The Council Race Gets Serious

It's time to start paying attention to the at-large race for City Council. With School Committee member Marcus DiNatale getting in the race (more on him in a minute) and ward Councilor Stephan Hay looking for the step up, things are getting veeeeerrrrrry interesting.

Here's the current lineup, as far as I can tell:

Incumbent Thomas Conry
semi-Incumbent Jay Cruz
Incumbent Annie DeMartino
Incumbent Dean Tran
Ward Councilor Hay
School Committee member DiNatale
Patricia Carbone
Shaun Cormier

Missing anyone?

Anyway, note six of the above have some kind of elected office title in front of their names. Carbone and Cormier shouldn't be neglected at this point, but someone who has had electoral victory will be tasting defeat this fall.

Let's quickly run through the list:

Conry. Been around. No real reason he shouldn't be one of the Top Five again.
Cruz. Interesting case. Lost by less 100 votes last time. He's been pretty active in a few months on the council. Good or bad? He'll find out in November.
DeMartino. Barely snuck in last time. She'll have to hang on, yet again.
Tran. Another interesting case. Has been proactive, but has ruffled feathers. If Ted DeSalvatore is on the November ballot, will a DeSalvo wave wash out Tran? Remember, they aren't buddies, and DeSalvatore has a very loyal base.
Hay. Making the leap from ward to at-large can be dangerous, but with one seat open you'd have to think he' s in good shape.
DiNatale. A veeeeeeerrrrrrrry interesting case. His public office business is a little unknown because the School Committee gets little attention. But he obviously has a well-known name in town and a legacy to run on. Also, he is a sharp and smart vote-counter and local campaign strategist. His old man will all but demand he do the work. Is there DiNatale fatigue? Doubtful. Can he crack the list of five people already on the council? Very possible. He's a must-watch.
Carbone and Cormier: Two unknowns who have their work cut out for them. Considering the unrest regarding the current state of affairs in the city, voters might be looking for fresh blood. Can one of these two stand out and take that ground?

The good news is, there are options out there for this fall. Let a whole new set of games begin.