North End / Waterfront Supported LaMattina and Dello Russo by 4 to 1 Margin in Primary Election

There is still quite a bit of puzzlement over what happened in Thursday’s primary election, specifically regarding sitting City Councilor Sal LaMattina‘s loss by 799 votes (48%-51%) in the Suffolk Register of Probate race to relatively unknown newcomer, Patty Campatelli. Both candidates vying for the vacated seat hailed from East Boston, but LaMattina has been on the Boston political scene a lot longer, including management experience at the Boston Transportation Department before that. His initial election in 2006 to the City Council was very close (152 votes close), but since then he has become a relatively popular City Councilor with little political opposition. LaMattina’s campaign literature also boasted of a strong endorsement by Boston Mayor Menino.

The North End / Waterfront strongly supported Sal LaMattina, by a 4 to 1 margin, as shown by the neighborhood precinct voting results:

North End / Waterfront Precinct Voting Results for Register of Probate:
_____        ________LaMattina         Campatelli
Ward 3 / Precinct 1          342                68
Ward 3 / Precinct 2         124                 34
Ward 3 / Precinct 3         129                 25
Ward 3 / Precinct 4         191                 25
Ward 3 / Precinct 6          93                  71
                                            879               223
                                           80%             20%

LaMattina also won in East Boston and Charlestown. In Eastie, the neighborhood home to both candidates, it was 1247-499 for LaMattina. Still, he lost in several other districts in Boston, failing to hold the city as a whole. LaMattina edged out Campatelli in Winthrop and Revere, but by narrower margins than expected. He also lost in Chelsea where his name-recognition and City Hall backing appeared diluted.

Suffolk County – Register of Probate Primary Election Results:
______________      _____        ___LaMattina________Campatelli
Boston                                                       12980                              13779
Chelsea                                                        386                                  488
Revere                                                        1184                                  975
Winthrop                                                     604                                  523
Total                                                             15154                              15765
                                                                     48%                                51%

People close to the campaign believe the political environment in Boston currently gives an edge to women. The week of the primary election featured a non-stop “Ladies First” focus at the Democratic National Convention and was helped locally by Elizabeth Warren’s campaign advertising for U.S. Senate (See her latest woman’s rights TV ad). City Councilor Ayanna Pressley also went from underdog to top the ticket in last year’s City Council election against an all-male lineup.

LaMattina conceded the election on Thursday night. He also posted a “thank you” message on Facebook to his supporters, saying he will get back to focusing on his job as city councilor.

Where is Patty Campatelli? There is a lot of interest in hearing from the winner, yet that is turning out to be an unusually difficult task. It has been dead silence from the new Register of Probate. (See the Globe: Campatelli quiet after surprise win in Suffolk Register’s case.) Now, three days later, the new Register of Probate has yet to make a statement or return media inquires. After an embarrassing string of messages on Facebook, she has shut off the page.

Dello Russo versus Hennigan

Also dominating the North End / Waterfront by a 4-1 margin was the North End’s Bobby Dello Russo, although he lost 63%-37% in the overall race for Clerk of Courts (Criminal) against Jamaica Plain resident, Maura Hennigan. Hennigan benefited from name recognition as the incumbent and former City Councilor in West Roxbury, known as a voter-heavy neighborhood. On Friday, Dello Russo posted a Facebook message thanking his supporters. Neighborhood voting precinct results for the Clerk of Courts race are shown below.

North End / Waterfront Neighborhood Precinct Voting Results for Clerk of Courts (Criminal):
_______   ______Dello Russo         Hennigan
Ward 3/ Precinct 1          342                    82
Ward 3/ Precinct 2         132                    27
Ward 3/ Precinct 3         145                    18
Ward 3/ Precinct 4         191                    25
Ward 3/ Precinct 6           98                    73
                                            908                  225
                                             80%               20%

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