Revere Needs a Senate Candidate Now

There is an old adage that goes ‘timing is everything.’

We contend that now is the time for a single candidate from Revere to announce and run for the seat being vacated by Senator Anthony Petruccelli.

It has been more than 25 years since a Revere resident held this senate seat.  From 1956 with Harold Canavan to 1990 with Fran Doris, only a Revere candidate could be elected.

Much has changed with this senate district over the last 25 years with sections of Revere  being placed in other senate districts.  Even in 2007,  when Dan Rizzo ran for this seat against then East Boston Representative Anthony Petruccelli, the largest voting block in Revere – Ward 6 – was still excluded.

Today, the City of Revere is entirely in the district.

Politically speaking, the two largest districts, East Boston or Revere, should control the seat.  Presently, there is no elected official and does not appear to be one in the offing from East Boston seeking the seat.

This leads one to conclude that a Revere candidate can win the seat if this candidate is willing to campaign and starting now to line up support in other parts of this sprawling district.

One cannot say that a senator from another part of this district would not be able to represent Revere.  What we are saying is that having a candidate that intimately knows our city will make a difference.

Revere has many problems that need to be addressed and funded.  Many of these funds could come from the state coffers and if our next senator comes from Revere there is a very good chance that our problems will be given a top priority.

When one looks at other state seats, there is something about having one of your own.  A recent example is the Chelsea/Charlestown state representative seat that was up for election in 2014.  This seat had been represented by Richard Voke of Chelsea from 1976 to 1996 and then by Eugene O’Flaherty of Chelsea until 2014.

In the special election in 2014, Charlestown united behind a local candidate, Dan Ryan, and took the seat back .

If one lends credence to the fact that local state official can make a difference, then one only has to look to Chelsea.  Under Voke’s tenure in the State House much was accomplished in Chelsea that created the rebirth that one can see today. Under Voke’s guidance,  three new Chelsea schools were built in the mid 1990s at a price tag of $100 million that ended up costing nothing to the Chelsea taxpayers.  Chelsea was also placed in state receivership in the early 1990s under very favorable terms that again set the foundation for the Chelsea of today.

Presently, there are two candidates, Jay Livingstone of Beacon Hill and Lydia Edwards of East Boston, who have thrown their proverbial hats into the ring. They have already started to line up support in various parts of the district.  Revere City Councillors Steven Morabito and  Jessica Giannino and Mayor Dan Rizzo are still weighing a run.

Time is of the essence.  A single Revere candidate needs to announce quickly, otherwise this opportunity to bring this seat back to Revere will be lost for another 20 years.