Left In Lowell

Join us for a health care forum for the Massachusetts 5th district special election on June 2, 10am to noon. The forum will take place at the Hudson Portuguese Club, 13 Port Street, Hudson, MA.

The event is co-sponsored by the M&W Dems and BlogLeft Massachusetts (a loose coalition of MA lefty bloggers). The bulk of the forum will consist of questions submitted by the audience and blog readers. Those questions will be screened for fairness and relevancy, but we invite you to post (please do so at Blue Mass group, here) the queries YOU would like to ask the candidates about health care!

RSVP will not be necessary, as there is plenty of room for audience members.

Bloggers are invited to come and live-blog the event, which promises to be a comprehensive debate between the candidates about health care in the United States. Wi-Fi will be available. We’re also working on posting the video online and/or live webcasting.

The following is an open letter from City Councilor George Ramirez to the voters of Lowell. I’d like to thank Councilor Ramirez for his service and wish him well. –Lynne

Dear Lowell voter,

You have been a valued friend and supporter in my campaign and service as a Lowell City Councilor, and so I am writing you for three reasons.

The first is to report that I will not be seeking another term on the Lowell City Council. I want you to know that this was not an easy decision. I have very much enjoyed the opportunity to represent you on the Council. However, my family obligations (Gianna is preparing to go to college, Christian is a sophomore, and Julianne is in the sixth grade) and the demands of my solo law practice have increased such that I will no longer have the substantial time needed to run and effectively serve a second term.

The second reason is to report that with your friendship and support, we have been able to accomplish a great deal, including the following:

• Transparency in government. This was probably our biggest issue during our campaign. Our concern was that public business was being conducted behind closed doors often in favor of those with political connections. Today, the meetings of our planning and zoning boards are broadcast live, Council subcommittee meetings will shortly be aired, and meeting agendas and minutes are posted on the city’s official web site. Moreover, fresh faces have been added to our boards and commissions. The net result has been greater openness and access and a more informed citizenry.
• Professional administration. We have been fortunate to have a number of city managers in recent years with strong political skills and alliances who contributed significantly to Lowell’s resurgence. However, in the tough financial times confronting all of Massachusetts urban areas, it is critical that Lowell have the most professional management available. I am very pleased to be a member of the Council which was able to attract, select, and contract with our current City Manager. Manager Lynch came to Lowell with an advanced degree in public administration and two decades of municipal management experience. He hit the ground running last summer and now has the team and systems in place to keep Lowell on track and moving forward.
• Development Projects. Plans for The Hamilton Canal District had been stymied until this Council boldly took the key properties by eminent domain. Located in the downtown, this area has the potential to become a true enterprise zone. I have sought to work with the UMass-Lowell to create a partnership that could bring an eighty million dollar nanotechnological center to the District. With the selection of the master developer, this project can move ahead and should prove to be an extraordinary economic boom to this city.

The third reason for writing is to thank you for your friendship and support. Change is never easy and none of the steps we have been able to take would have been possible without your enthusiasm and commitment to make government work for all its citizens.

Once my term ends, I hope to continue to be involved to whatever extent time allows. I hope that you will continue to remain involved. It has truly been a honor and privilege to represent you.

Thank you and best wishes,
George Ramirez

A forum in Chelmsford for the special election for the 5th District, centering on the candidates’ views on the wars, the Middle East, and military issues. I believe they need people to RSVP, as seating could be limited. This promises to be a really in-depth forum, the first of many that are issues-focused.

Meet 5th District Congressional Candidates

Hear Them Debate:
· Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran
· Middle East Foreign Policy
· Military Issues
· The Draft
· Military Family Support
· Veterans Healthcare

FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

WEDNESDAY, MAY 23 7-9 PM
Chelmsford Police Station, Training Room
2 Olde North Rd.
Chelmsford, MA 01824

Co-Sponsored by:
· Chelmsford Democratic Committee
· Greater Lowell Area Democrats
· 3rd Middlesex Democratic Committee

For Information Contact:
· Brian Hart (617-549-5111) Gold Star Family
· Sam Poulten (978-265-6568) Military Family

By far the most productive aspect of Saturday’s state Democratic Convention were the afternoon workshops. They ranged from blogging; grass root organizing; technology: community tools and websites; and of course, fundraising.

