Left In Lowell

Tomorrow the Lowell City Council will begin a new two-year term. There are some housekeeping issues I hope they consider.

First, the Sub-Committee structure: Are they too many of them? Perhaps. It would be helpful if their charge is defined and published on the City’s web site. Also, why aren’t the minutes of the Sub-Committee meetings published? Yes, the Chairperson of the various Sub-Committee gives a report during the full City Council meeting, and other CC members can comment also, but the Clerk’s office is present during those meetings and is taking notes, so what happens to those “minutes.”

Second: Suspension of the Rules. This rule should be invoked only when a situation occurs that cannot wait a week; it should not be (mis)used to bring any issue that was raised after the agenda is posted on Friday afternoon. It is not fair to the rest of the City Council members who are not prepared to address a motion that was not published on the agenda.

Third: I would like the new Mayor to return to the tradition of vacating the podium when he/she decided to get involved in the discussions. During this past two years, this parliamentary procedure was not followed.

Best wishes to all!

While pondering Wes Welker’s and the Patriots future, a friend send me an e-mail asking what will happen if Republican Scott Brown wins the Massachusetts Senate Seat and Brown, the JAG in the Army National Guard, is deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. My answer, Brown is not going to win the Senate Seat and Lt. Colonel Brown will not get deployed.

But just in case the star align for Brown on January 19th and he gets deployed at a later date, what happens to the seat?   It it left vacant?  Is it filled by an interim appointment?  I will let Cliff and Greg answer that question. ‘Cause frankly, I think Wes Welker has a better chance of winning the Senate seat than Brown.

Tomorrow morning the new City Council and School Committee members will be sworn in during ceremonies that will be held at City Hall at 10:00 a.m.


As Jen Myers’ indicated in her article in the Sun, it will be a full house. With three new City Councilors, one new School Committee person and a new Mayor, family and friends will fill City Council chambers.


The Sun will provide live streaming video and I would think that City Hall has contacted LTC to let them know to come and film.

Best wishes to all.

UPDATE: Here is the LTC video of today’s ceremonies as posted on blip.tv.