It’s hard to believe, but another election is at hand.  By “at hand”, South Boston Online means that the conventions are over and the next stop will be the primaries.  There may be a two-month lull in the media onslaughts from the various candidates, but make no mistake, they’ll be working non-stop, full-time over the summer.

     In writing this editorial, we are not endorsing any candidate.  South Boston Online rarely takes sides politically, because we think our readers are able to decide how to vote for themselves.  Now and then, we have encouraged you to get out and vote for hometown candidates for political office, but that’s about it.

     This time around, the race for governor should be extremely interesting. 

     The biggest political news recently was the overwhelming convention vote given to Patrick Deval.  He got 58% of the delegates, which was 16% more than O’Reilly and Gabrieli combined.  That’s a landslide, no matter how you measure it.  And Patrick followed it up by delivering a real, old-fashioned, stem-winder of an acceptance speech.  Clearly, both O’Reilly and Gabrieli will be forced to play catch-up ball before Primary Day.

     On the Republican side, we think that Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey has become a highly viable candidate.  She has handled herself well, in the virtually complete absence of Mitt Romney – so well that she has become the de facto Governor of Massachusetts.  That shows political savvy, because if you feel as we do, you are very tired of absentee Republican governors, who start looking for national office two years after we elect them.

     Assuming that Patrick wins the Democratic primaries, then both gubernatorial candidates will be “politically correct”.  As a woman, Healey will be a welcome change from the remnants of “the old boy network” that still has a hold on Massachusetts politics.  It’s time for new blood, and she can provide that.  Patrick is an up-from-poverty American success story.  He is a man of African descent, who could be the forerunner of greater diversity in Massachusetts politics.  Either Healey or Patrick could effectively hold down the corner office, in our opinion.

     So, what should voters look for?

     First of all, ignore any and all media advertisements (especially TV sound bites).  They are obviously slanted towards the candidate who pays for them, so they’ll tell you nothing useful.  They are a waste of campaign money, and an even bigger waste of your time.

     Then, ask the candidates for the answers to a few key questions:

     What will they do about those people, often “the best and the brightest”, who are fleeing Massachusetts?  Our population is dropping, even though immigrants (legal and otherwise) are flooding in.

     How will they balance the budget, and establish a real “rainy day” fund for future downturns?

     What about education?  Massachusetts, led by Horace Mann, was first in the nation with public education.  We have spent upwards of $30 billion (yes, that’s “billion”) on educational reform since 1993, yet many schools are woefully weak, particularly urban high schools.

     Finally, will they promise the voters to stay here for four full years, and then run again for a second term?  No matter what?

     We have the opportunity to elect a governor who can be a key leader in restoring Massachusetts to what it used to be.  Just make sure you yourself get the answers to those questions – answers that you can understand and believe.