John Walsh, the new Chairman of the Democratic Party, relied heavily on his experience chairing the Deval Patrick gubernatorial campaign not only to define the topics of the workshop but also to tap in the tech savvy young talent that the Patrick campaign drew into the Democratic Party. He should try to take these workshops on the road.

Outside the Mullin Center, we met Ed O’Reilly, a Gloucester Democrat who is running against John Kerry in next year’s Senate race. We briefly spoke and I think his candidacy will resonate in some circles. I am of the belief that all races should be contested; it is good for democracy.

The information tables inside the Mullin Center were issue oriented for the most part. We had an opportunity to speak to the Mass Equality people and since my state rep is one of those who does not support the marriage equality measure, I have some work to do in that regard.

Jackie Doherty on her blog touched upon the voting of resolutions. I have to echo her views, I too, “ would have liked more time to research the issues before voting on them (the resolutions)”. Although we are familiar with the topics, it would have helped if the motives and purpose of these resolutions was presented to us in advance.

We voted to impeach Bush and Cheney; and to withdraw from Iraq; and a resolution on the housing crisis. There was a spirit debate on all three resolutions and all passed by a voice vote.

There were a number of elected officials who addressed the Convention, including Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray and Attorney General Martha Coakley (who spoke on national issues; does she have aspirations for national office; i.e. Senate). We did not stay for the late afternoon speeches (the drive back to Lowell took about 2 hours) so we did not hear Governor Deval Patrick and Senator John Kerry address the Convention before it adjourned.

But we did earlier in the day, a fiery speech delivered by the Chairperson of the AFL-CIO, Robert Haynes. His address to the delegates was reminiscent of the labor leaders of a by-gone era.

Next year’s Convention is in Lowell so delegates from the area will not have to travel too far so the Lowell delegation should have a better showing.

I counted 18 delegates from Lowell in attendance; there might have been more, but not much more. At last year’s quadrennial convention in Worcester, when the party was nominating its candidate for the gubernatorial race, there must have been about 100 of us, including many elected officials and alternates. It was disappointing that some of the Wards with the largest voter turnout were not represented. Ward 10, my ward, had 75% representation.

For those of you who did not show up, we had better seats this year than we did last year. We were right on the floor as opposed to the nose-bleed section that we had been relegated to last year.

Apology to the woman who was sitting in front of us, who kept turning around and telling George, Lynne and I to be quiet.

Just got back from the off-year Democratic Convention in Amherst. Had to leave early because my co-pilot had to be back home by 5:00 p.m. 

I will post on my impressions on the Convention some other time but I wanted to relay a conversation regarding the Massachusetts 5th District Congressional race that grabbed my attention.

At lunch time, Lynne, Lowell School Commmiteewoman Jackie Doherty (a blogger in her own right) Margaret Gilsensberg, Lowell City Council candidate and Democratic State Committee person Curtis LeMay were sitting together. A prominent and very progressive Massachusetts State Representative, sitting at the next table, after exchanging pleasantries wanted to know if there was a 2nd and 3rd tier level or just a 2nd tier level of candidates in the 5th District Congressional Race; indicating that Niki Tsongas was alone on the top tier.

It bothered me last year when Tom Reilley was coronated by the establishment as the Democrat’s candidate before we even held our caucuses. It bothers me today that Tsongas is perceived as the frontrunner before the race has gone its full distance. Yes, she has an impressive campaign and name recognition, making it easy for the lazy mainstream media to do its job. But this is not the criteria by which we will elect our next congressperson.

