another special election, Jan 10th

We just had a special election on August 30th & September 27th, and elected former Somerville state Representative Pat Jehlen to fill the state senate seat that became vacant when Senator Charlie Shannon died in April. Pat was sworn in to the Senate in October, and when that happened, the 27th Middlesex state House seat became vacant. That means... another special election coming up!

The election date got set earlier this month: A primary on January 10th and a general election on February 7th. As is the case with most districts in Massachusetts, and especially here in Somerville, the Democratic nominee is expected to win. That means the January 10th Democratic primary is the bigger contest.

The 27th Middlesex district is roughly the middle half of Somerville, and includes all of Ward 6, in which Davis Square is located. However it does not include Ward 7, which starts just a couple of blocks from Davis Square in the direction of Teele Square. If you live near Davis towards Teele and Carl Sciortino is your state rep (and Vinnie Ciampa used to be) then you're Ward 7 and can't vote in this election. But in that case, you've already got the coolest Representative in the whole state :) And he'll need your vote in the primary in September. If you're not sure what district you're in, check WhereDoIVoteMA.com - put in your address and scroll to the bottom. If your "Rep in General Court" is "Vacant", you're in the special election district.

In this election, I support Somerville Alderman-at-large Denise Provost, who was the first candidate to announce she is running. Somerville planning board member Elizabeth Maroney has also announced she is running, and Ward 5 Alderman Sean O'Donovan is considering it. Ward 4 Alderman Walter Pero has decided not to run. There may be others. Whoever wins the Democratic primary will face independent John Roderick in the general election on February 7th. Roderick ran as a Libertarian against Pat Jehlen for this same seat in 2002, but is running as an independent this time. So far, no Republican has announced. The deadline to file nomination papers is November 29th.

The Progressive Democrats of Somerville are having an endorsement meeting next Tuesday, November 29th. I believe that both Denise Provost and Elizabeth Maroney are seeking the PDS endorsement, so they will both be at the meeting. They will each give a short speech and then take questions from the audience. Although only PDS members will be allowed to vote, everyone is welcome to come meet the candidates and ask them questions. The meeting will be held in the basement function room of the College Ave Methodist Church (the stone church on College Ave near Davis Square) on Tuesday, Nov 29, 7-9pm.

Start paying attention, and mark January 10th on your calendar - don't forget to vote!