Boston Globe Coverage of the 8Th Congressional District Election
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Boston Globe Coverage of the 8th Congressional District Election June 14, 1998–August 30, 1998 Home-grown candidate; Tracy targets workers and their pensions. Boston Sunday Globe, June 14, 1998, City Edition, p. 1. By Alan Lupo, Globe Staff Belmont and the northern tier of "Now," said the 37-year-old Boston. Two, she holds no Tracy, "it's a new generation's turn." (Alan Lupo is roaming the 8th high-and-mighty aspirations to The question is how Tracy Congressional District, writing a become interplanetary chief consul. expands her base from Allston and series of pieces about the Inside the folder, the subtlety Brighton, which, she estimates, personalities, issues and disappears. could count for 9 percent of the total communities that he encounters.) "Susan Tracy. She's not wealthy primary vote. Geography, however, It was only appropriate that or flashy. She's not a political rerun is not the only way to measure a Susan Tracy, one of 10 candidates or a celebrity. She's just one of us. base, she contended. seeking the Democratic nomination And always will be." "Constituency groups become in the 8th Congressional District, Translation: At least three even more important in a 10-person was munching on a cheeseburger candidates, Chris Gabrieli, John race," she said. "I won't ask for while her portly interviewer wolfed O'Connor and Thomas Keane, are support just because I am a woman, down a steak at The Stockyard. wealthy. At least three candidates, but it is an issue of fairness. We have Said dining was historically Ray Flynn, Marjorie Clapprood, 10 congressmen and two senators, 12 accurate because The Stockyard is a George Bachrach, and possibly a voices in Washington, and not one of restaurant on Market Street in an fourth, Alex Rodriguez, and fifth, them female. area of Brighton, where, from 1873 Charles Yancey, and sixth, Michael "There's an urban component, to 1957, cattlemen and butchers sold Capuano, are in Tracy's "rerun" too," she said. A person who and slaughtered livestock on a category. At least one, Clapprood, a represents this district should 60-acre abattoir easily accessible to former talk show host, is a celebrity understand urban, blue-collar issues. Watertown merchants and and "flashy." It's incredible that there are customers. For much of the interview, Tracy 17-year-olds who did well in high Beyond that, Tracy bills herself joked and laughed easily. She is school and who are accepted to as the meat-and-potatoes candidate down home, a hard worker who has college who don't go, because they in a race that features candidates as gained the admiration of some can't afford it. They put it off. We diverse as the district they wish to important Toms: House Speaker should be able to help them with represent. They are seasoned pols Tom Finneran, with whom she more work-study grants, more Pell and newcomers, of moderate means served in the Legislature; Boston grants." and wealthy, white, black and Mayor Tom Menino; and Tom Then there is the gay Latino, male and female, straight McIntyre, director of the Bricklayers constituency, spread throughout the and gay. (Union) International Non-Profit district and, unlike some of the Tracy is certainly playing for a Housing and a former vice president silk-stocking voters of Beacon Hill woman's vote, and, as the only gay of that union. and Back Bay and, at times, black candidate, that growing vote, too. Finneran, of Mattapan, is with and Latino voters in Roxbury and But what she stresses most are her her. Menino keeps his own counsel. Dorchester, inclined to vote. working-stiff roots, which she McIntyre told his own pal, Ray Many gays come from intends to parlay against her Flynn, that he had made a somewhere else. Tracy has pointed opponents, as her new campaign commitment to Tracy and would out that she lives where she grew up. brochure clearly illustrates. stick with it, and it does not hurt her "Most people move away to be "She's one of us," it says on the that there are many active and retired who they are," she said. "I hope to front page. "And always will be." bricklayers in Allston and Brighton. set a precedent that you don't have to Translation: One, she doesn't Years ago, Tracy was an intern do that, that you can stay and be all forget where she comes from, for Bachrach when he was a state that you can be. This neighborhood specifically, Brighton; in a larger senator representing a chunk of the has been wonderful to me. It's been sense, Boston; in a cosmic sense, district, and she later worked for proud