Cambridge residents are accustomed to having an experienced legislator represent them on Beacon Hill.

Former U.S. House Speaker Thomas "Tip" O'Neill's political career began in the 27th Middlesex District. Its most recent state representative, Charles F. Flaherty, doubled as the Massachusetts House Speaker, before resigning amid corruption indictments this spring.

No doubt, the experience factor played a role in former mayor Alice K. Wolf's victory over City Councillor Anthony D. Galluccio in last Tuesday's Democratic primary.

Wolf, 63, has held virtually every civic office, from mayor to state party caucus member to school committee member. Galluccio, 29, has served on the city council a mere three years.

"Alice has been in government for a long time, and her votes are well-known. There is no surprise where her stands are," says Geneva T. Malenfant, president of the progressive Cambridge Civic Association. "With Galluccio, he's only been city councillor one and half terms, and some of his views seem to have changed between last year and this."

City Councillor Francis H. Duehay '55 adds: "Charles Flaherty, who represented this district for 30 years, was a progressive politician who had a lot of experience in government. Alice Wolf has come up through the ranks in Cambridge and has 25 years in local government experience. Galluccio has just begun his career in local government."

In representing the district, which stretches from wealthy, progressive Harvard Square to the ethnic blue-collar sections of northwest Cambridge, O'Neill coined the phrase "all politics is local."

But by a 90-vote margin out of 7,600 cast, voters chose Wolf, a non-native Cantabrigian known more as a detached idealogue, over lifelong resident Galluccio, who has strong ties to the working class.

The division is evident in unofficial election results: 76.5 percent of upscale west Cambridge voters went to Wolf, while Galluccio won North Cambridge by a 2:1 margin.

Cambridge Mayor Sheila Doyle Russell says many North Cambridge voters consider Wolf, a former IOP fellow, a limousine liberal, rather than one of their own.

"She's much more liberal than long time North Cambridge residents. Some feel she doesn't represent their views," Russell says.

"There's always been a kind of division between working class folks and white collar folks. I think it remains to be seen if Mrs. Wolf will represent them as before. She claims she will. Let's hope she does," Russell says.

Wolf is guaranteed election Nov.5--she has no Republican opponent. Then she'll begin the difficult task of representing both factions in this district.

Reaching Everyone

Wolf strategically placed her campaign headquarters in the heart of North Cambridge, just three doors down from Galluccio's, and just across the street from a steakhouse frequented by O'Neill.