Next Tuesday, Massachusetts voters will elect a candidate to replace John Kerry. The two nominees – Democrat Edward Markey of Malden and Republican Gabriel Gomez of Cohasset – are competing to become the new senator to complete Kerry’s term.

It has been a fast-moving campaign season, and the last of three debates took place this week. Despite an apparent commanding lead in the polls for the Democrat, the results of the election should be viewed as a toss-up because for most of the state, the Senate vote is the only item on the ballot, and special elections are always unpredictable.

Ed Markey has had a distinguished career in politics. He has been a trailblazer over his career, which began with two terms in the Massachusetts House.

As a young state legislator, he authored a law that reformed the state’s part time district court judgeships, a position that so rankled House leadership that he was removed from his committee assignment, and his desk was moved into a State House corridor. Markey drew accolades for standing firm in his principles, leading to a legendary campaign slogan that propelled him into Congress: “They may tell me where to sit, but no one tells me where to stand.” In Congress, he was mentored by Speaker Tip O’Neill, who assigned him to forward-looking committees including telecommunications and energy. Markey became one of the leading authorities in Congress on those areas. And even as his political profile grew with his leadership on cutting-edge issues, he kept himself anchored to the working class Malden neighborhood where he had grown up. Ed Markey’s dad was a Hood milkman, and Markey himself had a summer job driving an ice cream truck to help pay his college tuition.

His opponent has tried to make the case that his longevity in politics is somehow a detriment to the interests of the citizens of Massachusetts. But we think the opposite is true: Ed Markey’s record of accomplishments over his career gives evidence that he will bring to the US Senate just the right combination of legislative skills and political intelligence that will serve the state very well. Not long ago, our state was fortunate to have the political clout of electeds like Tip O’Neill, John Kerry, and Ted Kennedy, and it is that sort of political leadership that Ed Markey will continue in the Senate. Next Tuesday, we will support the election of Ed Markey as our next United States Senator.

– Ed Forry
Pod life on Columbia Point?
How’d you like to move around town in a solar-powered public transit “pod” that would cut down on congestion, help the environment, and give you your own space to breathe?
It may sound like something from a Jetsons storyboard, but the technology exists and is advancing in other parts of the globe, especially in airports like London’s Heathrow. One local outfit thinks Dorchester’s Columbia Point – and its main thoroughfare, Mt. Vernon Street – could be the ideal spot to pilot the technology in Boston.
The South Shore Mobility Inc. was to make its pitch to members of the Columbia Point Associates this morning before taking the presentation to a larger public at a meeting in Mattapan next week that is set for Thurs., June 27, at 6 p.m. at the branch library at 1350 Blue Hill Ave.
– Bill Forry