At the suggestion of his astute wife Olivia, Senator-elect Nick Collins chose to host his Senate campaign victory party at the Blarney Stone Restaurant, smack dab in the center of the First Suffolk District on Dorchester Avenue. It was the same venue that hosted his campaign loss for the same seat 5 years ago, almost to the day. Olivia reckoned that one way to purge that painful memory is to replace it with a new wonderful one and indeed he did, as the restaurant was packed with supporters, who welcomed in an era of ‘access and opportunity’ for what Collins called the “most ethnically diverse Senate District in the Commonwealth”.
In addition to thanking his family, friends, staff and political allies from his career representing South Boston and Dorchester, he also pointed to the throng of new supporters in the audience from the Vietnamese, African American, Cape Verdean, Caribbean communities from Hyde Park and Mattapan as evidence of the unity of purpose that he plans to bring to his responsibilities.
According to unofficial results, Collins garnered more than 86 percent of 4,713 votes cast in a three-way race to fill the unexpired term of Linda Dorcena Forry, who announced in January that she was stepping down from her state Senate post to take a job in the private sector.
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The First Suffolk District stretches from Mattapan to the Seaport and includes South Boston and Dorchester. The special election drew 4.2 percent of the district’s 111,434 registered voters to the polls, according to the city’s website.
Collins pointed out the district’s rich history and that “he is honored to be given the opportunity to help make it better for everyone”. Collins added, “If we all work together, we can improve our schools and public transit system, create more affordable housing, address the opioid epidemic, make our neighborhoods cleaner and safer and make sure that everyone has a chance to benefit from our city’s strong economy”.
Senator-elect Collins will serve the remainder of this term and will run again in September. He will be sworn into office on May 9 by Governor Charlie Baker. There will be a ceremonial swearing-in at the Senate on May 10.
