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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 July 9, 2007 4:46 PM