and accepting." much of the predominantly urban Flynn when he was mayor of Boston. Tracy talked of delivering district, which includes Chelsea, She also served with Clapprood in constituent services, of how a person Somerville, Cambridge, Watertown, the Legislature. elected to Congress "can make a 2 difference with the day-to-day stuff," too risky. We've got to make sure we had pushed for new solutions to old from helping get care for someone's have, and I know it's a cliche, that problems and had become known to sick mother to fixing a fouled-up safety net. We talk about portability some as a centrist Democrat. Social Security check. in health care. Maybe we should talk So, when addressing the issue of "Beyond that," she said, "if about pension portability." affordable housing in a recent forum, someone said to me, 'If you could do Even when discussing such Keane, noting that government funds only one thing, what would it be,' I'd issues, Tracy was at ease, always were drying up, said, "I'll fight for say the debate on pension and ready to interrupt for an anecdote, affordable housing, but we need new retirement issues. My father worked but, at one point, near the end of the strategies. for the railroad for 42 years. He has conversation, she stopped smiling. "Universities let students flood a decent pension, but there are not She stopped when her companion into the housing market," he said as many people who work that long for jokingly asked if she would remain an example. "Every year, the federal one place. And what about the others in the race at least until he wrote his government gives billions to who work for themselves and are story about her. There had been universities. It's time for a quid pro supposed to put away $4,000 a year rumors that she was feeling squeezed quo. They need to take responsibility in that IRA but find there are some between Flynn and Clapprood and by building housing for their things more pressing than putting speculation that she might drop out. students." away that money? "I am not dropping out," she Left perhaps for a subsequent "What do you do," she asked, said, jabbing her right forefinger at discussion was that, when "so you do not end up old and poor? her lunch companion. "I am in this universities try to build dorms, they Old and poor is not a good place to race to the end. I am not dropping often run into neighborhood be, and there are a lot of them in that out." opposition. place. It's especially critical for The often-tense relationship women with children who interrupt In his race to win the between universities and their work and lose out on years of Democratic congressional primary, working-stiff neighborhoods has service and pension money. Boston City Councilor Thomas been a nagging problem in such 8th "It scares me," she said, "that Keane has labeled himself a (Paul) District communities as Allston, they're talking about privatizing the Tsongas Democrat. The late US Brighton, the Back Bay, Cambridge Social Security system. That's way senator and presidential candidate and Somerville. For these guys, the campaign trail is tough work - and a lot of fun. Boston Sunday Globe, June 21, 1998, City Edition, p. 1. By Alan Lupo, Globe Staff court, and then he went to the can." Democrats are also trying to replace US Representative Joseph Kennedy, In describing how they never "We don't like to lose," said who is leaving. forgo even one vote, the East Boston Cannata. "Once our names are on the East Boston is a crucial, Tonys, Anthony "The Great" Albano dotted line, we work. We have a lotta high-voting section of the district, and Tony Cannata, reminisced about fun doing politics. We eat good. We which also includes Chelsea, how they dragged a young guy out of drink good. But we work. If it can't Cambridge, Somerville, Watertown, a courtroom where he was about to be fun, who needs it? After working Belmont, and a slew of Boston be sentenced, brought him to the all day, who needs another job?" neighborhoods. Some observers polls, and then returned him to court, This year, this legendary East suggest the contest could be decided from whence he was indeed sent Boston pair are working for John in Eastie, a working-stiff away for a spell. O'Connor of Cambridge, an neighborhood that has long suffered "We pulled him outta the environmental activist who is from the environmental byproducts courtroom," Cannata recalled with spending big bucks to win the Sept. of Logan Airport, two tunnels, a much pride. "He was going away. 15 Democratic primary in the 8th highway, rotting docks, and nearby After he voted, we took him back to Congressional District.