Left In Lowell

This is a repost of an open letter to Senator Panagiotakos regarding the anti-gay rights-stripping amendment which is up for a vote in the Constitutitional Convention in two weeks. I’m revising and editing it from the original to include Rep. Nangle, who also has voted to forward this amendment in the past. To Reps. Golden and K. Murphy, my most profound thanks for your support of gay rights.

If You Can’t Vote No, Abstain

Dear Senator Panagiotakos and Representative Nangle,
I’m writing this open letter in a public forum to ask you for something very serious. I’m asking for your help to preserve the civil rights of tax-paying and voting citizens of the Commonwealth. I am referring to the inevitable Constitutional Convention where, for the second time, legislators will vote whether or not to let civil rights of our gay neighbors, family members, and friends be decided by ballot. I’m talking about the anti-gay-marriage amendment.

I, and many of your constituents, have begged, pleaded, and cajoled you to change your mind on this issue. I’ve even used some strong language - which I still stick by - and many efforts to appeal to your logic and reason on this matter. It is obvious you have an unshakable conviction, and despite the fact it saddens me greatly, I have to respect that.

I am hoping to convince you, then, to abstain from voting on this matter.

I understand that you may not be able to bring yourself to vote “no” to the ballot initiative. A No vote, of course, allows for gay marriages to continue to be legitimate in the eyes of the state. It will not change any religion’s right not to marry gays in the church, but merely carry civil weight of the same rights and responsibilities of marriage that I myself have enjoyed for seven years now. But we’ve exhausted all those arguments, so I will merely plead this: the people of the Commonwealth overwhelmingly wants this issue put to rest. They do not want another two years of a biting, hateful campaign. They don’t want any more out-of-state interference in our Commonwealth’s affairs; they do not want a vote. By voting “yes” on the constitutional amendment ballot initiative, you will be subjecting your constituents to inevitable media campaigns and harassment. And it will be that much easier to hurt our gay brothers and sisters with words…and maybe even worse.

If you go on the record with a “yes,” I believe your conscience will not be easy. In order to satisfy your convictions, you would have put hate on the state ballot, put civil rights up for popular vote. What if interracial marriage had been put on the ballot in the midst of the civil rights era? Would that have been fair or just?

The bar for allowing a ballot initiative to change the state constitution is too low. By abstaining, you will keep your conscience clear on both accounts. If you cannot bring yourself to vote “no,” please bring yourself to allow the rest of the legislature to vote their conscience to prevent a civil rights disaster. You will have had no part in it, save to allow the Commonwealth to move on as it has, working on the important issues of the day, instead of continuing the distraction of hate and bigotry.

Thank you for your service,
Lynne L
Left in Lowell

Tonight’s regular scheduled Lowell City Council meeting will convene early, 5:00 p.m., so that agenda can be completed in time to begin a review of the FY 2008 Budget.

It you have not had a chance to look it over, I would strongly suggest you do. It is a 150 page document, 24.9 MB, PDF file.
In my opinion, these are the highlights of the proposed budget:

Layoff of 22 City employees (not police or fire), 11 through attrition

Reduce the City’s contribution to the School Budget by $1.6 million

Taxes increased by 2.5%

Restructuring of the Departments at City Hall to achieve greater efficiency

The School Budget discussion has received some discussion on this blog as well as Jackie’s and Dick’s blogs. I am not sure if those who are proposing we reinstate that $1.6 million want taxes to be increased or they want the funds to come from the budget of other departments. We will find out tonight.

Also, I was surprised that the school portion of CM Bernie Lynch’s budget and School Superintendent’s Karla Brooks-Baehr’s budget had such a difference. Perhaps next year, the two, who seemed to get along well, can close that gap

This past weekend the Budget received media scrutiny. First, the Sunday Lowell Sun had an editorial supportive of the City Manager’s $288 million municipal budget. I and many others have to concur with their opening statement, “that [the budget] is more comprehensive, contains more detailed information on revenue and expenditures, than councilors have ever before faced.”

The editorial concluded with urging City Councilors “to approve Manager Lynch’s FY08 budget as well as his restructuring plan. This will be another step toward increased accountability, greater fiscal responsibility and expanded transparency in the city’s government.”

(On her blog, School Committeewoman Jackie Doherty differs with the editorial’s view on the School Budget, “No Surprise local paper doesn’t support schools.” Jackie is right, the paper never misses a chance to take a swipe at the teachers’ union.)

Additionally, the Boston Globe’s Northwest Section reporter, Alexander Reid had an article in Sunday’s edition, “Proposed Budget in Lowell Includes 22 Job Cuts; Police, Fire Forces Won’t Be Trimmed.”

In the article, Reid is quoting City Councilor Bud Caulfield, “The city manager is saying to department heads that we have to hold down the budgets and watch spending, yet he’s adding a new position,” he said. “I can’t support that. It’s a huge contradiction.” (more…)