Lawn Signs That Will Vote Many Times -- Part Deux

Two years ago, I reported on a couple of lawn signs posted on upper Lake Street that I suggested would vote many times in the election for Allston-Brighton District 9 City Councilor.

Riding the wave of those supporters and others, Gregory Glennon took second place in the 2007 preliminary municipal election, only to lose to Mark Ciommo 60%-40% in the November 2007 municipal election.

Earlier this month those same two upper Lake Street property owners -- Patrick Galvin (brother to, and campaign manager for, Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin) and Mark Alford -- posted campaign signs for candidate Abigail Furey to unseat incumbent District 9 City Councilor Mark Ciommo. (Secretary Galvin himself does not post campaign signs on his property.) Alford and Patrick Galvin have recently joined to sue the city over Boston College's expansion plans, so it's not a stretch to conclude that the two men think Furey's positions on the issues best match their desired outcome for the BC development project.

The difference between 2007 and 2009? This time around, Galvin and Alford probably won't get the assistance of former state Representative Brian Golden. Golden did plenty of arm-twisting for his former staffer Glennon in 2007, but Golden has since taken up a senior role at the Boston Redevelopment Authority; in his new position, it is probably both inappropriate and unwise to meddle prominently in the current election. (Some candidates, after all, are critical of the BRA and want to scale back its reach -- if not eliminate it altogether.)

"Lawn signs don't vote" goes the old saw. But these particular lawn signs on Lake Street are telegraphing Furey's name to a lot of Brighton residents who vote. Furey just got a big boost.


UPDATE (9/20/09): Pat Galvin has kept his Furey lawn sign but added one for Alex Selvig, too. Sounds like he's encouraging an anti-incumbent vote.