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June 25, 2007

Candidates sink their teeth in at debate

NOW THAT the 5th District Congressional candidates have had a few months to get their sea legs, it's time to reassess the field.

Campaign organizations are in place. Candidates have had time to flesh out their platforms. So let the games begin.

The Sun sponsored the campaign's first general debate at the beautiful and expansive Devens Commons. More than 320 spectators showed up Tuesday to hear the five Democrats vying to replace Marty Meehan in Congress.

Several candidates -- particularly Lowell City Councilor Eileen Donoghue and state Rep. Jamie Eldridge -- sharpened their fangs during the 90-minute debate. Let's recap the performances:

She was strong on her positions to end the war in Iraq and combat global warming, but stumbled a bit when challenged by Eldridge and Donoghue on her lack of political experience and a vote on the city's Civic Arena and Stadium Commission to approve a contract with the Lowell Devils that favors the AHL team financially and puts the city in a bind.

Instead of directly defending herself -- and the reasons behind the contract concessions -- Tsongas answered in a roundabout way.

Tsongas has spent much of her adult life in politics, but never had to play herself. She's better one-on-one than in front of a crowd at this point. And if Tuesday was any indication, her opponents are coming around to the reality that she's the one to beat.

Eileen Donoghue. Firm, confident, experienced. That was the image Donoghue tired to get across -- fairly successfully.

But did she do enough to distinguish herself as a No. 1? Not yet.

Donoghue hammered home her municipal experience in Lowell with a message that seemed to resonate with voters leaving Devens. She also showed a willingness to challenge her opponents, particularly Tsongas.

But she'll probably have to do more to appeal to Democrats across the district if she's going to win.

Jamie Eldridge. Voters know exactly what they're getting. A liberal, progressive Democrat who believes single-payer universal health care can help solve many of the district's problems. Free-trade agreements -- not NAFTA -- will save U.S. jobs. Eldridge was clear, calm and unflinching in his convictions.

Donoghue, on Tuesday, tried to tell him governing is about compromise and partnership, not just swimming against the tide and exhorting Democratic ideals while condemning those who might loosen their grip.

But Eldridge seems to be succeeding in convincing some voters that he will be a strong leader.

Barry Finegold. Also strong on Tuesday, Finegold did an excellent job of staying on message, talking about the need to reduce America's dependence on foreign oil and to return to diplomacy to end the war in Iraq quickly.

But the pro-choice Democrat was broadsided by Eldridge, who asked why Finegold had co-sponsored a bill that would restrict a woman's access to an abortion for 24 hours.

Finegold muddled the response on stage, but later said his staff had made a mistake signing his name to the bill.

The Andover Democrat was another candidate Tuesday who was impressive, but not show-stopping.

Jim Miceli. He doesn't get lost in the shadows. Miceli turned in another blustery performance at the debate, at one point telling Finegold to "shut up." But his "man-of-the-people" persona doesn't seem to be resonating, particularly with liberal Democrats turned off by his conservative bent.

If this election does hinge on the war, Miceli's we-can't-leave-now stand will hurt.

But, what do we know? The man has served in the state Legislature for 30 years. He must be doing something right.

THE FLAP over Finegold's "mistaken" endorsement of an antiabortion bill in the Legislature has grown some legs. Finegold spent the 24 hours after the debate trying to set the record straight.

It didn't work.

Emily's List, a national women's political-action committee, e-mailed supporters on Thursday criticizing Finegold and asking readers to support Tsongas.

Emily's List has endorsed Tsongas, and has her photo and a fundraising link prominently displayed on its Web site.

Finegold called the attack "patently false" and "politics as usual." He called on Tsongas to join him in condemning the e-mail.

Tsongas spokeswoman Katie Elbert said Finegold was just trying to draw Tsongas into the controversy and attention away from the real story.

She said nothing in the e-mail was factually inaccurate, and Tsongas would not call for a retraction.

The bill would create a 24-hour waiting period for women seeking an abortion and require them to receive information about alternatives. Finegold's name has appeared as a co-sponsor of a bill since 2005.

On Wednesday, he asked that his name be removed from the bill and said he wasn't sure how it got there. NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts and Planned Parenthood have rallied to his side, defending Finegold's 100 percent pro-choice voting record.

MEANWHILE, REPUBLICAN challenger Jim Ogonowski, of Dracut, last week received a lengthy profile on CNN and CNN.com, boosting his name recognition.

