In much politics, be it at the local, state or national level, politics as usual is just that. The usual faces, usual slogans and usual justifications for showing up to elect the usual suspects have made the usual participation rates in non-presidential elections well below fifty percent of registered voters. This is not to say that, in some cases, incumbents are indeed those best fit to serve their constituents. We must, however, recognize and laud the appearance of vigorous competition whenever it comes before electorate, and it is for this reason that the candidacy of Rebekah Gewirtz for Ward 6 Alderman is more than welcome in Somerville.
The current Ward 6 Alderman, John Connolly, boasts a 20-year-long term as alderman, including stints as president and vice president of the Board of Alderman. Indeed, Connolly's claim to experience is not inappropriate in Somerville, which, as the densest city in the Commonwealth, has proven continually challenging to govern. The incumbent takes much pride in his work for the city, including more recent advocacy to attempt to persuade the MBTA to maintain its commitment to a Green Line extension through Somerville into the Medford hillside (and running through Tufts).
Nevertheless, there is something off-putting about career politicians who expect that the length of their tenure in office will substitute for real solutions to problems. Connolly eagerly points out not only his long period of service to the citizens of Somerville but also the fact that he was born and raised in the city. Connolly's Somerville nativism should not go unchallenged: just because he has spent most of his life in the city doesn't mean he knows how to solve its problems. Although Somerville has certainly improved since Connolly took office, problems such as gangs, crime and poverty still persist. Given this, it is not certain whether incumbency is a true advantage.
Gewirtz, on the other hand, remains a big unknown for Ward 6 voters. What is known is that she is an active progressive voice who has worked in the past to shake up politics as usual in Somerville. While she has barely been alive longer than Connolly has served, she seems to have the confidence to take on an often-recalcitrant Somerville political establishment.
It is far from clear which candidate will be the better choice for the citizens of Ward 6, with the race ahead promising to be heated. Let's hope both candidates contest it vigorously and in good faith. Politics as usual has produced the usual disappointment in much of Somerville, whose citizens should be excited to hear what both the challenger and the challenged have to say in the next eight months. No matter who turns out to be the better candidate, the city will be a better place because of the competition.
