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Nunzio DiMarca, Joe
Parolisi and Marcos Devers
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A look at the
AT-LARGE City Council Race
The nine member
Lawrence City Council is made up of six district
Councilors and three Councilors elected
"At-Large" or citywide.
With At-Large
City Councilor Michael Sweeney not seeking
reelection (he is running for School Committee)
at least one new Councilor will be elected
At-Large in November.
There are six
candidates running for the three At-Large seats.
Voters are asked to vote for (up to)* three
candidates. Since the top three vote-getters will
be elected in November, all six will be nominated
in the preliminary election on September 16th.
(*A bullet vote
is when a voter chooses only one candidate
instead of three, effectively taking votes away
from the competing candidates)
Conventional
wisdom dictates that the two incumbents will most
likely be reelected with one of the four
challengers (Joe Parolisi, Barbara Gonzalez, John
Dmytrow or Israel Reyes) replacing Councilor
Sweeney. But it doesn't always work that way.
Here is a look at the candidates, their political
strengths and weaknesses, their chances of
winning and what each of them will bring to the
Council should they win.
Joe
Parolisi:
 It is hard to find anyone who has
anything negative to say about Joe Parolisi. The
former head of the recreation department,
Parolisi is familiar with city budgets and has
been lauded for the amazing work he has done
raising money for recreational programs for
Lawrence children. Joe is a favorite in this race
and will most likely top the ticket among the six
candidates (sorry Joe). He is campaigning hard
and has the support of political insiders
(including Mayor Sullivan) as well as the
grassroots support of many neighborhood groups.
His political
strengths are numerous. He has a clear
understanding of how Lawrence elections work,
understands the City Charter and has built up a
lot of good will in the community as a
non-politician who gets thins done.
District
"E" is the largest voting block in the
city (Mount Vernon) and Joe has that vote locked
up pretty well. It would take a monumental
blunder close to election day for Joe to come in
second or third in "E". Having this
strength will mean he only has to place third or
fourth in North Lawrence. But that isn't not
likely to happen.
He will garner a
very large percentage of the votes on upper Tower
Hill and upper Prospect Hill leaving the Latino
vote as his only weakness with the electorate. As
is the case with Rick Parthum (District
"A" Council candidate) Parolisi has a
lifetime of experience helping kids (most of whom
are Latino) meaning he could enjoy a decent vote
in Latino neighborhoods as well. He also has the
ability to raise the money he needs to get his
message out.
He does have an
Achilles heal, however and you can expect the
other challengers to exploit it. That Achilles
heal is the perception that Joe is going to be a
puppet for Mayor Sullivan. Whether this
perception is accurate or not, it will hurt
Parolisi but not enough to cost him the election
unless Sullivan takes an unpopular stand on a
critical issue after the primary.
Another weakness
to watch: nobody knows where Parolisi stands on
important and controversial issues like water
privatization, education spending, free giveaways
for Central Catholic and budget priorities. What
he will bring to the Council: Joe will certainly
be an advocate for recreational programs, ethnic
festivals and social programs. If Joe is elected
the Veterans Memorial Stadium will have another
Councilor fighting to ensure it is renovated and
maintained properly. Lawrence will also benefit
from his vast political experience. Never an
attention seeker or hungry for credit, Parolisi
will work well with fellow councilors and keep
the focus on issues rather than personalities.
Marcos
Devers:
It is hard to see
Devers topping the ticket as he did in 2001 and
here is why: as I predicted two years ago when  Devers sought to be Council President,
serving as President has politically hurt him.
Whoever sits in the president's chair usually
gets the blame (in the mind of the voters) for
any bad behavior that occurs at the Council
table. And there has been plenty of bad behavior
over the last two years. Shouting matches,
accusations of racism, swearing, it doesn't get
much worse than the behavior of the City Council
since 2001. And Devers (deservedly or not) is
getting the blame for such discourse.
