Endorsements for The Somerville News

Today is Election Day. Here, in our humble opinion, are the candidates most deserving of your vote.

In a year touted to be the triumphant return of the Democrats to the corner office on Beacon Hill, it becomes evident that there really are important choices to be made in a few races that we would feel remiss if we didn‚Äôt weigh in with our opinions and endorsements in races YOU should really be concerned with.  We decided to focus on four candidates for public office in the upcoming Democratic Primary and our reasons why.  Let‚Äôs get right to it.

Middlesex County Clerk of Courts
Michael A. Sullivan is running for the office his uncle, Edward J. Sullivan, has held since 1958 not because he wants to keep it in the family, but on his own impressive record.  As a member of the Cambridge City Council for the past 14 years and Mayor of Cambridge between 2002 and 2005, Michael has done an outstanding job as a public servant ‚Äì couple that with his extensive background in the court system ‚Äì first as an Assistant Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as well as an Assistant District Attorney for Middlesex County (now in private practice as an admitted member of the Bar), and you have, in our opinion, the ideal candidate for this important elected office.
Admittedly this was a very difficult endorsement for us to make for two very big reasons:  first, we like Bruce Desmond and he is an excellent Alderman at Large with a terrific track record and second, it is harder than you might think to pick an outsider over a candidate from Somerville for any race, period.  When it came down to it, Sullivan won our support because of his experience within the court system ‚Äì which is paramount for this office.
Secretary of State
William F. Galvin has been a truly outstanding Secretary of the Commonwealth and deserves your vote to reelect him to the third-ranked state constitutional office.  Since first elected to this office in 1994, Bill has taken an office more widely known for regulating and monitoring local, state and federal elections and brought new innovations and ideas into the other lesser known responsibilities of the Secretary ‚Äì the Corporations Division, liaising with the U.S. Census Bureau and regulating fraud activity through the Securities Division.
Those who have known Bill throughout his years as a State rep. and as Secretary of State know him to be an efficient and dedicated public official who has always remembered where he came from and always remained accessible.  Vote to return William Galvin as Secretary of State ‚Äì because we need leadership and experience like his on Beacon Hill when others come up short.
Lieutenant Governor
Tim Murray is our choice for Lt. Governor because of his experience, his drive, his vision and his ability to keep it all in perspective when talking with his constituency.  Now in his third term as Mayor of Worcester, Tim understands the problems that face cities and towns when it comes to budgetary constraints, rising energy costs, skyrocketing health care costs and state and federal aid, to name a few.
One of the most important duties of a Lt. Governor is to act as the liaison of the Governor‚Äôs Office to local officials and Tim is remarkably qualified to do exactly that ‚Äì armed with the experience and the understanding that only a former Mayor could bring to the table.  Vote for Tim Murray for Lt. Governor because no matter who wins as Governor, we need Tim Murray‚Äôs experience and knowledge at work for us.
Governor
Chris Gabrieli is the logical choice for your vote for Governor for two very important reasons ‚Äì his experience in the private sector and his commitment to putting together reasonable, well thought-out and concise action plans on a number of issues that will be of the utmost importance to our next Governor.  It helps that Chris has a likeable personality and understands the complexities of the office he is seeking to hold and, quite frankly, seems to be the best prepared of the three candidates for Governor.
His two opponents have shown their true colors over the past few weeks – Reilly probably would have been the front runner today if he could have kept himself in check and not been so negative – and Patrick had our eye for a brief time, if only because Mayor Joe wouldn’t endorse a bad candidate, but in the end this darling of the PDS-types and the ultra-liberal side of the Democratic party has no shot at beating the Republican candidate anywhere West of Route 128 – believe it.
Vote for Chris Gabrieli for Governor because he is qualified, is the most prepared, has long term vision and at the end of the day has the best shot of any of the candidates from the Democratic Party to actually win back the corner office on Beacon Hill.