Ogonowski, who retired as a lieutenant colonel at the end of May after 28 years in the U.S. Air Force, is the brother of John Ogonowski, pilot of American Airlines Flight 11, the first plane to hit the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, a fact remarked upon by the CNN story.

The story also quoted an analyst from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government who noted that Ogonowski, who faces a primary challenge from fellow Republican John Tierney, has an uphill climb ahead.

Only Tsongas and Ogonowski have drawn attention from the national media. That never hurts a political cause.

On the night of the Democratic debate, Ogonowski was seen greeting more than 6,000 fans to the Lowell Spinners season-opening game.

THERE HAS been a shakeup at Lowell's Coalition for a Better Acre, a neighborhood activist group and community development corporation.

Community organizers Lindolfo Carballo and Darcie Boyer "are no longer with CBA," according to a June 13 letter from agency Executive Director Emily Weitzman Rosenbaum. Rosenbaum declined to discuss what happened, but confirmed "there have been some staffing situations."

"Unfortunately, it has caused some bad feelings," she said. "A change like this is never easy. It's important to realize that CBA, as a coalition for the community, we're bigger than individuals."

One local nonprofit director, who requested anonymity, said the move capped a power struggle that has been brewing. Rosenbaum said she plans to replace the two organizers.

Carballo declined comment last week, saying he and Boyer are working on a public statement and plan of action.

The departures incensed Diana Quiñones, former president of the CBA's board, who no longer serves on the body.

Quiñones sent an e-mail to numerous recipients last Tuesday excoriating Rosenbaum for placing "a total stop" on the agency's community-organizing activities.

"This is what you call a dictatorship if you ask me," she wrote.

Carballo and Boyer represent the agency's leftist, Hugo Chavez wing.

It has been quite a challenge for any of the CBA's recent executive directors to reconcile that protest-loving faction with the capitalists who oversee the agency's many real-estate development and management projects, which involve cooperation with private, city, state and federal funding entities, i.e. The Man.

Quiñones has been considered Carballo's champion.

Some in the nonprofit community saw her and Carballo's fingerprints on the dismissal Executive Director Richard Hersey, who was abruptly fired in February 2004 after only three months.

Rosenbaum is the fifth executive director in five years.

SAINTS MEDICAL Center announced a new name, new logo, and new (secret) strategic plan last year, but nobody mentioned that the plan didn't include CFO Tom Klessens.

A favorite of former CEO Thom Clark, Klessens resigned recently. Klessens and COO Judy Casagrande ran the hospital for about six months in 2005, after Clark stepped down to deal with his worsening ALS. (Clark passed away in December 2006.) Michael Guley, who took over as CEO in January 2006, told The Sun that Klessens "resigned and is pursuing other interests," then added that he does not discuss personnel matters, and hung up the phone.

Klessens suggested The Sun should "get that information from the hospital" when asked why he resigned. "It's unfortunate, but life goes on," he said.

Klessens politely declined to comment further, but it seemed clear that it wasn't his decision.

MEEHAN SPENT 25 minutes in the Oval Office this week with his family, wife, Ellen, and sons, Daniel and Robert, as guests of President Bush. It was a farewell visit for Meehan, who is leaving Congress after 15 years to become chancellor at UMass Lowell. Meehan said he was impressed by the Bush's intelligence and sharp memory.

"He remembered the first time we met like it was yesterday. That really floored me," said Meehan.

The encounter occurred in 2000, when former President Bill Clinton and Bush were walking down the Capitol Hill steps after the inauguration ceremony. Recounts Meehan: "I was running with Peter King (a GOP congressman from New York) and we vaulted over a barrier to get a position at the bottom of the stairs. We knew this was going to be an historic exchange of power and wanted to be there."

Meehan said Clinton and Bush emerged right in front of them, and shook hands with both of them.

"President Bush said to me, 'Marty, I'm glad you were there. You were one of the few Democrats who stayed around. That's the first time we met and I remember it well.'"

Meehan said Bush wished him well in the future, saying how great it was that Meehan will be working as an educator helping students, rather than a Washington lobbyist making a lot of money.

IT WAS shouting-room-only at the opening of Jack Kerouac's On the Road scroll last Friday at the Boott Cotton Mill Museum.

Seems that an open bar and introductory remarks don't mix.

