July 24, 2007

Lavallee eyes 5-year contract for chief post

THE EXPECTED coronation of Kenneth Lavallee as Lowell's next police superintendent could be sailing into uncharted waters.

THE EXPECTED coronation of Kenneth Lavallee as Lowell's next police superintendent could be sailing into uncharted waters Lavallee, 52, wants a five-year contract. Such long-term deals aren't typically embraced for public-sector employees. City Manager Bernie Lynch signed a two-year contract when he was hired nearly a year ago.

Driving Lavallee's argument for a longer deal is the fact the job no longer has Civil Service protection, which City Councilor Edward "Bud" Caufield and Lavallee booster likened to a "lifetime contract."

State lawmakers recently allowed the city to withdraw the job from the Civil Service system. Lynch said he likes that idea because he can choose who he wants. Civil Service requires the new chief to come from among the top three scorers on an exam.

Lavallee, who's expected to make $132,800 this year, said he wants to retire at 57. With two kids soon headed to college, he's thinking security. Lavallee needs five years of service to qualify for a full pension at 80 percent of his three highest-paid three years.

He said if a five-year deal is impossible, he'd take a three-year deal, but with contract language stipulating that at the end of the contract he could reclaim his deputy superintendent spot, which still has Civil Service protection, if things weren't working out.

Lavallee said if he doesn't get that, "then I'll have to consider not taking the job."

Lavallee has impressed everyone since becoming acting superintendent on Dec. 1, even traditional Police Department critics like Caulfield, so it's hard to imagine an agreement will not be reached.

GEORGE RAMIREZ is one happy guy today.

First, he starts his new, $100,000-year-job tomorrow as principal legal adviser for Robert Coughlin, undersecretary of business development for the state Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development.

Second, he's no longer on the City Council. After serving about three-quarters of a two-year term, his resignation took effect last Friday.

Third, he'll be replaced by a supporter of City Manager Bernie Lynch, former School Committee member Joe Mendonca, who was the 10th-place finisher in the 2005 election.

Ramirez tells anyone who'll listen that his crowning achievement as a councilor was bonding with five other councilors to force John Cox to resign as manager in April 2006.

To hear Mendonca say Lynch is doing a "fine job" is music to Ramirez's ears.

And the music becomes a symphony when Mendonca said he'll align himself with Councilors Kevin Broderick, Eileen Donoghue, Rodney Elliott, Bill Martin, and James Milinazzo "more than the other three."

Mendonca did stress he would be an independent voice who takes "one issue at a time."

HOW VALUABLE is running as an incumbent?

Kevin Broderick was the 10th-place finisher in 2003, and got on the City Council in August 2005 after Rithy Uong resigned amid an Ethics Commission probe. Broderick won the seat outright in November 2005.

Mendonca finished out of the money in the 1999 race for School Committee, then gained the seat when Kathryn Stoklosa died. He then won election in 2001.

Most politicos agree Mendonca will need whatever help he can get in the council race. He's been out of the spotlight since he left the School Committee two years ago. He's not widely viewed as someone who schmoozes well and works a room to his advantage.

Still, Mendonca's surprising 10th-place finish last year proves that he has a constituency, particularly in the Portuguese community.

Mendonca's name will now appear on the ballot as an incumbent, listed in alphabetical order with the other incumbents seeking re-election.

In the meantime, he has the new platform of council meetings, where he can file dozens of motions and speak on every issue.

A BOSTON Phoenix article last week questioned why the state's Democratic establishment -- and Emily's List -- had flocked to Democratic congressional candidate Niki Tsongas' side "despite her obvious flaws as a candidate," i.e. her lack of government experience, and the fact there is another woman in the race.

The article, by David S. Bernstein, said the departure of Tsongas field director Sarah Compton and her replacement by former state Democratic Party Executive Director Gus Bickford "seemed to be an admission the campaign was stumbling" in the aftermath of a poll by the campaign of Lowell City Councilor Eileen Donoghue, one of Tsongas' Democratic rivals. Donoghue's poll showed Tsongas' support having dropped from 35 to 26 percent among likely voters in the Sept. 4 primary.

Donoghue's poll still showed Tsongas with a 9 percentage-point lead over Donoghue.

In any event, the article is the first real hit Tsongas has taken from the press, and it must have had Donoghue's camp smiling.

Compton said the insinuation is inaccurate.

She said she left the campaign to become the executive director of a Boston-based nonprofit organization called the Criminal Justice Policy Coalition and had given a month's notice.

"It was an opportunity that just wasn't going to be there in the fall," she said. "It was a difficult decision."

Katie Elbert, Tsongas campaign spokeswoman, said team Tsongas had intended all along to bring aboard Bickford, a Westford resident who specializes in heading get-out-the-vote operations. With Compton leaving, he just assumed her duties as well, Elbert said.

"He has a lot of experience," she said. "He knows this district very well. We're really excited to have him on board."

OF COURSE, the Tsongas people conducted their own July 15 poll of likely primary voters showing their candidate with a commanding, 23-point lead over Donoghue and growing favorability ratings. So, it's anyone's guess which poll to believe.

Looks like the old saw could use a slight tweaking: There are lies, damn lies and political polls.

STATE REP. Jim Miceli may have raised only $4,140 in the last fundraising period, bringing his total to just under $11,000 for the entire campaign, but the veteran pol said he is "unequivocally" in the race to stay.

Three of his four listed donors didn't even live in the district. (Neither does Miceli, who lives in Wilmington, but his district includes most of Tewksbury.)

