Left In Lowell

Following our successful historic tour and canvass in Lowell a couple weeks ago, Mike in Chelmsford is hosting a canvass in his town, starting with a tour of the Garrison House. Jamie Eldridge himself will joining in the fun (and the door to door). Mike furthers the enticement by saying that if you RSVP to him with your shirt size, he’ll make you a special-edition Jamie t-shirt. You can reach Mike at mike at combsnet.com (replace the word “at” with an @, no spaces).

It sounds fun. I’ll be in Maine, celebrating a graduation and going away party for my cousin (she’s joined the peace corps), so I need someone to fill my spot in for me.

Also, things are going to be crazy-busy for a while, you’re going to have to rely on Mimi. We’re one step closer to buying a house in Lowell (our offer has been accepted) so between inspections and packing and planning, I’m going to be away from blogging a bit here and there.

Addendum: I am not above using this blog to troll for volunteer labor when we move and paint and for other house-preperation tasks. So be prepared! Of course, post-move pizza and beer will be on us, so it’s not without compensation!

Addendum II: Didn’t realize I had a whole lot more information from Kate Donaghue regarding the Chelmsford canvass:

We have a chance to visit the Garrison House in Chelmsford. We have scheduled a private tour for our volunteers of an old garrison that housed British soldiers during the French and Indian War in 1691-1692!

Tour at 10:00 AM.
Meet for canvass at 10:30 AM
Drop ins are welcome throughout the day until 5 PM.

Address: 105 Garrison Road in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, USA.

RSVP to KateDonaghue at aol.com [replace word “at” with @, no spaces]. If you need to make a last minute decision, just show up and we should be able to accommodate you.

If you can’t be there for 10:30 AM, just call my cell and I will meet you with your canvass packet.
The tour is $3 per person and they are opening it up especially for us!

*If you are coming on Interstate 495:*
Take exit 32 in Westford. Follow signs to routes 225/110. After leaving ramp stay in left lane and turn left onto route 110 at the light. Go 2.2 miles to the intersection of rt 110 and Garrison Road. Turn right onto Garrison Road. Go about 400 feet and turn left into the field, where parking is free during events.

*If you are coming on Rt 3:*
Exit route 3 and take Interstate 495 South and follow directions above.

*From Chelmsford center:*
Take route 110 West. Go about 3 miles and turn left onto Garrison Road.

In 1691-1692, the town of Chelmsford encompassed not only the Chelmsford of today, but all of what is now Westford and Lowell as well. British soldiers were garrisoned at 19 locations in Chelmsford, partly to protect the colonists from the Indians, and partly to insure that the colonists remained loyal to the king. One of the garrisons was the building now known as the “Old Chelmsford” Garrison House.

The Garrison House was formerly owned and occupied by Benjamin Haywood. It was built in 1692 and was said to have been purchased by Benjamin from Thomas Adams in 1726.

http://www.garrisonhouse.org

Today you will hear Ed O’Reilly on Thinking Out Loud. I have to say, despite the uphill battle before him in challenging John Kerry for his Senate seat in the Democratic primary, that you feel a lot of optimism when you listen to what he has to say. I’ve met him on several occasions now. I’m a big fan of competitive primaries, but even I at first thought he was totally crazy. Challenge a juggernaut like Kerry?

But then, I think of how many people have been severely disappointed in Kerry, and I start to wonder. Well, on today’s show, you can judge him for yourself. Listen live at 10am on WUML 91.5FM, or stream it live. We should also have the archive up afterwards.

I attended a couple of City Council candidates’ parties this week and did my volunteer phone-banking for the Donoghue campaign. So, I am in full political mode.

Kristin Ross-Sitcawich: Kristin had a Midsummer Garden Gala on Wednesday. Krstin and her husband Richard are tireless campaigners. I have attended a number of parties at her house, mostly for social occasions. It has always rained. But there were plenty of tents, so I did not get wet while I was busy talking and listening.

State Senator Steve Panagiatakos was there; he has attended, when possible, most of the City Council candidates’ kick-off parties. That is one of the reasons why he is universally respected throughout the City. He makes a point of being available, meeting and talking to as many of his constituents as possible.

City Councilor Rodney Elliott was also there. While he complimented me on my culinary ability, I complained to him about the uncontrolled proliferation of political signs throughout the City. CC Elliott had submitted a motion on temporary signs, requesting that CM Bernie Lynch present suggestions to the Zoning Sub-Committee for review. I will have more to say about this in a future post.

Independent Congressional candidate Pat Murphy was accompanied by WBUR’s political reporter, Fred Thys. Boston’s NPR station is doing a piece on Murphy that is scheduled to be aired next week. Apparently, they find him as interesting and refreshing as we do. He is getting much more comfortable on the campaign trail.

That same evening, I had the opportunity to congratulate soon-to-be Lowell City Council Joe Mendonca. Dick and Jackie, who know Joe well and have worked him, have nice pieces on their respective blogs about his capability and his character. Joe is a positive thinker who wants to work to move this City forward. In this age of television, many of us judge others superficially. Joe’s personality may not be as boisterous or self-promoting as some sitting City Councilors, but believe me, he is intelligent and quite knowledgeable.

Lowell City Council candidate David Koch, his wife and 2 of his 8 children were also there. It was the first time I had a chance to speak to him. He was born, brought up and lives in Lowell’s Back Central Street area. Koch is a small business owner with a very large extended family; he already has a full campaign team in place. His enthusiasm is catchy. Last night, he had his kick-off party, which I was able to attend, very late but nevertheless made it. Koch, like Mendonca, Murphy, Kristin and others are a part of that generation that want to focus on ideas, planning, execution and results. Lowell is fortunate to have relatively young, up and coming politicians who want to serve the public.