After two scholars and an aging Beatnik were drowned out at the mike, Meehan restored order with a loud shout. UMass Lowell's Paul Marion retorted, "Is there any question we picked the right person for chancellor?"

LITTLETON TOWN officials proceeded with caution two weeks ago when Fire Chief Stephen Carter decided to buy an ambulance from a company that employs Selectman Alex McCurdy.

McCurdy, the former fire chief, removed himself from the sale, disclosed his relationship with the company to the town, and consulted the state Ethics Commission.

Carter told the Finance Committee last Tuesday that he intentionally went through the company's owner, not to "generate a conflict of interest." McCurdy said he even took it a step further and asked town counsel to write a formal opinion about the deal.

"When I ran for office I promoted the integrity of government," McCurdy said. "It would be disingenuous not to follow my own advice," he said.

The town awarded the bid to McCurdy's company on June 7, but hasn't purchased the ambulance yet.

GREATER LOWELL Tech school board member David Laferriere has told local radio that he intends to run for City Council for the eighth time this year. Laferriere did not respond to repeated calls from the Column last week.

He ran unsuccessfully in each election from 1989 to 1995 and again in 2003 and 2005. Laferriere never raises money. His electoral strategy consists largely of strapping a single hand-painted campaign sign to his van and parking it near his Belvidere neighborhood home.

At least seven sitting councilors will run, along with 10 announced challengers. Laferriere would be number 18. Prominent local political gadfly Tom Byrne is waiting to announce his run, perhaps to milk his talk-radio airtime for as long as he can.

With 19 candidates, the city would see its first preliminary election since 1995.

ONE PERSON who will not be running for City Council is "New Lowellian" Paul Schor, a 39-year-old lawyer in former School Committee member Michael Gallagher's firm. Schor lives in the city's Acre neighborhood with his wife, LZ Nunn, director of the Cultural Organization of Lowell (COOL).

NEIGHBORHOOD ACTIVIST Kristin Ross-Sitcawich, a challenger, is the first Lowell council candidate to launch a campaign Web site, www.KristinForLowell.com.

Ross-Sitcawich, an outspoken member of Lowell's political blogging community, has been a frequent poster on the site Left In Lowell where just about any whacky and unconfirmed rumor and government conspiracy gets into cyberspace.

REMEMBER THAT camping trip when you forgot the bug spray? With the air conditioning off at Billerica Town Hall, Town Manager Rocco Longo opened the unscreened windows during Monday's meeting, immediately attracting every blood-sucking pest in the Merrimack Valley to the massive light used to illuminate meetings for cable access.

Tempers boiled over during the five-hour meeting over the contentious issue of whether the town should cease municipal trash pickup at multifamily developments. But it was hard to figure out whether the loud pounding sound at any one time was coming from Chairman Michael Rosa's gavel or from a board member using a stack of paper to smack a mosquito on the desk of a neighboring selectman.

As the clock approached midnight, Selectman Kathy Matos proudly pointed out that not only was she able to remain "professionally dressed," despite the heat that had forced Selectman Robert Correnti to toss his tie and jacket, but she had also amassed an impressive body count of mosquitos, neatly piled in front of Correnti.

LOWELL SCHOOL Committee member John Leahy had not placed a motion on the previous four school-board meeting agendas, but he sure made up for it this week.

Leahy bombarded the administration with five motions requesting reports on everything from staffing at school libraries to a list of summer maintenance projects and, his pet project, a list of crosswalks that need to be painted during the summer. Razzing her colleague, committee member Regina Faticanti rolled her eyes.

"I've been working on this for a while," Leahy replied.

"I can see that," quipped Faticanti, before joyfully and officially declaring it "Pick on Mr. Leahy Day." As the reading of the fourth motion rolled around, Mayor Bill Martin questioned whether he had been referring to Leahy as "Councilor" when calling on him to explain the intent of his motions.

"Councilor is fine ... or Mayor," Leahy coyly replied.

This week's column was written by Editor Jim Campanini, City Hall reporter Michael Lafleur, Billerica reporter Jennifer Amy Myers, Assistant Lifestyles Editor Kathleen Pierce, Littleton reporter Bridget Scrimenti and Business reporter Tom Spoth.

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Posted by Admin at June 25, 2007 11:02 AM

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Posted by: Mr. Lynne at June 25, 2007 12:20 PM