Boston, MA

Voters head to the polls in Boston City Council elections – The Boston Globe

Published

1 year ago

November 7, 2023

Voters head to the polls in Boston City Council elections – The Boston Globe

Tuesday is voters’ chance to declare what kind of council they want. Come January, the 13-member council will welcome at least four new faces, a notable level of turnover in a city where incumbents rarely lose. Those openings come after a dramatic September preliminary election, when voters ousted Councilors Ricardo Arroyo and Kendra Lara, who were each battling personal scandals. Two long-term incumbents, Councilor At Large Michael Flaherty and District 3 Councilor Frank Baker, are also leaving the council after this year.

Voters in Dorchester, Roslindale, Jamaica Plain, and other neighborhoods are choosing new representatives in open races. Meanwhile, Councilors Tania Fernandes Anderson, Sharon Durkan, and Liz Breadon are defending their seats against challengers, in Roxbury, Beacon Hill, and Allston-Brighton, respectively. Three incumbent councilors — Gabriela Coletta of East Boston, Ed Flynn of South Boston, and Brian Worrell of Dorchester — are running unopposed. And in the race for four at-large seats representing the entirety of Boston, three incumbents are seeking reelection, while five newcomers vie for a spot.

Several of this year’s council races follow familiar battle lines in Boston politics: progressive newcomers, many of them with ties to Mayor Michelle Wu, taking on more moderate candidates with links to the city’s old guard, in several cases former mayor Martin J. Walsh. Tuesday will be a test of Wu’s influence in city politics, as several candidates with her backing appear on the ballot.

“There are some really big choices ahead of us,” Wu told a group of volunteers and candidates on Saturday morning in Hyde Park, as she campaigned for ally Enrique Pepén in District 5. “Are we moving forward as a city? Are we continuing the progress to bring everyone into the conversation? Or are we getting dragged back a little bit into the, ‘Us vs. them’ and, ‘We need to protect our pie,’ when in fact we should be growing opportunity for everyone.”

Pepén faces Jose Ruiz, a longtime Boston police officer, in the race to represent District 5, which includes Hyde Park, Roslindale — where Wu lives — and parts of Mattapan.

In neighboring District 6, which includes Jamaica Plain and West Roxbury, labor attorney Benjamin Weber is running against IT director William King.

In Dorchester-based District 3, longtime BPDA official John FitzGerald faces teacher and pastor Joel Richards.

In the at-large race, incumbents Ruthzee Louijeune, Julia Mejia, and Erin Murphy are seeking reelection. From the field of five challengers, two have emerged as the most serious contenders, political analysts say: Henry Santana, a former City Hall official with Wu’s endorsement, and Bridget Nee-Walsh, a union ironworker who ran unsuccessfully two years ago.

Catch up with the Globe’s full coverage of each district council race here.

As of midday Monday, 28,631 Boston voters had already cast ballots, most of those by mail.

Secretary of State William F. Galvin said Monday he expects turnout in Boston to fall below what it was in 2021, when 144,380 voters — or 32 percent of registered voters — weighed in during the historic race that saw Wu become the first woman and person of color elected mayor in the city’s history.

Speaking about the elections in 80 Massachusetts cities and towns this week, Galvin said Monday that turnout is expected to vary dramatically across the state with neither the White House, statewide offices, nor most state legislative seats on the ballot. It’s “reasonably acceptable,” he said, to expect 30 to 50 percent of registered voters to cast ballots in the various municipal races.

“It’s not acceptable to me. But that’s the range historically,” Galvin said, noting the elections can decide not only who serves in a town or city but also how much residents are taxed or critical development decisions. “These really are the elections that affect people where they live.”

Matt Stout of the Globe staff contributed reporting.

Emma Platoff can be reached at emma.platoff@globe.com. Follow her @emmaplatoff.

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Boston, MA

Arthur the Aardvark lookalike contest coming to Boston

Published

4 hours ago

December 18, 2024

Press Room

Arthur the Aardvark lookalike contest coming to Boston

Neighborhoods

Dust off your yellow sweater, blue jeans, and wide circle glasses. Oh, don’t forget your ears.

