"Somebody has to do it. Somebody has to standup and say, `Enough,' and I think that'simportant," Cook says. "I wouldn't put myselfthrough this if I didn't think we were going toget something for this."
"If I had stayed at home, there wouldn't beanybody to talk about the things I talk about,"Schinella says. "It was worth it."
And local politicos agree that just running ina race can help draw attention to issues andsharpen the debates.
"Running as a candidate in a local election todraw attention to issues is a common endeavor,"Winters says.
"Statewide, it would be too, if there weregreater ballot access-then, you would see a lotmore candidates running on single issues,[especially] if it were less expensive," he says.
"A contested race is always good. It drawsattention to the race, it gives the voters anoption, it allows for discussion about issues,"Trumbull says.
"Republicans and Democrats are almost banal incomparison. Cambridge has Trotskyites,monarchists," Trumbull laughs.
In fact, he adds, it is this diversity ofcandidates that makes Cambridge, Cambridge.
"Are [the candidates] sometimes a bit fringe?Sure. But Cambridge is the sort of place wherethese ideas percolate up," Trumbull concludes."It's why I choose to live in Cambridge.