They've been nasty, spiteful, name-calling, "yuppie/barney"-baiting ragemonkeys for years.

OK, that tells you who the Times is written for, and most likely, who subscribes to it. Looking at the whole item

The primary in Ward 6 is coming up and make a note it’s on Thursday the 17th, not the usual Tuesday. We heard that the Board of Aldermen bowed to pressure from one alderman to get it changed for the first time because of a religious holiday. Don’t forget to vote in the only primary in the city this year, in Ward 6. Don’t let a small minority pick the wrong candidates for the final election in November. Your vote counts.

it sounds like the race in the Davis Sq. area is hot and there's some sort of fight over pro/anti-gentrification issues. If the Times is anti-gentrification as are their readers, they're going to want to push their readers to vote in that primary ... and the "small minority" refers to a fear that gentrifiers will dominate that election.