Left In Lowell

They are praying Scott Brown stays out of this Senate Special Election.

Frankly, it is HARD to cross party lines. No one on either side really quite trusts you. Of course, on the local level, both Rita and Dave have solid support. Mostly, because they are fairly down to earth people, that are willing to ply their skill at the ‘grip and grin’ at street level. Both are unpretentious and folksy. Almost adorable in quirky ways. (Unless you rub them the wrong way.) But, political sophistication is not their calling card. So, in the 2012 General Election, their individual choice to support Republican Scott Brown has assuredly caused them grief in ways that they had not accounted for. Note: Brown did well in the Belvidere section of Lowell. So, niether Rita or Nangle have much to sweat over, come their own respective reelections. That said, Rita will take it hard if she doesn’t finish 1st.

For both of them, the best thing that Scott Brown can do for them, … is to sit this special election cycle out. Good news for them is, it’s looking like he may:

With time running short, Washington Republicans have begun a “full court press’’ to persuade an increasingly reluctant Scott Brown to run in the special election to replace John F. Kerry, say two leading Massachusetts GOP figures.

The eleventh-hour effort, coordinated by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, comes as those familiar with Brown’s deliberations are becoming convinced that he will not run and instead will look for a job in the private sector.

Please consider how much of a pickle, especially Dave Nangle, is in right now. The MADems would be hard pressed to sweep another endorsement of Brown under the rug. For Rita, much less so, but Nangle put his personal friendship to Brown as the hallmark to his endorsement. Even though many in Dave Nangle’s crew are inclined to support Congressman Stephen Lynch, with every fiber of their ‘Blue Dog’ beings, Nangle can not simply annul his endorsement of Brown out of political convenience. Friendship has to MEAN something. Nangle’s entire political existence is, all but, built on personal fidelity.

If Scott Brown bails, this will allow Nangle, and Rita, to slip back into the fold. There will be some ribbing, but pols love to win elections. As do the staff that support them. Few will argue that Mercier and Nangle don’t offer some electoral boost. If not city-wide, definitely in The Belvidere.

UPDATE: Brown won’t run, for now.

“… I was not at all certain that a third Senate campaign in less than four years, and the prospect of returning to a Congress even more partisan than the one I left, was really the best way for me to continue in public service at this time. And I know it’s not the only way for me to advance the ideals and causes that matter most to me.

“That is why I am announcing today that I will not be a candidate for the United States Senate in the upcoming special election.”

Why aren’t the GLTHS meeting episodes available for us to watch on LTC, at our convenience?

The episodes are aired on LTC’s CH.99. You can watch them when they air, but only then.

Why are the GLTHS School Committee public meetings not available in the LTC video archives?

The next time you call a GLTHS School Committee member, y’know, to tell them “Mary Jo Has Got To Go!”, please ask them to get the meeting videos archived on LTC. Wouldn’t it be nice to check in on them, when the schedule works for us?

If LTC can air them, then they have the video data to stream it. I’m betting LTC would archive the meeting, if they could. Who knows what’s up?

So often in politics, there are tiny rooms filled with large elephants. Yet, no one will say a goddamned thing.

And so the powers that be have anointed Congressman Ed Markey as the next U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, issuing a well choreographed series of endorsements to his new candidacy to replace John Kerry. Why, even the future Secretary of State got into the act, issuing a statement that sounded like an endorsement. (Probably written by the wordmasters over at Foggy Bottom for the ever so diplomatic Secretary of State in waiting.)
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Just a couple of observations on the “process”. It is not clear to me that Ed Markey is the right answer to the question on who has the best shot to hold the seat for Democrats. But far smarter people, with access to data, have determined that he is, so let us concede the point. Nonetheless what has happened here is an injustice to Capuano, Lynch, Downing, and whoever else was thinking about running. I do not come at this question as a “process” diehard, as some of my good Democratic friends do. I like to win, and I like to see things move, and on that basis I understand what happened. But Capuano, Lynch, and Downing deserved better than what they got. And I am fascinated by the utter lack of consistency of some of those in the liberal blogosphere, who have been devoted to “process” and “democracy”, who now turn a blind eye to what is nothing short of putting the fix in. It will just be a bit more difficult to raise objections in the future when it happens with a different set of candidates.

Finally it is worth noting that one pretty big footprint lies on the back of Governor Deval Patrick, who went from a key player in the selection process to an after thought. Since the Markey move the Governor has been marginalized, with the Washington folks just blowing right by him. The Governor is used to doing the big footing, but in this case the role has been reversed.

Thank you, Mayor Bill Manzi.
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Sometimes the world makes you heartsick.

