Begrudgingly Galvin

We tepidly endorse Bill Galvin for re-election as the commonwealth's secretary of state. He has been positive in total for us.

We would like to be stronger about this. However:

• On an issue close to our minds and hearts -- same-sex marriage, he did the minimum to investigate amendment-petition fraud. He basically pulled a Tom Reilly, saying he was only doing his job.
• Personally, we have found the information gathering and dissemination from his office to be slow, incomplete and not to the recommended standard of record retention, in the matter of solemnization records, for example.
• He has handled criticism of his performance poorly. As a relatively uninspired incrementalist, he should recognize that reformers are understandably impatient with him.

His opposition, John Bonifaz, is considerably brighter and a much greater advocate for voters. Unfortunately, John's in the wrong race. He is too voter-rights oriented and we question whether he could manage the breadth of this varied office.

We hope that he remains a force in Massachusetts politics and runs where he can make a large impact. At the least, he should be a state senator, perhaps one who gets the many inert DINOs in the General Court to commit to principles of equality and the laws to make them happen.

Meanwhile, leave the secretary of state's office to the best caretaker it's had in decades.

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Tags: massmarrier, Massachusetts, Bill Galvin, John Bonifaz, secretary of state, endorsement