Elected officials and candidates for Boston mayor have begun weighing on today’s Boston Globe story about the struggles facing the annual St. Patrick’s Day breakfast in South Boston, many of them in support of State Senator Linda Dorcena-Forry. Here’s a look at what they have to say. As the Globe is able to reach other mayoral candidates, we will post their comments:
Governor Deval Patrick:
“I think that the people of the Commonwealth and the people of South Boston are much, much further ahead than sometimes they are represented . . . We’re always breaking down barriers and I’m excited about Linda Dorcena Forry -- and she’s pretty funny so it will be a pretty good breakfast.”
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Mayor Thomas M. Menino, of Boston:
“The South Boston breakfast is always run by the state senator from the district and Linda Dorcena Forry is the state senator from the district. It will be different, but Boston is changing, South Boston is changing, let’s have a changing leadership over there, and let’s have Linda Dorcena Forry be the mistress of ceremonies.”
Senate President Therese Murray:
“Linda Dorcena Forry was elected to represent the people of South Boston in the Senate and there is no reason why she should not host the annual St. Patrick’s Day breakfast. The tradition has always been that the senator from the First Suffolk District hosts the breakfast and I stand in support of Senator Forry.”
Boston mayoral candidate Felix G. Arroyo, via Twitter:
“Count me as a +1 for @ldforry”
Boston mayoral candidate Dan Conley:
“The St. Patrick’s Day breakfast has always been hosted by the senator from the district. Linda won the seat, of course she should host the breakfast. This is backward looking politics. Politics, like life, is about addition. They ought to put this controversy behind them. The breakfast is about having fun and celebrating Irish heritage. You don’t need to be Irish to do either one.”
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Boston mayoral candidate John Connolly, via a spokeswoman:
“John thinks it should be Senator Forry, and he hopes they will get together and work it out,” said Martha Bixby, a campaign spokeswoman for Connolly.
Boston mayoral candidate Charlotte Golar Richie, via Facebook:
“Wanted to let Representative Linda Dorcena Forry know that we support her and I look forward to joining her at her inaugural hosting of the 2014 St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast as mayor of Boston.”
Boston mayoral candidate Mike Ross:
“Linda Dorcena Forry is a passionate public servant with a contagious personality and a great sense of humor. As the sitting state senator representing South Boston, she’d do a great job hosting the breakfast and as mayor I’d be honored to speak at it with her as host. The comments in today’s Globe by Bill Linehan and Nick Collins harken back to an old, divided Boston. South Boston’s better than that, and Boston’s better than that.”
Boston mayoral candidate Bill Walczak:
“If I’m elected Mayor, I would support Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry as the MC of the St. Patrick’s Day breakfast. There is no legitimate reason why she shouldn’t be.
I would also work to convince the South Boston Allied Veteran’s Council, the organizers of the South Boston St. Patrick’s Day Parade, that in 2014 all people, including the LGBTQ community, should be welcome in the parade.”
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