The race is on and the candidates are afoot. After weeks of delay, the board of aldermen have finally set the date for the special election to to fill the vacancy |left by the resignation of State Rep. Denise M. Provost, D, Somerville.  As of our deadline, the two candidates taking out nomination petitions, John M. ‚ÄúJack‚Äù Connolly and Martin Martinez, are knowable knowables.

Connolly was the Ward 6 Alderman for 22 years.  During his tenure, the heart of his ward, Davis Square, has become the economic engine of the city and a case study in prescient urban planning. Given the population turnover in Somerville, it might be worth noting that Connolly has a strong Progressive resume that includes fighting for Good Government in the days when it was not so popular and supporting the Living Wage.

His strong leadership in the effort to save the Somerville Theatre is, let us say, often imitated, never truly duplicated.

Martinez is no longer the new face on the city stage.  Most residents first learned his name when then-mayor Dorothy Kelly Gay fired him as her director of youth services. 

Kelley Gay put it out that Martinez was fired for coddling gangs. We would argue it was more nuanced than that. Rather, we think he was working to change the conditions driving gang membership—a program we wish had been in place for the last four years.

Since leaving the city payroll, Martinez has twice run for alderman. Once for the Ward 7 seat against the current board president, Robert C. Trane and last year when he finished fifth for the four at-large seats.

Nobody has doubted his passion for the city and the value of his ideas. The only real question is whether he can win against the warhorse Connolly.

Right now, the mayor has eight votes out of 11, which he keeps under his pillow at night. The difference may be how badly he craves a ninth.