BEVERLY — If it's true that voters pay little attention to political campaigns until after Labor Day, it's going to be a short sprint to the finish line for Scott Houseman and Jerry Parisella.
The two local attorneys will square off in the Democratic primary for state representative three weeks from today on Sept. 14.
Parisella and Houseman have been knocking on doors, putting up signs and mailing campaign literature in an attempt to reach voters during the sleepy summer months.
Two forums are scheduled for the week before the primary. But otherwise, Beverly Democratic City Committee member Arthur Powell said, it's up to the candidates themselves to generate interest in the race.
"In this particular instance it's not a broad field," said Powell, whose wife is a cousin of Parisella and is working on his campaign. "You have two attorneys who have been involved in the community, who have both hosted cable television programs, who are both parents. There are a lot of similarities and it's up to them to explain the difference."
The winner of the Democratic primary will face Republican Brett Schetzsle in the Nov. 2 final. The seat is wide open this year with state Rep. Mary Grant's decision not to run for re-election after eight years at the Statehouse.
Parisella said interest in the race is starting to pick up now that campaign lawn signs are sprouting across the city.
"I've been at it since early May, knocking on literally thousands of doors trying to meet as many people as I can," he said. "I tried to get started as early as I could."
Houseman said he has been going to door-to-door "seven days a week for months now."
"I've found a lot of people who were not aware of the coming primary but were very happy to talk to me about it," he said.
Houseman and Parisella are both lawyers who tout their involvement in the community.
Houseman, 55, is a partner at DelVecchio & Houseman in Salem. He served on the Beverly Zoning Board of Appeals for 16 years and helped found the Beverly Conservation Land Trust. He's also a board member with the Beverly Education Foundation and started a cable TV show interviewing local political candidates.
"There's no candidate running that has the record of involvement and leadership and team-building comparable to that," he said.
Parisella, 47, an attorney at Alexander & Femino in Beverly, serves on the board of directors of the Kiwanis Club, the YMCA-City of Beverly Youth Collaboration Board, the Beverly Board of Health, and as a trustee for the Beverly School for the Deaf. He also works as assistant city solicitor for the city of Salem and is a lawyer with the Army Reserves.
"My message is that I'm someone who has been very involved in the community and I want to bring that civic involvement to the Statehouse," he said.
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Staff writer Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2675 or by e-mail at pleighton@salemnews.com.
Sept. 14 state primary contests
DEMOCRATIC BALLOT
Beverly state representative — Scott Houseman, Jerry Parisella
Treasurer — Steven Grossman, Stephen Murphy
Auditor — Suzanne Bump, Guy William Glodis, Mike Lake
Governor's councilor — Mary-Ellen Manning, Jason Panos
REPUBLICAN BALLOT
Congress, Sixth District — Bill Hudak, Robert McCarthy Jr.
Auditor — Mary Connaughton, Kamal Jain
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