By contrast, Eldridge, who raised the fourth most during the period that ended June 30, raked in more than $158,000. Tsongas, who topped the list, brought in nearly $670,000 with nearly 80 percent of that total coming from outside the district, though almost 90 percent of her contributors were Massachusetts residents.

Miceli also had an extremely lackluster performance during the fundraising period that ended March 30.

At the time, he said: "I'm going to have a big amount late, right when it counts."

The primary is 44 days from today. It's late.

Last Friday, Miceli, who sold his insurance business in 2000, said he can "access money any time I need it" and added that in his 16 previous elections to the state House of Representatives "I used a lot of my own money."

"If I needed money tomorrow morning, I could access it," he said. "This isn't about money. It's about a message. It's who has something to say that's meaningful. Watch. Talk to me the day after the election. I have run in 16 elections. I must know something about getting elected."

TOM TIERNEY, a Republican candidate for the 5th Congressional District, has been trying to make an issue out of Jim Ogonowski's no-shows at several recent debates.

At a debate last week, sponsored by the Non-Profit Alliance of Greater Lowell, Tierney said, "His handlers are telling him to stay out of sight. If you see my friend Jim, tell him it's a bad strategy."

But is it?

Ogonowski, a Dracut farmer with strong conservative values, had nothing to gain. Some think it's a smart move for Ogonowski to let the other candidates punch themselves out, and the take on whoever is left standing after the Sept. 4 primary.

But some also think that Ogonowski could use the batting practice and should have attended the NPA debate, as well as last Sunday's "front porch" debate outside Fern's Country Store in Carlisle.

Ogonowski's campaign manager, Barney Keller, said one-on-one debates with Tierney are in the offing.

"We've been looking for (Tierney). Maybe he should consider moving into the 5th District," Keller said.

Tierney lives in Framingham, which is in the 7th Congressional District. He is making his fifth run since 1984 for the 5th District seat.

WITH AN extremely small primary turnout likely, every Democrat covets the support of organized labor, which has yet to come out in force behind any one candidate.

The Merrimack Valley Central Labor Council, an umbrella group for unions representing about 60,000 workers in the Merrimack Valley, considered the issue last Thursday night and couldn't come to a consensus on a recommendation.

Next up is the state AFL-CIO, which will meet on the subject Tuesday, and determine whether to give an endorsement, which could be crucial to determining if any 5th District Democrat gets a major labor endorsement.

Paul Georges, the Merrimack Valley Central Labor Council president, said he has no idea if any candidate will receive the two-thirds vote necessary for an endorsement.

"It's too hard to predict," he said. "There's some very, very good candidates running for Marty's (Meehan) seat. There's different loyalties from within the same group for different candidates."

THE TYNGSBORO School Committee nearly missed the boat.

It wasn't until committee member Diana Keohane suggested applying for state money for a building project at this week's meeting that her fellow committee members got on board with the idea.

It's a good thing, too. The deadline to apply for Massachusetts School Building Authority money is July 31.

The SBA began accepting applications on July 1 for state-funded building projects after four years of freezing funding. The School Committee will have to schedule a public meeting before the deadline to sign its letter-of-interest.

The middle school needs the most work, where windows, a boiler, gym bleachers and cafeteria equipment all need replacing.

Greater Lowell Technical High School, also in Tyngsboro, sent a letter-of-interest last month for a possible expansion project that would have to be partially paid for by Tyngsboro taxpayers.

JOHN RYAN faced a lot of condemnation and scorn when he resigned from the Tewksbury Board of Selectmen three months ago. Nothing quite like that has formed for the board's latest defector, retired Police Chief John Mackey.

Maybe Mackey's reason for resigning, in some people's eyes, holds more water than Ryan's. Mackey is moving to New Hampshire and thus cannot remain a Tewksbury selectman.

Ryan, meanwhile, had a tougher time assuring people that he simply needed to spend more time with his children, as rumors swirled about his health and his frustration with the new makeup of the board.

Mackey's his first deed after handing in his resignation on Tuesday was to apologize to Tewksbury's residents.

Ryan disappeared from the public limelight right after his resignation, evading all media requests for interviews until talking with The Sun a full week later.

But the men did share a common approach on at least one subject. Both said they had full confidence the remaining board members would cope just fine.

MORE THAN two weeks after publicly denouncing Grotonfest organizer Jane Bouvier for keeping the date of the event on Jewish holiday Yom Kippur, Groton Selectman Josh Degen says he has "had it" with the controversy.

But that doesn't mean he has forgiven Bouvier and Groton Business Association.

"I still feel the same way about it as I did yesterday," he wrote in his message he posted on the Groton Talk-about e-mail exchange server last Tuesday. "I will not go to Grotonfest at this point ever again," he wrote, adding that he wishes the festival's continued success and everyone attending to have a good time.

REPROGRAM YOUR TiVO for Monday nights. The fire is back in Billerica politics and the Board of Selectmen is the best show in town. After a rather tepid few months of meetings, the fur was flying once again in the Conway Hearing Room last week.

Selectmen canceled a forum to discuss trash pickup, with several members angry that they learned about the meeting via press release and could not attend.

Then, Chairman Michael Rosa said town counsel may have changed position on the question of eliminating trash pickup at multifamily units -- a change that only Rosa and Town Manager Rocco Longo were aware of.

"Are you going to tell us of this new opinion or is it a secret?" Selectman Jim O'Donnell asked. O'Donnell then blasted Rosa for poor communication. Several times during the night, Rosa told O'Donnell that he did not appreciate his sarcasm.

