The Larry DiCara Story Or "How to Become Mayor of Boston"

Fourteen years ago, at the age of seven, Larry DiCara memorized the names of all the U.S. Presidents.

In fifth grade, when his teacher asked the class what would happen in the fall of 1960, DiCara jumped up and predicted that John F. Kennedy would be elected President.

Now DiCara, a senior at Harvard, is taking his first step into real-world, elective politics. He has started organizing a campaign which he hopes will put him on the Boston City Council. The election is in November, when DiCara will be a tender 22 years old.

But this is not DiCara's first election. He has been a political animal ever since his arrival at Boston Latin School, where he eventually won what he considers his most important election-Senior Class President. "I think he'd been campaigning since he got there in seventh grade," one classmate said Thursday.

DiCara's political career has not exactly been on the wane during his stay at Harvard. His name started appearing on ballots as soon as the Class of '71 arrived in Cambridge. He made it onto the Freshman Council, though losing the race for chairmanship to the class's other aspiring politician, John Hanify of HUC (Harvard Undergraduate Council) fame. Later, DiCara became a part of the HUC, SFAC (Student-Faculty Advisory Committee), and the Quincy House Committee, which he chaired his final year.

DiCara's style of politics is based on the ability to match names with faces. "Some people play football, some are good in chemistry, I can remember names," he explained a week ago. "I do have trouble with girls' names,"he admitted. To help him keep tabs on Harvard students, DiCara files all four freshman registers on a shelf in his Quincy room.

"At Boston Latin he knew everyone and their grandmother and aunt," classmate John Diodato recalled. And when driving through his Dorchester neighborhood Monday night, DiCara tooted and waved to young boys whom he could identify despite the darkness.

His knowledge of the Boston area, its people, and its politicians is encyclopedic. He's written detailed position papers on road construction and redistricting and knows which politicians represent each district in and around Boston. "I'm probably the only one in the room, and maybe the city, who knows the names of all the State Senators," DiCara mused while eating chile Monday in Quincy House Dining Hall.

It's hard to trace DiCara's political roots. "No one in my family ever did anything more political than vote," DiCara has said. His father recalls only that Larry was "never shy" with people.

Eventually, there were clear indications that DiCara was no ordinary Dorchester child. "I gave up on the funnies when I was ten or so, and I haven't read them since," DiCara said. Instead he read the news page. "Around fifth grade I discovered Jack K??nedy. For the next five years I ??ched his every move, his every ??."

??leanwhile, DiCara was getting ??t up by his school friends. He an???onized them by being the smart-??kid in the class. He was also guilty ?? being an Italian in an Irish neighborhood. Since then he has learned to honor the Irish. DiCara refers to his car as "green, Irish green."

"In 1961-62 I began to get the political bug bad," DiCara reminisced. "I liked the idea of being able to go around and have people say, 'Gee, that's Larry DiCara, and he's from Dorchester, and he's a pretty nice guy.'"

By that time he was at Boston Latin and wasn't getting beaten up as often. His political career was picking up steam, though he suffered from second thoughts for a while after John Kennedy was assassinated. "It was a real blow," DiCara said. "And then I started asking myself, 'Do you really want to get shot in the head?'"

But as the school elections came, one by one, DiCara kept entering and won most of the time. He was mastering his style of politics. "You couldn't get away from him; he was everywhere," one schoolmate asserted. "You could never walk by him without getting a big rap about how you were and all that bullishit."

DiCara amassed a number of activities there that made him undisputed Boston champion in the brag list competition. He built up a dependable constituency and attracted other support by appearing at all the football games as head water boy dressed in purple sneakers, socks, pants, sweater, and beret.

During the summers he indulged in one local campaign after another, usually working for losers, but building a knowledge about Boston politics. Even during his hours at summer jobs he breathed politics. "'He used to continually talk about his political ambitions," said James Little '72, a coworker with DiCara at Kelly's Landing soda shoppe one summer. "I remember his having ambitions of being mayor when he was 16."

Even those who despised his political nature grudgingly admitted that he was competent. Finally the big day came. The Boston Latin Class of '67 was electing a president, and DiCara won by what was apparently a wide margin.

His new office led him into a number of disagreements with the headmaster. "It was a clash of strong personalities," one student explained. DiCara tried to push reforms which traditionalist BLS was not eager to enact.

