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August 22, 2007

What were Ogonowski's campaign reps thinking?

BY ALL accounts, Dracut's citizen farmer Jim Ogonowski is a nice guy. He'd talk to anyone visiting the Ogonowski farm.

So why is it difficult to get next to candidate Ogonowski?

Appearing last week on WUML's Sunrise program, the Republican hopeful for Congress was hustled in and out of the studio without so much as a wink or a nod to the Tewksbury-based Democratic operative and political sweetheart Marie Sweeney.

Sweeney, who chairs the Greater Lowell Area Democrats and is a member of the State Democratic Committee, was the program's co-host last Thursday morning, during a scheduled Ogonowski interview.

Sweeney said she agreed beforehand to sit it out and let fellow host Bob Ellis conduct the interview. She did, however, hope to meet the candidate about whom she has heard so much.

"I don't know what you would call what happened," said Sweeney, who is supporting Democrat Barry Finegold of Andover in the 5th District primary race. "Call it odd. Call it rude. I don't know. I will say that his handlers are not doing him any favors."

According to Sweeney, and others who were nearby, Barney Keller, Ogonowski's press secretary and the son of WBZ radio and TV political analyst Jon Keller, as well as another aide, hustled Ogonowski in and out of the studio as if the building was on fire.

"All I wanted to do was shake his hand and introduce myself," Sweeney said. "I wasn't going to attack him."

Keller replied, "We know Jim has been getting a lot of Democratic support, but I didn't realize the chair of the Lowell Democrats was thinking of voting for him. I thought she was already committed to Barry Finegold. If she's interested in changing her support to Jim, we would love to have her come in for a cup of coffee. Our phone banks are open 24-hours a day."

THE BILLERICA Republican Town Committee is hosting a Town Meeting-style question-and-answer session with Ogonowski tomorrow night.

However, Ogonowski is not the only Republican in the race. So, why wasn't Tom Tierney invited?

"Not as a group, but as individual members we are supporting Jim," said Committee Chairman Sandy MacMillan. "We are just trying to get the word out."

She said when Ogonowski entered the race he contacted all local Republican town committees, but they have yet to hear from Tierney. MacMillan said a member of her group did try to contact him. SunTalk LIVE debate between Republican Candidates Jim Ogonowski, and Tom Tierney.

THEY HAD the necessary permits and notified neighbors. But the fundraiser block party on Nadine Road in a quiet Acton neighborhood last Saturday night for state Rep. Jamie Eldridge, a Democratic candidate for the 5th District Congressional seat, still irritated a few residents on the peaceful street.

A noisy rock band played at full amp at the backyard fest, held at the home of an Eldridge supporter. Someone called the cops, who stopped by to check out the din. The next day, cars with parking tickets still lined the narrow street, blocking the way.

CITY MANAGER Bernie Lynch had some glowing praise for the Statehouse delegation last week after they secured a new $21 million University Avenue bridge for 2010. The project wasn't due to be completed until 2012 before they intervened. Lynch and the legislators from Lowell -- Sen. Steven Panagiotakos, and Reps Tom Golden, Kevin Murphy and Dave Nangle -- have had a lukewarm relationship at best so far.

Things appear to be changing though.

"You have to have recognize the city will progress only if all of us work together," Murphy said. "We do what's in the best interest of the city, and it doesn't matter whether we personally like someone."

Nangle said it's the delegation's responsibility to bring back state money for the city.

"We need to make sure that bridge is safe for all vehicular traffic," he said.

Let's hope they continue to mend fences, or should we say bridges, for the good of the city.

HE'S NOT running for City Council, and he doesn't want to be city manager again.

But former City Manager John Cox is out with his endorsements in the City Council election.

While stressing in an interview on WCAP that he's not actively working for anyone, Cox is backing three incumbents seeking re-election: Edward "Bud" Caulfield, Armand Mercier and Rita Mercier.

Among the challengers, Cox said he's voting for Alan Kazanjian, Robert McMahon and Mike Lenzi.

Kazanjian is the developer who just lost his seat on the ZBA when Lynch didn't reappoint him.

McMahon is the former Lowell Housing Authority Board of Commissioners member, appointed by Cox, and not reappointed by Lynch.

Lenzi, also a close Cox friend like the others, owns a Dracut catering business and sits on the Greater Lowell Regional Technical School Committee.

CITY RESIDENTS will be seeing a lot more of Caulfield this election season, as the councilor seeking his 11th-term said he'll walk city neighborhoods and knock on doors, something he hasn't done since his earliest elections.

Asked if he was feeling vulnerable this election season, Caulfield said no.

"But I am paranoid, I'm always paranoid," he said.

There's a feeling in some political circles that Caulfield and Armand Mercier could face some backlash at the polls this November by their unabashed support of Cox, even though both insist they've moved on.

Is Armand Mercier, seeking his sixth term, feeling heat this year?

"Absolutely not," he said. "But I'm taking nothing for granted." Mercier, however, did say he's going to increase his number of political advertisements.

As for Rita Mercier, she has topped every ticket since 1997. Hardly anyone expects that to change this year.

THERE ARE councilors who should be worried, at least according to Armand Mercier.

