Will history repeat itself?
Dear Editor,
When Tom Menino and Jim Brett faced off in the Mayoral election 20 years ago, Brett was the “Southie candidate”. Everybody who was anybody in South Boston politics was behind Jim Brett. Everybody except State Representative Paul Gannon. Much to the chagrin of many South Boston residents, Paul Gannon backed Tom Menino, the winning candidate. When Representative Gannon ran for re-election, the voters remembered his unpopular endorsement and elected his opponent, a political newcomer by the name of Stephen Lynch. Today, Congressman Lynch is a seasoned veteran on Capitol Hill, but has never forgotten where he came from. Now, South Boston is in a position where Marty Walsh was the “Southie candidate”; meanwhile State Representative Nick Collins endorsed the losing candidate, John Connolly. The question is: Will South Boston remember Nick Collins endorsement in the next election?
Sincerely,
Sean Barrett
15 Comments
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I don’t think Nick has anything to worry about, he works hard for South Boston, that’s what people will remember and base their votes on. You seem like you’re trying to plant a seed here, and I don’t think it will take.
Nick Collins works hard on behalf of this town and takes his job serious. He is a full time State Rep who cares for his South Boston constituents deeply and shows it every day and night by never dodging the important issues that matter to this town. But Nick Collins is something else as well. He is his own man. No one orders him to endorse certain candidates, He is not on the strings or in the pockets of special interest groups. He has the right to support who he feels will best serve South Boston. If that pisses off some people who have different opinions or owe allegience to another candidate that’s just how life works sometimes. Nick Collins has thousands of supporters who are proud of him for staying independent, strong, focused and dedicated to this community. His supporters are also very proud of him for not allowing himself to be bought off and manipulated. Stay strong Nick Collins. You are a good man.
The people making comments endorsing Nick are most likely his family members. We all know the players in this town and Nick Collins is not his own person. When the unions where helping Nick Collins get elected and when he went for the Jack Hart’s seat, Nick’s exact words “I would never forget the unions.” Well he certainly forgot those words pretty quickly. Nick would have been better off not endorsing anyone. Marty Walsh has been a dear friend to this community for a very long time. Nick could have cost this community a lot but thankfully Nick Collins has to answer to Mayor Marty Walsh.
We might as well rename the ticket Nick Collins/Jimmy Collins and Maryanne Crush for State Reps. This will make a great headline for their newspaper “South Boston Today.”
I was deeply disappointed by Representative Collins’ decision to oppose his supporters and endorse the Mayor-elect’s opponent, almost as disappointed as I was in the decision by a longtime South Boston neighbor to launch a political career by running for a seat that had, by tradition, gone to the sitting representative. It’s always painful when people put self-interest before the needs of their community, and people should be free to express their pain and displeasure. Once that’s done, let’s move on. It’s a new day in Boston; there’s work for all of us.
??Mary Ellen Sinkiewicz
The senate seat WAS won by a seated state rep. – Linda Dorcena Forry. You realize that the district is made up of mostely Dorchester right? Maureen had every right to run. We live in a democracy. I think Maureen should run agains Nick for his seat.
Nick Collins won’t move to Hingham. Also, Menino did nothing for Southie anyway.
Let Dahill run. She’s probably behind this whole conversation going on on this, her blog anyway. That way everyone can remmeber how she was a straw in the special election so South Boston would lose the senate seat. As far as Nick Collins goes? When it comes time to run for reelection, people will care about the fact that Collins is a real rep, a rep who works hard and full time for his constituents. That’s what he’s paid to do and that’s exactly what he does.. Most people don’t care that he didn’t cringe and say ‘How high sir?’ when some union boss told him to jump. Most will find that somewhat refreshing. Even some of the union rank and file. People need to remember that everyone has the right to vote for who they think is best. Will you let this letter run Maureen?
People really have no idea about Nick and the unions. Marty Walsh did not endorse anyone during the special election. He told Nick flat out he would not endorse him or anyone else for Jack Hart’s seat. Nick Collins gladly went after the unions help for his first election and then again for the special election. The unions did not go to Nick – he went to them.
Good luck to Nick next election when he looks for the unions’ support. He is never gonna get it. He went to the unions for support and got it when he ran for state rep. He went to the unions when he ran for state senate and got their support. Do you think he’ll get it when he asks for their support for re-election? Nope. He went against the unions candidate when he should have just stayed out of it. They didn’t ask him to jump. He went out of his way to screw Marty Walsh and ended up screwing himself. He made his bed. Nick will catch a candidate in September, without a doubt. You say he works for his contituents? Really? He’s easily led by people giving him terrible advice.
I find it very interesting that no one signs there name to the letters to the editor. Anyone who has a comment to say should not be intimiidated by the neighborhood to express their point of view. As we remember our veterans today I am reminded that so many of our veterans have gone to war to allow people to have free speech. It seems to be that in South Boston , we have forgotten that. Let’s stop attacking our neighbors and deal with the real issues in our community which are tearing us apart. It is time to stand together regardless of our party affiliation. We are all Americans .
Joanne McDevitt
Marty did not support any candidate for the Senate seat. He knew all the candidates and was smart not to back any. I do not know why Nick backed John Connolly, since he works as a state rep like Marty and knows Marty. I also thinik that when you have more than one candidate from the same community you split the vote. Therefore I suggest that the stronger candidate run for political office with the full support of the community. We need to work together as a community. We have overdevelopment, drug problem and families that can not afford to stay in South Boston. These are the things we need to focus on. I also think that there should be only one neighborhood association that deals with large developments and involves the whole community in the process. Large development projects effect the whole community and not just one area of South Boston. We also need to plan community meetings so they do not conflict with other community meetings.