Frustrated Selectman Marc Lombardo called for the board to consider changing counsel, the law firm of Brackett and Lucas. Lombardo said he often waits for weeks for legal opinions, and once received a call from the firm only after Longo intervened.

Even normally level-headed Selectman Kathy Matos had a hard time keeping her cool.

"I could not have been more specific in my questions to counsel (Donna Gorshel Cohen) that night (last month's meeting)," she said. "We absolutely need to hold off on this meeting until we have answers."

IT'S HARD to get past a seemingly offhand comment that Mohammed "Mo" Khan, the Montachusett Area Regional Transit administrator, made during a meeting between the Ayer Board of Selectmen and the state Executive Office of Transportation last Monday.

It sure sounded as if he said MART wants a single parking facility for the town instead of the hybrid solution backed by residents and selectmen.

After the meeting, Khan insisted MART will do whatever the town wants.

Speaking of that meeting, Stephen M. Woelfel, statewide transit planning manager for the EOT, insisted he couldn't make any decisions and knew nothing about Ayer's plans to increase its parking inventory for commuters, shoppers and recreation. He said he was just going to report back to his bosses which begs the question, why didn't they go to the meeting, because they have the power to release the funding needed to build the parking facilities?

Contributing to the Column this week were City Editor Christopher Scott, City Hall reporter Michael Lafleur, Dracut reporter Dennis Shaughnessey, Groton reporter Hiroko Sato, Tyngsboro reporter Chris Camire, Tewksbury reporter Alexandra Mayer-Hohdahl, Billerica reporter Jennifer Amy Myers and Ayer reporter Jack Minch.

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July 16, 2007

Ex-official: Something's fishy with staff searches

HE'S BAAAACK.

Mike McLaughlin, that is.

The evidence is overwhelming, charges former Dracut Selectman Warren Shaw, that the former business manager for the Dracut schools is trying to control the searches for a new schools superintendent and executive director at the town housing authority.

Shaw points to the following evidence:

* Ken Martin, a McLaughlin confidante and chairman of the Housing Authority board of commissioners, gets selected as chairman of the committee that will screen candidates seeking to replace Superintendent of Schools Elaine Espindle.

* Two weeks later, School Committee member Dennis "D.J." Deeb, also in McLaughlin's camp, ends up on the search committee for a new housing executive director to replace Joe Tully Jr. Martin chairs that committee, too.

Shaw was mum on the matter until McLaughlin called The Column late Thursday. He blasted Shaw for "going around town saying I wanted to be the next school superintendent."

So The Column called Shaw.

"As usual, Mike McLaughlin is once again trying to interfere, in not one, but two hiring processes in Dracut," said Shaw, adding that the appointments of Martin and Deeb cannot be coincidence.

McLaughlin is 62. He says he plans to retire as executive director of the Chelsea Housing Authority in October and has "no desire" to take over Dracut schools or the Housing Authority. He admitted, however, it's possible "someone I know" gets selected.

"I've been in this business a long time," he said. "I know a lot of people."

Martin vehemently denied any kind of backroom wheeling and dealing, saying that he was following guidelines from the state Department of Housing and Community Development.

"It's a diverse screening committee and it's part of the process," Martin said. "As it relates to Mike McLaughlin, why would he even want (the housing director's) job? He'd have to take a cut in pay."

There's a common thread to the two appointments: School Committee Chairman Ron Mercier. Mercier appointed Martin to the superintendent search. Then Martin asked Mercier to help the search for the housing director. On Monday night, Mercier said he didn't have enough free time -- and promptly handed the job to Deeb.

The appointments are curious in several ways. The School Committee has little interaction with the Housing Authority, so why all of a sudden ask one of its members to serve? And why Deeb, who is also on the Greater Lowell Technical High School Committee?

Other committee members such as Mike Miles or Nancy Mendonca would have been available. Committee member Mary Gail Martin would have been an improbable choice because her husband, Brian Martin, is a Housing Authority employee and serves on the Greater Lowell Technical School Committe with Deeb.

Had Mercier served on the housing search, he certainly would have been linked to his grandfather, City Councilor Armand Mercier, who was the longtime executive director of the Lowell Housing Authority.

Who succeeded Mercier? McLaughlin.

ALSO REMEMBER that Deeb pushed McLaughlin's son, Matthew McLaughlin, for the job of school business administrator in 2005, even though the younger McLaughlin did not have the qualifications for the job.

Mike McLaughin's history in Dracut includes his position as school business administrator in the days when Christos Daoulas was superintendent.

His position was eliminated shortly after Espindle took over as superintendent of schools.

He also positioned himself on two occasions to become Dracut's town manager, but was unsuccessful.

The Deeb-Martin-McLaughlin triumvirate is certainly raising eyebrows. Deeb called The Sun this week to say he was only doing what he was asked to do and nothing more.

"If I can help get the best person for the job to serve Dracut, that's all I'm trying to do," he said.

DEVAL PATRICK'S honeymoon in Tewksbury is over.

The governor faced a barrage of unusually strident criticism from local officials last Friday after he blocked a home-rule petition that would have deferred Tewksbury teachers' summer pay, a measure that had been heralded as a budget saver for the cash-strapped town.

Patrick and state Department of Revenue officials said the teacher-salary deferral would set a "fiscally unwise precedent" and would not help in addressing the town's structural deficit.

But Tewksbury officials countered that the deferral was intended to be a one-time fix and that Patrick's rebuff of the deferral will set the stage for a $175 trash-collection fee to be put in place, which they say is contrary to his vows to lower property taxes and user fees.

