March 29, 2007

The Power of Sheriff DiPaola

Candidates who underestimate Sheriff Jim DiPaola's field network and reach into the Fifth Congressional District do so at their own risk.
More than 20 cities and towns in the Fifth District are in the sheriff's prime elective territory, Middelesex County.
He's run for office twice in the county, winning by sizable margins. He served three terms at a state representative. the guy knows how to run a campaign.
In fact, DiPaola, in an hourlong interview at The Sun on Wednesday, said he's got 500 campaign commanders in the field right now, spreading the word in the 5th district.
DiPaola lives in Malden, which is outside the district, yet he serves 80 percent of the Fifth as sheriff. so he does have connections with public safety officials and local government officials.
When asked if he was planning to move into the district, DiPaola said he was. But he quickly added:
"I think the ideas in my head should be more important than where my head rests on a pillow."
Touche, Big Jim.
Still, DiPaola knows he has to overcome the carpetbagger image. Niki Tsongas, who's been living in Charlestown, recently leased a condo in Lowell. State Rep. Jim Miceli, D-Wilmington, also lives outside the district.
The sheriff says he's got a track record of serving the district and that's what his campaign is all about. "I've professionalized the work force at the Billerica House of Corrections and the Middlesex Jail. I've given inmates the chance to learn skills that will make them productive citizens once they serve their debt to society. I've made efficiencies. As a state rep, I've filed legislation that helped not only my district but the entire state. I'm a competitor. And if I go to Washington, people know that I'll be fighting for their interests because I've battled all my life."
DiPaola might sound like Rocky Balboa, and in a way he's lived the dream. Born into an immigrant family, he's worked hard tobecome a cop, then a city councilor and then a state rep. All along the line, people gave him few chances of getting elected. But he did.
The message is simple, he says. "I tell people I'll work hard and I'll do my best. When I see something that's wrong, I want to change it. That gives me great satisfaction in life."
DiPaola has the support from labor groups and believes he can win broad appeal during the campaign.
Time will tell. But in a low-turnout race, where only 15 percent of voters are expected to go to the polls, DiPaola's regular base of support in 20 Fifth District towns is a solid starting point that no other candidate can boast of.

Posted by JimC at 4:37 PM | Comments (3)

March 27, 2007

Donahue is A Democrat

What does the political affliation filing mistake by Eileen Donoghue's campaign staff tell us? Either the staffers don't know their candidate or they're asleep at the wheel. Neither can be tolerated if Donoghue is to overcome better known rivals like Niki Tsongas and Middlesex Sheriff Jim DiPaola in the Fifth District congressional race. Donoghue's campaign made a mistake when it listed the candidates party affiliation as Independent and not Democrat on her official statement of candidacy filed with the Federal Election Committee. Matt Murphy of The Sun's Statehouse bureau uncovered the story Saturday while researching FEC records. At first, he thought Donoghue's campaign was making a bold political move. By running as an Independent, Donoghue would avoid a costly primary knocking heads with Democrats' Tsongas, DiPaola, and state Reps. Barry Finegold, Jamie Eldridge and Jim Miceli. She'd be able to hone her message to a wide range of voters,including the district's 198,514 unenrolled voters. The big advantage would be that Donogheu would have money to burn for the general election. There are drawbacks to the strategy, though. By denying her Democratic roots, Donoghue risks alienating a big core group of voters. Even many unenrolled voters have strong Democrat tendencies. Plus, she'd be signaling a sort of desperation that she couldn't beat Tsongas, DiPaola or the others in a crowded primary race. DiPaola, especially, would be hurt by Donoghue's Independent status. His campaign operatives are hoping for Tsongas and Donoghue to carve up the Lowell area vote; if Tsonhgas were given a free pass in the primary, she'd pull in a huge plurality that would be hard for any candidate to overcome, so the strategists say. Is Donoghue, however, a real Democrat? Her historic profile says she is but just like any politician, she has a strain of opportunism in her. According to the Lowell Election Office, Donoghue first registered as a Democrat in Lowell 1988. She stayed a Democrat until May 2, 2006, when she changed her party affiliation to unenrolled. Donoghue changed her party affiliation back to Democrat on Feb. 21, 2007. Why the switch? Only the candidate knows for sure, but the date of her political transformation coincides with Beacon Hill talk that Donoghue was in line to be nominated for a district court judgeship by then-Republican Gov. Mitt Romney. The nomination never came, and Donoghue returned to her Democratic roots. The latest rumor circulating Lowell is that Gov. Deval Patrick will offer Donoghue a judgeship to take her out of the Fifth District race, thereby clearing a path for Tsongas. This is pure poppycock, say Beacon Hill insiders. Whatever, Eileen Donoghue is a very competent lawyer and city councilor and certainly stacks up well with her Democratic rivals in what is shaping up as a competive congressional race. Still, it would have been interesting to see her break away from the pack as an Independent for Democrats, thus guaranteeing herself a spot in the general election.

