By Brian Denitzio
Reporter Staff

On September 27, Boston voters will choose eight at-large candidates to compete in the November 8 final election. First in a series of Reporter candidate profiles.

Althea Garrison

By her own count, Althea Garrison, the former one-term state representative, has sought elected office more than 14 times, and this summer she is dusting off the buttons and signs once more to make another bid for at-large city councillor. Her other campaigns include unsuccessful bids for mayor, state representative, and state senator.

In 2003, the Dudley Street resident successfully made it through the preliminaries, but finished seventh in the eight-person final, nearly 20,000 votes out of the running for the fourth and final at large seat.

Garrison writes that this year she is running a "real grass roots campaign," driven by five issues, including "fighting to cut property taxes for small homeowners," "fighting to upgrade the education system," and "fighting for real affordable housing."

The key issues facing Dorchester, Garrison wrote, are the need for better paying jobs, coupled with the cutting of the crime rate among the neighborhood's youth and "upgrading their education."

"I am running for Boston city councilor at-large because working middle class taxpayers like myself are not being represented we pay the bulk of the taxes and get very little representation," wrote Garrison.

Pledging to provide "superb representation" to the city's middle class families, Garrison cited her experience as a one-term state representative in the fifth Suffolk district as one element that separates her from the pack.

"I have worked in government for 24 years and other than the 3 incumbents I am the only candidate who has experience in being elected as a state Representative and I have experience in writing legislation and voting on state budgets," wrote Garrison.

In addition, Garrison believes her extensive education help make her, as her web site states, "the most qualified candidate" in the race.

Garrison wrote that she holds an A.S from Newbury Junior College, a B.S. from Suffolk University, a M.S. from Lesley University, and a C.S.S. from Harvard University.

"I don't think any of the other candidates have as much experience and qualification as I do," wrote Garrison.

Garrison's sole victory came in 1992 when she was elected state Representative in the fifth Suffolk district. Garrison challenged the signatures of the incumbent, Nelson Merced, and his name was removed from the ballot, paving the way for Garrison. According to published reports, the victory made Garrison the nation's first transgender person elected to office.

Citing previous problems with the Reporter relating to the publication's failure to publish her op-ed submissions, Althea Garrison declined to be interviewed in person for this profile. She did, however, respond in writing to questions sent to her via fax.

By Brian Denitzio
Reporter Staff

At 24, Joseph Ready is among the youngest in the field of challengers in this year's at-large race, but the resident of the neighborhood near Symphony Hall believes his experience and drive make him, pardon the pun, ready to take on the responsibility of serving as a city councillor.

Last week, Ready took a break from his job at Suffolk University Law School to discuss his campaign and his candidacy.

Despite his age, Ready is one of the few challengers in the at-large field who has previously held elected office. He served three one-year terms as a town selectman in Chelmsford, his hometown, a position Ready says is similar in scope to city councillor.

"It was a good learning step," says Ready.

That "learning step" hooked Ready on public service and he's now continuing that education in his at-large campaign.

Ready is a relative newcomer to Boston and its political scene, which he has found moves at a faster clip than the one he left behind in Chelmsford.

Initially, Ready says, he was overwhelmed by the size of running a city-wide campaign, but says that since deciding to run last November, he has learned a lot.

His decision to run grew out of a desire to bring about an end to the city's problem with youth violence, a problem that Ready says desperately needs to be fixed and is of particular importance in Dorchester.

"These kids don't have the opportunities that they should," says Ready.

He hopes to attract more attention for the various programs that exist in the city to help provide young people with the chance to do something positive with their time, and meet people who will be a positive influence in their lives.

"When I was growing up, I had three or four people I looked to for advice, I think that these kids need someone," says Ready.

As a corollary, Ready says, the quality of the education the city's children will be improved with more involvement from parents.

"It's difficult for working parents to participate," says Ready, who believes one solution might be obliging employers to provide parents with time off to take a more active role in their children's education.

Another key issue in Ready's campaign is property taxes. Ready says that homeowners and landlords are burdened by high property taxes, which price many people out of the market and drive rents sky high.

Ready proposes changing the tax classification to force non-profits and to pay "their fair share." He argues that colleges and universities should pay taxes on the buildings in which they house students. This plan, Ready points out, is a shift in the tax burden, not an increase in the amount the city would take in.

Ready hopes that these issues will resonate with voters, but the biggest obstacle will be getting the word out and garnering interest in a campaign that lags far behind the some candidates in fund raising and name recognition.

Having grown up outside the city, Ready says, he doesn't have the "ready-made base" afforded to the political legacies in this year's at large field.

"I don't have any connection to old groups of people, I'm trying to bring everyone together," says Ready.

He says he's committed to Boston, having purchased a condo on St. Stephen Street, near Symphony Hall and Northeastern University.

"I'm here, this is my home now, this is where I plan on living out my whole life," says Ready.

By Brian Denitzio
Reporter Staff

Gregory O'Connell is another of the fresh faces in this year's at-large race. O'Connell, 26, is the youngest of seven children raised Roslindale, where he lives today with his parents. From a family of teachers, O'Connell says, politics and public service are his way of giving back to the community.

"I've always been involved in politics and this was the best way to help serve my community," says O'Connell, who spoke to the Reporter in a phone interview this week.

This year's at-large contest marks the first time that O'Connell has sought elected office, but he's nurtured an interest in politics all his life, he says. He's one class short of a degree in politics and government from the University of Maryland, and has worked on a number of local campaigns.

The decision to run this year was not easily arrived at, O'Connell says, due in part to his relationship with another candidate in the field, incumbent At-Large Councillor Stephen Murphy. O'Connell worked in Murphy's office, and was a part of his 2003 campaign for city council.

"He's a big influence, and I learned a lot, especially how to run a winning campaign," says O'Connell, who worked primarily in constituent services for a year after the council campaign's conclusion.

That experience, coupled with other work in politics including an internship with the late Congressman Joseph Moakley, O'Connell says, makes him a qualified candidate.

He'll need to draw on all those experiences to overcome significant obstacles facing his candidacy, notably spotting other candidates in the field nearly a year on the campaign trail before organizing himself.

O'Connell says he entered the race shortly after nomination papers were made available to candidates. As a consequence, he lags far behind the field in both name recognition and fundraising. When asked to comment on his fundraising operation, O'Connell replies, "next question."

Entering the field so late also means that O'Connell has only recently began his voter outreach operation, which is further hindered by his full-time job with United Healthcare, in West Newton. O'Connell says that he plans to continue working full time throughout the campaign, and will knock doors and attend community events and meetings in the evenings and on weekends.

"I will continue to work full time, I don't have that luxury [of campaigning full time]," says O'Connell.

Among the issues O'Connell has discovered on the trail that affect not only Dorchester but the entire city are the high rate of youth violence, particularly in the summer months, and the near-constant friction between residents and developers.

"Residents feel that developers aren't always completely upfront in letting the community know their plans," says O'Connell.

O'Connell believes that developers are failing to keep an eye on what effect their projects will have in the future of the city.

"I definitely think that there should be an agency in Boston to do planning for the city" in addition to the Boston Redevelopment Authority, says O'Connell.

As for his own plan, O'Connell says he'll continue campaigning on nights and weekends, and hopes that successful "grassroots campaigning" will be enough to propel him to a seat on the council alongside his former boss.

"I can just do the best that I can do, I'm trying to get my name out there and trying to find out what issues affect people in their every day lives," says O'Connell.