Beloved (and locally produced) cartoon aardvark Arthur Read celebrated his 20th birthday in 2018. Produced by WGBH, the series holds the title of TV’s longest-running children’s animated series. PBS Kids

Missed the viral Timothee Chalamet lookalike contest in New York? Couldn’t make it to the Tom Holland lookalike contest on Boston Common? GBH Kids and Boston Children’s Museum has the event for you.

The two groups are joining forces to host an Arthur the Aardvark lookalike contest on Dec. 20 in honor of the longtime PBS Kids show produced by GBH. The contest is set to take place at noon, rain or shine, in front of the Hood Milk Bottle, a representative from GBH said.

The representative said fans of “all ages” are encouraged to dress up as Arthur to compete in the contest. Participants may win prizes like Boston Children’s Museum tickets and the opportunity to have a photo of them dressed as the aardvark featured as Arthur’s official TikTok and Instagram profile picture.

GBH said attendees will have the chance to pick up some Arthur-themed swag at the event, and Arthur himself may even be around to snap some selfies.

Why a lookalike contest? Why Arthur?

The show, aptly named Arthur, was created in Boston for GBH in 1996 based on books by author Mike Brown. The anthropomorphic aardvark is known for his “signature look,” GBH said, which consists of a yellow sweater, blue jeans, and big, round glasses.

The Boston’s Children’s Museum even has an exhibit dedicated to the cartoon called “Arthur and Friends,” intended to encourage skills like “reading, understanding feelings, creative problem solving, and connecting with friends and family,” the museum’s website said. According to the GBH spokesperson, their “longstanding partnership” with the museum, and the exhibit, made the perfect recipe for a lookalike contest.

Doppelganger face-offs have had their share of viral moments lately, starting off with the Timothee Chalamet lookalike contest in November. Since then, multiple similar contests have sprung up around the country, including a Jeremy Allen White lookalike contest in Chicago, and yes, even a JFK lookalike contest here in Boston.

Eva Levin is a general assignment co-op for Boston.com. She covers breaking and local news in Boston and beyond.

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Boston, MA

Red Sox Blockbuster Trade Idea Brings $19 Million Astros 2-Time All-Star To Boston

Published

12 hours ago

December 18, 2024

Press Room

Red Sox Blockbuster Trade Idea Brings Million Astros 2-Time All-Star To Boston

The Boston Red Sox still have a long way to go before they can consider themselves World Series contenders.

It may be a harsh dose of reality, but it needs to be said. The Red Sox made a big-time trade last week, bringing in Garrett Crochet to be their new ace, but behind Crochet, the rest of the rotation still looks a bit iffy.

Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, and Lucas Giolito could all give the Red Sox strong seasons if things break right. But in today’s game, things almost never break right, especially with the constant injury risks pitchers are facing.

Should the Red Sox, then, make one more blockbuster trade?

Drew Koch of FanSided recently named the Red Sox as a possible trade destination for Houston Astros two-time All-Star Framber Valdez, who is entering his walk year at age 31. Houston already traded Kyle Tucker this winter, signaling that Valdez is likely available.

“The Boston Red Sox already emptied the farm system to land Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox, but the cupboard is not bare,” Koch said.

“Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer are probably off limits, but a young shortstop prospect like Franklin Arias —ranked in the top 100 according to MLB Pipeline— could be the headliner of a trade package heading back to Houston. The Astros need to beef up their farm system, and Boston could help facilitate that.”

Valdez is projected to make $18.8 million in arbitration this season (via Spotrac) thanks to his excellent career to this point. He’ll likely command even more than that in free agency for several years to come, so this will be the cheapest opportunity Boston has to get him, even for one year.

This could be Boston’s opportunity to go all-in on the 2025 season. If Houston commands a reasonable price, which they should, considering there’s only one year of control left on Valdez’s deal, they should look at this situation as a true rental.

Sure, there’s potential for an extension if Valdez truly loves pitching in Boston. But why not put some chips on the table for the short term in a wide-open American League?

More MLB: Why Red Sox Insider ‘Would Be Shocked’ If Boston Doesn’t Sign Another Star Free Agent

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