Those councilors are Mayor Bill Martin and Kevin Broderick, two councilors who Mercier said relied on Cox's political machine to get elected, then were among the six that forced him from office more than a year ago.

"I believe their bases are eroded by what they did to John," said Mercier.

Neither Martin or Broderick say they are worried. They declined to respond directly to Mercier's remarks, other than to say they'll campaign as though this was their first election.

Martin and Broderick, by the way, have combined to take a poll of Lowell voters and to find out what the issues are. Both have declined to release the results, saying they'll use poll data for political strategy.

KEN LAVALLEE, Lowell's acting police superintendent, continues to distance himself from his predecessor, Ed Davis. Most recently, Lavallee has selected Ed Dowling and James McPadden to become temporary captains, filling the spots left open by Robert DeMoura and Arthur Ryan Jr., who were promoted to deputy superintendent slots.

In picking Dowling and McPadden, Lavallee overlooked Lt. Mark Buckley, who was a member of Davis' inner circle.

Other Davis-distancing moves made by Lavallee since he stepped into the lead role last Dec. 1 include:

* Working closely with Middlesex Sheriff James DiPaola.

* Moving Sgt. James Trudel from head of the drug and vice unit and replacing him with McPadden.

* Overlooking Capt. William Taylor, who previously did a stint as acting deputy chief under Davis, for one of the spots ultimately won by DeMoura and Ryan.

JUST HOW close is Lavallee to becoming permanent chief? Last month, Lynch said that once Lavallee returns from vacation, which he has, the two will get down to contract negotiations.

The job no longer has state Civil Service protection, and Lavallee is looking for a five-year deal.

Lavallee said last week it would be premature to talk about a contract, as his interview with Lynch for the chief's job is scheduled for tomorrow at 11 a.m.

Lynch is also interviewing DeMoura and Ryan, plus Captains John Flaherty, Deborah Friedl, Thomas Kennedy, Kevin Staveley, Kevin Sullivan, Taylor and Jonathan Webb.

Quite likely Lynch will hammer out a deal with Lavallee although several councilors, who strongly favor Lavallee, feel a five-year contract is a bit extreme.

LISTED IN the fine print of last week's announcement of the sale of WCAP to a group of local private investors is the name of John P. Finn of Tyngsboro.

Finn, a member of a large and prominent Centralville family, is a Lowell police officer, as is his brother, William Finn. Another brother, Lawrence Finn, is a Lowell firefighter.

Another investor worthy of mention is Brian McMahon. He is the Lowell developer whose father, the aforementioned Bob McMahon, is a Council candidate.

But don't look for either John Finn or Brian McMahon to be involved in the station's operation.

Those duties belong solely to Sam Poulten of Chelmsford and Clark Smidt of Andover.

"Clark and myself are the managing partners, period," Poulten said. "Anyone else listed are just investors hoping to make money." Poulten, by the way, heads up Chelmsford's Town Democratic Committee. It's a good bet that whatever programming decisions he makes will involve politics.

COVERING CHELMSFORD for The Sun has apparently prepared some aspiring journalists well for life beyond the Merrimack Valley.

First, Ian Fisher left The Sun in 1989-90 to work for The New York Times, where he is currently employed.

Ian Bishop, who covered Chelmsford several years ago, moved onto the New York Post where he's been covering Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. Now, he's been hired by the rival Daily News to oversee its national political coverage.

THE PRETENSE of impartiality was notably absent when Billerica selectmen and Planning Board members met last week to appoint a new member to the Planning Board.

In what became a Treble Cove Road throwdown, road residents Richard Tortola and William Faria both applied to fill the spot left open by the June resignation of Steven Tremblay.

Selectman Jim O'Donnell arrived late to the meeting and was not briefed on the format, which was set up to give each candidate time to speak and then answer questions from the boards before a vote.

Right out of the gate, during the questioning of Faria, O'Donnell pledged his support for Tortola. Planning Board member Ed McLaughlin did the same later in the meeting, lauding Tortola's excellent attendance record during his previous three-year term on the board.

Selectman Chairman Mike Rosa chastised McLaughlin, who replied, "But, Jim did it."

Faria took it all in stride until Selectman Kathy Matos noted that, with the important decisions coming the Planning Board's way in the coming months, she was looking for someone with experience, i.e. Tortola.

Faria said he was aware that his opponent had served a three-year term, but noted that "he wasn't re-elected, and there must have been a reason he wasn't re-elected." On top of all that, Faria said he was invited only five hours before the meeting. Tortola said he had heard about the meeting the night before, but was never officially invited.

In the end, board members tripped over each other to make glowing statements about Faria's "visionary" ideas and urging him to remain active in town, but Tortola won a 7-2 vote.

Following the meeting, Faria said he felt he had been "humiliated in front of the whole town."

Contributing to this week's were Column were Dracut reporter Dennis Shaughnessey, City Editor Christopher Scott, City Hall reporter Michael Lafleur, Statehouse Bureau Chief Hillary Chabot, Billerica Reporter Jennifer Amy Myers and Lifestyles reporter Nancye Tuttle.

Posted by Admin at August 22, 2007 10:58 AM