Beer Jill Stein wants to reprahzent Waltham
from daily news tribune

More than a year after Green Party candidate Jill Stein lost a long-shot bid for governor, the Lexington resident's political sights have shifted from the corner office to the state House of Representatives.

Stein says she is weighing a run against state Rep. Thomas Stanley, a Waltham Democrat who was soundly defeated in the city's mayoral election in November. If she wins, Stein apparently would be the first Green Party candidate elected to the Massachusetts Legislature.

Over the past few months, Stein has formed a campaign committee and raised more than $7,600 in donations, according to records she filed last Friday with the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance.

In the 2002 gubernatorial race, Stein rose from political obscurity to finish third behind Republican Mitt Romney and Democrat Shannon O'Brien. Although she only captured about 3.5 percent of the votes, she beat out Libertarian Carla Howell and Independent Party candidate Barbara Johnson.

Beat Carla Howell with 3.5%. Ouch.

More

Green Party gubernatorial candidate mulls run for House seat

By Michael Kunzelman / News Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 20, 2004

More than a year after Green Party candidate Jill Stein lost a long-shot bid for governor, the Lexington resident's political sights have shifted from the corner office to the state House of Representatives.

Stein says she is weighing a run against state Rep. Thomas Stanley, a Waltham Democrat who was soundly defeated in the city's mayoral election in November. If she wins, Stein apparently would be the first Green Party candidate elected to the Massachusetts Legislature.

Over the past few months, Stein has formed a campaign committee and raised more than $7,600 in donations, according to records she filed last Friday with the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance.

"We have not made a formal decision or declaration" to run, she said yesterday. "But we're certainly giving a lot of attention and energy to this prospect."

Stein, a physician who practices medicine at Simmons College Health Center, wouldn't be the only doctor in the race.

Lexington Republican Linda Fosburg, a public-policy researcher who holds a doctorate in counselor education, also says she intends to run against Stanley.

Fosburg said Stanley's defeat in Waltham's mayoral election -- by more than a 2-1 margin -- is a sign that he will be vulnerable to a challenge this fall.

"He had to decide if he wanted to be a state representative or a mayor and he decided he wanted to be a mayor," Fosburg said.

In the 2002 gubernatorial race, Stein rose from political obscurity to finish third behind Republican Mitt Romney and Democrat Shannon O'Brien. Although she only captured about 3.5 percent of the votes, she beat out Libertarian Carla Howell and Independent Party candidate Barbara Johnson.

Stanley said he thought Stein "did a very good job" on the campaign trail, but he questioned her motives for running for state representative.

"If she were to run, I would question whether she is running to represent the district at the state level or whether she is running to advance her party's interests," the two-term incumbent said.

If Stein and Fosburg run, both could be at a geographical disadvantage. The 9th Middlesex district is composed of nine precincts in Waltham and only three precincts in Lexington.

"(Stein) has never been active in Waltham," Stanley said. "I'm not sure how much people here know about her."

Stein, meanwhile, claimed Stanley "has been part of the status quo on Beacon Hill" as an ally of House Speaker Thomas Finneran.

"He means well. I don't think he has malicious intent," she said. "But I think he has been a team player on the wrong team. It's hard to separate Tom Stanley from Tom Finneran."

Fresh off a heated mayoral race, Stanley has his work cut out for him if he hopes to rebuild his campaign coffers. He raised $87,550 and spent $103,357 last year, leaving him with a mere $5,112 in his campaign account as of Dec. 31, according to state records.

Today is the deadline for legislative candidates to file year-end campaign finance reports for 2003.

Most candidates have waited until the last minute to file, but there are early indications that Gov. Romney and Republican party leaders are following through on their promise to open their checkbooks and financially support opponents to Democratic incumbents.

Records show that Romney, Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey and Republican Party chairman Darrell Crate have donated $250 apiece to no fewer than six Republican candidates from MetroWest, including Ken Cosco of Marlborough, who is running against Rep. Stephen LeDuc, D-Marlborough, and Karen Bognanni of Framingham, who is challenging Rep. Deborah Blumer, D-Framingham.

Romney, Healey and Crate also donated $250 apiece to Marlborough City Councilor Arthur Vigeant and Westborough businessman Rodney Jane, a pair of Republicans who intend to challenge Sen. Pamela Resor, D-Acton, and James Coffey of Hopkinton, who is running against Sen. David Magnani, D-Framingham.

Jane, chairman of the Westborough School Committee and a former president of Honeywell Inc.'s consumer products group, raised an impressive $36,075 in November and December from more than 170 donors.

"I'm proud of that number (of donors) because it shows a lot of people, big and small, are contributing to my campaign," he said. "I think the number reflects the level of broadbased support and enthusiasm behind the campaign."

Vigeant hadn't filed his campaign finance report yet, but he said he has raised about $10,000 so far.

"Obviously (Jane) got an earlier start than I did," said Vigeant, who plans to formally announce his candidacy on Thursday. "I'm not concerned about it."

Resor, who could not be reached for comment yesterday, hadn't filed her year-end report, either.

Coffey, a Boston attorney and political newcomer, raised $13,222 in December, including nearly $2,000 of his own money.

posted by prof_booty | 08:52 AM