"The 'Deval Patrick Memorial Trash Fee.' How about that?" Selectmen Chairman Jerry Selissen offered. "Seriously though, to say I'm disappointed is an understatement."

"The good citizens of Tewksbury can thank Beacon Hill for the 'Municipal Partnership Trash Fee' that's going to the thrust onto them whether they want it or not," Finance Committee Chairman Ron Hall added. "(Patrick) preaches one thing, but he does another."

AFTER COUNTLESS late nights churning out a record-breaking $26.8 billion state budget, nothing recharges the batteries better than a field trip to the Mill City.

At least, that was the thinking that brought 24 weary but enthusiastic Senate Ways and Means staffers to Lowell last Thursday for a whirlwind tour by state Sen. Steven Panagiotakos, the new Ways and Means Committee chairman and a Lowell native.

The crew checked out the canals, peeked at Jack Kerouac's scroll, noshed on a barbecue feast at the Blue Shamrock and topped it all off with a Spinners game.

The trek, paid from Panagiotakos' campaign funds, even attempted to stay green by taking the train.

The biggest treat for the staffers, however? Getting to see their boss sporting a Hawaiian shirt and laid-back shades.

SPEAKING OF Panagiotakos' campaign account, a star-studded fundraiser is planned for the new Ways and Means chief.

The event will take place on July 25 at the Dracut home of Michael and Cindy Kuenzler.

Kuenzler is the former Lowell poice officer who's made it big in the private sector with a sporting-goods business and remains influential with local movers and shakers, such as Panagiotakos and UMass-Lowell Chancellor Marty Meehan.

Patrick is expected to attend, as is state Senate President Therese Murray and state Sen. Steven Baddour, a close confidante of Panagiotakos.

The three food stations look absolutely scrumptious, with plenty of Greek taste sensations.

The "suggested" donation? From $250 to $500.

Panagiotakos hasn't had a serious opponent since he was first elected to the Senate in 1996, so why does he need the cash? Easy. Something's amiss when a senator like Baddour, from Methuen, has nearly $280,000 in his campaign coffers while Pangiotakos, the No. 2 man in the Senate, has $79,000.

The Ways and Means chairman needs a hefty purse to perhaps help other senators conduct a statewide poll on an important issue or pay for a nice spread for senators working late into the night on an issue.

Panagiotakos appears to touch on such concerns in a letter to prospective supporters.

"With the enormous professional and budgetary responsibilities that go along with being chairman of Ways and Means are also new political and leadership responsibilities which my campaign committee will have to financially support," he wrote, adding that he does not accept PAC money or lobbyist contributions.

THERE'S BEEN another high-level reassignment in the Lowell Police Department, triggered by Acting Superintendent Kenneth Lavallee's recent promotions of former Capts. Robert DeMoura and Arthur Ryan Jr. to acting deputy superintendents.

Capt. William Taylor -- who actually did a stint as acting deputy superintendent under former Pollice Superintendent Edward Davis -- has been shifted to commander of the West Sector, which is composed of the Acre and Highlands.

Taylor takes over from Capt. Jonathan Webb, who's filling DeMoura's shoes as head of the Criminal Bureau and other investigative services.

Taylor joins the other sector commanders, John "Jay" Flaherty (North, Belvidere, Centralville and Pawtucketville) and Kevin Staveley (East, Downtown, Gorham Street corridor).

LIFE ON the UMass Lowell campus certainly has grown interesting since Meehan arrived as chancellor two weeks ago.

Former Provost John Wooding was the first to go, before Meehan officially started. More recently, it was Jeff Thompson, vice chancellor for information technology, packing.

Meehan has ordered an internal audit of the university's organizational structure and its effectiveness. More changes are likely to come.

Meehan said he expects to have the audit done by next month and a new organizational structure in place by September.

"It's a natural thing to do," he said, adding that he wants to establish a management system "that is conducive to my style, which is more inclusive."

Unsurprisingly, that shake-up has the campus intelligentsia buzzing. UMass Lowell's top ranks changed little during the 25 years of Chancellor William Hogan's tenure.

SOME ON campus are looking at Meehan's handling of men's hockey coach Blaise MacDonald for clues to the new boss's management style.

Meehan has been as harsh as possible with the coach, who was arrested in Chelmsford late last month on suspicion of drunken driving. MacDonald was allegedly found sleeping in his car while parked blocking the entrance to a condominium complex where he does not live.

Meehan suspended MacDonald indefinitely without pay (McDonald made $167,209 last year). That is the stiffest penalty Meehan could mete out, given university union arrangements.

MacDonald has not made a public statement or apology yet. That doesn't bode well for his relationship with Meehan.

Our bet is that MacDonald will not be with the hockey program next season.

TWO OF the big winners on campus so far have been Jacqueline Moloney, named associate chancellor, Meehan's No. 2, and Patti McCafferty, a former staffer and Meehan aide who was working as a top spokesperson at the university before Meehan arrived.

McCafferty is now the school's chief public-affairs officer.

THE GROTONFEST scheduling controversy that started last week with Selectman Joshua Degen's angry letter to event organizer Jane Bouvier is far from over. Degen still said he hopes the Groton Business Association will reschedule the event from Sept. 22, which is Yom Kippur, Judaism's holiest holiday, to the rain date of Sept. 23, saying not doing so would discriminate against Jews.

Groton Talk-about, a community e-mail exchange server, has been abuzz with feedback to The Sun's coverage.

Some see it as a religious issue, while others consider it a diversity issue.

