Ward 20 Packs West Roxbury Pub for Candidate Forum

Ward 20 has a reputation for voter turn-outs at the polls, and as evidenced by the packed house for the candidate forum held last night at the West Roxbury Pub, that's not about to change any time soon. If the event had gotten underway at the rumored 7 p.m. start time it'd be an entirely different story. But by 7:30 p.m. the room was bubbling with enthusiasm.

What followed wasn't a debate so much as it was a last glance at the six running Democratic candidates for the 10^th Suffolk District State Representative seat prior to Tuesday's election; each was allowed a carefully-timed five minute window to articulate their positions. All six made good use of their time, though some put across their ideas with more detail than others. We also heard from Westwood attorney Mike Walsh and current State Representative Mike Rush on their respective bids for the Senate. Additionally, several City Councilmen were on hand, as well as Sheriff Cabral and longtime Governor's Council Kelly Timilty.

Mike Walsh said he was tired of the word 'change' being thrown around so haphazardly and that instead he was building a campaign on 'real ideas.' As a personal injury lawyer representing workers at odds with insurance companies, he made a solid case for understanding the flaws in our health care system and suggested various means to help lower the price of health insurance. Walsh also talked about giving banks time-sensitive tax incentives as a method of getting them to loan money and jumpstart the economy. Rush, meanwhile, stuck by his "3 E's" – Economy, Education and Environment. He reflected on his gratitude for being able to serve as State Representative, expressing enthusiasm for being able to work with students and stimulating their interest in government.

Matt Benedetti tightly packed his time with details about his career in various areas of public service, thus presenting himself as a neighborhood-minded candidate with the area's best interests at heart.  He even managed to quote Trumann and Churchill along the way.  He talked about working to find solutions to the rising costs of medical care for seniors and ways of improving veteran services.

Paul Sullivan seemed nervous, but nonetheless he made several impressive points differentiating himself from the herd, summing up his position with the statement, "We need to elect someone who has experience working for the people, not someone whose experience is working for other politicians." This jibes well with his background as an assistant DA in Norfolk County, a position he resigned from in order to run for this seat.  He also touched on being a new voice for public safety and additional funding for state prosecutors.

Kelly Tynan, who later received an impromptu endorsement from City Councilman at large, Felix Arroyo, said that for her, this campaign is about experience. She mentioned her work as legislative aide to former Councilman John Tobin and her previous position as Executive Director of West Roxbury Main Streets as key facets of her qualifying credentials. But it was her comments about education – and the fact that she's become a grade school teacher in the interim – that really hit home. "Education drives our economy and puts our children on a leveled playing field," she said, vowing to meet regularly with parents and teachers in her district to offer assistance in whatever ways possible. She also spoke of holding bi-monthly roundtable meetings for local business owners to strategize and keep one another informed.

Ed Coppinger talked passionately about feeling inspired by the show of enthusiasm on Centre Street where clusters of supporters rallied for their respective candidates as the forum drew closer. He said it reminded him of his youth and brought back the spark that originally made him curious about politics. "This is the community I love, and it's where I've chosen to raise my children," he said. Coppinger spoke about the need for budget cuts but cautioned that, "We can't just cut across the board at the state level; we need someone that knows where and what to cut."

Much has been said about Pam Julian's combative nature, but none of that was in evidence last night as she presented herself and her ideas without so much as a knitted brow. In fact, as the only Brookline resident running for the 10^th Suffolk seat, Julian's ideas seemed ambitious yet feasible – refreshing.  She expressed concern about what she sees as a disconnected district and, should she win, proposed various means to better unify West Roxbury, Brookline and Roslindale in the form of a "10^th Suffolk District Coalition." Julian also discussed her conviction about keeping libraries open and made sure to mention her Help Students Vote! Coalition, a civic education program aimed at stimulating interest in government at the high school and college levels.

The most complex agenda presented last night came from Bob Joyce, an attorney of 35 years who got his law degree at FSU and worked in Florida for a chunk of his career. "I returned to Massachusetts because I love it," he said, intimating that it's his love for the state and not the desire for a secondary career in politics that has him motivated in this race. His dire choice of words in describing the economy ("We're in a desperate position") turned heads, which he then followed with an analogy about improving the job market and making a cake. "We need the following ingredients – brains, muscle, energy, enthusiasm, a good attitude, a cooperative government and capital." He said it's the latter two we're missing and that he would work toward making sure we got them both. Joyce talked about debt, taxes and immigration as his three key concerns and that the solutions to our economic emergency all related back to them in one way or another.

Sean Ryan and Jim Hennigan, candidates for District 6 City Council, each had a turn at bat. Ryan went in for succinct simplicity with his "3 S's" – Schools, Services and Safety. Although he made clear that he's not a career politician, Ryan definitely *is* a product of the Boston schools; as a kid he hopped from Roxbury to JP to Dorchester to Boston Latin where he currently teaches music. He ended by saying, "I simply want to make a difference in this community, and I know I can." Like Coppinger, Hennigan also talked about the old-time-y feel of the clustered sings on Centre Street before cautioning about this being a big transition season for the district. He discussed the need for Councilmen that understand small business and also talked about programs for 12-17 year olds to help them learn to make better decisions. Hennigan is a father of four kids from ages 9 to 15.