"The headmaster hates his guts," one classmate asserted. "He doesn't recognize him as an alumnus. He wouldn't even write him a recommendation for Harvard." Another said, "O'Leary mentions him as often as possible in a bad light. He doesn't like to have him in the school to visit."

Nevertheless, DiCara got into Harvard and was flown to Dallas to receive the Golden Scroll for the Promise of Greatness from the American Academy of Achievement. The world watched.

At Harvard, DiCara rented refrigerators. He has trotted around for Harvard Student Agencies (HSA) each September, earning money and shaking hands. He memorized students' hometowns and high schools. As he continued to immerse himself in things political, acquaintances started asking him when he was going to run for a real office.

While he's been here, opposition to him has centered not only on his manner, but on his political views as well. DiCara is somewhere between moderate and liberal, and this has not set well with everyone at Harvard. Last Fail, when there was opposition to Quincy House's intention to send a representative to the controversial CRR (Committee on Rights and Responsibilities), DiCara was rather irritated. "This is not the kind of issue that is top priority," he said at the time. "Kids are starving in Dorchester."

Earlier he had created some derision for picking some of the numbers (264-272) in the nation's first draft lottery since the 1940's. He was on a Selective Service advisory committee at the time and was picked as the Massachusetts representative for the televised drawing in Washington. Picking such high numbers made him feel "pretty darn good," and he himself ended up with number 208. "I've had a lot of second thoughts, but I'd do it again," he said on Valentine's Day.

His second thoughts stemmed partially from a few hate phone calls to his Dorchester home. One caller warned that he'd be killed.

Besides his political activities, DiCara keeps busy with civic organizations. He is Cubmaster of Troop 66, a committee type at the Knights of Columbus, an assistant in the CYO program at St. Gregory's, and a member of the Hyde Park Most Precious Blood Catholic Young Adult Club.

DiCara returned Thursday from a CYO ski trip to Lake George, N.Y. Though he refused to get on skis, he agreed to be one of the chaperones for a group of 140 teenagers. One of his tasks was to check suitcases for liquor before departure. DiCara, who looks much older than 21, recalled with a laugh one special episode on the trip. "I was dancing with a couple of gals and really keeping up with them. I love to dance and I was wearing this white turtle neck, pretty avant-garde for me. So I got a standing ovation from the band for bridging the generation gap," he said.

DiCara had been toying with the idea of running for City Council for quite a while, but didn't make the final decision until January 10 at a meeting of his "chief supporters." He will officially enter the primary June 14 with a statement at McKeon Post in Dorchester, but he's already passing around the navy blue campaign buttons. "Look, the people want them," he told roommate Henry Kettls a week ago. Kettle had started DiCara's campaign with a donation of one cent. Since then another $5 has been contributed, but DiCara has used $500 of his own.

If elected, DiCara believes he will join James Michael Curley and Francis "Sweepstakes" Kelly as the youngest members ever elected to the Council. He will be 22 by then. But he would be the youngest one ever elected at large since Curley and Kelly were elected while running as ward candidates. But DiCara is not playing up the youth issue.

The Council is made up of nine members elected at large. All nine seats are available this November, and since a number of top councilmen will probably get in the mayoral race against struggung incumbent Kevin White, DiCara figures his chances are better than usual. "I don't think any of those seats are safe," DiCara said Sunday, even though he expects four to six incumbents to run. He estimates that 40 persons will be in the September primary, with 18 going on the November ballot.

"I have to finish in the first 12 or 13 in September to have a good shot," DiCara said. Like any politician, he refrains from talking down his chances, which he characterizes as "darn good, darn good." DiCara predicts that his success will vary directly with the funds he raises between now and July. The target is $25,000 to $30,000. "If I can raise that amount of money and can't win, well, that's pretty bad," he mused.

Enter Bill Guenther '72, who lives across the hall from DiCara. Last year people used to joke about the Quincy triumvirate of politicians-Guenther, DiCara, and Ki?by Wilcox '70. DiCara has chosen Guenther as his campaign manager. "He's one of the few people who can criticize me and get me to listen," DiCara explained Sunday. "That's damn, I mean darn, important."

One student, upon learning of Guenther's role in the campaign, remarked, "It's like FDR running a campaign for James Farley."

Guenther fits neatly into the group DiCara mockingly labels limousine liberals. DiCara carries the Coop's little black appointment book; Guenther carries the New York Times. DiCara lives at 86 Codman Hill Avenue in South Dorchestr; Guenther lives at 1088 Park Avenue, New York.