Also, many
Latinos who championed Devers two years ago are
still angry that he supported CLVS director David
Howshan after it was learned that he mismanaged
money at the city school. Couple this with
renegade Councilor Julia Silverio's betrayal of
Devers (who is very influential with Latino
voters) and the presence of two other Latino
candidates and it is not hard to imagine Devers
placing second or third by November.
Despite the
negatives, however, Devers does not seem to be in
danger of losing his seat on the Council. He has
been unwavering in his support for open debate
and allowing free speech among Councilors and the
public. As President, he is a much needed breath
of fresh air after the oppressive leadership of
Frank Kivell who ruled as Council President by
shouting down dissenting voices and stifling any
discussions that would lead to the defeat of his
own ideas.
Also, Marcos
Devers was a better mayor during the few weeks he
was in the corner office than the last four
mayors combined. He fought for Voter ID and even
testified in court to defend the right of
Lawrence to require identification at the polling
booths on election day. That kind of leadership
has not been forgotten by the voters who still
see him as an independent voice and a stabilizing
force in a turbulent political environment.
Politically, he
still enjoys a great deal of support in both
North and South Lawrence. He has positive name
recognition and is a tireless campaigner. He is
accessible, actually listens to people and does
not treat the public with the condescension most
politicians seem to exhibit. Devers stood up to
Mayor Sullivan (as he did with Patty Dowling) on
critical issues like water privatization, the
Veterans Memorial Stadium, residency, educational
spending and questionable hiring practices in
City Hall. Because of this he enjoys a reputation
as someone who is extremely fair. He does have
two weaknesses. Rep. Lantigua and Mayor
Sullivan are helping other candidates who will
draw votes away from Devers, (quite possibly on
purpose) and whether Devers realizes it or not,
Sullivan and Lantigua are powerful foes behind
the scenes.
If reelected,
Devers will provide a perspective of objectivity
and fairness on most issues. He does not rush to
judgement and for the first time in memory, (due
to his leadership as president) it is impossible
to predict the outcome of a vote before the
meeting. The importance of this should not be
overlooked. It is critical that the public knows
the City Council is making decisions at the
Council table and not behind the scenes where
deals can be made for political favors. If
nothing else, Devers has restored integrity to
the City Council where it had been lacking for so
long.
Nunzio
DiMarca:
Here's where
things get tricky. With Devers and Parolisi
nearly guaranteed to win, (barring a major  blunder close to the election) DiMarca
(who placed third in 2001) finds himself in
danger of losing his seat. As the former head of
the Hispanic Week board of directors DiMarca has
enjoyed wide acceptance among Latino voters in
the past. But DiMarca is under the delusion that
his stand on issues and his pandering to Latinos
(which he is certainly guilty of) counts more
with Latino voters than the ethnicity of the
candidate. He is about to find out differently.
Given the choice between a Latino candidate and a
non Latino candidate who panders, Latino voters
in Lawrence generally gravitate towards "one
of our own" to use a phrase popular on
Spanish language radio.
But Latino voters
are not the only problem he faces in his
reelection bid. A controversial effort to secure
CDBG funding for the Sons of Italy while he sat
as president of that organization is definately
going to be an issue. South Lawrence voters have
also been disappointed in DiMarca's pandering to
Latinos. As a friend of mine said recently, when
you try to have things both ways and play both
sides of the fence eventually you end up outside
the gate.
Many white voters
see him as a puppet for Latino activists and
Latinos see him as a non Latino running against
Latino candidates. Either way you look at it
DiMarca has some grueling work before him if he
is to convince the voters to give him one of
their three votes. The entrance of senior citizen
advocate John Dmytrow will draw elderly voters
away from DiMarca. Supporters of Joe Parolisi
will be bulleting* him, taking away votes from
DiMarca. And Israel Reyes is purposely targeting
DiMarca (and Devers) as his campaign strategy.
