Brockton mayoral candidates ante up for fall race

By Maria Papadopoulos
Enterprise staff writer

BROCKTON — The same candidates are expected to battle for the corner office at City Hall as in 2005, and while that race was close, the money raised so far for this fall's election is not.

The two main contenders in the Nov. 6 mayoral race are incumbent Mayor James E. Harrington and Jass Stewart, who garnered 44 percent of the vote against Harrington in 2005.

While neither Stewart nor Harrington has officially entered the 2007 race, they filed their 2006 campaign finances at City Hall on Monday, said Elections Commissioner John McGarry.

With a little more than nine months until Brockton elects a mayor, Harrington has $75,158.10 in his war chest.

Stewart, a political newcomer two years ago who hopes to be the city's first African-American mayor, has $6,052.54, as of Monday.

But don't let preliminary dollar figures fool you, said Stewart, 35, who raised nearly all of his campaign finances to date in December.

“All the money came in one month,” Stewart said Monday. “I think that kind of response speaks a great deal to the kind of trust and confidence that people have in my candidacy.”

Monday was the deadline for all political candidates in the city to file paperwork on donations and expenditures related to their campaigns from Jan. 1, 2006 to Dec. 31, 2006, city officials said.

State law requires anyone who has set up an election committee and who has not formally closed their committee to file financial paperwork, McGarry said. The next deadline to file election finance papers is Sept. 10.

Stewart and Harrington “are the only two that I'm aware of who're running (for mayor) so far,” McGarry said. “I think (the race will) probably heat up in the spring.”

Nomination papers for any city office will be available July 9 but papers to start a committee can be taken out at any time.

In his 2005 bid for mayor, Stewart said, he raised about $80,000 in campaign funds.

In 2006, Stewart, of 14 Clyde St., drew campaign contributions from people in Brockton, Boston, Lexington, Cambridge, Quincy, New Jersey and California, among other areas.

He said he spent most of 2006 forming the New Leadership Fund, a political action committee whose goal is to identify and train emerging leaders in Brockton, “and little to no time on my own campaign.”

“This organization was created by 30 people in Brockton who were deeply interested in a more accountable, more transparent government,” Stewart said.

In 2006, Harrington, 59, of 42 Thorny Lea Terrace, received a total of $35,444.47 in campaign contributions, largely from the greater Brockton area.

The mayor's campaign contributors included several established politicians, city officials, local unions and local business owners.

Among the contributors to Harrington's campaign in 2006 were Christopher Carney, president, Carney Cary Transport Inc. in Raynham, $500; Brockton Police Chief William Conlon, $100; former mayor John T. Yunits, $100; Brockton Auditor Aldo Petronio, $125; Richard Sergi, executive director of the Brockton Housing Authority, $100; Ron Poliseno, Brockton school building project manager, $100; Brockton Building Superintendent Joseph Vasapollo Jr., $100; Brockton Park Superintendent John Dorgan, $100; John Waldron, husband of Mary Waldron, executive director of the economic group Brockton 21st Century Corp., $100; Steve Paull, president of Steven Ando Paull Inc., $500; and Chris Cooney, president and CEO of the MetroSouth Chamber of Commerce, $100.

Local unions donating to Harrington's campaign included Brockton Police Association, $100; Teamsters Union of Easton, $200; Carpenters Local 624 of Randolph, $250; IBEW Local 223 of Lakeville, $150; and UFCW Local 791 of Easton, $100.

Asked if he thinks he has an advantage with his campaign finances to date, Harrington said, “No, I think it's too early to say that.”

“I don't think it's really an issue of who has what,” he added.

As for his list of contributors, the mayor said, “Nobody's forced to contribute to me and they don't get any special advantage by doing that.”

“But I think if you look at the people that you're talking about, these are people who have all been my friends for 25 years,” Harrington said.

The primary is Sept. 18; the election, Nov. 6.