Will the real progressive please step forward?
Ward 6 candidates vie for a seat and a title

By George P. Hassett

   The Nov. 8 municipal elections are drawing closer and the two candidates in Ward 6 are not only fighting to win an alderman’s seat but also to win a label: most progressive.
   Rebekah Gewirtz, co-founder of the Progressive Democrats of Somerville, and John M. Connolly, Ward 6 Alderman for the past twenty-two years, are each touting their records of progress to the voters.
   “As a Progressive Democrat, I will always advocate for an open, community driven process of government. My opponent has not always done so,” said Gewirtz.

   Connolly said his opponent has simply given herself a label while he has earned a reputation for accessibility in his 22 years on the board.
   “I am the proven progressive in this race. Anybody can call themselves anything they want, but my work in Davis Square and all of Ward 6 is what is important,” he said.
   Connolly said he was proudest of the work he had done to preserve the neighborhood balance of a revitalized Davis Square.
   “Originally 50 to 60 homes were going to be torn down to make way for the MBTA stop. But The Davis Square Task Force, which I was a part of, worked so that only one home would be torn down and that house was falling apart. If that isn’t progressive what is?” he said.
    Gewirtz, a Rhode Island transplant, has lived in Ward 6 for the past 4 years. She served two years as an aide to state Senator Patricia D. Jehlen, D-Somerville, and gained her campaign experience as Somerville coordinator for Robert Reich’s 2002 Democratic primary run for governor.
    Media coverage of the Ward 6 race has attempted to simplify it as a clash between old and new Somerville, but such a categorization is inaccurate, said Connolly.
    “I have supporters who have been here for 30 years but I also have supporters who have been here 3,” he said.
     Meanwhile, Gewirtz’s April 4 kick off party was attended by Helen Corrigan, a longtime city resident and chairwoman of the city’s Democratic Committee. 
     Gewirtz said many of the newcomers to Ward 6 have been attracted to the neighborhood because of its public transportation and revitalized square.
     And now, ironically, they may vote out the man who worked to advocate for each improvement, said Connolly.
    “Davis Square was a ghost town when I took over as Alderman. Today, it is one of the most desirable places to live in the country and I may become a victim of my own success. But I have worked hard to help everyone in Ward 6 and I don’t think people will forget who helped them.