Left In Lowell

I distinctly remember these words being echoed within the bubble during the 2011 election cycle. I’m not sure which candidate said it, but it stuck.(Note: It was Marty Lorrey on a WCAP appearance) The logic followed, most voters were not unhappy with Lynch. Thus, whacking him was risky. Fred Doyle and only Fred Doyle ran against the City Manager. Of course, Ed Kennedy famously called “shotgun,” announcing that he would sit in the front seat, alongside Mr. Lynch.

That was then and this is now:

(From an online archive of The Sun. Dated 5/10/12)

Councilors Rodney Elliott, Edward Kennedy and Rita Mercier said they don’t care if Lynch stays or goes. Mercier said she has always suspected Lynch took the Lowell job to get a job like the Cambridge position.

“If he wants to go, see you later,” Mercier said. “I think he has only used Lowell as a steppingstone. He probably thought when he was in Chelmsford, ‘would I have more clout coming from Chelmsford for the Cambridge position or coming from Lowell with a population of 106,000?’” Councilor Rodney Elliott said Lynch’s actions and job performance in the last year have indicated his mind has been focused elsewhere, so he would not stop Lynch from departing the Mill City.

“He has clearly lost interest in this job and he has not done well lately,” Elliott said. “Just look at his failure to deal with the downtown bar problems, the Lowell Housing Authority mess and the troubled Inspectional Services Department.”

(bold mine)

Hello!

Well, Rita Mercier most likely will not lose because she is being so cavalier with her disdain. Afterall, she can bank on the City’s elderly vote. She boasts about it, ad nauseum. However, it is still quite vivid to see Rita so blunt. I’m more accustomed to the hand wringing Rita. The one that tries to please as many voters as humanly possible. Even the one’s she votes against. (That’s quite a trick, btw. And explains her political resilience.)

One year from now, it will be shits and grins, again.

Update: Councilor Kennedy is learning the Plan E rules of sitting in the front seat. Rule #1 Keep your hands off the wheel. This is of no matter to C.Kennedy, as he knows a thing or two about politics. Thus, Kennedy has run to the cub reporter and has ensured he is “caught trying.”

Note: In politics, to be “caught trying” is a ploy by underachievers that wish to get “an ‘A’ for effort.” Politcos can’t always deliver, so they try double hard to ensure that their vote base sees it wasn’t from lack of trying. We like to see electeds fighting on our behalf.

We take pride in our diversity, but we also take it casually. Greg Page describes why that is a great thing.

For all its faults, Lowell isn’t a pretender town. We walk the walk. As per my post below, not only is our state awesome, but so is our city. And we make it that way - all of us, even those who get a lot of flack from me and this blog. Don’t think I don’t appreciate that.

(And, welcome to our Pakistani visitors. I hope you get a chance to enjoy the delicious food from all over the world!)

In case you needed a reason to feel superior, here’s an article in Slate touting why Massachusetts is one of the best states to live and work in. Because by the numbers, we stack up really well. Even to the rest of the world.

Did you know that Massachusetts ranks lowest on traffic fatality rates (yeah, I know!)? That our kids are the best in the nation in math and reading in fourth and eighth grade tests. We rank fifth and ninth on reading and math worldwide. We have the lowest divorce rate in the country (despite all them gays that get to marry, it didn’t bring the end of marriage as we know it). Our unemployment is nearly 2 points below the national average, and the third highest in the world on worker productivity. We have some of the best technology stats out there.

We also “recently displaced California as the nation’s most energy-efficient state.” Take that, you West Coasters!

Of course, we’re not perfect, and there’s plenty to work on in government, business, and society as a whole, but you should be proud as hell to be a Bay Stater. I know I am.

I know I’m waaaaay over my pay grade here, but I’m just trying to help the man out. Ya see, you can’t just riff off accusations like this:

“I’ve been brought up to dress up at functions, but maybe I’m from the old school,” said George Behrakis, master of cere­monies that day. The podium for the Greek event was not set up when Murphy arrived. “I think he was ill-pre­pared for our event,” Behrakis said. “To have a crowd outside City Hall and have the mayor carry the podium out was unusual

(h/t Gerry Nutter)

While stuff like this resides on the “intertubes.”

Mr. Behrakis, do yourself a favor, please. Find someone under 40 that you trust. Then ask them how you can speak on record and not sound like a hypocrite.

Mr. Behrakis, though Greek Independence Day is sorta a thing in Lowell; Memorial Day is, well, Memorial Day. You know what I mean?

