Quincy City Council Election Eve Wrap-up: Some candidates are rotten to the Q – Part 2

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– News and commentary about Quincy from Quincy Quarry News. 

Quarry City Council Election Eve Wrap-up: Some candidates are rotten to the Q – Part 2

And finally, we come to the top of the fight card in what has been the quietest local election campaign season in years.

As for the quietude, some of is surely has to do with a major portion of its predictability.

Illegal campaign sign trafficking on public property in Quincy Center
A Quincy Quarry News file photo

A rookie at Large City Councillor is expected to capture the most votes even if his records on the City Council and a prior stint on the School Committee are not in anyway memorable in terms of accomplishments, much less any truly major ones. 

Apparently, a perfect council attendance record and a winning smile instead count for much in Quincy. 

Way too much.

Next up, former longtime Ward 2 Councillor and more recently Commissar of the City of Quincy Department of Public Works Dan “Spanky” Raymondi is likely to come in no worse than second in the voting. 

We know why Spanky is smiling
A file photo

After all, Spanky entered the race with both huge name recognition as well as more than $130,000 in his campaign fund war chest and is on pace to spend essentially all of it.

In any event, Quincy Quarry’s City Hall beat reporter is already whining about how City Council meetings will again likely run way later in the night than they should or she cares to suffer.

Even so, as well as Quincy Quarry numerous grudges in general notwithstanding, the Quarry is still looking forward to seeing someone – ALMOST anyone – more regularly push back against the Koch Maladministration.

More than many may realize, there is a blood feud between Spanky and Stumpy.  As such, count on Spanky to hector the Koch Maladministration at every opportunity given his return to the City Council.

Getting out the vote the Quincy Way!
A favorite Quarry file photo

And finally, we come to the third and final seat but for which there are four remaining contenders.

And they are heading into the final furlough …
A stock photo

Outlier and sixth place finisher in the primary Steve Tougas is all but assuredly going to again finish a distant sixth.

As much as the only real thrust of his campaign is to cut spending and taxes, Mr. Tougas has done such a poor job of communicating his tax-cutting campaign platform that even hard-pressed and heavily taxed local homeowners are not coming around to support his candidacy.

As such we are down to a three horse race featuring strictly female contenders.

Incumbent at Large Nina Liang
Image via Creative Mornings

One would think that incumbent at Large Councillor Nina Liang would be an odds on favorite as the only American-born Chinese candidate in the race as well as someone active in local Roman Catholic activities – and thus having two major local groups to mine for support; however, instead she is struggling to recover from what Quincy Quarry views as her unfairly being labeled over a complex matter that ended up going nowhere as well as in short order last spring.

That and how she is surely not making any points with the Koch Maladministration for her steadfast refusal to be a docile and compliant city councillor.

Even so, what remains to be seen is if she can rally a strong uptick in support on election day via a surge in expected to be often single vote bullet ballots by many of her supporters.

Anne Mahoney
A Committee to Elect Anne Mahoney photo

Next up is several term former School Committee Member Anne Mahoney and who finished in a near tie for third in the primary election in spite of having a horrible ballot position. 

Mrs. Mahoney is a financial professional who will doggedly watch city spendings of tax dollars as hard as the Koch Maladministration conversely does not do.  

In particular, as someone with years of experience on the School Committee and so well-knowing how to manage as well as possible on the penurious meager scraps of funding provided to local classrooms that have failed to keep pace with inflation during Mayor Koch’s concurrent tenure as the Chair of the School Committee, she knows how to stretch every single penny as far as it can be stretched as well as will insist upon seeing fair value received on tax dollars spent.

In turn, such is why Mayor Koch does not care to see her on the City Council.

Quincy’s #1 Ward Heeler working a mic
A quincy.com image

And finally, we come to Quincy’s current Number One Ward Heeler and who is now seeking to step up a weight class by running at Large.

Quincy Quarry’s ever growing legions of loyal readers know that Margaret LaForest is not held in high regard in the Quarry newsroom as well as for all manner of also ample good reasons.

For example, her ironically thin skin, especially when confronted with perfectly valid criticism.

Similarly, the ease with which her favors can be had by developers. 

Obviously not a developer
A Citizen Photo Journalist photo

To this verity, well over half of her campaign fund receipts over the past eighteen months have been from developers, with those at one firm in particular tossing a considerable number of thousand dollar checks her way as she has done whatever tricks have been asked of her.

Simply put, there isn’t a development she has ever seen that she didn’t like so long as generous campaign fund donation checks came her way.

At least so long as the proposed project was not planned to be anywhere near her own backyard.

Similarly, Mrs. LaForest has long been the head cheerleader for most, if not all, of the Koch Maladministration grifts that have had to pass through the City Council for approval.

Needless to say, the Quarry Quarry newsroom will be watching closely as well as drinking heavily on election day no matter what are the final election outcomes.

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