Month: August 2008

The Two Nine

Via my highly scientific method of seeing how many of which signs are most visible on the parts of my morning commute that goes through Watertown, I conclude that currently, Jon Hecht is pretty far ahead, with Julia Fahey a good ways behind and Steve Corbett close after her.  Haven’t seen a single sign for Josh Weisbuch, but at least his website has more on it than his initial candidacy announcement, now.

The TAB has been reporting on the race quite a bit, of course.  They’re doing a series of candidate profiles, which I think is great, and the other day Chris Helms announced on their blog that there’ll be two more debates, September 8th and 9th.  That’s very good news, and I look forward to hearing more from the candidates then.

There also seems to be some controversy between Hecht, who serves on the Town Council, and Town Council President Clyde Younger over the accuracy of some of the claims in Hecht’s campaign materials.  The TAB’s readerships seems to tend mostly to doubt Younger’s word and motivation, but I don’t know much about the history involved.

Hecht and Fahey are, I think, still closest to getting my vote.

In Lieu of Content

Go read what Boston Brahmina said.  And if anyone tries to argue with you about abortion rights, make them go read it too.  She has perfectly nailed down the correct understanding of the right to choose, in a way that, as long as you assume that women are in fact human beings, is simply irrefutable.

More real posts coming from me, eventually — F&A is not dead! — but having the time to write only rarely coincides with having the mental energy to write, these days.

Massachusetts State House: 29th Middlesex Special Election

The State Representative for my district, the 29th Middlesex, Rachel Kaprielian, was appointed recently to be the new Registrar of Motor Vehicles, and the Watertown Democratic Committee decided not to pick a successor, so a special sticker/write-in primary is being held this September.  Four candidates are running for the seat, and last Monday I attended a candidate forum sponsored by the Cambridge Ward 9 committee (also part of the 29th).

The candidates running for the seat are Steve Corbett, Julia Fahey, Jon Hecht and a late entrant, Josh Weisbuch. I don’t know very much about them yet but what’s on their websites — Hecht and Corbett are current town councillors, Fahey is a lawyer who specializes in labor rights and promises to leave her job to be a fulltime state rep, and Weisbuch was an intern under Erskine Bowles in the Clinton White House and runs a computer consulting business — and what they said at the forum, but it was good to meet them in person, and hear them articulate some positions.  I wish there had been more time for audience questions, and I wouldn’t necessarily mind fewer questions, with more time for answers, so the candidates could elaborate their stances.

As things stand now, it’s a tossup for me between Hecht and Fahey, with Weisbuch and Corbett close after, but it’s early yet, and I’d like to see more from all of them.  I certainly hope there’ll be more forums and/or debates; sco, how about one in Watertown?