His political career began when he was chasing a girl who became involved in the McCarthy campaign three years ago. He quit after a week. At the time Guenther was a senior at St. George's School in Rhode Island. He jumped into student government at Harvard, despite never having dabbled in it at St. George's. Guenther was on the Freshman Council and then the HUC, but now his interest is in working in other persons' campaigns.

He is eager to work in DiCara's organization and confident that he can do the job properly despite his comparative inexperience. "You can splash around in your own little pond in a campaign this size," he pointed out Tuesday night. "The only way you're going to win is to get your name around and get press, and to get press you have to deal with hard issues. I think his chances are very good."

DiCara will run as an urban-populist. His issues will be housing, public transportation, and the restructuring of city government: DiCara will try to contract himself with present members of the Council, whom he considers unresponsive. "The City Council is an office a man should aspire to, not retire to," DiCara loves to say.

DiCara also loves to think of himself when he repeats Murray Kempton's description of New York Mayor John V. Lindsay: "He's fresh, and everyone else is tired." Guenther calls his candidate the "first young, vibrant Italian to come along in quite a while," DiCara will attempt to disassociate himself from the established city politicians, who he feels have little freedom of movement. "I have no ties," DiCara emphasized. "My hands are as clean as the day is long." This is the DiCara rhetoric.

He's got an added obstacle right now-a polop on his vocal cords. DiCara strained his voice a few months ago and can no longer project the voice as he did in the old days. He will have an operation within a month, but then won't be able to talk for a week. "I fear I'll have to leave the Boston area," DiCara reflected.

Guenther is only one of the Harvard persons in the campaign hierarchy. Arrold Waters '71 is the head fund raiser, while Alan Gerlach '71 is chief statistician. "Gerlach's one of the few persons I wouldn't challenge to a political nonsense contest," DiCara said Monday, extending a rare compliment. Chip Moore '72 will also have a big role this summer. Cindy Johnston, who will do a poll for DiCara, is a Wellesley student. But DiCara claims to have less aristocratic types working at the important grassroots level.

The uniqueness of the enterprise has caught the attention of one well-known Boston publisher, which so far has responded favorably to DiCara's suggestion that he write a book about it all. Every night he talks into his tape recorder about what he did that day. He smiled while playing back parts of it last weekend in his room. Above him on the wall was a painting of John and Robert Kennedy. In two places were "Kennedy in '72" stickers, even though DiCara guarantees that Teddy won't run. On the bureau, another picture of John Kenn?dy, flanked by identical photographs of Richard Cardinal Cushing, DiCara was once an altar boy.

Even DiCara's book collection is dominated by writings on or by the Kennedys. Among the others are Horan's The Right Image and Shadeg's How to Win an Election. He hasn't read them, but it's nice to know they're there.

Amidst all the talk of the possibility of victory, there is the realization that Larry DiCara may not get the call in November, if he makes it that far. He's got alternate plans. DiCara can work full time for the Robert F. Kennedy Action Corps, a community development program he works two full days a week for right now. DiCara also likes to think there's a law school in his future and will apply to Boston's top institutions for admission in 1972.

"If he wins, we'll be glad." DiCara's father says matter-of-factly, "and if he doesn't, he's still young." He and Mrs. DiCara had "mixed feelings" about their son's decision to run, but were not surprised. "There are lots of pitfalls," Mr. DiCara continued. "You can get buffeted around." He and his wife remember the threatening calls after their son picked lottery numbers. And it was only a few summers ago, according to DiCara, that he was threatened by knife-wielding youths who, he said, thought he was being too kind to blacks at a Dorchester playground.

"My parents don't like politics very much," DiCara said. "They'd much rather have me take the easy route-go to law school, work for Ropes and Gray, and live in Milton." On the other hand, his grandmother, who lives on the bottom floor of their two-family house, is more enthusiastic. "She's just a great old gal," DiCara smiled, "I think she gets a kick out of telling her friends about it."

Thomas Connolly '72 and Paul Jarvie '71, both former Boston Latin students who have watched DiCara's political career, assert that even if he loses this year, he may come back to win the next time, as other young candidates have done in the past.

But DiCara and his people like to think of such cautious thinking as unnecessary. As he put it himself Thursday night, "When Larry DiCara runs for Boston City Council, he doesn't fool around."