In race to replace Harkins, Democrats raise more money

Published by The Boston Globe

In the race to replace state Rep. Lida Harkins, Democratic candidates have raised more money than their Republican counterparts as the campaign heads toward primary elections Tuesday in the district that includes Needham, Dover and parts of Medfield.

According to campaign finance reports filed this week, covering the calendar year up to Aug. 27, Needham Selectman Jerry Wasserman, a management consultant and a Democrat, has raised $32,275. That includes a $10,000 loan from Wasserman to his campaign and a $500 donation from the candidate. His wife, Joan, a business analyst for Thomson Reuters, has loaned the campaign $6,500. Wasserman has spent a total of $25,220.


Needham Selectman Denise Garlick, a registered nurse at Wellesley College and a Democrat, has raised $32,191. She has loaned her campaign $5,000 and spent $26,032.

Sales executive Gary McNeill, also of Needham, the third Democrat, has raised $24,630, all of which is reported as donations. He has spent $24,075.

On the Republican side, candidate John O’Leary of Needham, a researcher at Harvard University, has raised $16,058, including $3,293 he loaned to his campaign. O’Leary, who served in the administration of former Gov. Mitt Romney, has spent $9,180

Joshua Levy, a medical researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital and Boston University, has brought in $3,310, including $1,060 he has loaned to his campaign. Levy, of Needham, has spent $1,280.

Wasserman received $500 donations, the maximum amount from one source, from the Boston Teachers Union, the American Federation of Teachers in Massachusetts and the National Association of Social Workers in Massachusetts. Two college professors—Samuel Graves from Boston College and Stephen McKnight from Northeastern University— donated $500 each to Wasserman. Glenn Koocher, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, gave $200 to Wasserman’s campaign.

Garlick got $500 donations from the Electrical Workers Union; Thomas Breslin, associate director of the Massachusetts Nurses Association; Karen Higgins, a nurse at Boston Medical Center and Nancy Gilman, a nurse at Tufts University. The Massachusetts Nurses Association, for which Garlick served as president, also donated food for a fundraiser worth about $300. She has also received donations of $500 each from Bill Tilburg, co-chair of the Needham 300 Committee and Needham Selectman Dan Matthews. Maria McTernan, development director of the Charles River Center, donated $250 to Garlick’s campaign. Garlick has previously worked as a nurse at the center.

McNeill had $500 contributions from Robert Curatola, president of Rockwood Colonials Realty in Cohasset; Francis Mahoney, a partner at Ernst & Young in Medfield; attorney James McNeill, Alfred Pace, president of Pace Builders; Hope and Michael Pascucci, principals at Rosegrove Capital; Daniel Passacantelli, president of bftelecom; Steve Schernecker, president of SPS Inc.; and Joseph Zink, president of Atlantic Management.

Republican O’Leary received $500 each from John Chisholm, CIO of Acadian Asset Management; homemakers Germaine Choe and MaryEllen Costello, retiree Edmund Costello, William Eggers, director of Deloitte, C. Bruce Johnstone of Fidelity Investments and banker Stephen Mahoney.

Levy received $500 from retiree Naomi Levy of Needham. He also got contributions from three doctors: $250 each from Daniel Levy of Greatneck and Melvyn Lurie of Weston and $200 from Neil Feldman of Worcester,

Harkins is leaving the Legislature after 22 years. She ran unsuccessfully for the state Senate earlier this year.