On issues DiMarca
has been faithful to his campaign promises from
two years ago. He promised to protect the
Veterans Memorial Stadium and stood firmly
committed when the Superintendent wanted to tear
it down for the new high school. DiMarca also
kept his campaign promises to vote against water
privatization and any budgets that weren't
balanced.
Despite the fact
that every challenger will pull votes away from
Councilor DiMarca (in every voting block) he
could still win the election if he spends a lot
of money and (most importantly) if he stops
talking long enough to hear the ideas and
opinions of other people. The more he talks about
himself when dealing with the public the more
votes he will lose. He has to show the public he
is a good listener and that he can carry THEIR
concerns to the Council table. That isn't going
to be easy but DiMarca does have one saving
grace. Israel Reyes has a habit of
self-destructing close to election day and there
is no reason to believe that this year will be
any different. In a nutshell, if Reyes does well
DiMarca is finished. If Reyes does poorly DiMarca
has a chance.
Israel
Reyes
 Reyes is a member of the Lawrence
Planing Board and is closely linked to
controversial developer Christopher Cox (Planning Board Member
Solicits Councilors for Embattled Lowell
Developer Chris Cox) which will hurt him when the campaign
starts to heat up and the mud starts to fly. The
public perception (true or not) is that Cox is
secretly financing his campaign after Reyes
lobbied for him to develop 42-44 Park Street
project. (Cox Scandal) After
losing two previous elections (State Rep. and
District "D" City Council) Reyes may
have a fighting chance this time around. His
negatives are high but this year he is getting
some unusual support from unlikely sources.
Reyes has the
support of Mayor Sullivan (who needs allies on
the Council) State Representative Willie Lantigua
(who is trying to stack the Council with loyal
supporters) and State Rep. Barry Finegold
("because he is my friend"). Any time
Lantigua and Sullivan team up to support anything
it is cause for concern among those of us who
know the political landscape. There is a hidden
agenda here and because of that agenda Reyes is
raising a ton of money. He is also getting high
visibility with (illegal) campaign signs
strategically located where Lantigua signs once
stood.
Endorsements
usually carry little weight in City Council races
but with Lantigua playing king maker and
manipulating candidates behind the scenes Reyes
could take just enough votes away from Nunzio
DiMarca and Marcos Devers to squeeze into that
third spot come November. But Reyes is his
own worst enemy. He has little or no
understanding of the role of government in
people's lives. He truly has an elitist view of
politics and thinks this is all about being
important and feeling relevant.
At his "press
conference" last spring (have you ever
heard of a Council candidate holding a press
conference?) he said that this was not a campaign
about issues it was a campaign about "who I
am as a person…my childhood and my
perspective on life…where I come from and
how I relate to people."
He really
believes that too. But the average voter doesn't
care if a candidate had a rough childhood (many
of us have, it doesn't qualify us to hold public
office). They don't care about whether or not the
candidate needs to feel personal validation or
how well his life turned out despite the
challenges he faced. People generally care about
how a candidate is going to vote on the issues
they care about and whether or not he is
dependable when he makes a commitment on those
issues. But Reyes has no core beliefs or issues.
He has no philosophy on the role of government in
people's lives and therefor has no idea how to
gauge what is best for the electorate.
A good example of
this (and I have several) was when he ran for
State Representative against Jose Santiago in
2000. He told the listeners of WCCM's "Hot
Line Program" the he favored partial birth
abortion. A week later he reversed his stand
saying he was opposed the procedure but was
"solidly pro-choice" only to tell the
Eagle Tribune three days before the election that
he was "pro-life."
While abortion is
not something City Councilors deal with, his
willingness to take a strong position on such a
polarizing issue (and then reverse himself twice
in ten days) shows that Reyes is in this business
for all the wrong reasons. It also shows he is
willing to say or do anything to get elected. But
the voters can be fooled and it isn't hard to do.
