Columnists :: Pressing The Flesh
Pols on parade by Laura Kiritsy
Editor-in-chiefFriday Jun 19, 2009 Last week’s Boston Pride Parade and its attendant festivities attracted so many elected officials and political candidates, it’s hard to know where to start with our wrap-up of the activities. Boston At-large City Council Candidate Doug Bennett’s yellow feather boa, which called to mind Lovey from Gilligan’s Island? Mayoral contender Kevin McCrea’s pouffy rainbow hat, which was reminiscent of Dukakis in the tank? How about the dude in the leather short-shorts and sheer top in the Aaron Michlewitz contingent, drumming up support for his candidate through a bullhorn?
Oh sure, laugh all you want. But Michlewitz did win the 3rd Suffolk special election to replace Sal DiMasi a few days after the parade (although we suspect the dismal turnout might have been a little bit better had Michlewitz himself worn those hot pants), and McCrea had a crowd around his booth at the post-parade festival for a good chunk of the afternoon. And it’s nice to pols let loose a little, like Boston At-large City Council candidate Andrew Kenneally, who danced his way through the parade, and mayoral candidate and City Councilor Michael Flaherty, who showed his age with musical choices like Michael Jackson’s "Billie Jean" for the sound system on his parade truck. No moonwalking from Flaherty though, which was a little disappointing. Another At-large City Council Candidate, Tomas Gonzalez was a little more subdued, but the Mr. T-sized array of pink mardi gras beads draped around his neck was a nice touch. Ditto for At-large Councilor John Connolly’s collared shirt, which was a lovely gay shade of lavender.
By the time he landed at City Hall Plaza, with his wife, daughter and Tim Schofield, his openly gay law partner in tow, Connolly was sweating profusely, as he is known to do in parades. Schofield, meanwhile, was cool and dry. "He ran and I walked," Schofield explained with a laugh. "Plus I’m obviously more physically fit than him, because as a gay man I take care of myself."
Asked to Schofield’s heterophobic remark, Connolly replied, "Not at campaign time. But I do have a response." Uh-oh.
We also ambushed Ayanna Pressley, an at-large city council candidate and former aide to Sen. John Kerry as she made her away across through the crowd at City Hall Plaza. "I support equality and I wanted to celebrate gay pride," said Pressley of her attendance at the event. "And it’s a glorious day!"
Those who were lucky enough to escape our clutches included Mayor Thomas Menino, Gov. Deval Patrick -who flew a rainbow banner from the front of the State House in honor of the parade - and First Lady Diane Patrick, state Rep. Liz Malia, and at-large city council candidate Felix G. Arroyo.
Before the parade kicked off we caught up with Congresswoman Niki Tsongas of Lowell, the only member of the state’s congressional delegation to march in the parade. done "I do it just because I think it’s important to show my support of the gay and lesbian, bisexual and transgender community," said Tsongas, who has marched since 2007, the year she was elected, as she waited on Tremont Street with her supporters. "And it’s a great parade." As a freshman congresswoman holding a seat that was formerly held by staunch LGBT allies like Marty Meehan and Tsongas’s late husband Paul Tsongas, she added, "it’s a continuation of a legacy, both a personal one and of the seat."
We also caught up with City Council President Mike Ross and Councilors John Tobin and Rob Consalvo, who were loitering in the middle of Tremont Street pre-parade. We made certain that Consalvo was nowhere to be found when we went to chat with Niki Tsongas, given the shenanigans he pulled the last time we spoke with her.
Then we chatted with City Councilor Sam Yoon, another mayoral contender, whose large and noisy contingent was among the more well received in the parade as far as political campaigns go. Yoon, along with his wife Tina, had just come from the pre-parade interfaith service at Old South Church.
"It makes you realize how much we have in common, and all the faith traditions that we have in the history of this world recognize that commonality beyond our appearance, beyond what we look like," said Yoon of the service. "There were passages from the Old Testament and New Testament, there was a Buddhist chant that we all did, and it just makes you realize that there’s something very important about who we are as human beings and that we should be ... pushing ourselves to learn and go out of our comfort zones and understand what it’s like to be in someone else’s shoes. ... That’s what we’re celebrating here.
"And the weather’s great," he added with a laugh. "So we know God is shining on the parade."
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