Kennedy Favored In Primary

Tomorrow's Cambridge Democratic primaries, the only serious hurdle for candidates in a city with six Democrats to every Republican, probably won't lead to dramatic change on Capitol or Beacon Hills.

While anti-incumbent fever threatens the careers of his colleagues, U.S. Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II, a six-year veteran of the House, is virtually guaranteed to prevail in tomorrow's primary. His opponent, Charles C. Yancey, a Boston City Councillor, has been all but ignored by the local media.

Even the local networks and papers like The Boston Globe gave only scant attention to the Kennedy-Yancey debate. When Yancey's name got into print, it was usually accompanied by a prediction that he had no chance of winning.

Cambridge City Councillor Timothy Toomeyappears the favorite in a tighter race for theState House seat vacated by Peter Velucci. KarenUlminski, one of Velucci's aides, is challengingToomey.

Given his stature and favorable attention fromthe media, Kennedy will likely glide to victoryfor a fourth term. Since winning the seat as ajunior at Providence College in 1986, hispopularity has increased among the working-classand poor communities he represents.

Kennedy wrote amendments to the Home MortgageDisclosure Act which require banks to report loansthey make to residents in their community. Thechanges were made to expose "redlining" practices,which prevent minorities from receiving the samekinds of loans as whites.

Kennedy also boasts of winning $27 million tothe district for public housing in Somerville, andof protecting 17,000 local public housing unitsfrom condominium developers.

Aside from his litany of social programs,Kennedy espouses a few policies which makeCambridge progressives which make Cambridgeprogressives wince. He supports the death penalty,having voted twice in Congress for its use inextreme circumstances. Yancey opposes capitalpunishment.

Yancey also challenges Kennedy's vote for thebalanced budget amendment as a mere substitute forserious deficit-cutting measures.

On social issues, Yancey has a similarprogressive record on the local level,representing the regions of Roxbury, Dorchesterand Mattapan as a city councillor. The first Blackon a state-wide ballot, Yancey says his race is anasset in a state which has 13 white malescurrently in Congress.

Yancey has made an issue of his opponent'sfamily legacy, questioning how genuinelyanti-establishment a Kennedy could be.

"Look at his last name," Yancey says. "Itdoesn't get more establishment than that."

Yancey proposed legislation in the City Councilwhich would have forced the city to divest fromSouth Africa, a withdrawal of $12.5 million. Healso helped reopen police and fire stations in1984 which were closed by Proposition 2 1/2.

Yancey supports national legislation whichwould fund the superconducting supercollider, a $9million project which Kennedy opposed. Yanceyalso says he is better able to convert defensespending to domestic spending quickly.

Like many candidates, including someincumbents, Yancey has emphasized the "gridlock inWashington" theme, promising to inject new resolveinto the national legislature.

On Beacon Hill

Approach, and not ideology, will be thedetermining factor in the race for the vacatedseat of State Representative Peter Vellucci.

Both of the leading contenders havetraditionally liberal records--Timothy Toomey inthe City Council, and Karen Uminski as a Velucciaide.

While Uminski promises to serve as a full-timerepresentative, Toomey says he will remain on theCity Council if elected.

Toomey may face resistance among Somervillevoters on this point. He points out that Vellucciheld a full-time job during his tenure on BeaconHill, and says that if his position on the CityCouncil compromises his new office, he willconsider dropping his city post.

Both candidates support current abortion lawsand advocate public funding of abortions for poormothers. Uminski, though, points to Toomey'spersonal opposition to abortion to question hisresolve on protecting its legality.

Uminski advocates revamping the educationfunding system, which, like the rest of thenation, allots more money to suburban childrenthan those in the city. Under her plan, moneywould come from a graduated income tax, ratherthan from property tax as it usually does.

Both candidates support the Family Health bill,a publicly funded health insurance plan similar tothe Canadian system, and family leave programs.

Uminski says that as Vellucci's aide, she hasthe connections to make these changes reality. Shealso cites her gender as an asset; victory wouldmake her the first woman to represent Cambridgeand Somerville in history.

