Left In Lowell

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.