And one of them has a suggestion to all: Let Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein know the importance of Yom Kippur because they are playing at 7:10 p.m. on Sept. 22.

"I am upset that the Civil War re-enactment is happening on Bastille Day, July 14," that resident wrote.

TOM BRYNE, a prominent Lowell political activist and commercial real-estate owner, is running out of time to pull his nomination papers for a City Council by the Aug. 7 deadline.

Byrne's delay in actually starting his campaign is causing some to wonder about his plans. If Byrne pulls papers, that would make for 20 potential council candidates, enough for the first preliminary election in Lowell since 1995. A preliminary election is triggered when there are 19 or more candidates for the nine-seat council.

For his part, Byrne last Friday said, "I'm going to be in." He said he has delayed pulling papers to prolong his tenure on local radio.

"I have had things I like to do, and I like the radio," Byrne said. "As soon as I pull papers, that's the trip wire for no more playing on the radio.

There's been nothing going on the last two weeks anyway," he added. "I guess you could look at it as a strategic thing."

That list of 20 would exclude Councilors George Ramirez, who isn't running for re-election, and Councilor Eileen Donoghue, who is in the thick of the heated race to replace Meehan in Congress.

Donoghue has yet to make her plans for the council race known, however.

KRISTIN ROSS-SITCAWICH continues to use high technology to gain a seat on the Lowell City Council.

Ross-Sitcawich was the first of 12 challengers so far to launch a campaign Web site, www.KristinforLowell.com.

Now she has introduced the "first-ever online video introduction for a Lowell City Council candidate" on a campaign site.

The video features Ross-Sitcawich speaking to voters about her priorities and governing philosophy, and serves as yet one more way to introduce herself to voters.

The video also accompanies several other new features on her Web site, including posing questions; a forum for voters to suggest ideas; and Flickr photo galleries.

THE POLITICAL landscape in the Lowell School Committee race hasn't shifted much.

The challengers still number only two, LHS Housemaster David Conway and former Lowell HIgh English teacher Dennis Canney.

Incumbents who have taken out nomination papers include Jackie Doherty, Regina Faticanti, John Leahy, Kevin McHugh and Jim Leary.

Candidate for re-election Connie Martin hadn't taken out her nomination papers as of Friday morning.

LOWELL DPW Commissioner Edward Walsh, who will retire in December, may be soon to leave the local scene, but his son is about to take on a prominent role in the Mill City's residential construction industry.

Edward Walsh Jr., 46, is a principal with MIRA Development LLC, a division of Charter Environmental, which has an office in Lowell's Wannalancit Mill.

In his role with that firm, the junior Walsh will over see construction of a new, 300-car parking garage and the redevelopment of the last remaining vacant portion of the Lawrence Mills complex into roughly 200 apartments.

WHO WILL be the next Littleton town administrator? The town received 38 applications by last Monday's deadline, including one from Town Treasurer Donald Armstrong.

"It's a much clearer search," said Selectmen Chairman Ken Eldridge. "The applicants know what we're looking for, and we know what we're looking for."

In April, the board interviewed three finalists -- former Westford Town Manager Glenn Fratto, Braintree Finance Director Brian Connolly and Walpole Assistant Town Administrator Jim Johnson -- then said the candidates simply weren't a good match.

This time, the town attracted a higher quality of candidates, Eldridge said. The board will interview finalists for the job in August.

This week's Column was written by City Editor Christopher Scott, City Hall reporter Michael Lafleur, Statehouse Bureau Chief Hillary Chabot, Wilmington reporter Alexandra Mayer-Hohdahl, Dracut reporter Dennis Shaughnessey, Westford reporter Bridget Scrimenti and Groton reporter Hiroko Sato.

Posted by Admin at 1:38 PM | Comments (1)

July 9, 2007

Eldridge gets cold shoulder during movie date

James Eldridge

Eldridge invited his Democratic rivals in the 5th Congressional District race to the Showcase Cinema in Lowell for a Thursday screening of Michael Moore's new film, Sicko.

The other Democrats courteously, if not playfully, declined Eldridge's offer, avoiding what clearly appeared to be a trap.

Sicko is a documentary about the ills of the American health-care system, Eldridge's signature issue on the campaign trail. Eldridge strongly supports a government-sponsored model, the only way, he says, to ensure universal health coverage.

"Niki appreciates the invitation and when she needs a date for the movies, she'll give Jamie a call," said Niki Tsongas spokeswoman Katie Elbert, tongue-in-cheek. "She does plan to see the movie on her own."

Eileen Donoghue also reneged, saying she planned instead to see the movie soon with her husband on one of the couple's cherished "date nights."

Barry Finegold's campaign said he was otherwise committed. Jim Miceli said he doubts he would get an objective opinion from Moore.
"If I do decide I want to see that movie, I can afford the tickets myself. My wife and I will go," Miceli said.

Eldridge did not eat popcorn alone. About 50 supporters took advantage of the free tickets. He said he just hopes the other candidates see the movie as well.

As for Moore, who became a polarizing figure in politics after his movie Fahrenheit 911 was released shortly before the 2004 election, Eldridge said he was not trying to make any statement about Moore's portfolio.

"I'm here for the subject matter and the documentary, not who made it. But he does raise some glaring inconsistencies in terms of Americans' access to health care," Eldridge said.

THE HEFT of each candidate's bank account may well remain a mystery until the July 15 reporting deadline.

But until then, the online fundraising clearinghouse ActBlue allows us to easily keep tabs on just how much cash candidates have raked in with Internet giving.