Eighteen children murdered
Posted by Police Line on December 15th, 2012

That’s what I read about earlier today, and then I looked up, and there sat my 4-month-old daughter staring at me.

When she saw me looking back at her she smiled. That’s the thing; kids have no idea about all the things that we do.

I grabbed Charlotte and carried her around the house a bit, holding her extra tight against my chest.

And then Chris Scott called and asked if I would interrupt my vacation and go to Connecticut to help The Sun’s parent company, Digital First Media, cover the shootings in Newtown, CT.

I believe in what I do. I believe the worst this world has to offer us has to be documented, thought about, reported graphically, and never ignored or forgotten.

I made sure it was okay with my family, I hugged Charlotte, kissed her, told her I loved her, and left.
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The comments are closed. Please follow Rob Mills over at The Lowell Sun and share your thoughts with him. He can work with them better than most.

Good news!

From Jen Myers:

I’m happy to announce that Room50 is now officially an “official” city blog (which means I can write it during the work day).
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One of Mayor Murphy’s goals since becoming Mayor has been to make the office more open and welcoming to all Lowellians regardless of age, class, or ethnic background, as well as to improve communication between City Hall and residents of the community.

The mission of this site, the official blog of the Office of the Mayor, is to tell some of the “untold” stories of the city, as well as to engage all residents to let them know their civic participation is welcomed and crucial to the continued growth of the city.

Yes, it will be refreshing to be able to read .. good news.

I really go back and forth on whether Gerry’s blog is useful or just a nuisance. (Sorry Gerry, but that’s the truth.) On the one hand, he has done some very good things to further the discussion on politics in Lowell. On the other, he uses his forum to produce rank speculations that have no basis in anything other than his musings. I wish he’d keep his speculations to a minimum, because when he’s on, he’s pretty decent.

Case in point, this post about the current blog v. GLTHSC situation. First, he complains about Cliff’s reaction to his comments yesterday about some people in the Lowell Rumor Mill™ stating that we at LiL didn’t pay attention to the GLT situation until Cliff didn’t get the nod from the selection committee.

For John, BLUF: Blogger Gerrry Nutter got confused on WCAP this AM, over why Left in Lowell has again focused on GLTHS.

On WCAP (680 AM) this AM Blogger Gerry Nutter suggested that Left in Lowell picked up the theme of GLTHS as a result of Ray Boutin, vice Cliff Krieger, being appointed to the GLTHS School Committee

Cliff’s hearing may be going (Nice to see he types like me, one to many r’s in GERRY and 980 WCAP) because what I said is the gossip making the rounds by those who support the Superintendent at the tech is Left in Lowell didn’t start focusing on the Tech until Cliff was bypassed and that Jack is being political because he’s blaming the Supt.for Cliff not getting the appointment.

Truth to tell, I think Cliff misunderstood what Gerry was trying to do on the radio. I was there, and it was pretty obvious Gerry was trying to air out a rumor he himself didn’t believe. Given the personal nature of that rumor against Cliff (attacking our and Cliff’s integrity), I’m not surprised he reacted, but as for me, I thanked Gerry after the show for mentioning because it put sunlight on the rumor so it could be refuted, which to my mind appeared to be what Gerry intended by bringing it up. (more…)

I’ll be on 980WCAP tomorrow, as will other bloggers, between 7 and 8am; my slot is for after the 7:30 news. I’ll be discussing great recipes that can put your leftover turkey to good use.

Just kidding, I think the topic will be a little more political. At any rate, it should be fun. Tune in!

Update: You can now go listen for yourself on WCAP’s archives! Thanks Teddy for having me on.

So I was wrong in my Lyle post last Wednesday. I am retracting part of my commentary made there.

Specifically, it wasn’t Elliot who Lyle was talking about as “other elected officials” who are upset at my comments on this blog (over, I presume, the course of seven whole years). It was the other one I could have predicted is unhappy with me, Councilor Rita Mercier. (Damn, and I though my video commentary clip of Elliot the other week was pretty clever. I’ll have to make more of a nuisance of myself.)

MERCIER SAID she was not surprised by Lupien’s posting.

“She has a dirty trash mouth and that is wrong,” Mercier said. “No one should ever say somebody should be hung. I give Mary Jo credit for going to police and I hope she gets Lynne’s blog shut down so she stops trying to bully people in a nasty way.”

I find it rather telling that Rita wants to shut down free speech, just because it disagrees with her. Think about that for a moment. (more…)

Now that some of the dust has settled, I wanted to express my views on the events that occurred this past week. I am referring to GLTHS Mary Jo Santoro filing a police complaint on my LiL colleague Lynne. This is not how I wanted or expected to spend my Thanksgiving week but if you enter the public arena, you should be ready for unexpected and unpleasant events.

