Today's Boston Globe has a piece on the race for East Boston's open House seat, outlining the candidates and their backgrounds, with a particular focus on Gloribell Mota and the challenge she faces running against a pair of well-connected guys (Carlo Basile and Jeff Drago) while her theoretical base (Eastie's Latino community) has only turned out in small numbers to date (fewer than 400 voted in last year's special election for City Council) either because they are not citizens, not registered or disinterested.
The story praises Mota, saying, "With a serious policy background and winning manner, Mota may be the most articulate candidate in the field," but also quotes a local observer, who says he's "not sure how the numbers can work for her."
3 comments:
I find Scapicchio's comment really interesting. He obviously assumes that the only people who are going to vote for Mota are Latino. It also appears to assume that anyone who's voted for Scapicchio or LaMattina (possible Petrucelli by extension) will automatically not vote for Mota.
This is kind of offensive, really. I would like to believe that I and my neighbors are not only capable of making up our own minds about which candidate best represents our interests and values, but are also willing to vote based on our interests or values. But, as a relatively new Eastie resident, Scapiccio's comment explains some of the complaints that I've heard from my long time neighbors about the status quo. By this comment, it appears that our most recent elected officials of Italian heritage take the Eastie vote for granted - particularly the non-Latino vote.
I applaud your rationale to voting, and I hope that more people in Eastie approach the ballot box with the same thoughts in mind. However, I am from this neighborhood, and I know how strong the forces of loyalty to family, friend, neighbor and ethnic group can be. I need to look no further than my elderly mother, who always votes for the candidate with the vowel at the end of his name. Old habits die hard.
Does that mean Mota has a chance with your mother?
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