While Finegold leads the way in Internet money, Eldridge has amassed the largest number of donors, with 575 good for $103,115.

Finegold's campaign doesn't use ActBlue, but has reported 313 donors for $160,000. Early in the campaign, Finegold did raise $16,500 through ActBlue.

Tsongas finishes second in the online money race with $120,527 raised from 345 donors.

Donoghue pulled in only $5,725 from 29 contributors online, while Miceli has been shut out.

Barry Finegold

He was the only Democratic candidate willing to divulge even a ballpark estimate of his campaign war chest. His campaign spokesman said the Andover state representative had raised about $400,000 in the fundraising period that ended June 30, bringing his overall total to more than $700,000.

The truth will eventually come out with the candidates' July 15 reports to the Federal Elections Commission.

But at this point, Finegold certainly seems to feel better about his political purse than his opponents.

ON THE Republican side of the race, retired Air Force Lt. Col. Jim Ogonowski's campaign proudly proclaimed that it had raised about $170,000 from about 450 donors during the period.

Meanwhile, Ogonowski's Republican primary opponent, Tom Tierney, of Framingham, said he had raised only about $2,000, which he loaned his campaign.

But Tierney said he's not worried.

"I've run four times before and I've got a $102,000 debt," he said. "It's simpler to put your own money into the primary. Once we know what the end game is, then we're going to be doing some very serious fundraising. I've done this before. I know what I'm doing. We have a plan."

MICELI'S BID for Congress continues to be an enigma.

He was a no-show at two debates held the last week of June.

Miceli was at the Tewksbury Town Meeting on June 28, when the other Democrats were at Lowell's Wang Middle School participating in a forum sponsored by the city's neighborhood groups.

Then on Saturday, June 30, Miceli had a "conflict" when the SEIU ran a debate at UMass Lowell.

Was he campaigning elsewhere? "You could say that. I have a number of things I'm doing, including trying to raise some money," Miceli said.

A lonely nameplate marked his spot, prompting Tsongas to slide over a seat to fill the gap between herself and Finegold.

"That union has always supported me, unequivocally. They know my record, and I do hope to get their endorsement," he said.

THANKS TO Richard Douglas, who finished 17th out of 18 candidates who ran for Lowell City Council in 2005, there will be a Sept. 25 preliminary election.

Douglas is the latest, and the 12th, challenger to take out nomination papers. The others are Patricia Stratton, Bob McMahon, Alan Kazanjian, Curtis Freeman, Joe Mendonca, Jo-Ann Keegan, David Koch, Curtis LeMay, Mehmed Ali, Kristin Ross-Sitcawich and David Laferriere.

Take those 12 and combine them with seven incumbents (George Ramirez isn't seeking re-election and Eileen Donoghue's plans are unclear as she runs for Congress) and there's 19 candidates, the magic number needed for an early run-off. Councilors are likely to waive that requirement if the threshold is exceeded by only one candidate. Lowell hasn't had a preliminary election since 1995.

Thus far, five of those seven incumbents have taken out papers: Rita Mercier, Armand Mercier, Jim Milinazzo, Bill Martin and Edward "Bud" Caulfield.

Councilor Rodney Elliott and the aforementioned Broderick are expected to take out their papers any day now.

Of course, there's a possibility not everyone who's taken out papers will return them.

ARMAND MERCIER'S daily exercise walks from his Pawtucketville home have been a little bouncier lately.

Mercier reported "a very successful" campaign kick-off the other night at the Lowell Elks.

He was particularly impressed that his bash was attended by 5th District candidates Tsongas and Finegold, and state Rep. Kevin Murphy.

DEPENDING ON who's talking, the City Council election poll done late last month for Martin and Broderick is being viewed as either political insecurity or political genius.

"The only poll that counts is the one on election day," said Armand Mercier. "They must sense some vulnerability, or weakness."

Mercier said he believes that stems from their involvement in the spring of 2006 when six city councilors forced then-City Manager John Cox into early retirement.

Neither Broderick or Martin will release the polls results. Martin, however, said the results are "reassuring," particularly in response to the query on whether councilors made the right move on Cox. Broderick said the poll proves "the city is headed in the right direction."

Broderick agreed, and added the poll will help him focus his campaign on certain issues and certain neighborhoods.

"With a wife, five children and a business to run, I don't have time to knock on doors across the city has I did two year ago," he said.

The Column also discovered last week that Martin paid Mike McGovern, the $58,000-a-year coordinator of school information at the Greater Lowell Technical High School, $3,750 for consulting and analysis on the poll. McGovern is the brother of Nancy McGovern, top aide to Rep. Thomas Golden.

Also, the poll was conducted by DAPA Research Inc., whose principal is David Paleologas, the director of Suffolk University's Political Research Center.

Rithy Uong

Late last month Uong signed the roster of prospective candidates in the city's Election Office, only to scratch his name from the list later.

Uong quit the City Council in August 2005 in the wake of an Ethics Commission ruling that he should have not have accepted a promotion in the School Department while sitting on the council.

EFFECTIVE TODAY, Lowell Police Captains Robert DeMoura and Arthur Ryan Jr. take over as deputy superintendents, promoted last week by Acting Superintendent Kenneth Lavallee.

DeMoura will oversee the administrative side of the LPD, while Ryan watches over everything related to the patrol force.

DeMoura has trolled for the big chair in several other communities. However, the solid detective has come up short in Holyoke, Lawrence and, most recently, Somerville.

Why? He lacks experience in the administrative area. His new position, which he'll be in for at least a year or until deputy examinations are given mid-next year, should provide him with he needs to snatch a chief's job elsewhere.

