NEWTON – When word came that Barney Frank was retiring, Alex Khitrik looked as if he had been socked in the stomach, eyes bulging, mouth agape. At 27, he could not recall a time before Frank and could scarcely imagine the district and the country without him.
“I’m shocked,’’ said Khitrik, co-owner of Inna’s Kitchen, a Jewish deli and caterer, and one of many people in Newton with direct connections to Frank. Khitrik was a summer intern in a constituent office eight years ago. He glided from the cash register to his laptop, to confirm the news.
“He was like one of the biggest voices in government; he wasn’t afraid to say it like it was,’’ Khitrik added, shaking his head. “And he was funny.’’
As word spread from Newton to New Bedford, constituents in Frank’s Fourth Congressional District shared that look of surprise. From steadfast admirers to sometime supporters and even critics, many interviewed said they had imagined that Frank, first elected in 1980, would remain a fixture for years to come.
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