A quiet race plugs along

Five state Senate candidates try to rouse interest, win votes

By John Laidler, Globe Correspondent, 12/2/2001

s they campaign across the Merrimack Valley, candidates in a special election race for state Senate have two missions.

One is to let people know there is an election. And the other is to seek their votes.

With the primary just nine days away, candidates and election officials say few voters are attuned to the fact that there is even a race, much less who is running.

''It's been in my view an enormously quiet race,'' said Democratic State Committee member Mark DiSalvo of North Andover.

But if it has drawn scant public notice, the contest has the rapt attention of political watchers, who see it as one of the valley's most fascinating political skirmishes in years.

Five candidates are battling in the Democratic primary Dec. 11. No Republicans are on the primary ballot, but former Newburyport mayor Mary M. Carrier is mounting a write-in campaign. The special election is Jan. 8.

The race is to fill the 3d Essex seat that has been vacant since then-senator James P. Jajuga, a Methuen Democrat, resigned in September to become state secretary of public safety. The 3d Essex includes Amesbury, Haverhill, Methuen, Merrimac, Newburyport, Salisbury, and part of North Andover.

With no GOP contest, the focus has been on the Democratic race, whose contestants are Haverhill Mayor James A. Rurak, state Representative Paul E. Tirone of Amesbury, former city councilor Michael A. Costello of Newburyport, former assistant attorney general Steven A. Baddour of Methuen, and Democratic and labor activist Graydon McCormick of North Andover.

The strength of the field and lack of a clear front-runner have piqued the interest of political veterans.

''I can absolutely make a case for four of the five candidates to be able to win in December,'' DiSalvo said, referring to Rurak, Tirone, Baddour, and Costello.

Adding spice is that two of the candidates are sons of former senators - Rurak's father, the late James P. ''Jake'' Rurak, represented the district from 1958 to 1976, while Costello's father, current Amesbury Mayor Nicholas J. Costello, was the senator from 1983 to 1991.

''This is an intriguing, intriguing political event,'' said DiSalvo, a Baddour backer.

Rurak, 53, who is retiring after four terms as mayor, is the best-known candidate, both from his tenure in office and that of his father. His four terms in office also make him arguably the most experienced public official in the race.

A possible downside for Rurak is the unhappiness of some Haverhill voters with the sizable debt incurred by the city from its recently sold hospital. Some Democratic activists also remain irked at Rurak for his decision to back Republican governor William F. Weld in his 1996 bid to unseat US Senator John F. Kerry, as well as Republican William Early in his efforts to unseat Democrat state Representative Harriett L. Stanley last year.

Costello, 36, also has name recognition, in Newburyport from serving on the City Council from 1998 to 1999, but generally across the district from his father's tenure as senator. Activists also know him from his work on past campaigns, including as field director for US Representative John F. Tierney in 1998. Other plusses for Costello: a seasoned campaign crew, strong union support, and the fact that his wife is from a large Haverhill family. Costello was set to pick up Tierney's endorsement this weekend. He reportedly also will receive the endorsement shortly of Essex District Attorney Kevin M. Burke.

A possible negative for Costello is that some in Amesbury are upset at his father for recent tax increases in the city. And Costello and Tirone both could suffer from having to share a geographic base.

Baddour, 31, is mounting his first bid for office. But he has strong support from Methuen leaders, including Mayor Sharon M. Pollard. Baddour also has the endorsement of his former boss, Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly. And his newcomer status could make him appealing to some voters. His major challenge is his lack of name recognition outside Methuen.

Tirone, 50, benefits from being the only sitting legislator in the race and the fact that all of his district - Amesbury, Newburyport, and Salisbury - is in the Senate district. He also has contacts across the valley from his years as publisher of a business newspaper and his stints in local office, including as a Newburyport councilor. And Tirone should be helped by the fact that Salisbury is holding an override election Dec. 11.

A possible negative for Tirone, in addition to having to share a base with Costello, is that he just won his House seat last fall, which may prompt some voters to question his decision to try so soon for another office.

His years of party and labor activism give McCormick, 67, some claim to support. And with North Andover claiming the fourth largest number of registered voters in the district - behind Haverhill, Methuen, and Newburyport - his candidacy will at least have an impact.

In one of the few sparks generated so far, Costello last week hit Rurak for his past support of GOP candidates. Noting his own ''in the trenches'' work for the party, Costello said, ''Clearly there is ... one candidate in the race who has worked against the party on several occasions.''

Rurak said he had a long record of backing Democrats. He conceded he had crossed over twice to back Republicans, but said, ''As a mayor, you need to work both sides of the street and draw the line in the middle where you think the middle is best for the city. That's what I did.''

Baddour, Costello, and Tirone all support the right to an abortion. Rurak said he opposes it but would not favor overturning the Supreme Court ruling that established that right. He said he would support measures to reduce abortion, including requiring counseling for anyone seeking to have one.

McCormick said he favored the right to an abortion but would not vote on the issue because of its divisive nature unless his would be the deciding vote - in which case he would seek direction from constituents.

Costello, previously an assistant Essex district attorney and more recently chief of staff to Democratic state Senator Joan Menard, tout ed his experience and contacts at the State House, saying, ''There would be no learning curve for me'' on Beacon Hill.

Rurak emphasizes his record as mayor, including on health care, education, public safety, and growth issues, all of which he says are important at the state level. ''These are difficult times, and it will take experience and innovation, which I have both in great measure, to get through them,'' he said.

Baddour, formerly a private lawyer specializing in health care and an aide to Jajuga and to US Representative Martin T. Meehan, said, ''I'm uniquely qualified in these times to lead and make a difference. ... No one else in the race has the state, federal, and private sector experience that I have.''

Said Tirone, ''Out of all the candidates I probably have the most varied experience in the valley.'' He said with the contacts he has made as a representative he would also be able as a senator to work closely with the House.

McCormick, who runs a skilled work program for adults with mental illness in Malden, said he is ''older and wiser'' than his opponents. ''I've been a high school teacher. I've been a factory worker. I was in retail. So I've had a lot of experiences. ... I think I know a lot of the issues very well.''

This story ran on page 4 of the Boston Globe's North Weekly section on 12/2/2001.
© Copyright 2001 Globe Newspaper Company.