Friday, April 25, 2008

In response to my invitation for questions, "Benny" writes:

Last time you told me State Senator Walsh was vacating her seat... What exactly happened there? Didn't she lobby hard for the judge position?

Also, what's the story with Councilor Feeney's "civic summit"? What role will Flaherty play in this activist forum, and where does the mayor stand? Is Feeney closer to Menino or Flaherty?

And finally, when does this Mayor 09 showdown actually kick off? Is Flaherty even definitely running?

On Marian Walsh -- yes, I did say that my vaunted inside sources believed it to be a done deal. I led you astray, is exactly what happened there. Her spin on it (and it was spun hard to me) is that she decided that the bench isn't really right for her, and so she decided to withdraw her name from consideration rather than embarrass Patrick by declining after he nominated her. The conventional wisdom disagrees, and says that she was going to have a difficult, and potentially unpleasant, confirmation process: her appointment -- coming not long after her husband got one -- would be portrayed as gifts in payment for her support of Patrick during his campaign. Note that some members of the Governors Council, which does the confirmation, showed some teeth during the recent Cheryl Jacques confirmation, making the very same allegation.

On Feeney's summit -- it's a well-played gambit on her part, and possibly even a useful idea. (Although that remains to be seen.) Menino made the tactical mistake of publicly coming out against it without being able to stop it. When he saw it was going to happen anyway, he had to agree to participate -- otherwise, you've got a big gathering of disgruntled civic leaders coming together at the feet of a potential rival politician (and probably spending the day grousing about the Mayor and/or his agencies). Menino gave in and agreed to participate -- which made Feeney look like the true leader, forcing the Mayor to engage, against his will, with the city. Well played, Maureen. That said, she is still considered close to Menino -- and very far from close to Flaherty.

On Mayor showdown 2009 -- my assumption is that, unless circumstances change his mind, Michael Flaherty will announce his candidacy late this year. I think he will run; I think he would prefer to announce after the '08 elections in early November (because otherwise he'll get lost in the political noise), but in time to hold some big fundraisers before the end of the calendar year.

Thanks for the questions, and I hope I don't lead you astray this time!

4/25/2008 2:06:16 PM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [0] |