Outspoken state Representative Marie Parente of Milford, one of Beacon Hill's most conservative voices for more than 20 years, was defeated yesterday in her bid for another term. She was the only incumbent legislator to lose a primary fight.
John Fernandes, a lawyer and former Milford selectman, beat Parente throughout the district, chalking up decisive margins in every neighborhood of Milford, Upton , and Mendon.
He will face Republican Robert P. Burns in November.
Parente, who was first elected in the early 1980s, is a vocal and staunch opponent of same-sex marriage and extending benefits to undocumented workers.
Now 78 , she frequently spoke of retiring, but ran for re election time after time.
``What it says to me is that people were ready to transition to new representation and responded to the positive campaign I tried to run in this race," said Fernandes last night.
Also yesterday, Willie Mae Allen, 69, a neighborhood activist and veteran member of the Democratic State Committee, defeated William R.
Celester Sr., a former Boston police commander who served two years in federal prison after pleading guilty to fraud charges while serving as Newark's police chief. They battled over a House seat left vacant by the retirement of longtime Mattapan state Representative Shirley Owens-Hicks.
``It was a clean fought fight, " said Celester, who once served as a Boston police deputy superintendent. ``Willie Mae has been a friend of mine for 40 years. and she'll remain so .
. . .
We had an organization, but no money."
In the Parente race, Fernandes held different positions than his opponent on gay marriage, stem cell research, and immigration, but he said his major focus was on ``pocketbook issues. We talked more about the impact of property taxes and the Big Dig on spending priorities.
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Fernandes, who is of Portuguese and Italian descent, said immigrant issues were not central in the campaign, though Milford has a large and growing Portuguese and Brazilian immigrant population.
Ali Noorani, executive director of Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, called Parente's defeat ``a stunning remark on a representative so willing to talk about immigrant issues.
``While we disagreed on many issues," said Noorani, ``I personally have respect for her as an individual.
She was a passionate advocate for her constituents."
Aside from Parente, other incumbents survived primary challenges -- including state Senator Robert Havern of Arlington, majority leader Representative John Rogers of Norwood and Representatives Antonio Cabral of New Bedford, John Fresolo of Worcester, Robert Correia of Fall River, Benjamin Swan of Springfield, Joyce Spiliotis of Peabody, William Pignatelli of Lenox, Mark Falzone of Saugus, and Paul Kujawski of Webster.
The fiercest contests were for 12 open seats given up by lawmakers who decided not to seek re election.
Voters picked successors for Senators Andrea Nuciforo Jr. of Pittsfield and Brian Lees of East Longmeadow; and Representatives Shirley Gomes of South Harwich, Virginia Coppola of Foxborough, Philip Travis of Rehoboth, Arthur Broadhurst of Methuen, Emile Goguen of Fitchburg, Mark Carron of Southbridge, Gale Candaras of Wilbraham, and Daniel Keenan of Agawam. Nuciforo, Lees, and Candaras are running for other offices.
Voters in Everett chose Stephen ``Stat" Smith as the Democratic candidate to replace the late Representative Edward Connolly, a Democrat who died in May. State Representative Marie St. Fleur also won her primary.
Same-sex marriage supporters, who had been actively campaigning on behalf of key candidates across the state, last night claimed victory in several races and said they expect to pick up new supporters on Beacon Hill.
MassEquality, which distributed 250,000 pieces of mail to primary voters, zeroed in on seats being vacated by two of the most vocal opponents of gay marriage -- Philip Travis of Rehoboth and Emile Goguen of Fitchburg.
In the race for Goguen's seat, MassEquality backed Stephen DiNatale, who won the Democratic nomination.
The group also supported Steven D'Amico, who won the Democratic nomination to succeed Travis.
They also worked on behalf of Rosemary Samblin, who won the Democratic nomination for Candara's seat in Agawam, and for incumbent Senator Dianne Wilkerson, St. Fleur of Boston, and Falzone.
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