duration of the campaign. But a strong preliminary performance isn’t always helpful. Just ask White. Her third-place showing in the September ’03 preliminary year was impressive, but also reminded her incumbent rivals that they’d have to work to retain their seats. Come November, White fell to fifth place; in retrospect, it’s clear she peaked too soon. Conversely, Felix Arroyo finished a disappointing fifth in the ’03 preliminary. But this turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to him. Progressives and voters of color responded by declaring a sort of state of political emergency, mobilizing in droves to keep Boston’s first Latino councilor in office. Come the general election, Arroyo parlayed this siege mentality into a second-place finish. That’s not to say that White or any other candidate should pull the political equivalent of Muhammad Ali’s rope-a-dope trick. This year’s at-large race is simply too competitive. But any preliminary-night celebrating and mourning should be done with restraint. Chances are, a host of unforeseen forces will be unleashed by Tuesday’s vote — and the result we get next week won’t be the one we get in November.
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