by @BarryRafkind in Politics, Ward 7
Posted on September 24, 2011 at 9:54 pm
Last Modified on October 1, 2011 at 6:26 am
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Trane’s 1st mailing of the general election race for the Ward 7 Alderman seat begins with the following statement:
Now that we are deep into the political campaign season I am sure my opponent will start making outlandish claims and start throwing mud around. That’s the old school style of politics that doesn’t reflect today’s Somerville.
However, Katjana Ballantyne hasn’t made any outlandish claims or thrown any mud around, whereas his attack against her counts as that type of “old school style of politics” he has decried. Sounds hypocritical to me.
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I read “will start.” Am I missing something?
Honestly, I don’t think she will as negative campaigns have not proven successful in Somerville.
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Right, so given that she has not engaged in negative tactics, the only reason he’d have for making such a bold and unfair statement is to discredit his opponent by associating her with negative campaigning. Ironically, his statement is therefore an example of negative campaigning.
Unfortunately, negative campaigns have sometimes proven successful, such as when Jack Connelly defeated Marty Martinez for Alderman-at-Large after unfairly associating Martinez with a gang member in a mailing.
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Do you really think that mailing directly resulted in Marinez’s loss? Martinez won in Wards 3, 5, 6, and 7. The only Wards he lost signficantly in were 1 and 4 as 2 was a fairly close race.
http://bit.ly/oxoIoQ
I’m certainly not agreeing with Jack’s tactics as I think he learned his lesson in 2005 not to take his years on the Board for granted. Playing upon people’s fears, at the time, was cheap and I wish he went a different route.
For every 1 win that negative campaigns have, I can name 2 that they have lost. Either way, smart, sensible campaigning is really what Somerville is leaning towards and I hope that’s what happens in Ward 7.
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Courtney, I’m not sure how important Connolly’s negative mailing was to his 2007 victory. But since we both disagree with that tactic, I hope you’ll also condemn Trane’s statement.
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Courtney – hard to say. Wards 1 and 4 are the most old-school wards out there, and as such two wards that would respond positively to Jack Connolly running against anyone. I also suspect that any “gang problem” (real or perceived) would be felt more in Wards 1 and 4 than any other ward in the city, and Connolly probably sealed the deal with that mailing.
Speaking of mailings, wasn’t there a huge dust-up over an “orange flyer” that Rachel Heller’s supporters allegedly sent out during her run against Trane, what, four years ago? I say “allegedly” because no Trane supporters ever turned up a copy, nor could they quote verbatim from it.
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Tricky, you are correct that Heller’s campaign dropped a flyer that was critical of Trane at the end of her 2007 race against him for W7 Alderman. Although I do not have a copy nor do I remember the details, I recall that it criticized Trane based on his record, without personal attacks, outlandish claims, or mud-slinging. It would probably have been much more effective if it had been distributed earlier in the campaign.
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Tricky-Good point, as always. I would have loved to see a poll explaining that vote. That’s just the data-obsessive side of me coming out. I just don’t picture Marty being a “one mailing and you’re out” candidate. He lost previously, but not by a lot. I think that promoting the idea that one negative mailing can cost him an election is a disservice to the work he has done selling himself as a viable candidate.
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True, but the numbers Connoly drew in Wards 1 and 4 are telling of something. Marty won Wards 3 and 6 with 51% of the vote, Ward 7 with 52%, and Ward 5 with 56%. Connoly picked up 52% of the vote in Ward 2.
And 62% of the vote in Ward 4.
And 79% of the vote in Ward 1.
(Data-obsessive? I could crunch numbers all day. An analysis of ward votes and turnout for the Capuano-Coakley primary and Coakley-Scott Brown general election couple of years back tell quite the tale.)
It’s most likely a tendency to vote for the old-school guy in those wards. There’s probably also a tendency not to vote for the guy named “Martinez”. Maybe the mailing scared some people, what with the two wards sandwiching Ground Zero for Somerville gangs, Foss Park. Probably a combination of all of the above.
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as usual, barry is right on target. those flyers were racist and they did have an effect on the election.
if negative campaigning is raising issues with which you disagree with your opponent, i’ll have more of it.
i doubt that KB will stoop to disparaging mr. trane. but i do hope she speaks to issues, especially the yellow brick road that developers saunter down to get approval of their often greedy plans.
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“but i do hope she speaks to issues”
That would be a pleasant change.
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A pleasant change from what? The current alderman?
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Barry, I looked at Ballantyne’s website and — give her credit – she’s popped by the house a couple of times (I was drinking those times, so at first I thought she was a Jehova witness and yelled/screamed at her — I’m an atheist!) and I STILL have NO idea what she is selling. After I realized she was running for something I tried to give her a chance, but she never answered why I should vote for her.
So…why should I vote for her? She has never been able to articulate that and just because she’s a progressive that doesn’t get my vote. Until I hear that she believes we need take from those that have and give to those that need (like me) – she ain’t getting my vote!
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