Owens Credits Grass Roots Effort for District 5 Victory

Will Endres, a South Weymouth resident and probation officer, met Michael Owens at Quincy District Court, where the Braintree High School graduate was interning in the drug court program.

Owens stood out to Endres then as not only a smart student, but also a personable young man who could relate to just about anyone. Lonzie Owens, Michael's father, speaks similarly about his son, who as a child was a news hound and confident conversationalist. 

"He is quite a unique kid," Lonzie Owens said.

Owens, a 24-year-old senior at UMass Boston, became the youngest ever resident elected to the Braintree Town Council when he captured the District 5 seat Tuesday by a nearly 200-vote margin.

Joining Owens in the race for the seat left vacant by incumbent Ronald DeNapoli's decision not to seek reelection were Nick DiMartino and William Sweeney. Owens took 587 total votes to DiMartino's 398 and Sweeney's 213.

In a post-election interview, Owens credited his victory to a grass-roots effort bolstered by supporters like Endres and a network of young professionals he cultivated in college and at various internships.

He was also given a boost Tuesday by dozens of district residents who helped him turn out the vote after he connected with them face-to-face during the weeks leading up to election day.

"I’m very thankful for the support I do have," Owens said. "It’s evident of a grass roots effort. I worked very hard at connecting with the people in the district.” 
 
Owens joins Shannon Hume, newly-elected Councilor-at-Large and the first woman on the council, and Stephen O'Brien in District 4 as new faces on the town's legislative body. 

Under Braintree's previous form of government, Mayor Joseph Sullivan became the youngest resident elected to the Board of Selectmen at age 26. 

Tuesday night, as the results trickled in and Owens appeared to capture Liberty School's voters, Sullivan said he looked forward to seeing what kind of fresh take Owens may bring to the council.

"He's got a bright future," Sullivan said.

District 2 Councilor John Mullaney, an early supporter of Owens, said he won because of a cross-section of support in District 5, and because Owens proved that he will be a legitimately independent, strong voice for residents when sworn-in this January.

"Mike Owens is not going to be part of any group," Mullaney said, referring to the cliques that often form among councilors and other town officials. "He's going to listen to the issues and decide what's best for the town."

For Council President Charles Kokoros, Owens' campaign effort "is a positive sign" of what's to come. "Because of his youth, he'll bring a new perspective to the council."

Owens may be the youngest person elected to the council since it was formed six years ago, but he does not lack political experience. 

He boned up on town government by attending council meetings and sitting down with many local officials, and has experience interning at Quincy District Court, then-U.S. Sen. John Kerry’s office and the community affairs division of Gov. Deval Patrick’s office.

Owens also contributed to Congressman Stephen Lynch's 2013 Senate campaign, knocking on doors throughout Lynch's district – something that Owens said helped prepare him for his own campaign.

Through Oct. 18, Owens raised $4,356 for his election committee, less than DiMartino's $5,565 but significantly more than the $574 that Sweeney raised.

Owens, who used to work at Toyota of Braintree and now works part-time at Rockland Trust while finishing his bachelor's degree, gathered a little less than half his funds from those who donated less than $50 and who are not itemized in campaign finance reports.

He also took in money from a core group of supporters that featured well-known local figures such as Toyota of Braintree Owner Charles Tufankjian and his wife Cheryl ($200), retiring Councilor-at-Large Leland Dingee ($75) and Mullaney ($100). Arthur Martel, Jr. a business manager at Toyota of Braintree donated $200 and his father, a retired computer programmer, pitched in $250.

The key to getting people to contribute their energy to a newcomer like himself, Owens said, was not just asking for their vote when he knocked at their door, but also listening to them and discussing their pressing issues.

From that effort, he had residents handing out literature for him, and hanging door signs urging people to turn out on election day.  

“That really speaks volumes to the effort of our campaign," Owens said. "I really worked to engage people."