Massachusetts: Sam Yoon

Our friends at MassINC do some of the most interesting and important work hereabouts.  How, for example, could you possibly live without map-king Robert David Sullivan's breakdown of how MA will look in a Deval Patrick vs. Tim Cahill primary?

Anyway, Thursday evening MassINC is hosting a spiffy forum on the question of why we have so few seriously contested elections in Massachusetts.  The panelists include Sonia Chang-Diaz, Charlie Baker, and Sam Yoon -- all folks whose views on that question should be well worth hearing.

I'm told that wireless will be available, so assuming there are no technological issues, I'll be live-blogging the event using our marvelous Cover It Live tool, starting at 6 pm.  Tune in at 6 for the scoop!

Sam Yoon busts out today, with an announcement video, a new web site, and a kick-off event at Chau Chow Restaurant in Dorcehster. The video is a little amateurish in appearance, but I think he does a pretty good job talking to the camera. He hits the themes I think he needs -- particularly the implication that Tom Menino was a good 20th-century mayor, but we need something new for the modern world.

He also advocates a return to an elected school committee. Whether or not it's good policy, I think it's a smart campaign issue -- it's a way of talking about Menino's total control over (and thus responsibility for) the city's governance.

In this week's issue of the Boston Phoenix -- in print tomorrow, online now -- I analyze newly-announced candidate Sam Yoon's chances at becoming mayor of Boston. Can he mobilize the same coalition of voters who won Boston for Deval Patrick and Barack Obama?

In the article, I expound on seven things that must happen along the way. They are:

1) Yoon must raise the money;

2) His opponents must drag each other into the mud;

3) Yoon must find his voice and his message;

4) The city must confront its need for change;

5) Menino's aura of invincibility must crack;

6) Flaherty must turn his supporters against Menino, not Yoon; and

7) Bostonians must care enough to vote.

I would love to get thoughts from you about how the mayoral race might play out -- but first, I invite you to read my article, here:

Can Sam Yoon win?

Now that Sam Yoon has thrown his proverbial hat into the ring, officially opening a second at-large city council seat, one would think the temptation to run would be overwhelming for wannabes all over town. We already have a good field of solid candidates: in addition to incumbents John Connolly and Steve Murphy, the list includes Felix G. Arroyo, Doug Bennett, Marty Hogan, Andrew Kenneally, Jean Claude Sanon, and Bob Terrell.

Arroyo already has an impressive $23,000 in his campaign account, and Kenneally has $13,000. Bennett has $7500.

But nobody new has announced, or formed a campaign committee, since the start of the year.