Reyes could win this election if the
Sullivan and Lantigua political machines deliver
votes in key areas of the city. Sullivan's
strongest base of support is District
"E" (Mount Vernon) while Lantigua's
strongest base is the North Lawrence, Arlington
area. This is of monumental importance for Reyes
who is not well liked among Latino voters and not
well known among whites. If Lantigua doesn't
spread himself too thin with other candidates and
puts a substantial amount of effort into the
Reyes campaign it is more than likely he will
beat Nunzio DiMarca and sit on the City Council
next January.
Barbara
Gonzalez
Barbara could be
the sleeper in this race. While most insiders are
not taking her seriously she has quite a bit
going for her. She is the only  woman in the race. She is Hispanic (one
of three - in a race where you can vote for
three) and she has run for the position once
before (in 2001). She is also fiercely
independent and seems to loathe the back room
deals other candidates are making to get elected.
The mother of six children, Gonzalez has a vested
interest in the future of the city. If she can
convey that message to the electorate she will
surprise a lot of people.
But Gonzalez
cannot make any mistakes (personal or political)
if she is going to squeeze through the crowded
field vying for Nunzio DiMarca's seat. She has to
do her homework and listen to the more
experienced people in the field. She will have to
raise and spend at least $7,000 as well as put
together a campaign staff of five to seven people
who will be completely dedicated to distributing
literature, helping her with debate preparation,
motivate her to knock on doors and advise her how
to avoid the racial landmines that hide beneath
the surface of the political landscape.
In order for
Gonzalez to win she has to depend on Reyes and
DiMarca both performing worse than expected on
election day. She could actually make that happen
on her own if she can effectively take them on
and challenge them on issues (or their past
behavior). Reyes is incapable of holding his own
in a debate and has a shady political past which
he needs the voters to forget. DiMarca doesn't
handle public conflict very well and if
challenged on his votes or his issues he could
just talk himself out of a victory. Everything
will have to go perfectly for Gonzalez if she
hopes to sit on the Council next year. If not she
will be the spoiler, taking just enough votes
away from DiMarca to cost him the election but
not enough votes to win it herself.
If elected
Gonzalez will bring a new perspective to Council
and inject a little sanity with some fresh new
ideas. She understands the importance of
restricting lot sizes for new developments in
such an overcrowded city. She has a keen interest
in school spending and she is a puppet for
nobody. She will work well with Council President
Marcos Devers and avoid personality conflicts
with other Councilors. In short, she understands
that this is a job not a title. She is eager to
work for the people not he political insiders and
though she is inexperienced in the workings of
city hall (and the players involved) she would
still be an asset.
John
Dmytrow
Senior citizen
advocate John Dmytrow is the only candidate whom
the elderly can count on to make sure they are
not forgotten when important issues come before
the City Council. Unfortunately, Dmytrow is a
first time candidate and has little name
recognition among voters who do not follow the
inner workings of City Hall. In the last few
years Dmytrow has raised thousands of dollars
(all private) to benefit the Lawrence Senior
Center. He attends the Council meetings
faithfully and understands how the Council
operates. He will pull a decent vote out of B1
(Mary Immaculate) and most likely do well on
Tower Hill where he is known for his volunteer
work and neighborhood advocacy.
A senior citizen
himself, Dmytrow is on the Council on Aging and
was responsible for holding Mayor Sullivan's feet
to the fire when budget cuts threatened the
senior center's hours of operation. He got the
mayor to commit publicly to keep the center open,
adequately staffed and kept the issue on the
radar screen of the City Council to make sure the
elderly were not forgotten.
His dedication
and commitment to the city are not to be
overlooked by voters looking for a third
candidate to support. Lawrence could do far worse
than John Dmytrow sitting on the City Council.
But Dmytrow will have to raise more money than
all the other candidates combined if he hopes to
be a contender in November. Which is too bad for
Lawrence. Dmytrow's heart is in the right place.
Unfortunately, he is running against seasoned
veterans of Lawrence politics like Parolisi,
Devers, and DiMarca making the task at hand look
almost impossible. Dmytrow's presence in this
race will keep senior issues in the public eye
and call attention to the problems they face in
the community.
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