By Brian Denitzio
Reporter Staff

Eric Donovan rounds the corner. Nattily dressed in a pinstripe suit and blue shirt, cell phone to his ear, he opens the door to Gerard's convenience store and steps inside to escape the bitter cold. The phone call wraps up and he moves to the restaurant side of Gerard's. Circling his way around the bar to the dining area, Donovan stops along the way, greeting the late breakfast crowd. Taking a seat, he eschews coffee, opting instead for hot chocolate with a dollop of whipped cream. A nearby patron praises him for his comments in a recent Globe article concerning gay marriage. In it, Donovan stated that he would support leaving the gay marriage question up to the voters of the Commonwealth. In the same article, he admitted that some in the 12th Suffolk district might be unhappy with that view.

In his first run for public office, one of five candidates hoping to replace longtime state Rep. and former Speaker Thomas M. Finneran, Donovan is seeking to offer voters a widely-appealing profile without compromising any of his own core beliefs.

Donovan, 34, grew up in a three-decker on Adams St., the oldest of four children and has lived in Ward 16 his whole life. His father, Ed, works as a caseworker for the Massachusetts Department of Mental Retardation, and his mother, Christine, works for the Department of Mental Health. "I grew up in a house where public service was pushed and promoted," says Donovan. His sisters, Amy and Kelly, work as a middle school teacher at the Rogers School in Hyde Park and a nurse, respectively. His brother, Andrew, is in sales for Nature Magazine and also manages Donovan's campaign.

His parents were very active in local politics, says Donovan, recalling them working on numerous campaigns, holding signs, and knocking doors. Donovan got his first taste of politics at an early age, working on his uncle Joe Donovan's campaign for state representative, when he was eight years old. He says he worked on a number of other campaigns, including Paul White's for state representative; White is supporting Donovan opponent Linda Dorcena Forry.

Growing up, Donovan was a "regular kid," into sports but also a bit of a history buff. "If I wasn't reading about Bobby Orr or Ted Williams, I was reading about the presidents."

Craig Galvin grew up with Donovan and recalls a great student in the classroom and a tough competitor on the playing field. "He didn't have the hardest shot or the best pitch, but you knew he'd be there for you at the end of the game to do what it took to win," says Galvin.

From Latin to law

Donovan graduated Boston Latin High School and went on to Westfield State College, where he studied American history. For a time, Donovan considered a career as a history professor, opting instead to go on to law school. "I thought long and hard about it, and thought that law school would open up more avenues," says Donovan. He still maintains an interest in history, however. "I can watch anything on the History Channel," says Donovan.

From Westfield, Donovan went on to New England School of Law. A job in the Norfolk County District Attorney's office followed. As an assistant D.A. Donovan was assigned to the district court, working first under future Congressman William Delahunt and then Jeffrey Locke.

Donovan left the D.A.'s office after three years, going into private practice with the law firm of Finneran, Drechsler, and Byrne. "Eric is a great guy, an excellent attorney, very capable, hardworking and responsible," says attorney James Byrne, a former city councillor.

He stayed at the firm for about a year. "My heart just wasn't in [private practice]," says Donovan. He wanted to get back into public service and found an opportunity to do so as a State House counsel, the position he held for the last five years.

Donovan was among the first to declare his intentions after Finneran's October announcement that he would vacate the seat. "I know a lot of the issues that are germane to the district and to being a representative," says Donovan. He consulted with his wife of five years, Veronica, before making the decision to run. The couple has three children, four-year old Brendan, two-year old Tim, and four-month old daughter Kerin.

Campaigning with a young family at home has not been easy. "The most difficult part has been balancing the appropriate amount of time on the campaign and with the family, especially with the kids being so young," he says. But he's gotten plenty of help and support, most notably from Veronica. "She's been my backbone," says Donovan.

Having a large family hasn't hurt either. Veronica comes from a family of eight children, and Donovan's parents have helped mobilize his extended family. "It's been great seeing the depth of commitment from my friends and family."

As the candidate who has lived in the district the longest, he will also draw on a network built over a lifetime.

'People are people'

The sign across the street, at the Adams Street Barber, is flanked by the remnants of the most recent battle. Red and white campaign artifacts, supporting the candidate who came out of the Democratic primary black and blue: Stephen J. Murphy for Suffolk County Sheriff.

Last fall's sheriff race was perceived widely as another chapter in the rise of New Boston. The race pitted incumbent Andrea Cabral, a black woman of Cape Verdean descent, against City Councillor Murphy a white, Irish male. Cabral defeated Murphy handily, lending credence to the notion that a new day had dawned in Boston politics.

While certainly not a new concept, the notion of a New Boston element in Boston politics had come into focus a year earlier with Felix Arroyo's successful bid for an at-large city Council seat. Arroyo, the first-ever city councillor of Latino descent, rode a wave of minority and progressive support to strong second-place finish in 2003.

When Cabral bested Murphy in the sheriff's race, the role of New Boston in the city's evolving political landscape gained more prominence.

Soon after Finneran announced his departure from the House, the race that would ensue was pegged as the next opportunity for New Boston to show its clout. Headlines touted the potential for a new era.

This time around, it's Eric Donovan's turn to fill the role of Old Boston. A white, Irish male, with conservative Democratic views, Donovan could fill the role nicely. But he struggles with the notion that candidates and Bostonians can easily be placed into one of two categories.

"I think people are people," says Donovan. "I don't think it's an accurate moniker." He says he believes that while the demographics of the city have shifted, the issues remain the same. "No matter where people are from, they all want the same thing, clean streets, safe neighborhoods and for their kids to succeed further than they did."

Donovan's candidacy, perhaps more so than the others, struggles against the perception that this race must define or be defined by the New Boston. He fits its commonly-accepted parameters neither ethnically nor ideologically. His prospects for the special election on March 15 don't match the calculus or the narrative that many think describe the current trajectory of local politics. But, as one local political operative noted at this month's Columbia/Savin Hill Civic meeting, Donovan meets a broader definition, one based on the city's inclusiveness and enduring appeal to its natives: "He's the New Boston too. He stayed."

"I'm a hardworking guy, raising a family in the city," says Donovan.

Jim O'Sullivan contributed reporting for for this article.