If you have a few minutes read the Report on the dismissal of Ernest Ames, the recently dismissed City Plumbing and Gas Inspector. It is available on the Sun’s website as a pdf file.
The details and conclusions in City Solicitor Christine O’Connor’s 10-page report are disturbing even for the most jaded politic activists amongst us.
Let’s face it, if Mr. Ames’ other job and affiliation was with John Doe owner of the South.by.Southwest Club, it would be a minor issue. A City worker dismissed for not doing his job is one story but it is the back story that is at the heart of the problem.
As Jennifer Myers writes in her article on this subject in today’s Sun “ The city’s investigation included surveillance of Ames over an eight-day period in July, turning up evidence that Ames was doing work for developer and City Councilor Alan Kanzanjian on a Chelmsford property, acquired out-of-town gas and plumbing permits for Kazanjian, and approved the permits for a business associate.”
The accompanying lead story in today’s Sun, written by Chris Scott, focuses on the FBI and its presence at City Hall. The locks to the front door have been changed.
It is hard not be cynical but I am convinced that every year the residents and taxpayers of Lowell chip away at the power of the political oligarchy. It may not be obvious but it is happening; that is why some of us keep on fighting.
Couple of campaign notices to post (sorry I didn’t post them yesterday!):
Syed Hussain is having his Campaign Kick-Off Party, with veggie and non veggie food, and performances by Neil Diamond, Elvis and Lowell High School American Idol Contestant Darnell Kenney. This is Sunday, August 30th, 2009, from 4:00pm - 8:00Pm, at 142 Boulevard St, Lowell, MA 01854 ( off Varnum Ave).
And Franky Descoteaux is doing some grassroots campaigning this weekend as well:
Please join me as we canvass Lowell this Sunday, August 30, 2009.
WHEN: Sunday, Aug 30, 2009 at 11am
WHERE: Kittredge Park on the corner of Andover St. and Nesmith St.
WHAT to BRING: Friends, family and enthusiasm for your community. We will provide the rest!
So, we’ve sent out our candidate questionnaires, largely made up of the many submitted questions from our readers. They should have received them already (candidates, if you do not, please let me know by email as soon as possible!).
But that’s not all. This year, at least for the City Council side, Mimi and I, who are both members at LTC (local cable access), are going to have candidates answer them not by writing, but by coming in and video taping them at the studio! It’s far more work for us, but way more interesting for viewers than reading 10 or more looooong PDFs.
The questions are broken out into sections by category, and each section has a time limit placed on it. Each section has two or more questions in it, and the candidate will be free to choose how to allot their time to the questions within the time limit for that section. For fairness (and sake of our sanity), we will not be editing anyone’s answers, so it’ll be a lot like a live forum for the candidates - their answers are their answers. They will of course be allowed to bring any written material or notes they wish. We aren’t barbarians.
Then, once we have all the responses from the candidates taped (they have a deadline), we will release all candidates’ answers to one section at a time in short online videos here on the blog, until all sections are released. We will also create one or more episodes for airing on LTC.
When I think of the logistics of getting this done, and then edited together, I think “whoa!” …but our readers are worth it.
Information I have gotten on the motorcade and memorial services.
People who wish to honor Senator Kennedy today are urged to line the motorcade route at the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, City Hall Plaza and the Boston Common, in front of the Statehouse on Park Street.
Senator Kennedy will travel Route 3 North to Route 93 North into Boston. (Approximately 3:00 PM)
Senator Kennedy will exit at Government Center, and travel down Hanover Street into the North End, past St. Stephen’s Church, where his mother Rose was baptized and her funeral mass celebrated.
Continuing down Hanover and crossing over the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, the park Senator Kennedy joined community leaders in creating that gives mothers and their children green space in the heart of the city. The park sits on the same land young Rose Fitzgerald enjoyed as a child.
Senator Kennedy will pass Faneuil Hall where Mayor Menino will ring the bell 47 times.
Continuing to Bowdoin Street, Senator Kennedy will pass 122 Bowdoin, where he opened his first office as an Assistant District Attorney and President Kennedy lived while running for Congress in 1946.
He’ll pass the JFK Federal Building where his Boston office has stood for decades, and and then travel to Dorchester Street into South Boston and to the JFK Presidential Library.
People who wish to honor Senator Kennedy are urged to line the motorcade route at the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, City Hall Plaza and the Boston Common, in front of the Statehouse on Park Street.
ARRIVAL AT JOHN F. KENNEDY LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Approx. 4 p.m. The motorcade will arrive at the JFK Library.
The arrival is open to the press and to the public.
Guidance note: Senator Kennedy spent decades building the Library built for his beloved brother, President John Kennedy, into a national treasure as a place of debate on the issues important to the American people, and source of inspiration for future generations of public servants.
LIE IN REPOSE AT JOHN F. KENNEDY LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
6 p.m.-11 p.m. The Senator will lie in repose at the John F. Kennedy Library.
