We’re still waiting to see whether Boston will have its first competitive mayoral election since 1993, but it appears that the political season is already a dud for Los Angeles voters. Phil Willon of the Los Angeles Times reports that incumbent Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa isn’t breaking a sweat to win next Tuesday’s election:
He is now cruising toward what supporters see as an all-but-certain reelection March 3. The political figures who might have mounted a serious race against him backed away, leaving a group of opponents with little name recognition or support and virtually no money to address [Villaraigosa’s] shortcomings.
So the country’s second-biggest city has joined Boston in downgrading mayoral elections to pro forma affairs. It’s already happened in the the third-largest city, as the second Mayor Richard Daley has had little trouble getting re-elected in Chicago five times since 1989. And if Michael Bloomberg has his way and overturns a term-limit law, it may yet happen in New York City.
The Times gives one reason for Villaraigosa’s huge advantage next week, one that may resonate in other major cities:
One measure of Villaraigosa’s political strength is that city figures voice doubts about him in private. Few are willing to criticize him publicly.
Is this just the normal state of affairs in a “No Contest” era? MassINC will host a panel discussion on the topic — “No Contest: Why So Few People Run for Office in Massachusetts, and What to Do About It” — on March 12. The panelists include Boston City Councilor Sam Yoon, a candidate for mayor in this fall’s election.