A friend of mine with a long institutional memory has told me that this is the first time that they could remember when the two local papers endorsed different candidates.

I would agree with the Newburyport Current’s analysis which you can read here.

And their analysis came down to, out of two “terrific” candidates, who would be best suited to lead the city in these very difficult economic times:

“Holaday’s careful and measured approach to problems, her wide range of experience with people from all corners of the city, and her deep roots and long institutional memory are the types of qualities the next mayor probably will need. Then there are her major assets: her expertise with budgets, her knowledge of not only how to create programs, but also how to fund them, and her legal background.”

And the Newburyport Current does have glowing things to say about James Shanley as well. And I would agree, that no matter what :

“You could look at the mayor’s race and say it’s kind of a win-win for the city, and no matter what, things will be fine.” (The Newburyport Current, October 29, 2009)