Speaking of Lavallee, it looks like August could be a big month for him, career-wise.

LAWMAKERS LAVISHED praise on Sen. Steve Panagiotakos last week after he filed his first budget as the Senate Ways and Means chairman.

House Ways and Means Chairman Rep. Robert DeLeo, D-Winthrop, called the Lowell Democrat "a true gentleman."

Panagiotakos often clashed with the House budget chief on funding priorities but negotiations remained polite, DeLeo said.

Republican legislators also heaped on the kudos.

State Rep. Robert Hargraves, R-Groton, thanked Panagiotakos for helping to pass an earmark clearing weeds out of the Nashua River in Pepperell.

Even Gov. Deval Patrick, who saw many of his top initiatives cut, called it "a very good budget for us."

Guess it's good to be the man holding the purse strings.

NO MATTER who Lowell City Manager Bernie Lynch picked to round out his management team, he was likely to face criticism. So he appears to have said "hang it all, I'll hire who I want."

That brings us to his announcement last week that he had hired Lowell resident Donna McIntosh as his new executive assistant and tapped Andy Sheehan for the newly position of assistant to the city manager.

Both worked for Lynch during his tenure as Chelmsford town manager. McIntosh was his executive assistant for six years. Sheehan, who lives in Acton, has been Chelmsford's community development coordinator since 1994.

McIntosh starts tomorrow. She will earn $42,138 for the job in Lowell. In Chelmsford, she was earning $21 per hour and working 30 hours per week.

Sheehan comes on board July 30. He will be paid $82,000 in Lowell, up from the $77,884 he was scheduled to earn in Chelmsford this fiscal year.

BILLERICA SELECTMAN Bob Correnti has been called a lot of things in his years in politics. He can now add "deer slayer" and "Bambi killer" to the list.

Those, he said, are just a couple of the monikers that have been lovingly hurled at him since he hit a deer on Route 3 last week, totaling his car.

Correnti and his wife, Charlene, picked their daughter, Cara, up at the Manchester Airport Monday night. Traveling south on Route 3 in Tyngsboro, just after midnight, a deer bounded into the roadway before Correnti had a chance to react.

"It was the scariest moment of my life," he said. "The sound was horrible."

The car's airbags did not deploy because the impact was above the bumper. No one was hurt. Correnti's Saab was not so lucky.

"The whole front end just shattered, it was totaled," he said. "Now people are sending me videos of deer being hit. I don't know if I'll ever live it down."

WESTFORD RESIDENTS can buy eggs at the farmer's market, but they won't be seeing any chickens.

Selectmen voted not to have livestock at the outdoor market on the Common.

Resident Gloria Gilbert, who spearheaded the idea, wanted chickens, bees, and maybe a small goat for educational displays.

"Let's connect the food chain to the source rather than a grocery store -- our children are so far removed from where food comes from," Gilbert said.

The market, which features local farmers, opens Tuesday from 3 to 7 p.m. and will be held every Tuesday until Oct. 30. A portion of the market will offer organic produce.

CHELMSFORD TOWN OFFICIALS are under fire again this week over tow contracts.

After their award of a lucrative and controversial tow contract to Lowell-based Christopher's Emergency Equipment and Towing Inc., Chelmsford resident and victims advocate Laurie Myers is accusing town officials of putting money above public safety.

In an open letter to the Board of Selectmen, Town Manager Paul Cohen and Police Chief James Murphy, Myers alleges the town's tow contract was tailored to ensure Christopher's Towing -- the highest bidder at $40 per tow -- would get the job.

"Our leaders, being the kind-hearted type, decided to invite felons to bid only five years after their convictions," wrote Myers, president of the rape-prevention group Community Voices.

Saying he's sorry Myers is upset about the decision, Cohen said her charge is "totally off base."

To qualify for the contract, bidders were required to list all employees convicted of any felony offense in the past five years -- the same provision listed in Lexington's tow contract, Cohen said.

Christopher Ferreira, a tow operator for the firm whose wife, Sherry, owns the company, pleaded guilty in 2000 to a charge of indecent sexual assault and battery, for which he does not have to register as a sex offender.

He was initially charged with rape nearly a decade ago by an acquaintance, but his first trial ended in a deadlocked jury.

Backing the town manager's recommendation, Murphy said Ferreira poses no threat to public safety.

"Why would the police chief and I put ourselves on the line for Christopher's Towing?" Cohen asked.

Ferreira and his wife live in Chelmsford. He said the company has no political pull, and was awarded the contract based on meeting all the qualifications for the bid.

"I really respect her (Myers') role as a community activist," Ferreira said. "But she shouldn't comment on things that she doesn't know the facts to."

In Lowell, Lynch and Acting Police Superintendent Kenneth Lavallee decided to disqualify Christopher's Towing for a tow pact because of Ferreira's guilty plea. Some councilors accused them of treating the firm unfairly.

PELHAM'S ECONOMY will get a hearty boost if AgaMatrix Inc. comes to town.

According to a company spokesman, the Salem, N.H., biomedical company is considering building a new manufacturing plant in town. The new plant would make test strips for blood-glucose meters.

Although excited by idea, town officials maintain everything is rumor right now.

"I've heard nothing from official channels. I certainly hope it happens, but I don't ever count my chickens before they hatch," said Planning Director Jeff Gowan.

This week's column was written by City Editor Christopher Scott, Statehouse Bureau Chief Hillary Chabot, City Hall reporter Michael Lafleur, Statehouse reporter Matt Murphy, Billerica reporter Jennifer Amy Myers, Westford reporter Bridget Scrimenti, Chelmsford reporter Rita Savard and Pelham reporter Chris Camire.

