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EDITORIAL
Op-Ed; Allston-Brighton moving rightward
THOMAS M. KEANE JR.

12/04/2002
Boston Herald
All Editions
029
(Copyright 2002)

It once seemed that being liberal and pro-tenant in Boston's Allston-Brighton neighborhood was a no-lose political proposition. Now, as an upcoming City Council election suggests, that may no longer be the case.

Allston-Brighton bulges out from Boston like a misshapen balloon, connected to the city by a thin ribbon of land no wider than a tenth of a mile. Surrounded by the Charles River, Newton and Brookline, it often seems more like a near-in suburb than a gritty urban enclave.

But it's not only geography that distinguishes the community from Boston. More so than any of the city's other neighborhoods, Allston- Brighton is dominated by colleges and universities. Boston College, Boston University and Harvard are in its midst. Many others are nearby. As a result, its population is young: A startlingly high 47 percent of Allston-Brighton fits within the "Bud Light" demographic of ages 18 to 29 (the comparable figure for the rest of the city is just 25 percent). It is dominated by tenants as well: 78 percent of its 65,000 residents rent, while in the rest of Boston it's 63 percent.

All of that has created enormous schisms. A chunk of the population, centered in the more western section of Brighton, has lived there for generations, owning homes and raising children. But most residents, especially in Allston, are transient. Their politics are leftish. And, most critically, their interests as tenants diverge from the interests of homeowners.

This is the fractious community that both Mark Ciommo and Jerry McDermott want to represent. The two face off against each other next Tuesday. The winner of this special election succeeds the late Brian Honan, who died over the summer.

Both contenders are well-known and well-regarded natives of the community. Ciommo, 45, was the long-time director of the Veronica Smith Senior Center in Brighton. McDermott, 35, has run for office twice and has his own real estate business.

And both, unexpectedly for an area with a left-wing reputation, are political moderates. Indeed, on some issues they are conservative: McDermott is pro-life; Ciommo opposes domestic partnerships for gays. On the campaign trail, they have focused on bread-and-butter issues such as cutting crime, stopping university expansion and improving city services. Still there is a sharp ideological split over one issue: housing. It is here that each offers starkly different approaches. Ciommo supports rent control; McDermott does not.

In October, Mayor Thomas Menino proposed the city re-establish rent controls, making them the centerpiece of his affordable housing plan. Two weeks ago, the City Council turned him down on a 6-4 vote. The mayor was furious. He sees the Allston-Brighton election (plus another new councilor coming on board in January) as key to reversing that vote in 2003.

In positioning himself as a tenant advocate, Ciommo is following a tried-and-true route. Councilor Brian McLaughlin, who retired in 1995, was a powerful supporter of tenant rights. Brian Honan, his successor, took up that mantle and became the point man for tenant activists across the city.

But there are signs it won't work this time around.

Part of the reason for that is the community had never been as solidly liberal as outsiders think. Past elections have been tight, with left-wing pols just eking out victories.

Now it looks like homeowners in Brighton are more and more finding their voice. That was made clear in this year's re-election of Brian Golden as the area's state representative. Golden is a pro- life, conservative politician who has so offended traditional Democrats with his support of George W. Bush that the state party is looking for ways to oust him.

Furthermore, those homeowners increasingly fear controls will encourage an influx of renters, benefit student tenants more than long-term residents and further destabilize an already-fragile community.

The flip side is that the more liberal Allston seems to be less politically engaged than it once was. In the preliminary election in November, turnout in Allston was 16 percent. In more conservative Brighton, it was 28 percent. If that trend persists in the final, Ciommo is at a disadvantage.

But the other factor is Ciommo himself, who has undergone a bit of a make-over.

During the preliminary campaign, Ciommo called rent control a "failure." That, however, was before Menino introduced his own proposal. Now, in what some think is a mayorally-induced epiphany, Ciommo has changed course. He rationalizes his switch through a circumlocution, terming the proposed law "rent stabilization" instead of "rent control." To many, it's not a persuasive distinction.

Tuesday's vote promises to be tight. As with many local elections, house-to-house campaigning will be critical. Voters often decide less on issues than on whom they like, which is why both Ciommo and McDermott have been tireless with their door-knocking. But don't be surprised if a community once regarded as a liberal bastion emerges on election night as something quite different.

Tom Keane can be reached at tomkeane@tomkeane.com.