Posted by JimC at 8:26 AM | Comments (4)

March 19, 2007

Deval Patrick: The joke's on us

I don't take delight in watching Gov. Deval Patrick disintegrate only two months into the job. Nor do I like it when the governor is the butt of a majority of jokes during South Boston festivities celebrating St. Patrick's Day. Patrick was a good sport in Boston, but I find it hard to believe that he wasn't pained - or at least anguished - by the ribbing. Patrick's new communications team has now launched a major operation to reverse the negative trends. In fact, a WBZ poll recently found that Patrick's popularity has dipped 20 percentage points in two months. It took George Bush nearly three years to lose that much ground, and he's prosecuting an unpopular war. All Patrick did was act like British royalty. Anyway, it seems far-fetched that Patrick's propagandists can right this ship simply by talking over criticism with a rehash of the governor's popular talking points. That's what the plan is though. Keep the positive out front. Of course it won't work over the long haul, but these are policy wonks who get paid to develop media strategies. In my view, the governor has to start acting gubernatorial. Listen more. Learn. Act decisively. Right now, Patrick's been thinking only about himself. It's time he start thinking about the people.

Posted by JimC at 5:27 PM | Comments (5)

Niki Tsongas: Out of the Gate

If this is a horse race, it didn't take Niki Tsongas long to get out of the starting gate in the Fifth District sprint for Congress. The pedigreed Democrat has signed up a 100 prominent loyalists to serve on her campaign finance committee. The names represent some prominent people, including Lowell businessman George Behrakis; former state energy secretary Joseph Fitzpatrick of Lowell; state Democratic party treasurer M.J. Powell; former Democratic National Committee chair Steve Grossman; women’s activist and philanthropist Barbara Lee; former Lieutenant Governor Tom O’Neill; Swanee Hunt, who served as ambassador to Austria in the Clinton Administration; and Dennis Kanin, Paul Tsongas’ chief of staff and manager of the Tsongas’ Congressional, Senate and Presidential Campaigns.

But get this, Tsongas announced that she's already banked $140,000 in campaign donations!
The race is only a week old. Not bad for someone who has never been in a campaign of her own.

Obviously, Niki Tsongas has learned well for her late husband Paul, the U.S. Senator who did so much for Lowell, the region and the state. Some political observers say that Niki actually advised Paul on many important campaign issues. We'll find out soon enough Niki's got the right stuff for the election grind. But so far she's made all the right moves. She's gotten a campaign staff up and running in a matter of days and put money in the bank to boot.
From now until April 15, which is the first disclosure deadline for federal campaign donations, candidates will be vying to fill their war chests. This is a signal of political viability and credibility. Everyone likes to back a winner, and donors now holding tight to their checkbooks will loosen up the pursestrings once they see who is capturing the big bucks.

It's early, but Niki Tsongas has jumped in front in the all-important race for campaign cash.