Posted by Admin at 4:46 PM

July 2, 2007

Will suburban election trend strike a chord in Lowell?

Joe Louis, the late, great world heavyweight boxing champion, once told a wiry opponent, "You can run but you can't hide."

City Councilor George Ramirez has put a new twist on Louis' words. You can hide if you don't run.

Ramirez's name won't be on the city's election ballot in November.

He's throwing in the towel after one term, saying he wants to spend more time with his family and his law practice. What he doesn't say is that he's being considered for a mid-level management job in Gov. Deval Patrick's administration. According to Statehouse sources, Ramirez will be offered the position in a matter of weeks.

I'm singling out Ramirez because he, of all the candidates who campaigned in the 2005 election, made it clear that he felt it was time for a change in City Hall administration. The rest is history.

Regardless of how one views Ramirez's brief 17-month tenure, Lowell's first elected Hispanic councilor would likely face a stiff re-election challenge if he were to run again.

While his vote to change managers might play a factor -- both pro and con -- there are other political concerns percolating that would make Ramirez's run a tough slog: suburban election trends against incumbents, rising taxes, and a competitive field of challengers.

In 2005, Ramirez won the ninth and final seat with a historic record-low number of votes for a city councilor: 5,148. He pulled 40.6 percent of the 12,653 votes cast, making him a minority victor.

(Ramirez isn't alone in that "minority" group: Armand Mercier and Rodney Elliott each received 47.3 percent, followed by Kevin Broderick, 47.2 percent; Jim Milinazzo, 47 percent; and Mayor Bill Martin, 45.9 percent.)

Despite his finish, Ramirez held a cozy 1,015-vote margin over his closest rival, former School Committee member Joseph Mendonca.

Would that margin erode in a non-issue race? Probably not. But in a volatile, wide-open race -- and that's what is shaping up -- all incumbents will have to work hard to maintain an edge. (Three challengers have held hugely successful fundraisers while attracting crowds ranging from 400 to 700 people.)

Polling numbers indicate that councilors are getting a smaller slice of the electoral pie. Remember, six of nine elected councilors received less than 50 percent of the vote. A declining voter turnout is a major reason behind this development. Yet while a low turnout usually aids incumbents, the pattern isn't foolproof.

One only has to look at the recent April-May town elections where there were strongly contested races to gauge voters' moods. In Dracut, Tewksbury and Wilmington the trend was decidedly anti-incumbent. Despite turnouts in the 21 to 27 percent range in the three communities (Lowell's turnout in 2005 was 26.6 percent), a veteran selectman was upset in each town. A longtime Dracut school board member also lost.

(For the record, Tewksbury's Charlie Coldwell, going for his seventh term, lost when he backed a $3.3 million override; Wilmington's, Suzanne Sullivan, seeking a third term, lost when her persistent environmental concerns became viewed as discordant; and in Dracut, selectman Ken Cunha lost an issues-dominated contest as did school board member Marietta "May" Paquette, who opposed giving School Superintendent Elaine Espindle a new contract.)

Will there be a carryover effect in Lowell?

It's hard to say. But taxpayers everywhere are generally upset about the fiscal disorder at every level of government. Last year Lowell's taxes rose 9 percent, the highest annual increase in the Valley. In fiscal year 2008, another 2.5 percent tax increase will be tacked on to a $314 million budget that lists no cash reserves although every rational councilor knows Lowell isn't broke.

The manager wants to build reserves to pay for capital projects, so he's not showing an estimated amount on the books until the DOR certifies a free cash number in December. (There's at least $4 million in the treasury from a back taxes payment made by L'Energia and funds funneled into a financial advisory control board account.)

Yet while this manager says he is reluctant to build a budget on revenue projections (this is a misnomer because every budget is a forecast of revenues that a municipality hopes to take in as opposed to what will be spent), he has balanced the '08 budget on $800,000 in projected revenue from a proposed telecommunications tax bill that is having difficulty gaining support in the Legislature.

Certainly, the manager's goal to build up cash reserves is sound if Lowell is going to use the revenue on infrastructure needs. At the same time, however, Lowell risks losing its low-tax advantage to attract new property owners if taxes continue to increase. (In the past, the council used free cash to maintain low taxes.)

While taxes, the rising cost of gasoline and the skyrocketing price of other consumer goods give voters a reason to go to the polls, other issues abound.

The city's turnover in management still sticks in the craw of former insiders who are now outsiders. On the other hand, former outsiders who've become insiders view the change as positive.

It'll be up to voters to decide whether Lowell's cup is half-empty or half-full, whether it contains wine or sour mash. And that's why elections are such an important part of every community in America. It gives the electorate a chance to validate its government or reject it.

Personally, I would hope that Lowell can get back to consensus-building for the best interest of the city. Courier Corp. CEO Jim Conway tells a story about how his late father, James Sr., and the late U.S. Senator Paul Tsongas rarely saw eye-to-eye on political issues. Yet when it came to doing something good for Lowell, they "pulled the same rope together."

It's a great story that all citizens should be proud to tell and emulate. Because while there will always be disagreements, there should be only one Lowell -- and it should be for the good of the people.

The November election may or may not sort out a lot of things. But there is one certainty: George Ramirez won't be on the ballot. Lucky him.

Jim Campanini is The Sun's editor. Send comments to jcampanini@lowellsun.com

Posted by Admin at 10:54 AM