So far six candidates have declared their intent to vie for the state legislature seat representing the 28th district by obtaining the necessary preliminary papers, according to the Secretary of the Commonwealth's office.

The 28th District includes such diverse areas of Cambridge as Harvard, Porter and Central Squares, Cambridge-port and Area 4.

Jarrett T. Barrios '90, Dennis Benzan, David A. Hoicka, Ralph Lopez and incumbent and part-time Pforzheimer House security guard Alvin E. Thompson have tossed their hats into the ring on the Democratic side.

And, for the first time since 1964, a Republican will also run in largely Democratic Cambridge.

"It's going to be a good election," laughs Republican candidate Ronald W. Potvin.

Issues at Hand

All candidates interviewed said educational reform is one of their priorities, but other issues varied from candidate to candidate.

Barrios says he will focus on affordable housing; as a lawyer, he says he has worked with housing issues for the past few years.

"I decided to take the leap for public office because of what I was seeing in the volunteer and civic work I was involved in," Barrios says, pointing to his experiences teaching in public schools and his housing law background as qualifications.

Additionally, Barrios says he hopes to increase student activism and give a voice to Latinos in the state legislature.

There are currently no Latinos in the state legislature, Barrios says.

"I have a deep investment in and a deep understanding of [Latino] issues," Barrios explains.

Hoicka's agenda includes supporting a health care bill of rights, affordable housing and a stop to overdevelopment.

"[Overdevelopment] tends to turn Cambridge into more of a mall type of place, a faceless place that could be anywhere," Hoicka says.

Hoicka says his goal is to "involve these incredible resources we have in this district to really do something in the State House."