Left In Lowell

Another reason I’m happy I went to Tingle’s theatre last night was the very rare chance to see the Middlesex County Clerk of Courts primary candidates on the same stage to state their case why we should elect them. Both Cambridge City Councilor Michael Sullivan, and Somerville Alderman Bruce Desmond are seeking this position.

First, what is a Clerk of Courts? As it’s been explained to me, it’s an administrative role of court case scheduling, public service for people coming into the court system, and generally keeping things running smooth.

Both candidates used a particular report, recently released (sorry, I can’t remember its name) to point out how the court system in Mass is failing in some fundamental ways, such as length of time to trial, and poor customer service. The report also says that Massachusetts has a strong record of “coming to the right decisions” when court trials finally do happen, but now it was time to streamline and better manage the court system so we can keep the good, and fix the bad.

Sullivan is polished, likable, engaged, and knowledgeable. His claim to fame is how many different hats he’s served under…Mayor, Councilor, ADA, Assistant AG, and Assistant Clerk Magistrate, which he says makes him qualified to understand the system and make it work better.

Bruce Desmond, though less polished but plenty relaxed, certainly seemed credible on the issues at hand too. In particular, he wants to use metrics - the measurement of success or failure of any system - to make the improvements. He feels that without that, you’re just throwing solutions out there and hoping they work. My husband spoke with him afterwards on this idea and he will post his impression on it in comments (please!). Desmond also pointed out that this same report cited by both candidates mentioned that an outsider would be best for making the changes that are necessary. Desmond has not been a prosecutor or clerk.

Both candidates come from well-known political families; Desmond has connections to Lowell and a family of politicos, while Sullivan is looking to hold the same seat his uncle just vacated. They’ve turned what is normally a very boring, uncompetitive race into something much more interesting than you’d ever expect. Too bad the media coverage on this one is scarce.

An angry fist shakes up at the sky.

What David and Charley said. Why can’t we catch a break in this LG thing??

All kidding aside, I was astounded at Tingle’s interview capability - who knew that comedians beyond Jon Stewart could do that well in the field? Granted, it was only for Somerville community cable, and Jim’s tone was more serious than Jon’s, only cracking a few jokes here and there. But he put the candidates - for both the LG and the Middlesex Clerk of Courts - at their ease in a different sort of environment. And the candidates all responded well.

Which is why David, Charley, and I are so exasperated. Damn Jimmy for not tripping them up a bit so we could finally make a decision!

But rest assured, I am determined to make one. There WILL be an endorsement if it kills me. Just give me a little more time!

A flat tire and traffic coming into Somerville almost prevented me from hearing some of the guv’s debate last night, but luckily I got there [Jimmy Tingle’s theatre] in time for a quick bite and the opening statements.

I took a look at a physical copy of the Globe’s editorial page today, it was brutal on Reilly. The candidate came out swinging; unfortunately so hard, he smacked himself in the face a few times. He truly isn’t good at politics, just as he claimed. Even Adam Reilly (no relation), who thought Tom would pull off a primary win at the last minute not more than two days ago, now writes him off. Going negative on your opponents to score points is one thing, but that strategy can backfire and boy, did it. Anyone who’d been paying attention to this race (almost no one of course) are seeing the same tired old attacks-as-usual from Tom - we thought for sure there would be something new in his arsenal that he was waiting to unleash - and people hearing them for the first time are saying, “why do I care about Patrick’s or Gabrieli’s tax returns? You got anything you’re for, Tom??”

Gabrieli hogged the mic, something I guess a supporter of his opponent (like me) would be totally annoyed by but the average voter might not be. It was primarily due to the shoddy format - this “free form” crap, where’d that come from? Lame. No structure is worse that too much.

Although I witnessed the debate only via audio, I think the winner was twofold - Gabrieli on how much talking he did (and yes, on what he said too), and Patrick on his calm, I-will-change-politics leadership voice. Gabs comes off as a geeky wonk, sometimes endearing and sometimes a snooze. His answers to tough pointed leading questions were right on the money, he was well-prepared. Patrick too got some real zingers in, and his theme throughout reminded me why I am backing him. I know that the Republicans will run against Beacon Hill, and Patrick does an amazing job of both pointing out his independence while not alienating the very people whose support he might sometimes need once elected.

I know Chris is very attackable on the “beholden to the legislature” front. Patrick will easily bat aside that argument from Healey in the first sentence - already has. For that reason among many others, Patrick is our best shot against Healey and would make the best governor.

Dan Kennedy has a great rundown of who’s saying what today, as does Blue Mass Group. Sco points out something I also said last night: how can Reilly have railed how private St. Fleur’s tax records are and then in the next breath, berate Chris and Deval for not releasing theirs? (Deval for the record released more info than is required on his candidate financial statement, including everything in his return. He keeps his private because he files jointly with his wife, Diane.)