It looks like the Curtatone family is trying to install a little dynasty up in Somerville. According to a piece on The Somerville News blog, Mayor Joe Curtatone's sister Maria Curtatone is throwing her hat in the ring for the State Senate seat held by the late Charlie Shannon. While common sense would seem to suggest that it's good timing to run for a Senate seat in a district which encompasses much of the city that your brother is a popular mayor (and with whom you share a name), this announcement may actually signify some deepening divisions among "old time" political circles in Somerville.
Since Robert Reich sweeped Shannon O'Brien in Somerville during the 2002 Democratic Gubernatorial Primary, political battles in the city have often been waged between the two forces -- the "Progressives" versus the "Old Timers." The "Progressive" cause has been most visibly championed by the Progressive Democrats of Somerville and officials such as Alderman At-Large Denise Provost, and State Representative Pat Jehlen. On the other hand, Somerville is still a city mostly run by the children and grandchildren of the early 20th century Italian and Irish immigrants that settled in the area. With officials like Mayor Curtatone, Board of Alderman President Bruce Desmond, and the late Senator Shannon (who was actually from Winchester, but was very much a Somerville-boy), these "old-timers" seem to be slowly losing their grip on the city. One could speculate that the undeniable gentrification throughout Somerville has brought not only upper-middle class residents that resemble the population of the "People's Republic" to the south. At the same time, as the population has changed (especially in areas like West Somerville and Davis Square) rising housing prices have forced out many of the lower income whites that have historically provided the active base in Somerville politics.
The most visible incarnation of this battle came when, with the support of Somerville progressives, Tufts graduate (and relative newcomer) Carl Sciortino challenged incumbent State Representative Vinnie Ciampa during last year's state legislative races. Sciortino had recently gotten his political legs supporting same-sex marriage in Massachusetts, while Ciampa -- the only Somerville legislator to vote against gay marriage -- had support from the likes of Mayor Curtatone and the rest of the "old-timer" crew. In the end, Sciortino not only beat Ciampa in the Democratic primary, but staved off a strong sticker campaign waged by the incumbent for the General Election.
The progressives continue to make waves today. Most seem to have unified behind Rep. Jehlen's bid for Shannon's seat. Their organization (Progressive Democrats of Somerville) has launched some strong challengers to old-time incumbents -- including Herby Duverne for the Ward 7 (West Somerville) School Committee seat, the first person from the city's large Haitian American population to seek elected office.
As the progressive influence grows in Somerville, the challenge now is for the old-time politicians to remain relevant to the city's changing constituency. One way to do that would be for them remain as unified as the progressives are. Maria Curtatone's decision to throw her hat in the Senate race creates a problem -- just last week, the Curtatone machine was rumored to have unified behind Ward 5 Alderman Sean O'Donovan as the traditional choice for Senate to progressive favorite Rep. Jehlen. Now it seems someone forgot the pay-their-dues, so to speak, as one could hardly assume Maria Curtatone forgot to speak to her Brother the Mayor before letting the rumors leak. So, who is it old-timers, Curtatone or O'Donovan? Until they get it together, it seems the progressives will have the advantage again this year.
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