Left In Lowell

One race I haven’t talked much about is the Sec of State Democratic primary. It is definitely contested, with John Bonifaz taking on three-term incumbent Bill Galvin. Bonifaz made a strong showing at the convention to get his place on the ballot with 29% (great for an unknown challenger).

I’ve been ambivalent about this race; on one hand, it’s good to see an incumbent, who is something of an insider, challenged. On the other, though I often agree with Bonifaz, some of his statements are given over to rhetorical sharpness that didn’t sit well with me. And supporters of both sides have a tendency to seriously overreact.

I do know that Galvin has done quite a lot of good in his position as SecState, such as giving better access to public records(for instance, at the Registrars of Deeds). And though I do think that the real work of protecting the Commonwealth from non-paper-verified voting machines is done in the legislature (hence I have said I’d have loved to see Bonifaz run for Representative), I do think Bonifaz is a smart, dedicated activist who has a history both online and off of protecting people’s rights. He’s also become more polished in this race with time.

But what am I to think about Galvin backing out of the one of the few times he actually agreed to face Bonifaz on the same stage? It has appeared for a while now that Galvin is riding his name recognition into a fourth term. Just like I criticized Rep. Lynch for not debating Phil Dunkelbarger yesterday, I find his excuse - being “stuck in New Bedford” - flimsy at best. Since he knew he was to appear in Medford, is he that unable to dictate his own schedule? I find that hard to believe. Tentative reporting says he was at a New Bedford Victory ‘06 event…laudable, but the state Dems could have done without you, so you could have done your duty and show up to ask for our vote. And what, he didn’t know ahead of time about this conflict so he could make it clear whether or not he would make it?

BMG reports that Galvin’s due to appear tonight with Bonifaz and Green Party SecState candidate, Jill Stein, in Worcester. Let’s hope Galvin takes it seriously enough to show up this time. I wasn’t going to endorse anyone in this race, but I may just change my mind.

A new comment on a pretty old post (June 11’s Column on the Column) showed up in the blog’s administrative interface today…so I ended up going back to read some of the comments that preceeded it. I can’t help ribbing frequent commenter Mike a little on his ready agreement on former CM Cox’s reputation here, where he starts by quoting someone else:

“Lowell’s been pretty good at weathering fiscal messes unlike other similar cities like Springfield.”

Agreed, I’ve been saying this here for months. Council will be lucky if they get someone anywhere near Cox’s capabilities.

Seems a little ironic given the revelations we’ve had these last few weeks about the status of Lowell’s finances…

We love ya, Mike, I single you out because I care! But I can’t help but gloat (really friendly-like) a little in your direction! (In a sort of dark humor way, given I’d rather Mike had been right, for the good of the city…)

Blue Mass Group and comedian Jimmy Tingle present a night with the Lt. Governor candidates (Murray and Silbert, Goldberg cannot attend) as they are interviewed by Tingle. The show is on September 7th and starts at 6pm. This would be a great place to learn a little more about these candidates in a different setting than the usual. Also joining Tingle are Dem candidates for Middlesex County Clerk of Courts, Ruth Desmond and Michal Sullivan.

$20 bucks gets you a buffet and lots of laughs, plus I do know some bloggers (myself included) will be there as well. So if you don’t know who to vote for downticket, come and join us!