Thursday, October 25, 2007

Big rumor from tonight's forum

I couldn't go to the municipal election forum tonight but I heard a big rumor from it. Apparently, Trisha Dionne, one of the six candidates running for an at-large seat on the city council, will challenge Ward 4 Councilor Dick Lemieux as a write-in candidate. I've sent her an email requesting a confirmation of the rumor.
This move by Dionne was one suggested by local firefighter and police unions in their municipal endorsement press release a few weeks ago. It would be interesting to see how many of them live in the Ward. I take two main streets through the Ward on my commute and I have only seen a few Kathy Rogers signs. So, I would guess that there are probably a few but not a ton.
The Ward is a pretty diverse one, from the affluence of the southern part of Auburn Street, to the working class areas of Rumford and Franklin streets.
Either way, this will be an uphill battle for her since successful sticker/write-in campaigns are extremely rare. And Dick is a pretty popular guy in the neighborhood. But, who knows. With the backing of the firefighters and cops, and if they assist her in targeting voters and getting out the vote, Dionne might be able to pull off an upset.
The other factor here is how Dionne pulling out of the at-large race affects the other five candidates left in the at-large race. With only one woman left on the ballot, granted, a newcomer to the city, Stacey Catucci would stand to benefit at least a little. Whether that is enough to win a seat, especially against four other well-connected, and well-known members of the community, remains to be seen.

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