I’m not
going to sugarcoat this. The man is causing trouble and he just won’t quit.
He’s
everywhere stirring the pot, fanning the flames, lighting a fuse, riling people
up. Pick your own favorite troublemaking metaphor. They all apply.
He’s been at
it for nearly a year.
Everywhere
you look, there he is: fire station breakfasts, police stations, VFW halls,
senior centers, playgrounds, carnivals, neighborhood associations, union halls,
coffee shops, and in people’s backyards in Watertown (where I spotted him), Cambridge,
Somerville, Newton, Lowell, Marlborough, Framingham, Concord, Townsend, and Winchester.
In fact, he’s
been spotted in all 54 municipalities in Middlesex County – the most populous
county in New England.
Seriously,
what’s his beef?
I’ll tell
you what his beef is. He thinks he should be the District
Attorney for Middlesex County, with its 1.67 million residents that include me and all of you.
Seriously,
who does this guy think he is?
Middlesex
County already has a DA – Marian Ryan.
She’s been
in the job for 13 years. She’s dedicated, hard-working, scandal-free, and an
able politician. She was also Solet’s
boss until he resigned to run against her.
However...
Solet isn’t
just a run of the mill troublemaker. He’s a troublemaker with some pretty
impressive credentials, beginning with 24 years of prosecuting cases involving murder, organized crime, child exploitation,
public corruption, narcotics trafficking, and domestic violence.
He served as
Chief of the Middlesex Cold Case Homicide Unit from 2019 to 2025, previously
led the office's Cyber Protection Unit, served as its General Counsel, and was
Chief Legal Counsel to the Massachusetts Secretary of Public Safety.
He also
serves as a Major in the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps of the United States
Army Reserve.
Oh, and in
2025, he was named Middlesex County Prosecutor of the Year.
Perhaps the
biggest distinction that Solet pounds away at is that his former boss sees her
job as being a manager, in charge of keeping the machinery running, while the
complexity of today’s world requires a leader whose responsibility is to
question whether the machinery requires a major upgrade.
When
loopholes in the law are endangering citizens, should the DA stand up to the often tone deaf legislature and demand that they close those loopholes?
Apparently, some
folks think so.
To date, over
30 law enforcement and public safety organizations, representing members in
Watertown, across Middlesex County, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have
endorsed the challenger.
That’s a
crazy number of endorsements from organizations representing the men and women
who are on the front lines of protecting the public.
Maybe they
are trying to tell us something that we need to hear.
Tuesday,
September 1 is election day. It’s the Democratic Primary and since there is no
Republican running for DA, it will determine who will be Middlesex County’s DA.
If you plan
on showing up to cast a vote in the Markey vs. Moulton U.S. Senate race or in the Brownsberger vs. Lander State Senate race, you
might be planning to leave the DA vote blank or you might be inclined to vote
for the most familiar name.
Marian Ryan
deserves our appreciation for her long history of public service. At 71 years
old, she is running for her fourth four-year term and seems perfectly capable
of carrying out her duties. But maybe it’s time to pass the torch to the troublemaker
with the fire in his belly who is as familiar with neighborhoods and backyards as
he is with police stations, courtrooms and crime scenes.
David Solet
Speaking of passing the torch: I think it’s
always a good idea to remind ourselves that those sacred torches don’t belong
to incumbents.
They belong
to voters.
And when it
comes to protecting the safety of your family, your friends, and your community
(That's what this is!), sitting on the sidelines and not voting is about as irresponsible
as it gets.
One important reminder: If you're a registered Unenrolled (independent) voter in Massachusetts, you are eligible to vote in the Democratic primary. You simply request the Democratic ballot when you check in at your polling place. It will not change your status as Unenrolled.
FYI: In Middlesex County, nearly 2 out of 3 registered voters are Unenrolled. Here's the breakdown:
Unenrolled: 63.58%
Democratic: 28.61%
Republican: 6.97%
Other: 0.83%
Bruce
Coltin, The Battle For Watertown
