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| By G. Michael Dobbs Managing Editor SPRINGFIELD A first-time candidate has announced her intentions to challenge a first term state representative. Megan Anzalotti of Springfield, a teacher and softball coach at Roger L. Putnam Vocation Technical High School, met with supporters at the John Boyle O'Reilly Club Wednesday night to formally begin her campaign for the Ninth Hampden District state representative seat. The district includes neighborhoods in Springfield and Chicopee. Anzalotti will be facing Sean Curran (D-Springfield), who is completing his first term in the seat. Curran was a political unknown when he ran against veteran Springfield City Council member Rosemarie Mazza Moriarty for the seat two years ago. Curran ran a grassroots campaign and Anzalotti, who is an independent, intends to do the same. "It's the right time for me to run in a city that I love is in dire straits," she told Reminder Publications prior to her announcement speech. Although she did not specific criticisms to aim at Curran, she said that "political ideology and political affiliation will not dictate to me what's best for my constituents." Referring to the difficulty of running against a long-time incumbent, Anzalotti said that she was not motivated by Curran's performance. "[Because he's] not an entrenched legislator, I was motivated to step up to the plate and give it my best shot," she said. She said that, based on comments made by voters during the signature process, her priorities would be public safety, education and supporting a rollback of the state income tax. While this is Anzalotti's first attempt at public office, it is not her first experience with public service, She is a former aide to State Representative Cheryl Coakley-Rivera. She has worked for the Springfield School Department for over three years and has been teaching at Putnam for one year. Putnam's principal, Kevin McCaskill, introduced her at her campaign announcement. Anzalotti has deep roots in the city and cited that her relatives have been police officers, nurses and educators in the city. "I am a citizen who wants to be involved in the workings of the state I love and lived my entire life," she said in her speech. |