Left In Lowell

I’m under the weather (caught the hubby’s cold) plus busy, so here’s an open thread for your amusement. People are around approving comments (yes, we’re still doing that). Actually, that’s working out nicely, because truthfully, we’re now catching that last 10% of comment spam that gets through the spam filter, which is great. Honestly, until we do the whole registration thing, I think we’ll keep moderation on, if only for that reason.

(Update: If you haven’t heard, there’s a hostage situation at a Rochester, NH Clinton field office…a man claiming to have a bomb strapped to his chest has taken two hostages there. I used to live not far from there, and I hope this ends peacefully.)

Neat company selling solar-energy bags good for recharging your iPod or cell phone. The lowest price one is almost something in a price range I would buy. Of course, women (not me) buy purses that are hundreds or thousands of dollars that don’t have the solar cells, so I imagine these could actually sell quite well. They are trying to work on a solar bag that can charge laptops.

The bags are actually quite stylish. I’d happily carry one*. Hat tip to Mr. Lynne for the link. If anyone really wants to bribe get on my good side, this is definitely on the far-out wish list.

*Especially because I constantly forget to charge my cell phone at night.

Yesterday’s Sun had an article on the arrest of a Lowell man on a number of charges including the possession of a Mac 90. I had no idea what that was; come to find out that it is a Chinese-made knock-off of the AK-47. How does a semi-automatic machine gun makes its way from China to Lowell? (more…)

Why this particular crazy revisionist tidbit from Karl Rove, from an 11/21 interview with Charlie Rose, isn’t on every news channel and in every paper in the nation is beyond me. Rove wants to claim that Congress pushed the White House into a premature war with Iraq:

Rove: One of the untold stories, about the war, is why did the United States Congress, the United States Senate, vote on the war resolution in the fall of 2002?
CR: Why?
Rove: This administration was opposed to it. I’m going to talk about that in my book.
CR: Well tell me, give me something…
Rove: I just did. I told you the administration was opposed to voting on it in the fall of 2002.
CR: Because?
Rove: Because we didn’t think it belonged within the confines of the election. There was an election coming up in a matter of weeks. We thought it made it too political. We wanted it outside the confines of it. It seemed to make things move too fast. There were things that needed to be done, to bring along allies and potential allies abroad.

Incredible. It’s hard where to begin without laughing uncontrollably, or crying. But Obermann knows. (Watch the video, it’s worth it.) Keith tells us that according to a Rove website - “whitehouse.gov” - that despite Rove’s current claim that the WH opposed voting on the resolution on Iraq at the time, on the first day of fall 2002 they had a press release “urging” passage of the resolution “promptly.” A week after the resolution to authorize force was approved in the House, WH.gov said Bush was “pleased” with the House vote. What’s more, former minority majority leader Daschle recounted his meeting with the WH in Sept 2002, asking Bush why the rush, and getting the response, “We just have to do this now.”

What appears to be happening here, is that Rove is trying to trick Americans into forgetting that the Republicans were in charge at the time of the House and virtually in charge of the Senate (since even with Jeffords’ switch, they threatened to filibuster everything, and you need 60 votes with these jokers) when this resolution was passed, in hopes that people will not vote more Dems into Congress in 2008. He wants to cast the shadow of “being rushed” to fake people into faulting someone other than the Bushies.

I mean, what the hell are these guys smoking, thinking that they can so blatantly rewrite history like this? Does anyone in their right mind think that there was any indication that the Bushies weren’t lobbying their asses off for this use of force resolution in 2002? Anyone?

Any comparisons to the book 1984 are now just simply too obvious for words. Good god.

Back in September, Professor Robert Forrant of UMass Lowell Department of Regional Economy and Social Development created a stir when he was quoted in a Boston Globe article regarding the Lowell “miracle.”

Subsequently Dr. Forrant explained his views on this blog as well as in the Sun, where he regularly contributes articles on the local economy.

In yesterday’s edition of the paper, in his regular column, Forrant refers to an article he and a colleague, Anne Chalupka, recently published in the journal MassBenchmarks, titled “Prospects for the Northeast Region.”

I found the tone of the Forrant and Chalupka article in that journal to be optimistic. However, they caution “As the region has relied upon high-tech manufacturing and services to mitigate the inevitable effects of de-industrialization, it is essential to support those industries. This need not to take the form of a series of “business-friendly” policy concessions that sap social spending, especially in a region where income inequality starkly divides urban from suburban municipalities.”

And as for their suggestion to helping the regional economy: “greater investments in training and education along with development of more affordable housing.”

To me that means a School Committee dedicated to academic excellence and a City Council with a strong economic development mind-set. Let’s see what happens during the next two years.

I would strongly suggest those of you who are interested in the future of this region in general and this city in particular to read the Forrant and Chalupka article.

In today’s Northwest Section of the Boston Globe, Eric Moskowitz has an article on the rising costs of the increasing number of special elections. According to Moskowitz, it cost the City of Lowell $100,000 for the (primary and general) special elections for the 5th Congressional District seat. The State does reimburse us some but not enough.

Once upon a time, when an elected official wanted to change careers, he/she would simply not run at the end of their term and retire from public service. Now, it appears that sitting politicians (Barrios, Havern, Travaglini, and soon Nangle} are either actively looking for a new position or someone is making them an offer they cannot refuse.

