The Newton Tab

Newton, MA

Koutoujian eyes DA job

By Bernie Smith/ Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 13, 2005

State Rep. Peter Koutoujian, D-Waltham, whose district covers portions of
West Newton and Nonantum, said he is considering running for Middlesex
district attorney next year, if current officeholder Martha Coakley runs for
state attorney general, as expected.

“It’s something my wife and I are talking about right now,” Koutoujian
said when reached by phone this week. “If I feel I can do this and still be
a good husband and a good father, then it’s something I’d very much like to
do.”

The five-term representative, who currently chairs the House’s
Committee on Healthcare, joins a growing list of high-profile officials who
are considering running for the seat.

Last week, state Sen. Jarrett Barrios, D-Cambridge, said through a
spokesman that he is considering whether to “continue public service by
seeking another office,” which many consider to be Coakley’s seat.

Gerard Leone, a former Middlesex prosecutor who recently left the
Justice Department as an assistant U.S. attorney, is also considering
running for the office. A Boston Globe article last weekend said Leone has
already begun soliciting support from noted fund-raisers for the race.

Koutoujian said the crowded field will not be a factor in whether he
runs.

“No one has entered the field that would, in any way, give me pause
about my thoughts on the race,” Koutoujian said.

Coakley said she plans to run for Attorney General Tom Reilly’s seat if
Reilly runs for governor in 2006, as expected.

In recent years, the Middlesex DA’s seat has been a springboard for
higher office. Scott Harshbarger, who served as Middlesex DA from 1983 to
1991, became attorney general in 1991 and unsuccessfully ran for governor
against Paul Cellucci in 1998. Reilly succeeded Harshbarger as Middlesex DA
in 1991 and later as attorney general.

Koutoujian spent about $119,000 last year to run for re-election, even
though he ran unopposed. He aired television commercials that were broadcast
in Newton and Waltham, as well as in other out-of-district communities,
including Somerville, a city that falls within the Middlesex DA’s
jurisdiction. In January, he had a campaign chest of $207,000, the seventh
most of all Beacon Hill lawmakers..

Koutoujian said he has not committed to running for the seat, and said
he is happy serving Waltham and Newton as their state representative.

“I love what I do right now. I don’t have to run for anything [other
office]. I love the position, I love the job I’m in right now,” Koutoujian
said.