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Voters in the Fifth Suffolk House District have two strong choices in the Democratic primary, local leaders say, between Darrin Howell and Liz Miranda, the frontrunners and staples of neighborhood activism.
The Dorchester-Roxbury district — diverse, young, largely Democratic, and with a decent amount of turnover in elected representatives over the past decade — will almost certainly see a fresh face in the seat come November. Sitting state Rep. Evandro Carvalho is not running for re-election, but is instead seeking the open Suffolk County district attorney post in a competitive field.
Four candidates have made the ballot for the Sept. 4 primary: Howell, a former constituent services staffer for then-City Councillor Chuck Turner and political organizer at the 1199 SEIU healthcare workers union; Miranda, a longtime community advocate with groups like the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative and board member for anti-violence, cultural, and youth empowerment groups; perennial candidate Roy Owens; and Brad Howze, a convicted Level 3 sex offender who identifies himself as a pastor with the New Sinai House of Prayer.
Further reading: Fresh faces pledge community service in the Fifth Suffolk District
Althea Garrison, who held the Fifth Suffolk seat for one term in the early 1990s, dropped out of the race for the First Suffolk Senate seat to run again for her old post, which she has sought unsuccessfully along with numerous other public office posts in the past two decades, as an independent in November.
Howell and Miranda are widely considered to be at the head of the pack.
“The Fifth Suffolk is kind of in a win-win situation in this,” said former state Rep. Carlos Henriquez. “You have two different types of reps, but both can be effective… someone that’s strong in terms of pushing policy and building consensus [in Howell] or a strong advocate [in Miranda]. Either one will be able to develop the strong skill set they need.”
The two are touting their neighborhood roots. He is a lifelong Dorchester/Roxbury resident whose criminal past as a young adult morphed into advocacy and political movement-building. She is a Cape Verdean native of Roxbury who found a calling for the advocacy as a child, joining DSNI at 13 and remaining active in championing youths after receiving a degree from Wellesley and returning to her home neighborhood.
Miranda, 37, who calls herself a “coalition builder” first and foremost, is trying to take her cues from the community she hopes to serve, whether that be the local underserved business districts or the young people looking for ways to stay in their neighborhoods.
“Thousands of 18- to 24-year olds live in the district, and they want people to know that they care and they’re residents, too, and that they belong, and the issue for them is really a crisis of opportunity,” she said. “When you’re talking about a job, you’re also really talking about education, you’re talking about housing, you’re talking about public health. There’s no one issue that is more important than the other.”
Both have been touched by the violence that can feel all too common in some Boston neighborhoods, they note, and supported passage of the recent state criminal justice reform bill. As Howell, 36, repeats, “the street is always hiring,” and as a young man he made “poor decisions or decisions based on survival.”
Arrested and sent to jail at 21, he saw his twin daughters born while he was behind bars. A job offer from Councillor Turner helped him reroute his life later on and turn toward public service. With his criminal record now sealed, Howell is an advocate for changes in CORI reform.
“When I say I understand the struggles, people immediately just respond to that,” Howell said as he canvassed in the Dudley/Brunswick/King section of Dorchester on a sweltering August afternoon. “They relate. I’ve had several mothers say, “I would love for you to meet my son, meet my grandson. You’re an example that you can get through some difficult times.” Just that, repeated over, hope, hope, hope.”
Violence came home to Miranda suddenly when her brother was killed by gun violence, prompting her involvement with the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute. She was recently awarded the Big Time Peace Award for her efforts in the community by Gov. Charlie Baker and Mayor Martin Walsh.
Howell has come out on top in two local ward committee nominations in the district, which crosses wards 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 17. Several have not yet met to discuss nominations or do not plan to do so because their wards only overlap small portions of the Fifth Suffolk.
The Democratic Party Committee for Ward 15 – the dominant ward in the district, accounting for at least a third of voter turnout in primaries and general elections alike – endorsed Howell on July 21. On Monday, Roxbury-centered Ward 12 also endorsed Howell.
In the Dorchester- and Mattapan-heavy Ward 14, neither candidate achieved enough distinct support to clinch an endorsement.
Howell counts among his backers Suffolk County Sheriff Steve Tompkins; former city Councillors Charles Yancey and Chuck Turner; local leaders Mel King, Lew Finfer, Kelly Bates, and Sarah Ann Shaw; and a host of unions, including IBEW Local 103, the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, the Greater Boston Labor Council, and his home advocacy group 1199 SEIU healthcare workers union.
But Howell’s real ace, as far some are concerned, is his support from state Reps. Russell Holmes (against whom he ran unsuccessfully for the Sixth Suffolk District before district lines changed), Jay Livingstone, Joan Meschino, Michelle DuBois, Mike Connolly, and state Sens. William Brownsberger, Jamie Eldridge, and Paul Feeney. Members of the Ward 15 committee praised both candidates in a statement, but felt Howell’s experience in dealing with current legislators would be an advantage for the district.
The secretary of the Ward Committee, Janet Jones, said Howell will “not need any on-the-job training. He will be ready on day one to represent the district in the House.” Added Davida Andelman: “I cannot wait for another learning curve in another elected official. I want action now! And Darrin is ready to represent the many needs of the district immediately.”