Left In Lowell

Some of you may know that Jack is a dull boy, unless he has data. Less of you may know that Chris Hazel is a dataphile extraordinaire.

When you take public records and mix vigorously with the likes of us, you get? Voila!

Now, I’m not giving away all of our tradecraft, but suffice to say we can figure out where the fish are. Here is some more “data.”

This is fun! And, informative. :v)

This tells us that of a city of 106,000, only 19,493 have ever voted in a city election. Of them, only 7,500 have voted in 4 or 5 of the last 5 city elections. And they tend not to be young. :v(
If you use the data, you can see what neighborhoods rock the vote. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

PS. This analysis uses the Nov.2010 voter file. If you don’t know what that means, you are in a world of hurt.
Screenshots have been altered to protect voter privacy. We have fun, responsibly.

This is a quick FYI post. I’d say the 5th Congressional is in the “Goldilocks Zone.” You?

Longtime friend of the blog (and former front pager) Kristin Ross-Sitcawich has decided to run for School Committee. This comes as no shock to me, as I’ve been helping her with her web presence and such.

Kristin has two school-aged children, both of whom attend Lowell public schools, so of course she wants to see them get the best education possible. You probably remember that she’s run for city council in the past and is an avid city activist, particularly in working to help the homeless. I met Kristin during her first run for the Council, and continue to support her because she is smart, knowledgeable, and progressive, while at the same time having a strong conservative streak of never wanting to see taxpayer money wasted. She loves efficiency and scrutinizing data in order to make informed decisions, and at the same time is passionate about the idea that those decisions must be centered around what’s best for the kids.

Her website is www.kristinforlowellkids.com, you can follow her on Twitter @kristinforsc, and you can like her facebook page in order to stay updated on the campaign. You can also read the Sun article of her announcement here.

Facebook has delivered another nugget. Embedded is Mara Dolan’s interview of Middlesex County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian. The video runs just short of 24 minutes. Definately enough to give you a sense of the Sheriff.

An interesting point, the Sheriff is talking up a women’s facility for Middlesex County. Currently, women prisoners are sent to Framingham. Koutoujian is convinced of the need, but is unsure how to secure the funding.

I’m going to take a bigger bite of this tomorrow and delve in. Tonight I’m sorta zoofed out from a 4:40am start. But, I wanted to get this up for your viewing pleasure.

I was going to answer RIL’s comments in Lynn’s latest post, but I thought it be better if I front page it.


RIL wrote: “Be ready for another dramatic NIMBY performance Monday night regarding a tower on Boston Rd.”
He is right and I will be one of the perfomers who will be speaking at the Planning Board’s public hearing; maybe even the opening act.  You may want to believe that it is simply a NIMBY issue,  but it is more complicated than that.

Here is the item as listed in the Planning Board’s agenda for tomorrow night:

Site Plan Review: 363 Boston Road; Continued
The Board will review additional information relative to an application by US Wireless,
Inc. and T-Mobile Northeast, LLC for site plan review of the proposed project located at
363 Boston Road. The project proposal is to construct and operate a wireless
communications facility that includes a 150-foot tower consisting of nine (9) wireless
telecommunications panel antennas. The proposed tower and accessory equipment,
contained within a fenced 3,000 square foot compound, will be located directly south
of the cemetery on the property. The project is located on an 11.6-acre parcel in the
TSF (Traditional Single Family) zoning district and requires Site Plan review under Section
7.6.2 and 11.4 of the zoning code

I am not concerned about any health issues for me, although I am for the animals that live in the conservation land adjacent to the lot in question; I am also in favor of increasing our revenue stream; and I am (reluctantly) willing to put up with an ugly structure (150 feet and 9 panels) in my backyard.  And of course, I want to use my smart phone every where in the City. However, what this is about is having the City of Lowell changing its zoning laws so that the limited open space we have, including public parks and cemeteries, now can be used for commercial ventures.

The City is in a though position. Citizens do not want their taxes to be increased, they do not want their services to be decreased and people like me do not want to see public space that is reserved for recreation leased out to a commercial venture.

Perhaps the nameless playground on Boston Road does not have the facilities as some of the more popular ones, such as Shedd, McPherson, Callery, etc…, and perhaps our neighborhood is not as well as organized or outspoken as other neighborhoods but it is a park. So we have to decide which sacrifice we are willing to make: increase our taxes, cut back on our services or rent our public parks. My choice is the first one. Those of you who favor the third option are encourage to come tomorrow night and do not forget the ZBA meeting next week. And if this goes forward, there is always the City Council meeting.