According to Moskowitz “Given the cost and time involved in staging an election, some municipal clerks wonder whether there might be a better - or, at least, less-expensive - way to replace officials who resign midterm.”

Here is one suggestion: Have the out-going official who has a considerable amount of money in his/her campaign war chest, underwrite the cost of the special election.

You guys seem to need it, so here’s an open thread for your chatting pleasure. I am cleaning and cooking all day getting ready for a big old fashioned family Thanksgiving, so I won’t be around much.

Today, almost 30 years after the Khmer Rouge savagely caused the death of over 1.7 million people in Cambodia, the first defendant in this crime against humanity faced a public courtroom. A tribunal is in place to bring to justice the perpetrators of the Cambodian Genocide.

Five top leaders of the Khmer Rouge are being held in military custody awaiting trials that are scheduled to begin next year. The proceedings will be broadcast on Cambodian television live. Given the large Cambodian population we have in this City (the second largest percentage in the U.S.), it would help all of us if we could view these trials. Perhaps LTC can make arrangements for the video; get a good translator and even an analyst and an historian to provide commentary.

Those who have studied the impact of genocide know quite well that the pain and suffering doesn’t stop with the survivors. The trauma is passed on to the survivors’ children and grandchildren; and it manifests in ways we may not recognize or understand.

What some of us feared what may happen, did. Lowell School Superintendent Dr. Karla Brooks Baehr has announced that she will not seek a contract extension. Her current contract ends in June 2008 but Dr. Baehr has decided to apply for the position of Commissioner of the State Department of Education.

I do not believe she would have applied for that job if she had a supportive School Committee coming in. She would have to fight tooth and nail to continue to implement the policies that have steadily improved the quality of education provided in the Lowell public school system.

I know that Dr. Baehr loved this job but at the end of the day, she is an educator and not a politician. So, she needs to be in atmosphere that will let her thrive, not repress her talents.

As Jackie explained in her post of today

It’s a great opportunity for her and a position that impacts the education of more than 900,000 students statewide. (A few years ago, then-Commissioner David Driscoll offered Baehr the job of his number two person, which she declined.) Now, with Governor Deval Patrick, who clearly has a vision for public education, and newly named Chairman of the Board of Education Paul Reville at the helm, it’s as if the stars are aligned for the Commonwealth to take education reform to a new level, and I can understand why Dr. Baehr wants to be part of it.

Now that LHS Headmaster Bill Samaras will stay through June 2009 as he wished, will the FOBs back off and let Dr. Baehr spend the remaining weeks or months in this City with some dignity?

So, what is next for our school system and its students? Where are we going to find someone of her caliber who is willing to come here for $155,000/year? She is good enough to be commissioner of the State Department of Education but not good enough to be Superintendent of the Lowell Schools. So now that the campaign to push Dr. Baehr out has succeeded, will her detractors begin beating the drum to put one of their own in her place?

Although both the arena and stadium had a precarious beginning, I hope the “debates” of early 90s are no longer the issue and that we have moved on. The challenge facing the City these days is how to maximize the return in our investment in the Tsongas Arena.

Last week, the City Council had a spirited discussion (you can watch the streaming video on LTC’s web site) regarding the Devils’ lack http://www.lowellma.gov/depts/officeofthecitymanager/responses-to-motions/2007-responses/motion-2-13-07-lowell-devilsof effort to promote their team, and their inability or unwillingness to put a plan in place that will attract more people to Arena for American Hockey League games. The discussion was prompted by a motion made by CC Rodney Elliott regarding the Devils’ marketing plan or lack of it. This is CC Elliott’s 3rd motion on the subject trying to prompt the Devils to take some action; here is the February 13th one and here is the April 3rd one. CM Bernie Lynch responded to both motions and was able to negotiate a lease amendment with the Devils. Obviously, the concessions made by the Devils were not significant enough to please neither the Administration or the City Council.

Frankly, I had hoped that the Devils would opt out of the contract and we could go on with better utilization of the arena; it did not work out that way.

To get a good understanding as to why we are in this situation with the Devils, one has to go back about 2 years when the newly elected City Council and the newly selected Mayor were faced with a crisis the first week they took office; the Lock Monsters were going to be sold and the arena was going to lose its AHL team. The City went into overdrive and a public-private campaign began to save the team. Please read the Lowell Sun archives to get a feel for what was happening during those days. [You will need to pay $2.95/story unless you want to go to the Library]. The cry throughout the City was “it is your civic duty to buy a season ticket.” So when the New Jersey Devils brought out the franchise, we were all thrilled.

It was under this kind of furor that the then City Manager and City Council came up with this contract that now we all understand greatly benefits the Devils. But let’s all be clear, the then CM and the City Council did what they thought was in the best interest of the City and what we collectively said to them; keep an AHL franchise here. Imagine if they had not worked out a deal…what would have happened?

Now fast forward to two years later and we see that it was a lousy deal for us. Even with CM Bernie Lynch’s renegotiated deal, the FY 2008 Budget has a $800,000 deficit line item for the Arena Enterprise Fund. And a lot of people are blaming the Devils for that large amount. The Devils are either holding us back from using the arena to generate more funds or they are not doing enough to generate revenues thus decrease our subsidy (more…)