The elderly Russian Jews of Wallingford Road got their voting instructions last night

By adamg on Fri, 10/16/2009 - 1:47pm

Menino for mayor, Ciommo for district councilor and Arroyo, Connolly, Murphy and Pressley for at-large councilors, according to somebody who has a copy of the sample ballot distributed last night on the Brighton road.

Wallingford is home to the Jewish Community Housing for the Elderly, whose residents basically vote the way local ward bosses and Menino backers Naakh Vysoky and Serge Bologov tell them to, and, yes, who would think that Boston in the 21st century has ward bosses - or that Boston has any kind of slate? There's also Uncle Frank over in Chinatown (you think the three of them ever get together and compare notes?).

The issue actually came up at last night's Brighton Allston Improvement Association candidate forum, where Arroyo was asked to explain why several hundred Russian Jews had turned out en masse for him in the preliminary (he said it was because of his work on immigration reform).

Neighborhoods:

Free tagging:

Ad:

Like the job UHub is doing? Consider a contribution. Thanks!

Comments

Voting patterns

By Ben on Fri, 10/16/2009 - 3:13pm.

Does this explain why Ward 5, Precinct 1 had such a high turnout in the primary and was so much stronger for Menino than neighboring precincts? Precinct 1 had triple the votes as compared to any other precinct in Ward 5.

Ward 5 isn't in Brighton

By Ron Newman on Sun, 10/18/2009 - 12:04am.

Maybe there's something I'm not understanding about your question, but no part of Boston's Ward 5 is anywhere near Brighton.

Boston ward map

Not too complicated

By Peabody Square Voter on Fri, 10/16/2009 - 3:46pm.

A lot of savvy people, Bologov included, saw Arroyo's strong finish in the preliminary coming a mile away. Arroyo had 70 people in the field for the '08 general, for crying out loud, passing out his literature. He proceeded to raise more money than any other challenger and get more endorsements than anyone in the field. Just because Felix surprised some of our local pundits doesn't mean that people who follow local politics closely (and like to be with winners) had any doubt about the wisdom of lining up behind him.

I wonder

By Kaz on Fri, 10/16/2009 - 4:00pm.

If you were to make up flyers that looked nearly identical but with a ballot showing Flaherty, Selvig, etc. as the correct votes and put a simple addition to the note at the top with the voting instructions that said that there was a mistake and a last minute correction as to how these people should vote...

I wonder, I just wonder if you could get some portion of them to vote the "corrected" ballot and (semi-)nullify the original vote manhandling influence.

how is this not illegal?

By anon on Fri, 10/16/2009 - 4:14pm.

how is this not illegal?

First Amendment

By adamg on Fri, 10/16/2009 - 4:25pm.

It's not like there's any deception going on with it, is there?

Carefully housed wording

By Kaz on Fri, 10/16/2009 - 6:22pm.

The text says something like "if you want to vote in your best interests, we recommend you vote this way: {pic of ballot with bubbles filled in for Menino, etc}".

There's nothing that says the person receiving the handout has to vote that way. It's just that they don't have to think and can just go to the poll and vote for exactly all of the people who have promised their enclave boss that this would be for their best interests. They want what's best for themselves without having to think...this supplies that. Where's the illegality? It's not like the "boss" is forcing them to vote the way he wants.

It's just that they don't

By NotWhitey on Fri, 10/16/2009 - 7:29pm.

It's just that they don't have to think and can just go to the poll and vote for exactly all of the people who have promised their enclave boss that this would be for their best interests.

YOu mean like unions do?

Are you SERIOUS?

By eeka on Fri, 10/16/2009 - 7:29pm.

I've received several dozen flyers and postcards telling me who to vote for. Some mailed, some stuck on my doorknob, some rubberbanded to my railing, etc.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
http://1smootshort.blogspot.com