From Trapelo Road to Belmont Center and up thru brick &mortar money country to Menotomy, I saw about as many "Jim Gammill for State Rep"("The Independent") lawn signs as I did "Dave Rogers for State Rep"(The Democrat") lawnsigns.
Of Tomi Olson ("The Republican") I saw nothing save a handpainted sheet the window of a shop I took to be her headquarters extolling her bona fides as a lifelong resident of Belmont.
Meanwhile Gammill has enough cash on hand to set up a full scale headquarters in Belmont Center, normally independent candidacies for State Rep are the province of threadbare high school seniors and the special delight of the town lunatic.
Jim Gammill though, has better democratic bona fides (Commencing as a drudge in the Carter White House) than even Humble Elias.
And it doesn't help matters yet that Rogers, Gammill & Olson are all running as some species of liberal or another.
Much of this palaver is built around the fact that democrat Dave Rogers doesn't live in Belmont, ill feeling lingering from the primary might give certain candidates the idea that the town was in play in the General Election.
The plan however is absurdly simple, run down the democratic vote for State Rep and let the Independent squeak in, and in return he flips to the democrats or else warms the seat til Belmont Democracy can get it's act together and reclaim the sinecure going forward.
There is a lot to said against such a plan, it is mere inference on my part after all, it likely isn't practical in a district where Obama will do well and the GOP has a limited base...
Nonetheless I can't tell if something is up, or some of the locals just ardently wish that something was up.
Meantime The Belmont League of Women Voters is having a candidates night October 24th at the Chenery Elementary School in Belmont. Presumably this might be a rare to gauge the ground game of the three candidates for State Rep.
