Somber crowd at LaFuente campaign

Defeated mayoral candidate Tony LaFuente addressed a disheartened crowd of supporters after his opponent Joe Curtatone won the hotly contested race that decided Somerville's leadership for the next two years.

"Well, it wasn't meant to be this year," LaFuente told his backers from the stage at the function hall at Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church on Central St. in Somerville. "We have nothing to be ashamed of, this was a hell of a campaign," he said, before leaving to congratulate Curtatone.

Curtatone won by a margin of 658 votes. 7,563 Somerville residents voted for Curtatone, 6,905 for Lafuente. Ward 6, which borders the Tufts campus, came out solidly for LaFuente.

Results were announced throughout the evening by John L. Sullivan, LaFuente's campaign manager. "Somber crowd, here," said Sullivan, informing the crowd of the election results.

After announcing Curtatone's win, Sullivan told LaFuente's visibly disappointed supporters, "We've sent a message to City Hall. We're not going away -- two years come fast."

LaFuente and his family took the stage to a standing ovation and shouts of "Tony! Tony!" from the crowd. "I'm not disappointed," he said. "We have shaken this city. It will never be the same."

LaFuente assured his supporters that he would return in two years. "For us, this is just the beginning."

During his speech, LaFuente offered emotional thanks to his family and campaign workers, highlighting his achievements. LaFuente started before the primary with three percent name recognition and ended up one of the final two candidates. He attributed Curtatone's win to the "machine" that the Alderman had built, combining forces with former supporters of lame duck mayor Dorothy Kelly Gay.

Voter turnout was "very high," according to Sullivan. "We matched the primary turnout by 5 p.m." Polls closed at 8 p.m.

The assembled supporters were mostly families and friends of those who worked most closely with the Lafuente campaign.

"I didn't want to vote against someone, I wanted to vote for someone," said Francine Mello, a Somerville resident who backed LaFuente. "I know he's a man of integrity," she said.

"We're not going to hold our head low," a supporter shouted to LaFuente after he left the stage. Indeed, all aspects of the evening made it apparent that Lafuente's name would be on the ballot in 2005.

"We're going to be watching for two years," Sullivan said as he and LaFuente left the hall to congratulate Curtatone.