Down To Two

Down To Two

How many people actually know there’s a governor’s race in Massachusetts this year? Probably a lot more people than the number who can name any of the Democratic candidates. In my humble, that’s a huge fault of local media, which can’t stop talking about Baker like he’s the smartest man in the room, even though it’s pretty evident at this point that he’s much more of an empty suit—and more corrupt—than they want to admit. There are so many reasons…

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Lowell Will Have a Plastic Bag Ban! And, On Leading From the Front

Lowell Will Have a Plastic Bag Ban! And, On Leading From the Front

If plastic bag ban enthusiasts tuned into Lowell City Council last night hoping to have an early evening, you were sorely mistaken. Two motions taken out of order—as described by Dick Howe in his CC report but which does not do any justice to the length of time the first motion out of order took—pushed the Subcommittee reports until, if I remember correctly, after 8:30pm. TBH the softball field thing took twice as long as the marijuana-in-public motion, which is…

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Lowell Plastic Bag Ban Reports Out of Committee

Lowell Plastic Bag Ban Reports Out of Committee

Tomorrow night is Prince Spaghetti—no, wait, that’s Wednesday. Tomorrow night is the Lowell City Council meeting! For a good overall preview, you can always turn to Mimi, who is now blogging over at RH.com. But tucked into the city council agenda doc is something very important. Namely, that the Environmental and Flood Subcommittee will be favorably reporting out the plastic bag ban in a 2 to 1 yea vote. Please note: the so-called “Democrat” Rodney Elliott voted against it, something…

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Want Free Money To Save The Planet?

Want Free Money To Save The Planet?

If you’re reading this blog, chances are you care about climate change and our planet. You probably, like me, are always trying to find ways to reduce your carbon footprint or reduce waste. (My latest was buying dishwasher safe reusable silicone freezer/microwave ziplock-like bags, cotton produce bags so I can stop using those plastic ones at the ol’ MB, and silicone cooking tray liners so I can stop using aluminum foil. I’m also trying hard to refuse plastic straws at…

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Third District and the Curse of the Open Seat

Third District and the Curse of the Open Seat

The Third Congressional District Democratic primary beat goes on, with 13 Democrats still in the race. More than enough to field a football team, or maybe host a small school dance. This race is more annoying than the ten spam phone calls a day that I get on my landline when I’m working from home. (Been meaning to get rid of that number finally.) Anyway, it’s so crowded and the candidates largely still so unknown, that at 11%, one person,…

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Trans Rights: Get Elliott On The Record

Trans Rights: Get Elliott On The Record

So now we’re in full swing in the state Senate campaign to replace Eileen Donoghue (and boy do I have feelings about this but I will save them for another time). Several candidates are in the running, including two sitting and one former City Councilor in Lowell, among others. But it is one specific person running for the Democratic nomination I would like to address: Councilor Rodney Elliott. First of all, a Democrat? Really?? I’ve been a member of the…

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Things I’m Reading This Week: 12/26/2017

Things I’m Reading This Week: 12/26/2017

Just some longform media I’ve been reading you might find of interest. Ma Bell In Pixels? Are big tech companies really making the world “a better place”? Or are they just maximizing profits and pursuing monopolies? Some really pertinent questions, as we watch our democracy erode. “What has the greatest collection of humanity and IQ and financial capital been brought together to accomplish?” Galloway asked the crowd. “To save world hunger? To create greater comity of man? I don’t think so….

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Mass Fiscal Alliance Cites Hate Group in Mailers

Mass Fiscal Alliance Cites Hate Group in Mailers

The Safe Communities Act has brought out the worst in the Mass Fiscal Alliance, who is trying to scuttle the bill, by sending out flyers with information produced by a white supremacist hate group. If you don’t know much about the Safe Communities Act, it’s merely a legal framework to keep our local resources local, instead of being used for federal immigration work. There is nothing controversial about it. Unless you want to spend our local and state tax dollars doing…

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I Like Donoghue. But No.

I Like Donoghue. But No.

Speculation runs rampant any time there is an open seat or leadership shakeup. With state Senate president Rosenburg taking, at minimum, an extended leave of absence due to the allegations against his spouse of sexual harassment or assault, everyone wants to know who will be taking over, and like seagulls over a french fry the swarm is immediate and fierce…at least according to the media, who loves a good scramble. The Boston Herald seems to have been the first to…

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Mayoral Glitch

Mayoral Glitch

In case you (probably) missed it, the behind-the-scenes mayoral selection (the phone calls, the meetings in the dead of night…erm, sorry, got carried away) just got not so behind the scenes. Yesterday, it appeared that Councilor John Leahy had the votes needed to secure the mayoral honor. (Sun article here, you don’t have to click through.) Those supporting Leahy are Councilors Rodney Elliott, Rita Mercier, David Conway, who was most recently elected to the council, Mayor Ed Kennedy and himself….

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