Posted by JimC at 5:01 PM

March 16, 2007

Jim Miceli on NewsTalk Live

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO AUDIO

Stay tuned for comments from my interview with Jim Miceli

Posted by Admin at 11:17 AM | Comments (3)

March 15, 2007

Is Chancellor Meehan here to stay?

Has Marty Meehan had his fill of Congress?

It would seem so after the seven-term Democrat gave up his pay, power and perks in America's most exclusive political club to become chancellor at UMass Lowell.

Don't get me wrong. Meehan's not taking the poor route out of Washington. He'll receive a bloated public salary and perks that will likely double his congressional pay of $162,500.

It will be interesting to see if he keeps his Belvidere home in Lowell. Here's a prediction: He won't.

But back to my main point. Will Meehan find happiness and longevity on Chancellor's Row?

Based on history, I don't think the Meehan train has left the political track for good.

They say timing in politics is everything. So is opportunity.

Meehan saw an opportunity at UMass Lowell and took it. The timing was right too.

Meehan's either been blocked or deterred from seeking higher political ambitions at least twice in the past four years. First, he decided against running for the Democratic gubernatorial

nomination in 2002, when Scott Harshbarger got the nod and went on to lose to Mitt Romney. Second, he never got the chance to run for an open U.S. Senate seat.
For at least two minutes on the day of the 2004 U.S. presidential election, it looked like Meehan might get his wish. TV exit polls were erroneously predicting that Sen. John F. Kerry would win Ohio and Florida, two key states considered essential to the Democrat's chances. Well, we know what happened. Kerry is still in the Senate and not the White House.

It's interesting that Meehan is negotiating a three-year contract with the UMass Board of Trustees. That'll take him up to 2010.

What if a U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts opens up?

Does Meehan stay the course at UMass Lowell?

Meehan will be 53 years old when his chancellor's contract comes up for renewal. He'll probably still possess most of the $5.1 million now sitting in his campaign war chest.

Who's to say Meehan, after adding the title of chancellor to his impressive resume, won't run if Sens. Ted Kennedy or Kerry step down?

My prediction? He would if the opportunity and timing were right. And that's the only thing that bothers me about Chancellor Meehan's situation.

Meehan's got the blood of politics coursing through his veins, not the ink of academia.

Also, Meehan's got a track record that says he can -- and will -- change his mind.

Meehan was supposed to leave Congress nine years ago, in 1998, after pledging to serve only four terms as a federal lawmaker.

Back then, his change of heart went something like this: Ask not what your district could do for you, ask what you can do for your district.

Everyone, including the then-editorial board of this newspaper, basically gave the popular Democrat a pass after he broke his term-limits pledge.

Meehan went on to become a resourceful and productive member of Congress for this region, this state and the nation. He has the makings to be a successful chancellor.

But a nagging question remains: Will Chancellor Meehan abandon his post if the chance of a lifetime opens up to be U.S. senator?

Meehan can put all the questions to rest and without making a pledge, because we know how that can turn out.

If Meehan really wants us to believe that he is committed to faithfully serving UMass Lowell students and faculty, he should divest his entire $5.1 million campaign war chest.

Freed from all the special-interest influence, we can affectionately call the new chancellor "Marty of Assisi" -- poor in political cash but rich in respect.

TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK....

Join me and veteran state Rep. Jim Miceli on NewsTalk Live Thursday at 7:00pm. Miceli will address security issues at Tewksbury State Hospital and local aid funding. Miceli said he will also run for Congress if U.S. Rep. Marty Meehan steps down. Dial (978)364-8255 at 6:45pm to join in the conversation.

Posted by Admin at 12:47 PM | Comments (1)

March 9, 2007

Down in the dumps? Break out the tux and have a ball or two

There's nothing like a glorious week of downtown activities to drive away those mid-winter blues.

Lately, I had been feeling a bit gloomy. Then five events came along that perked me up again -- all in the downtown.

