Happy Bunker Hill Day

By Steve Poftak
June 11th, 2007

Caught the annual parade in Charlestown on Sunday. This parade usually gets a good turnout of political types and the crowd’s reaction (or lack thereof) can be a telling sign.

My award for the parade are:
Biggest Reaction – Michael Flaherty, hands-down, got the biggest reaction from the crowd. And he gets extra credit for the retro-cool innovation of handing out emery boards with his name on them (Editor’s Note: This is not a retro-cool innovation, he’s serious.)

Who The Heck Is That – City Council-At-Large Candidate Marty Hogan apparently marched in the parade. No one had any idea who the poor fellow was. It’s still not clear which of the roughly 3 – 5 people marching behind his banner was actually him.

Again? – Maura Hennigan is running, again, for something.

Biggest Non-Reaction – Sal Lamattina, District 1 city councilor, marched to a very tepid response, particular noteworthy given that its his own district. Charlestown remains Dan Ryan country.

Don’t Strain Yourself – Felix Arroyo was a no show for the parade. This diligence and attention to detail might explain why he’s only got $3,000 in his campaign account. (Michael Flaherty and John Connolly each have over $50,000.)

Team Unity Outreach – Sam Yoon marched in the parade with a large crowd of revelers and, to his credit, appeared to be headed back into Charlestown after the parade with his family.