Organizing to get the health care reform we really deserve in this country starts with us. On September 7th (Labor Day), at the Boston Common, people are gathering to rally for progressive health care reform at 11am. This’ll probably make Mr. Lynne groan that I’ve booked myself on his day off, but I told Charley I’d make it.
And I know that it’s the most appropriate reaction I could ever have to the loss of Senator Kennedy.
The Herald reports that DeLeo joined Governor Patrick and Senate President Terese Murray in supporting the interim appointment change to MA state laws. (Via dkos.)
The proposal would not change the special election rules which would go on as planned, but would allow Governor Patrick the ability to appoint someone to the Senate temporarily in the meantime. Such a person would be asked not to campaign for the special election (indeed, that would negate the whole point of sending someone down to DC, wouldn’t it?).
Sigh. It’s not even 24 hours and the politics of this is pushing out front. However, I suppose, it is argued, time is of the essence.
I think this is a great tribute to a man who did spend a lot of time listening to the people and their needs. Click here to send a personal note to the Kennedy family.
My tribute to Senator Kennedy is to get back to talking about the issue he held dearest - and did not live to see fulfilled. That of quality, universally available, affordable health care.
We’ve been so focused here on the very real and very important issues in our local race, that we’ve neglected the current contentious fight on health care. But like Senator Kennedy, health care reform is near and dear to my heart as well. Not only do I see my friends, neighbors, and family struggle with the cost of insurance or the lack of care, but Mr. Lynne and I have been victims of our current system too.
I’ll let him tell his story if he wants to, but I can say this: we went without health insurance for six years while I was beginning my business and he was a “contractor” with no benefits from his employer whatsoever. In fear of the always-looming “preexisting condition,” we avoided doctors and checkups and even dental and vision care. We simply couldn’t afford it out of pocket, and were afraid to be penalized if something were to be “found” and we ever wanted to be insurable again. We couldn’t afford the most basic of insurance, but didn’t qualify for any sort of help, either.
In those six years, medical conditions that were mitigable, even totally preventable, worsened, and both of us now have to live with the result. This despite the fact that we were really increasing our healthy lifestyles during that period. Those conditions are now permanent, potentially life-threatening and very costly over the long run.
I’ll give my own example of a very close call. A few months after we were able to secure health insurance benefits from his being permanently hired, I was diagnosed with a genetic disorder, polycystic kidney disease. PKD is caused by a blurring of a specific gene/genes (inherited, or spontaneous genetic mutation) and is often not detected until late in life when the loss of kidney function sends doctors scurrying to find the cause. In my case, it was diagnosed early due to unusual circumstances.
In our fair state of Massachusetts, we have some laws to protect us against being discriminated against by your new insurance company. Massachusetts goes much further in its protections than most states do, and if you are already covered and switch coverage, you also cannot be refused. Many of these protections and more are being worked out in the bill in Congress so that they are universal. I cannot help having a genetic defect. I shouldn’t be refused medical treatment because I found out about it before I got the right coverage to pay for any treatment.
But not everyone lives in Massachusetts. In fact, most of my life, I lived in New Hampshire, which does not have these protections.
This aspect of the bill is very important, if we are to continue to have any sort of market based care at all.
The other aspect of the bill that is equally important is to have some sort of public option.
If you have ever priced out individual plans for health insurance, you know that it’s cheaper to buy a car and take on a loan for it, than pay your own premiums. There is a large segment of the population, the working poor and middle class, who certainly don’t qualify for Medicaid, but cannot afford hundreds of dollars a month for a family health care plan.
The health care industry only has itself to blame for the need to create a public system. They have failed us, and failed miserably. Unfortunately the misery is all placed on individuals who are either uninsured, or have insurance and find out something vitally important is not covered, or has a lifetime cap.
So besides telling my own story, I would like you to take a moment, if you haven’t already, and listen to this woman, asking her Republican Senator who is fighting against health care reform…why, when she is insured, does her husband’s traumatic brain coverage not include the coverage to keep him alive? Why, and what will he do to help? And listen to his answer. It is atrocious.
If you are not for helping women like this, or people like my husband, then get out of the way of the people who are willing. Health care is not a privilege, but a right. If you must think selfishly, think of this: my family’s cost to the health care system went up exponentially because we were not able to take advantage of preventative care. That’s not just our cost, friends. That’s your cost. Our health care system is THE most expensive per person in the world. And the results are pretty poor, for all of that. (We rank last in industrial countries in many measures of quality of health.)
Fix it. Because Kennedy has been right his entire career. Fairness is not an option. We’ll keep hammering at this until it sinks in.
The New Englander has a great write up of the speeches by the attending city council candidates at last night’s LDNA (Lowell Downtown Neighborhood Association). Go read it.
- Leftyblogs MA Blogroll -
Almost all of my favorite lefty blogs in Massachusetts can be found here. Linking here keeps my own blogroll short but still up to date! Below are some other MA blogs which are not listed at LB.
