Close
Current temperature in Boston - 62 °
BECOME A MEMBER
Get access to a personalized news feed, our newsletter and exclusive discounts on everything from shows to local restaurants, All for free.
Already a member? Sign in.
The Bay State Banner
BACK TO TOP
The Bay State Banner
POST AN AD SIGN IN

Trending Articles

Wellness expo brings community support to Roxbury residents

Sarah-Ann Shaw, Boston's reporting legend, 90

Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey honors first African American Master Distiller’s legacy

READ PRINT EDITION

Galvin, Zakim square off in contentious debate

Voting records, experience at issue during forum at UMass Boston

Catherine McGloin
Galvin, Zakim square off in contentious debate
Secretary of State William Galvin and City Councilor Josh Zakim during a WBUR-sponsored debate at UMass Boston. Photo: Catherine McGloin

Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin sparred with his Democratic challenger in the upcoming primary, City Councilor Josh Zakim, before a live audience for WBUR’s afternoon show “Radio Boston,” at the UMass Club on Beacon Street last Friday.

Secretary of State William Galvin and City Councilor Josh Zakim during a WBUR-sponsored debate at UMass Boston. Photo: Catherine McGloin

Secretary of State William Galvin and City Councilor Josh Zakim during a WBUR-sponsored debate at UMass Boston. Photo: Catherine McGloin

The debate, hosted by the McCormack Graduate School at the University of Massachusetts, WBUR and The Boston Globe, was the first time incumbent Galvin faced District 8 Councilor Zakim since their televised encounter earlier this month, and it was clear from the start that Friday afternoon’s exchanges would be just as fiery.

“You probably should have addressed that question to my opponent,” said Galvin, in response to WBUR host Deborah Becker’s first query regarding the “nasty” tone of the campaign.

After asserting that his approach has been nothing but positive, Galvin said, “The first advertisement that came from my opponent was an attack ad based on legislative votes, in some cases, from 40 years ago, that are a distortion of my record.”

The candidates’ voting records became the debate’s central theme, one that both Galvin and Zakim used multiple times in their attacks before the 200-strong audience on the 32nd floor of One Beacon Hill.

Zakim, who was just 10 years old when Galvin was first elected in 1994, has repeatedly criticized Galvin’s voting record on political issues such as abortion and gay rights.

Record at issue

The incumbent said Zakim was misrepresenting his record on matters that are not directly related to his role as secretary of state. Galvin accused Zakim of focusing on his voting record in “an effort to hide your total lack of qualification for the office you seek.”

The secretary of state’s office oversees nine departments, including the registry of deeds and the citizen’s information service, and manages an annual budget of almost $270 million. Zakim, a former attorney at Greater Boston Legal Services, has been on the city council for almost five years and is chair of the council’s Committee on Human Rights and Civil Rights.

“We need to know where our elected officials stand,” said Zakim, justifying his attack on Galvin’s voting record, adding that this is especially prudent under the Trump administration, a time “when some of our values and rights are under attack like they have never been before,” he said.

In response, Galvin criticized Zakim’s failure to vote in a number of elections prior to 2011, including the 2004 presidential primary and election. He said this undermined Zakim’s platform of expanding voter access and impacted his credibility.

“If you’re an advocate for voter rights, you should participate,” said Galvin.

Zakim admitted that in college and during his early 20s he was not as engaged in politics as he is now, but asserted that “since moving to Boston and registering to vote here I have not missed a single election.”

Councilor Zakim is the first challenger to receive the Democratic Party’s endorsement since 1982 and has earned support from a number of influential corners, including Mayor Martin J. Walsh.

“It’s crucial that Massachusetts is a leader when it comes to election issues, not just election security but voter access and participation,” said Zakim in his closing statement. “We need a progressive, proactive Secretary of State who’s going to take a top-to-bottom look at these issues … and make sure that Massachusetts is a leader when it comes to these vital fights.”

Galvin, who announced in November 2017 that he would seek a seventh term as secretary of state, is running largely on his proven track record. “I’m very proud of my record and I’m happy to talk about it here today,” he said.

Among his achievements, he highlighted the work of the financial services regulatory authority, which he said has “led the way in showing up fraud in the financial services industry.”

Reforms

Over the last two decades, Galvin’s office has overseen the establishment of the central voter registration system, mail-in and online voter registration, and the end of punch card voting in 1997.

His supporters care about his record, and none more so than the union workers who were at the debate last week.

Scott Ambler, a gas worker with the United Steel Workers Local 12003, told the Banner that Galvin is “a solid politician,” who has stood up for the working class, particularly on issues of public safety.

“He has years of experience, a lot of years, and you can’t just become secretary of state and think you’re qualified,” said Ambler, who has been with Local 12003 for almost 40 years. “Zakim’s a good guy but he’s got no background to take the job.”

The latest poll, conducted in June by the MassINC Polling Group, suggests the majority of voters agree with Ambler. Of the 418 voters asked, 46 percent said they would vote for Galvin, 18 percent for Zakim, and 33 percent for another candidate or were undecided.

Lightning round

Tensions were turned down a notch with a lightening round of questions, in which Galvin revealed he’s a morning muffin man who takes his coffee with cream, no sugar, while Zakim enjoys nights in on the couch with his wife, watching gritty cop show “The Wire.”

In his closing argument, Galvin stressed the benefits of experience and said he had the political relationships to protect the state from interference in the 2020 presidential election. Zakim used his last seconds on the stand to repeat his intention to “make Massachusetts a leader once again,” and to fight against the Trump administration. 

No further debates have been scheduled before the primary on Sept. 4, but Zakim has offered to participate in two more if Galvin agrees.

The battle between experience and youth will be decided in next month’s vote, but, as Zakim said, “for the first time in a long time, people in Massachusetts have a real choice in the secretary of state race,” making it an interesting one to watch unfold.