New city resident to run for office
Ex-selectman to seek council seat
Doug Bennett says he has grown older and more mature, cutting his shoulder-length hair to a more conservative length, since he made waves as a brash Nantucket selectman and long-shot (and ultimately losing) state Senate candidate in 2006.
Whether the new look will make city voters see the 32-year-old Financial District resident, who has lived in Boston for barely more than a year, as a serious contender for an at-large Boston City Council seat is yet to be seen.
Bennett, who said in an interview that he is running for City Council, moved to Boston from Nantucket after his Senate bid failed and his single term as a town selectman ended in April 2007. In Boston, the onetime carpenter who studied political science at Pennsylvania State University got a job working for Maura Hennigan, former city councilor and mayoral candidate, as a case manager in the Suffolk Superior Court.
Explaining his prospects, Bennett rattled off the names of precedent-setting Boston politicians. He said he is going to "pull a Larry DiCara," referring to former councilor Lawrence S. DiCara's election to the council at age 22.
Bennett said he may grow his hair back, adding that Mayor James Michael Curley at one time had long hair. And he dismissed concerns about his brief residency, pointing out that Councilor at Large Sam Yoon was elected after moving from Arlington and living in the city for only about two years.
But DiCara said Bennett faces a difficult campaign.
"He's a very nice young man, but it really is a question of arithmetic," said DiCara, pointing out that with four at-large spots on the council, even well-entrenched local leaders have trouble in local elections.
Bennett would benefit from a possible vacancy on the City Council, however. Councilors Steve Murphy, John Connolly, and Yoon all intend to run again next year. Councilor Michael Flaherty, who is considering a run for mayor, did not return a phone call about whether he was seeking reelection to the council.
John C. Drake can be reached at jdrake@globe.com. 