Taking Over for Tip: Locals Ready to Run

Democracy has no mercy on the Cambridge voter.

Just 10 months after this year's highly contested city council race, Cambridge residents will have to choose the next Democratic candidate for the Eighth Congressional District seat. And already the contenders are campaigning.

They will be replacing probably the best known Cambridge politician for two decades, House Speaker Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill Jr.

Although Cambridge makes up the heart of the Eighth Congressional District, which also includes Somerville, Belmont, Arlington, Waltham, Watertown, and parts of Boston, only two Cantabrigians are among the dozen vying for the spot.

James Roosevelt Jr. '68, a general counsel to the Democratic State Committee and grandson of former President Franklin D. Roosevelt '04; and Carla Johnston, an urban planner and nuclear freeze activist, both say they would bring a special Cambridge perspective to the seat. Both say they will be able to make up for the loss of the powerful O'Neill.

The Eighth has a long history of power. Before O'Neill, former President John F. Kennedy '40, powerbroker John "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald, and famous Boston mayor James Michael Curley represented the seat. But O'Neill, a north Cambridge resident, has controlled the seat for Cambridge since 1952.

If Roosevelt and Johnston have their way, that's how the district will remain. But they are faced with staunch opposition from a large field of candidates. Many of them have been campaigning since O'Neill announced his retirement over a year ago and who plan to spend upwards of a million dollars between now and the election.

"I don't think people in Cambridge ever get tired of politics," Roosevelt said of the constant campaigning, both for congress and city council, which is going on in Cambridge.

"Cambridge is extremely liberal," explains Michael Ralph, who runs O'Neill's Boston office, calling issues such as Central America, Star Wars, and Social Service spending important to the average Cantabrigian.

Roosevelt says he will stress the need for a sensible and affordable health care plan in the United States. Johnston says her grass roots style campaign will emphasize her belief that government needs to be more accountable and close to the people.

But both admit that one of the most important aspects of a congressman's job is constituent services and both know that they have to make sure the district gets its fair share of federal money. O'Neill, because he is the most powerful democrat in the nation; has had his share of pork barrels.

"A congressman is the last great generalist," explains Roosevelt, "he knows a little about a lot of things but he has to know how to make the system work."

A freshman congressman can be missed in the halls of power but Roosevelt, who many consider an early frontrunner in the race, says he will be able to overcome that burden. "I am good at making the system work," says Roosevelt, a member of the Democratic National Committee and ally to many in the state congressional delegation.

Johnston, who was the first woman to head the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and was Executive Director of the MBTA Advisory Board, says her experience as a professional public policy maker will help her serve Cambridge well in the federal government.

"I will be able to pick up where Tip O'Neill left off," asserts Johnston, saying she can fill "Tip's shoes" in serving Cambridge's best interests.