Councilor sharpens focus on local issues
The Boston Globe, May 1, 2007
By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

Councilor Chuck Turner has long been a champion of broad, international concerns, but last night he called a meeting of the adults and children of his neighborhood to launch what he called a sweeping measure to combat crime and other "roots of our crisis" in the district.

His "Peace and Prosperity Initiative" is looking for commitments from residents -- commitments to lead lives of nonviolence, commitments to work on self-development, commitments to hold leaders accountable.

He is also looking for commitments for votes. Facing a serious challenge for his Roxbury district seat for the first time since he was elected in 1999, he begins an intensive drive today for signatures to get on the ballot in September's preliminary election, when he will most likely face former state representative Althea Garrison and Carlos A. Henriquez, a popular political upstart whose father lost to Turner eight years ago.

"I feel like now is the time for change," said Henriquez, 30, director of constituency services for Councilor at Large Michael F. Flaherty. "We've been in the same place for a long time. I don't feel like sitting here and complaining while not taking any action."

While Turner, 66, has obtained a cult like following by taking on progressive causes in a minority-predominant district where constituents view him as an activist who challenges the status quo, he is also being seen as vulnerable on issues such as violence, high school dropout rates, and a lagging economy in his district, issues upon which his opponents plan to put their focus.

"Things are not getting done, and I think I can do a better job," said Garrison, 67, who is taking the next two weeks off from work to collect the 200 signatures she needs to get on the ballot. "If someone had six or eight years to do a job and they didn't do it, then you should fire them."

Turner concedes that not enough has been done on issues of violence, though he largely blames a lack of state and federal funding.

"Over the last seven years, I've seen more and more students dropping out of schools and I've seen the murder rate go up just in my district," he said yesterday. "I think it's time for us to acknowledge that the tactics we've used for violence are not working, and we need to figure out how to move forward. The foundation of change has to start with us, in the community."

Turner plans to start collecting signatures today. He is also distributing a flier with "Our voice in City Hall" in a cursive font beneath his photo. It quotes constituents expressing viewpoints such as "I would vote for Chuck if he was running for president" and "He's not afraid to say what's on his mind."

"I don't think that anyone in Massachusetts has a record that's any better than mine," said Turner, who said he maintains an office in his district. "I welcome a campaign, just because it gives me an opportunity to talk to people about what I have done."

In a city where incumbent councilors rarely lose, few political observers think Henriquez can topple Turner. But others say Turner could be vulnerable, given his focus on foreign issues even as violence has increased in his district.

Turner, for example, recently championed council legislation that denounced the American-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, saying that the wars were usurping federal tax dollars that would be better spent in the homeland.

"I'm just as concerned about the war in Iraq as anyone else, but we've got a war in our own backyard," said Joyce Ferriabough-Bolling, a political strategist in Roxbury who is not supporting any of the candidates. "We definitely need more of a focus on a continual basis around the issues that are of critical importance."

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