There is no shortage of candidates for the Boston City Council, but many of them are in an uphill battle for attention and recognition. And with just seven days to go before the preliminary elections, that does not bode well.
I probably don’t need to recount the sad reality of municipal voter turnouts. Low is an understatement. In a story that ran on election day 2017, The Boston Globe’s Meghan Irons and Milton Valencia reported voters asking, “What campaign?” and noted election officials “predicted a dim turnout of 23 percent.” Although it actually ended up being slightly better — 28 percent — that was still pathetic, especially for an otherwise politics mad electorate.
Of course, low voter turnout for local elections is not unique to Boston or the state’s other cities and towns. Multiple surveys reveal that it is the norm across the country unless there is a hotly contested race — all the better if it’s steeped in a juicy controversy. But, otherwise, it seems even some supervoters don’t know or seek to know the candidates vying to be their city councilors, maybe because they are already deeply engaged in the 2020 presidential race.
A recent study called "States of Change" predicts a huge voter turnout for that race next year. I, too, am intensely interested in campaign 2020, but I still plan to sit down with my pal and review the experience and policy plans of Cambridge City Council candidates. And I continue to be confused by the same voters who are so passionate about national elections and national candidates, yet disconnected from their local government, even though it’s local government policies that often have more impact on their daily lives.
Meanwhile, while many haven’t been paying attention, the pool of local Boston City Council candidates has greatly expanded. In sheer numbers right now — eight candidates for Boston City Council’s District 5, and a whopping 15 hopefuls for the councilor-at-large positions — a number that includes four incumbents.
But the pool has also been expanding in another way. The current crop of campaigners is very different from the group of contenders of just a few years ago. Once a group that was heavily male and from well-connected political dynasties, the current group of would-be city councilors includes a lot of women, immigrants and people of color. The long-touted ‘New Boston’ is finally claiming space in the political arena.
Political consultant Wilnelia Rivera told the Bay State Banner, “What we’re seeing is a shift in the power structure of the council.”
However the final votes add up, it’s certain that women and people of color will be more than a token presence, and could even possibly end up in the majority. Given the ongoing racial and economic inequities in the city, that would be quite something.
I want the candidates who make it past the upcoming Sept. 24 preliminary contest and go on to win the election on Nov. 5 to be true voices of the people. Not candidates who got elected by the hearty few who made it to the ballot box, but by an enthusiastically informed citizenry.
