March 30, 2010

By Rick Winterson

Editor’s Note:  As a community service (but not an endorsement), South Boston Online profiles candidates and their takes on the issues during every election that concerns South Boston’s voters.  This week, we are profiling Mark McGonagle, a Democratic candidate for state Representative, Fourth Suffolk District.  Next, we will profile Nick Collins.  Other candidates are encouraged to contact us about profiles on their own behalf.

Last Friday morning, Mark McGonagle stopped in at South Boston Online.  He has formally announced that he is a candidate for State Representative in the Fourth Suffolk District this coming November 2.

Mark is a lifelong South Bostonian; his family still lives on Dorchester Street.  His father is Bill McGonagle, who rose to become BHA Administrator.  His mother, Ellen (Regan), was at Boston Edison and now runs her own day care service.  Both of them are Southie natives as well.

Mark attended the Gate of Heaven grammar school, and then graduated from Snowden International School with an international diploma (Spanish).  Mark played youth hockey and soccer, was a paper boy, and worked his way through college.   His degree is in Criminal Justice from the College of Public and Community Service, UMass Boston (2005).

After college, Mark was a streetworker for two years in South Boston, as part of the Boston Center’s for Youth & Families.  From December, 2007, until the present, he has worked in the YDN (Youth Development Network), an agency of the Boston Public Health Commission that targets youth violence – its intervention and prevention aspects.  His base of operations is Orchard Gardens, out of the Vine Street Community Center on Dudley Street.  His most frequently heard requests are for employment and educational assistance.

Mark is married to Kathlin Curran, “Katie”, whom he met while working on the Zamboni at the Frog Pond.  Katie grew up in Harbor Point, the sixth of ten children.  Mark and she live on Telegraph Street; they are expecting in a few months and have selected either “Regan Ann” or “Andrew Mark” as potential names for the baby.   

In talking over the issues he sees as critical to the Fourth Suffolk District, Mark mentioned substance abuse first and foremost.  He stated, “This problem has impacted my friends, my family, and young people all over South Boston.”  The problem of substance abuse has had an effect on him both professionally – as a street worker - and personally – in the community and among people he knows.

Specifically, he thinks prevention efforts ought to be focused on South Boston’s young people “very early on”.  Unfortunately, contact and experimentation with threshold substances like alcohol and decriminalized marijuana is beginning here in South Boston at younger and younger ages.

Obviously, there are clear benefits to the community from young people who remain substance free.  In addition, Mark points out that well over half the crimes in South Boston are drug-related, i.e., committed because of drug abuse or to feed an addiction.

Second, Mark says he’ll fight for retaining and/or restoring the required levels of local aid.  Boston is facing additional cuts that could amount to $200 million.  Loss of these funds will mean reductions in police staffing, fire fighting, and education – schools, teachers, libraries, and so on.  In other words, basic city services will be cut.

Finally, Mark will devote his legislative efforts to jump-starting appropriate development along the South Boston waterfront.  He will focus not so much on tax breaks as on financial packages to support development, which he wants to market as an “extension of Downtown Boston”..  Mark’s key objective:  Getting the construction trade unions back to work   As an adjunct to this third issue, he’ll work to ensure that South Boston’s existing attractions – beaches, monuments, and landmarks – are kept up, improved, and properly policed.