Special election could be a test

Things seem to be getting a little more interesting in the race for the 1st Suffolk House seat even before the specifics of the special election have been announced. A political blog called .08 Acres points out that Gloribell Mota, the Organizing Director for City Councilor Felix D. Arroyo, has formed a committee to run for the seat. Mota (in photo) is a board member for the Neighborhood of Affordable Housing (NOAH) and the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center.

Mota joins Carlo Basile, Mary Berninger and Jeff Drago in the hunt for the seat that will be vacated any day now by Anthony Petruccelli, who won Tuesday's special election for the state senate seat vacated by Robert Travaglini. What makes this particularly interesting is that Mota, who was born in the US, is of Dominican and Salvadoran descent (according to the NOAH web site). This may shape up, then, as the first test of the political power for East Boston's Latino community.

Eastie, which was close to 100% white in 1980, is now at least half non-white, and a predominant part of that group is Latino. Up to now, however, office holders have still come from the receding Italian American population: Travaglini, Petruccelli and City Councilor Sal LaMattina. In this race, Basile and Drago come out of that same group, and both are politically well connected. Berninger has been active on local issues, working especially hard in the neighborhood's constant struggle against Massport.

Mota's run would stand, I think, to hurt Berninger and Drago, though I think that Drago still remains the favorite. He will have the mayor's backing, and he'll get significant attention from the young professionals who have recently moved into the neighborhood, most taking advantage of the relatively affordable condo prices, as well as the quick access to downtown. Basile, who worked on the campaigns of Mitt Romney and Kerry Healey, is apparently the most conservative of the bunch, and he will appeal to a number of Reagan Democrat types.

If Eastie's Latinos register and turn out in large numbers, Mota could be a significant player in the race, especially if the three other candidates stick it out and divide the remaining votes. On the other hand, I have a feeling that many longtime East Boston residents will be stirred into action by the prospect of a Latino representing them. Among many people I know, NOAH is seen as a group that houses immigrants at the expense of locals. Let's hope that this is a positive campaign all around.