Fifteen men and women— including the four incumbent at-large city councillors— have “pulled papers” to run citywide this year. The field will not been settled until after the May 20 deadline passes and certifications are made by the city election officials.
Those gathering signatures include incumbents Julia Mejia, Erin Murphy, Ruthzee Louijeune, and Henry Santana; Clifton Braithwaite, Joao DePina, John Foy, Robert Frasca, Yves MaryJean, Philip Kelso, Marvin Mathelier, Will Onuoha, William Regam, Reggie Stewart, and Alexandra Valdez.
To qualify for the ballot, citywide council hopefuls need 1,5000 certified signatures.
In District 4, incumbent Brian Worrell may face opposition from two men— Michael Grant and Juwan Skeens— if they gather the requisite 200 signatures for a district seat.
In District 7, currently represented by Tania Fernandes Anderson, there are 17 people who have signed up to seek nomination. They are: Said Abdirahman Abdikarim, Mavrick Afonso, Said Coach Ahmed, Wawa Bell, Tchad Akilah Cort, Miniard Culpepper, Joao Depina, James Grant, Kamar Winston Hewitt, Samuel Hurtado, Natalie Juba-Sutherland, Jerome King, Shawn Nelson, Roy Owens, Sam Shroff, Robert Stanley, and Steven Alan Wise.
District 3 city councillor John FitzGerald, currently serving in his first term, is at this time the only person gathering signatures for that seat, according to a list provided by the city Election Dept.
US Rep. Lynch gives Wu tenure a ‘B’
In a Sunday morning TV appearance on WBZ’s news segment Keller at Large, Congressman Stephen F. Lynch offered mixed reviews of Mayor Wu’s first term, but sent a strong signal that he prefers the incumbent over her challenger, Josh Kraft.
“I’d give her a ‘B.’ ” Lynch told Jon Keller, when asked to grade Wu. “Some of the things she’s struggling with are not of her making, you know, the economy, things like that. I give her ‘A’ for effort. She did nobly and proudly down in Congress in terms of her testimony before Congress in a hostile environment.”
Lynch added: “Let’s put it this way: I think she’ll do a much better job than her opponent, going forward.”
Lynch is one of the two members of Congress who represent Dorchester. Wu has been endorsed by the other member, US Rep. Ayanna Pressley.
In addition to Kraft and Wu, nine other people have signed up to gather the 3,000 nomination signatures required for the office of mayor. The deadline to file signatures is May 20.
BILL FORRY
Virtual mayoral forum scheduled for May 15
A coalition of Boston Democratic ward committees will host a virtual mayoral forum on Thurs., May 15, from 6:15 p.m. to 8 p.m. WGBH political reporter Saraya Wintersmith will moderate the hour-and-45-minute event with incumbent Mayor Michelle Wu and candidates Josh Kraft, Domingos DaRosa, and Kerry Augustin.
The primary election will occur on Sept. 9, followed by the general election on Nov. 4. Those interested in attending the free forum can RSVP here.