Also on the ballot is Kenneth May, an EastCambridge lawyer who now supports Karen Uminski,and Elio LoRusso, a 20-year-old Suffolk Universitystudent from East Somerville who says that, whilehe knows little of the issues on Beacon Hill,Somerville needs one of its own in the StateHouse

Cambridge City Councillor Timothy Toomeyappears the favorite in a tighter race for theState House seat vacated by Peter Velucci. KarenUlminski, one of Velucci's aides, is challengingToomey.

Given his stature and favorable attention fromthe media, Kennedy will likely glide to victoryfor a fourth term. Since winning the seat as ajunior at Providence College in 1986, hispopularity has increased among the working-classand poor communities he represents.

Kennedy wrote amendments to the Home MortgageDisclosure Act which require banks to report loansthey make to residents in their community. Thechanges were made to expose "redlining" practices,which prevent minorities from receiving the samekinds of loans as whites.

Kennedy also boasts of winning $27 million tothe district for public housing in Somerville, andof protecting 17,000 local public housing unitsfrom condominium developers.

Aside from his litany of social programs,Kennedy espouses a few policies which makeCambridge progressives which make Cambridgeprogressives wince. He supports the death penalty,having voted twice in Congress for its use inextreme circumstances. Yancey opposes capitalpunishment.

Yancey also challenges Kennedy's vote for thebalanced budget amendment as a mere substitute forserious deficit-cutting measures.

On social issues, Yancey has a similarprogressive record on the local level,representing the regions of Roxbury, Dorchesterand Mattapan as a city councillor. The first Blackon a state-wide ballot, Yancey says his race is anasset in a state which has 13 white malescurrently in Congress.

Yancey has made an issue of his opponent'sfamily legacy, questioning how genuinelyanti-establishment a Kennedy could be.

"Look at his last name," Yancey says. "Itdoesn't get more establishment than that."

Yancey proposed legislation in the City Councilwhich would have forced the city to divest fromSouth Africa, a withdrawal of $12.5 million. Healso helped reopen police and fire stations in1984 which were closed by Proposition 2 1/2.

Yancey supports national legislation whichwould fund the superconducting supercollider, a $9million project which Kennedy opposed. Yanceyalso says he is better able to convert defensespending to domestic spending quickly.

Like many candidates, including someincumbents, Yancey has emphasized the "gridlock inWashington" theme, promising to inject new resolveinto the national legislature.

On Beacon Hill

Approach, and not ideology, will be thedetermining factor in the race for the vacatedseat of State Representative Peter Vellucci.

Both of the leading contenders havetraditionally liberal records--Timothy Toomey inthe City Council, and Karen Uminski as a Velucciaide.

While Uminski promises to serve as a full-timerepresentative, Toomey says he will remain on theCity Council if elected.

Toomey may face resistance among Somervillevoters on this point. He points out that Vellucciheld a full-time job during his tenure on BeaconHill, and says that if his position on the CityCouncil compromises his new office, he willconsider dropping his city post.

Both candidates support current abortion lawsand advocate public funding of abortions for poormothers. Uminski, though, points to Toomey'spersonal opposition to abortion to question hisresolve on protecting its legality.

Uminski advocates revamping the educationfunding system, which, like the rest of thenation, allots more money to suburban childrenthan those in the city. Under her plan, moneywould come from a graduated income tax, ratherthan from property tax as it usually does.

Both candidates support the Family Health bill,a publicly funded health insurance plan similar tothe Canadian system, and family leave programs.

Uminski says that as Vellucci's aide, she hasthe connections to make these changes reality. Shealso cites her gender as an asset; victory wouldmake her the first woman to represent Cambridgeand Somerville in history.

Also on the ballot is Kenneth May, an EastCambridge lawyer who now supports Karen Uminski,and Elio LoRusso, a 20-year-old Suffolk Universitystudent from East Somerville who says that, whilehe knows little of the issues on Beacon Hill,Somerville needs one of its own in the StateHouse