Nine – that’s the number of Democratic candidates on the ballot to be the next U.S. Representative for Massachusetts’ 4th Congressional District. The seat, currently held by Congressman Joe Kennedy III, opened up back in November when Kennedy announced his run for U.S. Senate against Senator Ed Markey. COVID-19 has made in-person campaigning difficult for these nine Democratic candidates, and for their would-be constituents looking to make an informed choice.  

That’s why we’ve invited all of the candidates to take part in a special three-part Under the Radar congressional candidate forum. All nine agreed to be randomly divided into three groups of three.

A note to our listeners: We taped all three parts of this forum on Monday, August 10th. Three days later, Dave Cavell dropped out, throwing his support to candidate Jesse Mermell, but he remains on the ballot.

This week, Part One of our Congressional Forum:  

Becky Grossman, At Large member of the Newton City Council and former Assistant District Attorney for Middlesex County.

Ihssane Leckey, former Wall Street regulator and the only woman of color in this race.

Jesse Mermell, former Brookline Select Board Member, advisor to Governor Deval Patrick, and senior leader at Planned Parenthood.

Later in the show:

We discuss Boston’s first ever Black Restaurant Month with local Black restaurant owners who are hungry for change to make the industry more equitable. Plus, the pandemic can’t stop us from popping corks — we’ve been buying wine at a booming rate during COVID-19. And while the pandemic has provided home cooks more time to develop their artisan skills — think sourdough bread, kombucha, and smoked meats — restaurants are giving their to-go menus a homespun feel, swapping out the caviar for family chicken dinners.

Our food and wine experts weigh in how the pandemic is changing our palate.

Guests:

Jonathon Alsop, founder and executive director of the Boston Wine School and author of “The Wine Lover’s Devotional.”

Amy Traverso, food editor at Yankee Magazine, co-host of WGBH’s “Weekends With Yankee” and author of “The Apple Lover’s Cookbook.”

Show Credits:

Under the Radar with Callie Crossley is a production of WGBH, produced by Hannah Uebele and engineered by Dave Goodman.

Rebecca Tauber is our intern.