Two of the three candidates for the office of Massachusetts Secretary of State fulfilled their promises to attend a scheduled debate last night at the Worcester Public LIbrary in Worcester, MA. Democratic candidate John Bonifaz and Green Rainbow Party candidate Jill Stein shared their views on a series of questions posed by a three-person panel of local media and citizen's groups.
But the glaring absence of Democratic incumbent, Bill Galvin illustrated yet another instance in which he has demonstrated his disrespect for his fellow candidates and for the people of Massachusetts. Earlier in the week, Galvin failed to show up for a scheduled debate held in Medford, MA -- televised by the New England Cable News (NECN).
John Bonifaz has challenged Galvin to debate him on the issues several times and Galvin has always avoided it. But to agree to participate and then not show up is just plain rude. So on one side, you have Bonifaz who is always willing to put himself out there in an open and transparent manner, and on the other side you have Galvin who has a track record of working behind the scenes in secretive ways.
He has intimidated state legislators who oppose him by working against them. And he has turned a blind eye to other important issues by not investigating allegations of fraud as he did most recently when allegations arose that signature collectors working for the anti-gay marriage ballot initiative were
misrepresenting their petitions to the public. These two "no-show" events must be part of his "blind-eye" behavior. If it doesn't suit his purposes, he just won't deal with it -- to hell with what we think. No wonder he earned the nickname, "
Prince of Darkness".
I mention this because it seems to me, that for this particular office -- Secretary of State -- the qualities of being open and transparent are part and parcel of the job description. You've kind of got this David and Goliath situation here. Bonifaz, representing the David character, of course, and Galvin, the Goliath character, because of his entrenched Beacon Hill machine. Bonifaz is a legitimate contender for the position and possibly the best person for the job, but he needs the support of the voters. People are finding out about Bonifaz and when they do, they usually end up becoming avid supporters.
These two absences from scheduled debates are symbols of Galvin's core weakness -- mainly, that his record is ripe with looking the other way. He is not a fresh thinker in the same way that Bonifaz is. I believe he is more about furthering his own career than addressing the needs of the people.
Bonifaz will bring his considerable expertise in defending Voter's Rights to the office of the Secretary of State. As the founder of the
National Voting Rights Institute in 1994, Bonifaz is a bonifide champion of clean elections. His Voter's Bill of Rights brings many things into clear focus regarding ways to increase voter confidence in Massachusetts and could well serve as a model for the rest of the nation.
The issue at stake here is putting the right person on the November ballot to represent the Democratic party for the Office of Massachusetts Secretary of State. That happens on September 19th in Massachusetts. For myself, the ethical choice is clearly John Bonifaz.