Left In Lowell

One race I haven’t talked much about is the Sec of State Democratic primary. It is definitely contested, with John Bonifaz taking on three-term incumbent Bill Galvin. Bonifaz made a strong showing at the convention to get his place on the ballot with 29% (great for an unknown challenger).

I’ve been ambivalent about this race; on one hand, it’s good to see an incumbent, who is something of an insider, challenged. On the other, though I often agree with Bonifaz, some of his statements are given over to rhetorical sharpness that didn’t sit well with me. And supporters of both sides have a tendency to seriously overreact.

I do know that Galvin has done quite a lot of good in his position as SecState, such as giving better access to public records(for instance, at the Registrars of Deeds). And though I do think that the real work of protecting the Commonwealth from non-paper-verified voting machines is done in the legislature (hence I have said I’d have loved to see Bonifaz run for Representative), I do think Bonifaz is a smart, dedicated activist who has a history both online and off of protecting people’s rights. He’s also become more polished in this race with time.

But what am I to think about Galvin backing out of the one of the few times he actually agreed to face Bonifaz on the same stage? It has appeared for a while now that Galvin is riding his name recognition into a fourth term. Just like I criticized Rep. Lynch for not debating Phil Dunkelbarger yesterday, I find his excuse - being “stuck in New Bedford” - flimsy at best. Since he knew he was to appear in Medford, is he that unable to dictate his own schedule? I find that hard to believe. Tentative reporting says he was at a New Bedford Victory ‘06 event…laudable, but the state Dems could have done without you, so you could have done your duty and show up to ask for our vote. And what, he didn’t know ahead of time about this conflict so he could make it clear whether or not he would make it?

BMG reports that Galvin’s due to appear tonight with Bonifaz and Green Party SecState candidate, Jill Stein, in Worcester. Let’s hope Galvin takes it seriously enough to show up this time. I wasn’t going to endorse anyone in this race, but I may just change my mind.