Jan 29, 2008 1:23 pm US/Eastern
Patriots Parade Could Be On 'Super Tuesday'
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
If the New England Patriots beat the New York Giants in the Super Bowl, a victory parade would likely be held next Tuesday, the same day Massachusetts holds its presidential primary election. That's according Boston Mayor Thomas Menino.
The mayor, while stressing that he did not want to "jinx" the Patriots by mentioning the possibility of a parade prior to the game, said the team's schedule left no other date as an option.
The team would not arrive back from Arizona in time to have a parade on Monday, Menino said. But Wednesday would be too late because a number of players, including quarterback Tom Brady, are scheduled to leave that day to participate in the Pro Bowl in Hawaii on Feb. 10.
Tuesday morning Menino urged fans not get ahead of themselves; everyone should just get through the game first and then worry about the parade.
Holding the parade on the same day as the primary would pose a number of practical and logistical concerns. The city is required to assign a police officer to all 254 of the city's voting precincts. But hundreds more police officers would be required for security and crowd control should a parade be held that day.
Menino said the election would be the first priority, and city officials would map a parade route that would skirt polling places so that voters would not encounter any problems casting their ballots.
The state's chief elections officer, Secretary of State William Galvin, said the city must assure that voters have unfettered access to polling places.
"With all due respect to the New England Patriots -- and I wish them well; I hope they win -- holding the election of the next president of the United States is a little more important," he said.
Massachusetts is among 22 states holding presidential primaries or caucuses on Feb. 5, dubbed by many as Super Tuesday.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
