Left In Lowell

I got a heads-up that Sunrise is archiving (podcasting actually) their various candidate interviews from the show online in one place. (You can find all of the Sunrise podcasts here.) I’m listening to one right now.

Our Left Ahead weekly podcast is online and you can listen here. It features me being late (I was absorbed in accounting and taxes, then couldn’t find my call-in number, ug), Mike, Ryan and I talking about the special MA-05 and this weekend’s candidate forum, and some ranting about ballot initiatives. Also, our new weekly segment Blog of the Week, where we highlight our favorite blog posts.

We’re a few weeks now into the special election for the 5th district, and we’ve seen some largely unfocused and fluffy media coverage, our first candidate forum this past weekend (which will be online soon, and my commentary for that will accompany it), and the launch of five websites. So, who’s winning the war on the web? Let’s grade the candidates…and remember, grading is cumulative, so each candidate has a chance to improve their grade during the course of the semester.

This post is largely tongue in cheek, while at the same time, allowing us a snapshot of the candidates’ priorities which can be quite telling. So, candidates should take it in the spirit it was meant in - those who are chided ought to take heed and think about what their website really means to their campaign. (more…)

Last night a young man knocked on my door and tried to sell me a 13 week subscription to the Lowell Sun (hard copy). If every day you purchase the paper at one of the boxes located at the entrance of your local DD, at the end of the week it would have cost you $4.75. This promotion, available only to those of us who have not subscribed to the Sun in the past 30 days, costs $1.99/week. And there is the $2,000 grocery giveaway associated with this promotion.

I declined not because I do not read the Sun, because I do. Now, if they want to charge me $1.99/week to access the on-line version first thing in the morning, I might go for it.

With this coming 5th District Congressional race, the Sun has a perfect opportunity to be extensively quoted and its articles linked throughout the internet. They should really, really review their business model and make the on-line version available first thing in the morning, not high noon. As I am writing this, they still have not posted their popular Sunday Column of April 8th on their web site. If they are going to quote BMG posts and make references to specifics blogs, they need to move in real time.

By the way, if you have not yet had a chance to read Mike LaFleur’s three part series (here and here) in the Sun on the collapse subprime mortgage industry and its impact on local families, do so. The concluding article will appear tomorrow.

This evening the Lowell City Council Sub-Committee on Public Safety (Chair: CC Eileen Donoghue; Members: CCs Jim Milinazzo, Rodney Elliott, and Edward Caufield.) is meeting at 5:30 p.m. prior to the weekly CC meeting. The meeting will probably be televised on our local cable access government station.

According to the City’s web site the topic to be discussed is “Acting Chief Police Issues.” I am not sure what that cryptic agenda item means, but I hope it means the Acting Chief of Police will be discussing current issues.

I am interested in hearing from Superintendent Ken Lavallee and understand his policing philosophy.

There is no data or statistics, just anecdotal evidence, but it seems that now every time I drive in the City, I see Lowell police everywhere. Whatever Lavallee has done to change the visibility, it is working.

He and other officers from his staff were present at the last neighborhood meeting I attended. One activist told me at her neighborhood meeting, there were more cops than residents.

As for the Home Rule Petition changing the Chief of Police position to non-Civil Service, it is now in the hands of the State Legislature.