Keller @ Large: Election Day Winners And Losers
BOSTON (CBS) - So who were the winners and losers on municipal election day here in Massachusetts?
Here are just a few of them:
Big business was a loser, just about everywhere you looked. The gambling industry blitzed the electorate in East Boston and Palmer with campaign spending, and both communities turned down their fancy promises.
Listen to Jon's commentary:
Keller at Large Nov 6 2013
Sometimes organized labor deserves criticism, like when they prioritize benefits and work rules over the urgent needs of taxpayers and students. But efforts to demonize Marty Walsh for his close ties with organized labor were mostly ignored by voters, another defeat for big business leadership.
Speaking of business, the city's big daily newspapers had a tough night. They both endorsed John Connolly, as did many of their columnists.
But you can't say that endorsements didn't matter in the race, after the way Walsh benefited from the support of several politicians of color. Some endorsements count more than others, it seems.
As for winners, how about morality?
That was the core of the anti-casino argument mounted by local churches in East Boston, and it beat out millions of dollars in goodies offered by the casino moguls. And morality finally triumphed in Lawrence, where the state's most investigated mayor was bounced out of office after a term marked by corruption and incompetence.
And in Boston at least, community empowerment was a clear winner.
The city has changed a lot from the days when downtown called the shots and everyone else just followed orders. First Ray Flynn, then Tom Menino, now Marty Walsh.
The revolt of the neighborhood activists continues, and that's surely a winning formula for the future.
You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.
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