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September 23, 2004

A new day

Victory is sweet! It is great to win, especially when the contest is of such significance. The city of Boston faced a number of important issues in the race for Suffolk County sheriff.

One of the most serious was whether voters would ignore the great disparity in qualifications between the two candidates in favor of supporting the one with the Irish surname. In the past when the ethnic and religious conflict was so prominent, identification with the clan trumped everything else.

However, the status of the Boston Irish has greatly improved in the past several decades. Like Americans of other ethnic groups who have been able to garner a piece of the American dream for themselves, they are now free to demand competent service from public officials. West Roxbury is an enclave of predominantly middle class Irish residents. Out of 6,002 votes cast there, Steve Murphy won by only 70 votes.

Andrea Cabral beat Steve Murphy in Boston 29,831 to 18,938. She won in seven of the nine city council districts in Boston and she also won in Chelsea and Winthrop. In addition to Boston, Winthrop, Chelsea and Revere are all within Suffolk County. The total vote was Cabral – 33,113 to 22,256 for Murphy.

The willingness of white residents to vote for the more qualified candidate, regardless of her race or gender, is a sea change for Boston. The city’s national reputation for racial hostility because of the school busing conflict should now be viewed as an unfortunate circumstance of the past.

Another important issue was whether blacks and Latinos would flex their political muscle. For the first time in history, blacks, Latinos and Asians have become Boston’s majority population. However, just having greater numbers does not in itself create greater clout if the people roll over and do not go to the polls.

A sense of the importance of this election was prevalent in the community. People understood that it would be a serious affront if someone with the qualifications and record of performance of Andrea Cabral was rejected by the voters. Nonetheless, community activists were concerned because voters tend to trivialize so-called primary or preliminary elections.

Although it was a primary, 90 percent of those who voted in the 2002 election went to the polls in the Dudley Square–Grove Hall area (Ward 12), 78 percent in Mattapan–Franklin Field (Ward 14), and 75 percent in Codman Square.

According to observers, many of those who voted were young residents voting for the first time. This was the result of a campaign to register new voters that increased the rolls by 15.9 percent in black neighborhoods and 22.4 percent among Latinos. It is beneficial for youngsters to step up and assume some of the responsibilities of being an adult.

There will undoubtedly be numerous commentaries on the significance of this election. Some insist that Boston’s Irish political juggernaut still lives, even though the demographics no longer support it. That is wishful thinking, especially since so many Irish have already declared with their ballot that they want an inclusive city, managed by the most competent people they can elect.

One thing is clear. In the future, no politician will take the black, Latino and Asian vote for granted if he or she expects to be successful. Boston politics will now be influenced by a multiracial electorate committed to competence and fairness in public affairs.

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