The other four Democratic candidates (Eillen Donoghue, Jaime Eldridge, Barry Finegold and Jim Miceli) have earned the right to run in this race. All four of them have paid their political dues. Let the campaign be about the character, capability, experience, vision, passion, determination and leadership. Let’s not call this race (technically 10 days old) before it has gone through its full cycle.

Moyers will be a must-watch tonight. Thank goodness for him!

Mcjoan over at DailyKos highlights the freshmen Congresscritters who’re shaming their elders by taking the cause of House ethics reform dead seriously.

A large group of Freshman Democrats know that one of they keys to their election in 2006 was changing the meaning of “business-as-usual” on Capitol Hill, whether that meant ending the Bush rubberstamp on Iraq or how Congress conducts itself. While a big chunk of the old-timers is resisting ethics reform, the Freshman are pushing a new effort:

U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy spearheaded an effort by freshman representatives Wednesday to call for an independent and bipartisan ethics panel to investigate complaints against lawmakers.

“Clearly the Ethics Committee that Congress has today doesn’t work,” said Murphy, D-5th Dist. “The process that’s in place right now requires congressional members to investigate their friends and colleagues.

“It’s time for a change. The voters sent me here to drain down the swamp that’s become Washington, D.C. That’s what I intend to do.”

The proposal is meeting significant resistance in the caucus. Despite that, Murphy and his colleagues including Zack Space, Baron Hill, Paul Hodes, and Betty Sutton along with a dozen or so others, are pushing the Special Task Force on Ethics Enforcement to consider their proposal.

We voters put the Dems in power because of the lack of oversight, rubberstamping, and corruption in which Republicans had mired themselves. It turns out the entrenched Democrats were only interested in lip service to ethics reform. However, with quite some turnover in 2006, and fresh faces likely on the way in 2008, this issue isn’t going away. We’re about to send a freshman Representative of our very own to the House soon. So, which of the MA-05 candidates will commit to fighting entrenched loyalist Democrats when they get to Congress? (Hint: I would love a response from any candidates in comments to this post. Please be specific as possible.)

I had a few photos from yesterday, when Mehmed Ali hosted an announcement event for his candidacy for City Council. Dick Howe also took lots of pictures, and posted them on his Flickr account. Click on the photos below for larger versions.

I was going to write this yesterday, but I didn’t have time…so, Emily’s List is endorsing Tsongas in the special election for Congress, as Dick posts. I first heard this, in fact, on WBUR yesterday afternoon while in the car.

The quick WBUR news spot mentioned that the reason Emily’s List chose Tsongas was that her name recognition and larger geographical support gave her a better chance of winning.

That kind of rankled me…after all, isn’t the best candidate supposed to be winning I mean chosen? If Emily’s List thinks Tsongas is the best on the issues, shouldn’t that be listed as their primary reason? ‘BUR didn’t pick that news item out of the air, so they had to get it somewhere.

And I really don’t like this phrase out of the endorsement text from Emily’s List, posted on Dick’s blog: “As an educator, a lawyer, a community activist, and a dedicated wife and mother…” Excuse me? I have nothing against being a wife or a mother, but since when is that a good indicator of anything…other than, of course, being a good wife and mother? Do men get endorsed with the statement “a good husband and father”? Not usually. It seems to me, for a women’s group, Emily’s List is a little bit sexist. Their use of that phrase just doesn’t pass the shoe-on-the-other-foot test for language appropriate for discussing the merits of a candidate for office. No one uses language like that for male candidates.

I don’t begrudge Tsongas her endorsement; however, with friends like these…you know the rest.

By now, a lot of people have seen the picture of our out-going Congressman Marty Meehan blasted on the front page of today’s Boston Herald with the headline “Taxpayers Foot Bill for $40 G Farewell.”

Casey Ross, the reporter, is referring to the letter Congressman Meehan recently sent out to his constituents as he moves on to another government position, Chancellor of U. Mass Lowell. On his blog, Dick Howe had posted his comments about the letter when he received it in earlier this month. I recently received my copy. (more…)