First and foremost, I want to share publicly what I said to both Lynne and Jack. In my opinion, Santoro’s actions were not aimed at Lynne but they were aimed at LiL in general and Jack in particular. It is Jack’s investigating writing under the banner of “Mary Jo Must Go” that has the Superintendent, her supporters, her benefactors, her sycophants, her entourage and most importantly the hanger-ons that live off the job clearinghouse, self-defined political power base on the Merrimack.

Yes, Santoro would not mind if Lynne was wounded but I believe that particular action was orchestrated by one of Santoro’s staunchest supporters for his own twisted motives. Jack’s post were the ultimate target. The decision to go after Lynne was an attempt by Santoro and her companions to intimidate LiL into silence. I do not think this threat has worked. Lynne and Jack are stubborn and committed. When your principles are based on ideas and not on getting a job in the public sector for yourself or a family member, it is pretty easy to continue to fight.

I have no idea where Santoro’s complaint will land in the legal arena. We will wait and see but at this rate, pretty soon she is going to run out of people to accuse of harassment. That tactic has short shelf life.

What bothered me the most in the past few days was the pleasure some bloggers took in the possibility that another blog will be shut off. I can understand the Lowell Sun jumping on that bandwagon, there is no love lost between us and them. But for bloggers to find pleasure in the possibility that free speech will be curtailed is truly disturbing.

The internet and all of its wonderful democratic components should be applauded by all self-described bloggers. We should celebrate the ability to exchange idea no matter how appalling we find the words and their delivery. The freedom to share views, debate, argue and perhaps form a consensus should be embraced. You should fight words with words, not with the threat of police action.

There are so many avenues that are available to express one’s views in Lowell, LiL is not the only game in town. There are many blogs (I do miss the Mill City boys) and most of those blogs do not share our views. Some even like to position themselves as the anti-LiL. We have a local radio station that welcomes callers; we have a local television show that provides a wide spectrum of views. And of course we have our newspaper. There are plenty of outlets for everyone to present their views. Why try to harm LiL?

And as far as Mr. Mike Hayden is concerned, I would like to offer a suggestion. Instead of being fascinated by Jack and Lynne, try to serve as a mentor to younger Lowellians who want to get involved in public service or civic activity. If you are so confident in your views, you should be able to quickly form a cadre of up and coming leaders who can challenge the current sentiments expressed by the majority of Lowell voters that have clearly stated “we want people like Fred Bahou and Erik Gitschier” to serve on the GLTHS Committee.” By the way, Mr. Hayden I really do not care what you may say about me so if you want to go on Gerry’s blog and call me vile names as you do Jack and Lynne, it will be a total waste of your time as well as the readers. I do not need nor seek your approval on any level.

I would like to thank Mary Jo. On behalf of three Lowell homeowners, taxpayers who like this City and want it to prosper on all levels, thanks for giving us a kick in the rear end and waking me up from my slumber.

I’ve folded all my napkins fancily on carefully placed plates on two eight foot tables in my dining room now, so I thought I would take a minute to relate another tale of woebegonery as pertains to the Saga Of Me Being Really Mean, By Jove.

As you know, my name got in the paper yesterday, via a report of Mary Jo Santoro and her spectacular miscalculation of trying to accuse me of threatening her. Sarah Favot wrote the piece, which I thought was pretty fair. It certainly didn’t make me flinch (and I flinch at being the center of attention on my own birthday, so there you go, another poke in the eye of the myth that This Is All About Me).

But it seems that the story, at least as it includes me, has been yanked from her apparently capable hands. (God, I hate to see another one bite the dust at the Sun. Any bets to how long she’ll stand it?) The torch has been passed, at least it appears, to Campi’s little shadow, Lyle Moran. I know this because he called me this afternoon (and I have heard that he called others as well). Out of a morbid curiosity I called him back. More on that in a sec - you’ll love it, it’s all about the sausage making, or in this case, amateurishly broadcasting your utter bias in a leading two-sentence “question.”

I do love being the Sun’s special case. It tickles me no end that Campi hasn’t lost his unhealthy obsession with “taking me down.” Like going after an unpaid blogger is all that hard. Wonder why they haven’t managed it yet? He must have been like a baby with his first successful poo, beside himself with glee, when this whole complaint thing came down. (The baby and poo thing is a euphemism. I don’t actually think Campanini wears diapers.)

Anyway, you might be awfully surprised to learn that I have very little interaction with Moran in general. I’ve heard from so many people just how amateur he acts, Jack likes to refer to the “cub reporter” after all. And I’ve read some of his drivel, articles with logical holes so large you can drive a train through them (so he really is learning a lot from his mentor). But personal experience? I barely exchange a word with the guy. (more…)