Let’s join in the fun. Please share with us, why you think Mayor Murphy sucks as Mayor. We at LiL are not above playing The Sun’s reindeer games. Though this particular game is despicable, it could be fun?

I’ll start.

Mayor Murphy sucks because he recognizes that Lowell is a true melting pot of 106,000(+/-) souls and that every one of them deserves a “seat at the table!”

Your turn.

Mayor Murphy sucks because:

Margaret at Jackie’s blog posted about her missing cat on May 3rd. I didn’t see the post until today. If it’s been found, Margaret, please let me know! Otherwise, please keep an eye out for it in the Highlands area, his name is Milo, he’s a black and white cat, very friendly.

Margaret if you have a picture please let me know so I can post it. Having just gone through a missing pet episode, I know how you feel far too well. I’ll help any way I can.

The Blog of Record took its time in mulling over the water cooler chatter, re: Lynch-Cambridge. Yet, Chris Scott laid an egg. Two points:

First.

I guess this is what you might call, Sun Logic. :v\ Cambridge can have a CM for 30+ years. Lowell? According to The Sun, it’s too tough to lead here. “The longer he remains, the more sharks join the feeding frenzy. Plus, the job wears anyone down.” The Sun knows best, right?

I’m more inclined to think that, in the past, the position of City Manager has been regarded as a title used to pad your retirement bennies. It was passed around like a drunken Freshmen at a Frat House. Pal to Pal. John Cox pulled “Caboose” on that train. Maybe, that’s why it came off the tracks under his watch?
(more…)

Heard today on WCAP news: Bernie Lynch is indeed interested in the open Cambridge City Manager position. I suppose this is the moment you come back at me saying the word “duh” and all, but color me unhappy about it!

I had a friend and colleague whose husband was a manager of a golf course. The only way to “move up” in the gold course management world is…to change jobs to a more famous, prestigious golf course. Even if it means moving hours away to a whole new state. So I’m not surprised Lynch is contemplating putting his hat in the ring (or inevitably going to do so, whichever you see fit). The only way to “move up” in your career as a municipal manager is to find a bigger city with more prestige, more responsibility, bigger budgets, etc.

But I hope that CM Lynch doesn’t take it personally when I say I hope they find many faults in his application and tell him to go back to his old job. Or that they like the Billerica town manager much better (who is also reportedly interested in the job according to ‘CAP)!

Via dedicated brother Murphy (the not-mayor one), I was alerted to the upcoming performance of Gráinne Murphy along with band mate and pianist Kathleen Boyle. Gráinne is a fiddler of some renown. They’ll be upstairs at The Old Court Irish Pub on 29-31 Central St. this Friday at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $18, at the door or in advance.

HiL has a great interview with the Lowell native. And if we’re really lucky, we might even get the Mayor to jump in for a spell! (On the tin whistle, apparently.)

Irish music rocks.

The biannual resurfacing of Mike Hayden, tooting his own horn (shocker) as a replacement for a possibly-departing Lenzi (one would hardly believe one can do worse than GOB stalwart Lenzi but…) had me reminiscing. Not only are there some great blog posts whereby we took him at his own words (and website), but…Mike…no matter how far apart we are…we’ll always have the comments.

Oh, the comments!

Here’s a little saunter down memory lane for all you crazy young kids:

Wherein I need His Holiness to pray for my sorry sinning ass.

Mike Hayden Says:
April 22nd, 2010 at 9:15 am e
The only thing pathic here Lynne is you,it is no wonder your an atheist the only thing you worship is yourself. You really are a sad person I will pray for you

and offers to have me pay him to learn about being angry from him:

Mike Hayden Says:
March 18th, 2010 at 2:19 pm e
Wow
Sounds like you could use a course in Anger Management Lynne Your temper and language are going to land you in big trouble some day Call me I will give you a discount on the course Who knows maybe you learn something
Mike Hayden

PS - if you want to advertise your business on my website I suggest learning some grammar…oh, and also, it might help if you didn’t appear to badly need your own services. It erodes and undermines any confidence in your abilities.

And then there’s this pithy comeback to the time I called him out on his pathetic GOPer talking points and called him dismissable:

Mike Hayden Says:
August 13th, 2011 at 3:23 pm e
you know Lynne you are such a dishrag

Dishrag? So quaint!

Of course, Mike’s visits here are nothing compared to his visits to the trashy Topix comments on the Lowell Sun website. But he’s tried. Lord knows, he’s tried to keep us entertained here at LiL over the long years.

That was an exceptionally great amount of fun! Let’s do it again in another two years!