Don't think of City Year cofounder as a long shot

AS A graduate of the City Year Boston Corps and an avid Alan Khazei fan, I loved Scot Lehigh’s Oct. 21 column “Khazei’s dynamic flair.’’ However, I do not agree with Lehigh in labeling Khazei as a “long shot’’ in the race for Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat. Lehigh underestimates the power of innovation in today’s society. The trend of the year is innovative underdogs winning. Just look at Elinor Ostrom, the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize in economics, or Barack Obama, the first black male to be elected president. Khazei’s first-ever “Big Citizen’’ approach looks good.