Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Can Rizzo Rise?

With damned slim turnout, State Rep. Anthony Petruccelli did a number on Revere City Councilor Dan Rizzo. The race to replace State Sen. Robert (don't call me Bobby) Travaglini went exactly as scripted. The guy with the established politicians behind him won handily (about 59%).

Technically, there's a June 26 general election, but the elephants aren't sacrificing one of their own. So, the winner of the Democratic primary yesterday is the de facto Senator.

The pity is that they were both pretty progressive and both on the right side of marriage equality. Ideally to an outsider, Petruccelli could have continued his good work in the House and we would have added another lefty vote to the Senate.

Yet in this one, it was may the best man win and it seems he did. The almost-as-good may now rot on the vine. Here's hoping he has the ambition for another struggle. I don't know if he can grab Petruccelli's spot in the House.

Petruccelli charmed both the power brokers (Mayor Menino and the don't-call-me-Bobby himself) and the papers and position pushers (Globe and even MassEquality) backing him. The Globe's tepid praise (he's in the legislature and by the way, likes charter schools more than the other guy) was not rousing. However, if nothing else, it shows he's wired into the power grid. Zzzzt.

Indeed, that was Rizzo's campaign. Do you want to play musical chairs...get more of exactly the same when the tune stops? The answer apparently was yes.

This was not a bad answer, but less than optimal. On the glass-half-full side, it's great to live somewhere with a choice between two good guys. Here's hoping Rizzo finds a slot where he can do his do well.

Note apropos of nothing: Someone needs to take Tony to a shirt tailor. Having once interviewed Custom Shirt Shop founder Mortimer Levitt, I learned what a big difference well fitting collars can make. Avoid the turtle look!

Tags: , , , , , , ,

No comments: