Clerk of Courts Race Draws Interest in Hennigan/Dello Russo

Voters in the North End participating in the September 6 primary have two choices in the contest for the position of Criminal Clerk of the Suffolk County Superior Court.

Two Democrats are running for the post, present clerk Maura Hennigan and former Assistant Clerk Magistrate of the Superior Court Robert Dello Russo.

This is a race in which name recognition is all important.

Hennigan is the better known of the two candidates and will rely upon name recognition as her greatest strength.

Dello Russo said he is depending upon a lower than usual voter turnout that he believes favors him, especially in his home base of the North End and in places like East Boston, Chelsea and Winthrop.

Hennigan is undeterred.

She has dodged major bad publicity bullets in recent months and has come out fighting with a powerful slate of advertising and personal appearances throughout the district.

The Boston Phoenix has called this race one of the most obscure being waged this year.

They got that one right.

Both Hennigan and Dello Russo have very little love for one another.

In recent weeks, Dello Russo has shown how popular he is with Suffolk County Sheriff Andre Cabral endorsing him.

His committee has also been aggressive in placing signage throughout the neighborhoods on the northern side of the Mystic River.

As a former Boston City Councillor at Large, Hennigan has the decided edge on name recognition. She is also well known where Dello Russo is expecting to outdo her, that is, in Winthrop, East Boston, Chelsea and Revere.

However, following several run-ins with the State Ethics Commission, Hennigan’s reputation has suffered a bit although she remains in her position relatively unscathed.

Hennigan says she enjoys her post, that it gives her the chance to take an active role in public safety and criminal-justice issues.

Dello Russo says essentially the same thing.