A teenager in a hooded sweatshirt turned out to be one of the most powerful players in the recent election for alderman-at-large. Jack Connolly’s mailing depicting a hooded teenager helped him win Ward 1 so decisively (almost a four to one margin ) that it set the pace for his come from behind win.

Connolly’s campaign piece was sent to over 7,000 voters in the city and portrayed a sullen-looking teenaged, Latino boy with a hooded sweatshirt pulled over his head on one side and Marty Martinez smiling on the other. In between was text describing Martinez’ opposition to an anti-gang ordinance and detailing his efforts to integrate MS-13 gang members into the city’s teen center when he was director of youth services. Before the mailing, Connolly lost the preliminary election by over 400 votes. After, he won by 558 votes in the general election.

Martinez said the teen was a gang member and Connolly’s mailing was a dirty tactic. Connolly said the boy represented the law-abiding kids who Martinez betrayed by allowing gang members in to the teen center. Whoever he was, that Latino teenager has to be one of the most powerful individuals of this political season. However, are the teens in this city just going to be used when politically convenient as a way to manipulate voters or are they going to get the attention and services they badly need?

Today, the teen center at Broadway and Cross Street East is a dilapidated building with holes in the ceiling. Youth from different programs are crammed in and making the best of the situation. Meanwhile, a park for dogs gets city money and attention.

Last month Teen Empowerment organized the First Annual Somerville Youth Peace Conference. The teens who organized and performed in it, told stories of gang violence, rampant drug abuse, armed robbery and death at a young age. The despair they described was real and should be addressed accordingly, not just in mailings during campaign season.