Boston needs a more conservative, pull no punches mayoral candidate to challenge lefty Michelle Wu and it will be a missed opportunity for the city if no one emerges as that voice.
City Councilor Ed Flynn of South Boston, son of former Mayor Ray Flynn, is the closest the city has to filling that wide lane but for now he has decided not to join the fray.
Flynn has the funds – about $1 million in campaign cash, which is a lot for a district city council race – the name recognition, and knowledge of the key neighborhood issues driving the race. He could tap into more moderate areas of the city, not just South Boston and not just white voters.
Asked whether he has any misgivings about taking a pass on the mayoral race, Flynn told the Herald, “I’m running for district city council.”
If Flynn doesn’t run, there doesn’t appear to be another conservative out there yet who is thinking of getting in the contest. But that could change.
The only other declared candidate, Josh Kraft, son of Patriots owner Robert Kraft, has failed to gain much traction yet though he has raised some money and could tap into his family’s wealth.
Kraft so far has complained that Wu is stealing some of his issues, like affordable housing but that’s not a winning strategy. He has also sought to make Wu’s short-sighted proposal to turn the dilapidated White Stadium into a professional women’s soccer venue into a big issue, but polls show residents are mixed at best about the plan. Wu is not going to lose the race because of White Stadium.
Just in the last week, five major labor unions endorsed Wu, demonstrating the power she is wielding from City Hall. She also announced Monday the city is investing $10 million in federal funds for affordable housing in Mattapan. Kraft cannot compete with that.
On Monday, real estate developer Thomas O’Brien made it known that he is interested in possibly jumping in the mayor’s race, complicating Kraft’s bid even more.
O’Brien, the BRA chief under the late Mayor Tom Menino, would be just another rich white businessman drawing from the same base as Kraft if he gets in the race. O’Brien is a Democrat, although Boston has a non-partisan election, and would focus on housing, schools and rising property taxes. He also has never run for public office.
Sound familiar?
It’s a failing strategy – a non-starter.
Both Kraft and O’Brien are also walking billboards for conflict of interest – O’Brien has a number of huge projects in the city like the redevelopment of Suffolk Downs and the rehabilitation of the Government Center Garage, while Kraft’s family is trying to build another soccer stadium just over the line in Everett that will have a major impact on Boston traffic.
O’Brien also was forced to leave the BRA under an ethical cloud for allowing a top aide to purchase a subsidized condo meant for low income people. That alone could kill his candidacy.
“It is clear some developers are willing to do whatever it takes to buy this office,” Julia, Leja, a Wu campaign spokesman said of O’Brien’s musings about getting in the race. “It seems that Josh Kraft is not turning out to be what they expected and now they are shopping for a new option.”
O’Brien did not return a call from the Herald on Monday.
Wu would be lucky to face both Kraft and O’Brien in the same field, because she would demolish them both, leaving whoever comes in second place in the September preliminary election little chance of beating her in the November final.
No one is going to out lefty Michelle Wu. The only candidate who could beat Wu is someone who is willing to point out her rigid progressive style is now working for many Boston residents.
Only Ed Flynn seems to recognize that, which is why it’s critical that he take a second look at the mayor’s race and become that alternative voice.
Flynn was one of the first to raise the alarm about the city’s drug-infested Mass and Cass neighborhood, and about the deteriorating condition and safety of the Boston schools. He also has been in the forefront of criticizing Wu for her failures in making Downtown Crossing a safe place to shop and live.
Only a conservative candidate would also be willing to point out that Wu’s stirring defense of Boston as a sanctuary city in a congressional hearing last week could lose the city millions of dollars in federal funds.
