Boston--Last night at the World Trade Center here in Boston, the much anticipated debate took place between Boston mayor Frank Ciminello and 20-year-old phenom politician Eric Karion. Only Karion might have been better served if he hadn't shown up at all.
Opening with a question on their visions for the city, Ciminello displayed his prowess early on, establishing why he's the incumbant. "I see a future dedicated to the continued improvement I have been working towards in this city. Continued crime reduction, continued street cleanup, improved traffic conditions, improved education, and most importantly, the proud tradition of strong government." Karian's opening: "I see a future dedicated to renewed improvement of this city, including the expansion of strong government throughout the entire city." He didn't have much else to say besides that the entire evening.
Without going into a transcript (which can be found on page 8), the debate was heavily lopsided towards Ciminello, as he delineated exactly what the problems of his first term have been, and how he's going to remedy them in the future. Karian, on the other hand, with his blind ambition for politics and blind student support, had very little to offer the Boston public besides booze and the T. He tried to outline programs for education reform, including the increased emphasis of compters in schools and a call for more recent history to be covered earlier in education, but fell short in business areas, economic areas, and social welfare reform, a heavy concern among many.
Even though Karian lost the battle, however, he might still do well in the war, as his support--those who show up to the polls, anyway--will vote for him with a can-do-no-wrong attitude. Scared of this prospect, the Ciminello clan has been busily trying to rally those who perhaps might not otherwise get out to the polls with tv ads picturing a science fiction of a Boston run by a 20-year-old. Not so much negative advertising, it's more of a scare tactic against inexperience and not a personal attack. It should be one of the more interesting races to watch in recent political memory.