In this race, issues not the issue

Looking for the big issue that distinguishes the candidates in next month's special election for state Senate in parts of Cambridge and Boston? Keep looking.

The four Democrats vying for the seat recently vacated by Jarrett Barrios bring varied backgrounds and styles to the race, but getting them to debate big issues facing the state has all the drama of a politburo gathering.

At a forum Monday night (which this reporter moderated), candidates were singing off the same page when it came to the MCAS test as a high-stakes high school graduation requirement (which they all oppose or at least have reservations about), casino gambling (which no one claimed outright opposition to), and the Boston Redevelopment Authority (whose dual role as planning and development agency is bad idea, all agreed, though that doesn't make Mayor Tom Menino a bad guy, at least one candidate wanted it known).

That means this is a battle to make a positive impression and establish superior organization for the Sept. 11 primary, which is so far drawing little attention from voters more preoccupied with beach vacation plans or backyard barbecues.

Cambridge City Councilor Anthony Galluccio, who has twice sought the seat, may have the early edge based on name recognition and prior campaigns in the district. But he faces competition from two fellow Cambridge residents, Timothy Flaherty, an ex-assistant district attorney and son of former House speaker Charlie Flaherty, and attorney Jeff Ross, as well as veteran Chelsea City Councilor Paul Nowicki. (A fifth Democratic hopeful, Laurie Leyshon of Cambridge, was knocked off the ballot last week when a sheet of nominating signatures she submitted was ruled invalid, leaving her two short of the required number.)

In Eastie, more of the same?

If there's a big issue hanging over the special election for state rep in East Boston, it may be whether the Menino machine can deliver for yet another mayoral minion.

Jeff Drago, long a City Hall aide, is the latest in a string of administration workers hoping to make their way into elected office with considerable help from the mayor and his organization. But there are grumblings of discontent in East Boston about having local officials who seem more City Hall functionaries than independent players. Vying in a four-way Democratic primary works in Drago's favor by dividing up the votes of those who feel that way.

But recent elections raise questions about how much gas remains in the Menino machine's tank. Former state representative Anthony Petruccelli, a one-time Menino aide, skated to a big win in a recent state Senate contest. But former administration official Sal LaMattina barely squeaked by in a special election last year to fill the district city council seat that includes East Boston. And longtime City Hall aide Bill Linehan had a narrower-than-expected victory in the recent special election for the district council seat covering South Boston, the South End, and Chinatown.

Sullivan, Sullivan, Sullivan

After hinting that he planned to seek reelection to the Cambridge City Council this fall after also being elected last year as Middlesex County court clerk, Michael Sullivan, son of the city's most established political family, announced last month that he won't run for the council seat he has held since 1994. An advisory ruling this year from a state ethics panel deemed it "problematic" for Sullivan to hold both posts.

Sullivan's decision seemed destined to spell the end of a 71-year run in which a member of the Sullivan family has served on the Cambridge council. But in the days just before the July 31 filing deadline, another Sullivan filed nominating signatures in order to try to carry the torch forward.

Edward J. Sullivan, 44, a cousin of Michael's and one-time Middlesex county commissioner, is in the hunt for one of nine council seats. Adding to the intrigue is the fact that Edward Sullivan joined the race just as his family -- and the city -- bade farewell to his 86-year-old uncle, also named Edward J. Sullivan, who died July 24. That Sullivan held the Middlesex court clerk's position for nearly 50 years, giving up the post last fall, when nephew Michael took the baton and ran for the court position.

In the past, members of the family got votes "because they were a Sullivan," says local politics watcher Robert Winters. "This time around it's different," says Winters, who thinks Michael Sullivan, a sensible voice on an often fractious council, earned lots of votes that had nothing to do with Sullivan loyalty. "A lot of Michael's support is not just old-time family support," says Winters. "So the torch he's passing is only half-lit."

Michael Jonas can be reached at jonas@globe.com.