Dennis Benzan for State Senate

CAMBRIDGE CHRONICLE | April 1st, 2010 — Dennis Benzan wants to be a state Senator that represents working class families. He wants to help people that aren’t able to help themselves. He wants to be the voice for the Latino community and beyond.

Close to 12 weeks on the campaign trail, Benzan, an attorney in Cambridge, said he has gained a “broad-based support” in the race for the Senate seat vacated by Anthony Galluccio and places himself as one of the top three candidates likely to win.

“I’m OK with being the underdog,” he said. “I can say with a lot of confidence that there is a good chance of winning this race. And if there’s a district that can elect a Latino it’s this one.”

Benzan is one of seven candidates vying for the Beacon Hill post, which Galluccio resigned from after being sentenced to a year in jail following an October 2009 hit-and-run incident. The other names include Cambridge resident and attorney Tim Flaherty; Everett City Councilor Sal DiDomenico; Charlestown lawyer Dan Hill; Chelsea resident Michael Albano; Cambridge City Councilor and former mayor Denise Simmons; and John Cesan, a registered Independent from Agawam.

The primary election will take place April 13, followed by a special election on May 11. The Middlesex, Suffolk, and Essex District include Chelsea, Everett, Charlestown, and certain precincts in Cambridge, Revere, Saugus, Somerville, and Allston.

Benzan, who previously lived in Belmont with his wife of 20 years and their three-year-old twin children, is currently living in an apartment – within the district – on Wendell Street in Cambridge.

In an interview with the Chronicle on Thursday, Benzan said he has a connection with every community in the district and wants to represent all of them.

“In order for you to be a leader you have to believe in that community and the ability to make a change,” he said. “This race has a lot of implications for our community.”

Benzan said he was inspired to run following his frustration from the special election to replace Senator Edward Kennedy in the U.S. Senate, in which Republican Scott Brown won against Martha Coakley. He is now working with a staff of 12 people and close to 200 volunteers to get his word out.

“It’s very clear that people are mad and upset,” he said.

Benzan is not new to the campaign trail. In 1996, he ran a “spirited” but unsuccessful race against Alvin Thompson for the state representative seat. Two years later, Benzan ran for the seat again, but lost to Jarrett Barrios.

“I think about what I’ve done my entire life and I’ve made progress,” he said.

Benzan, an attorney with Altman & Altman LLP, has most recently been in the spotlight representing Cambridge resident Helen Ford in her fight against her adopted son, former NBA basketball star Rumeal Robinson who allegedly swindled her out of her home in a business transaction gone wrong.

As a senator, he said he would aide families who are struggling with foreclosures and mortgage issues, along with making a push for summer jobs, mandatory composting in communities, and boosting small business and green initiatives. As a senator, he would be interested to serve on the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, the Joint Committee on Education, and the Joint Committee on the Judiciary.

Benzan said he considers Galluccio to be a good friend of his and supported the former senator’s work with athletic programs, the district’s youth, constituent services, and work with the Dominican community.

“It’s unfortunate what happened to him,” Benzan said. “He was good to Cambridge.”

Benzan would give up work with his practice to become a full-time senator. When asked if he would run again for the seat in November if he weren’t elected in May, Benzan said it would be something he would have to discuss with his family first.

In a lightning round of questions, Benzan put his support behind the proposed “Bottle Bill” law, increasing the gas tax, and Gov. Deval Patrick’s plan for casinos in Massachusetts.

“If we are going to build, we should build something grand,” he said.

Benzan said he would not support a tax on candy and soda and was not sure about keeping the existence of tolls on the Mass Pike.

CAMBRIDGE CHRONICLE YOUTUBE CHANNEL