* Oscar Night at Caffe Paradiso, Sunday, Feb. 25.

* The Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce breakfast, Wednesday, Feb. 28, at the DoubleTree Hotel.

* The Yankee Clipper Council of the Boys Scouts of America dinner, Wednesday night, at Lowell Memorial Auditorium.

* Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Friday at the Auditorium.

* The Lowell General Hospital Ball, Saturday at the Auditorium.

I actually wore my brand new "After Six" tuxedo, purchased at Sully's in Lowell, twice in a span of six days.

What's remarkable is that my wife bought me the tuxedo for Christmas 2005 but I never got fitted for it. I had no reason to.

Last November, however, my wife warned me that the gift certificate might be expiring soon. I promptly called Sully at his Bridge Street store and learned differently. "That certificate's good from birth to death," he said, "but you should get fitted sometime in between."
It took three fittings and Sully finally made me look like an Italian tenor, without Pavarotti's girth.

No sooner did I get the tux home when the first invitation came in. Adriana DeStefano, who co-owns Caffe Paradiso with her brother Oscar, asked if I'd co-host the 3rd annual Oscar Award Ceremony Gala. She said my mistress of ceremonies would be longtime Lowell School Committee member Regina Faticanti. I accepted on the spot.

It was a night of stars -- and not from Hollywood either. More than 100 men in tuxedos and women in eye-popping gowns were treated to a walk down a red carpet. It led to a heated tent that enclosed a sidewalk bar. The night was fun and classy. The highlight came when Sen. Steve Panagiotakos broke into an impromptu Greek folk dance -- hasapiko -- and sparked memories of Anthony Quinn in the Zorba the Greek.

If you weren't in Lowell, you missed it.

Three days later I was back on the podium, sans tux, as moderator of the annual Chamber of Commerce breakfast. Looking out at the DoubleTree crowd I saw a great deal of untapped inspiration, and I urged chamber members to get their voices heard in local affairs.

That night, the Auditorium shone brightly as the Yankee Clipper Council honored Courier Corp. CEO James F. Conway as its Distinguished Citizen of the Year. Once again, a good area crowd was on hand. I was impressed by the evening's enduring message: values, loyalty, character, friendship, team-building.

From morning to night, Wednesday in Lowell was more than just Prince Spaghetti Day.

On Friday, I started to unwind. After a martini and appetizers at LaBoniche, my wife and I walked down Merrimack Street to the Auditorium for a fabulous evening of entertainment. The cast and crew of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat were simply superb. A large crowd from all over Greater Lowell had the pleasure of seeing a classy Broadway production minutes from their homes.

On the wintry walk back to our downtown condo, it wasn't the cold that my wife and I talked about; rather, it was the warm spirit of a confident air.

(Later, I learned that the cast of Dinah Was, after completing its performance at the Merrimack Repertory Theater, showed up at Ricardo's Trattoria on Gorham Street where they wowed dinner guests with a jazz overture.)

If you weren't in Lowell, you missed it all.

Finally, on Saturday night, I broke out the tuxedo again for the Lowell General Hospital Ball. This event has the potential to become the social event of the season, if not the year.

It was a night of elegance and impeccable detail from start to finish, something all Greater Lowellians deserve from time to time. Valet parking. Sumptuous hors d'oeuvres and complimentary cocktails. Beautiful floral arrangements. Exceptional dinner and lively dancing. (The New York-based musical group, Vali Music, had 450 guests on their feet for a solid four hours, until midnight.)

Potential congressional candidates Niki Tsongas and City Councilor Eileen Donoghue looked stunning in their gowns, as did all the women.

Congratulations to Lowell General CEO Norm Deschene and all the staff who made this such a special evening at the Auditorium. In addition, tens of thousands of dollars were raised for the hospital's community health initiatives.

If you weren't in Lowell, you missed it.

Or maybe you were there; let me know what your highlight of the night was?

Posted by Admin at 1:28 PM | Comments (1)