November 26, 2007
Baehr may go from frying pan into fire
THINK THAT Karla Brooks Baehr will have a political cakewalk if she nabs the state education commissioner post?
Think again.
Baehr would land in the middle of a major battle over MCAS reform and an education department in disarray as Gov. Deval Patrick moves for an overhaul.
Patrick and his recent appointees to the Board of Education have been hinting that other methods should be used, in addition to MCAS, to measure student success. Other board members, many leftover from former Gov. Mitt Romney's tenure, have shrilly opposed any move toward tempering the standards.
In addition to that sticky battle, Baehr might even be at the helm when the ultimate hammer falls in 2014, and all children are expected to be deemed proficient under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
She'll have to answer to the governor, the Legislature and parents statewide if the students don't meet the ever-increasing standards.
But no pressure, Karla.
OF COURSE, that's assuming Baehr gets the job.
Baehr is in for some pretty tough competition, because interest has risen across the nation.
Officials at the National State Boards of Education, the go-to company for all education commissioner searches in America, have said this job has generated more interest than any other in recent history.
In-state names floated include Springfield Superintendent Joseph Burke and Worcester Superintendent James Caradonio.
Baehr could even face Brockton Superintendent Basan Nembirkow, who was the Lowell School Committee's first pick back in 2000.
BAEHR ALREADY has other prospects if she doesn't get the post.
Cambridge Superintendent Thomas Fowler-Finn has a contract until next July, but the sometimes-explosive superintendent has been on thin ice with the Republic of Cambridge's School Committee since 2006. One member publicly called Fowler-Finn "a tyrant."
Some Cambridge members might be willing to beg Baehr, along with offering her a tidy sum, to start at the urban school system. Fowler-Finn makes $185,000, and rumor has it the committee might be willing to go to $200,000.
And if she ever misses the Mill City, Baehr need only look over her shoulder. Lowell resident Robert Healy has worked as city manager in Cambridge since 1981.
NOW BEGINS the fight to select Baehr's successor.
One thing's for certain, a well-placed insider said, Dracut Superintendent of Schools Elaine Espindle -- who will be out of a job at the end of the current school year -- could face some local opposition were she to throw her hat in the ring.
Her most likely ally on the School Committee, Kevin McHugh, who worked in her administration when Espindle headed the Peabody public school system, failed to win re-election on Nov. 6.
McHugh is being replaced by Lowell High School Housemaster Dave Conway.
THE LAST superintendent search in Lowell had longlasting repercussions.
Baehr was not the School Committee's first choice.
That honor went to Nembirkow, who was then superintendent in Greenfield and now heads the Brockton public schools. Nembirkow declined the offer, however, saying committee member Regina Faticanti made him feel unwelcome.
Baehr emerged the victor from the next round of voting, beating out three local candidates: Deputy Superintendent Helen Flanagan, Assistant Superintendent Rosemary LeBlanc-Considine and Lowell High School Headmaster William Samaras.
Former City Manager John Cox resented Baehr from the start, both because he viewed the Newton resident as an outsider and because his father-in-law, former Deputy Superintendent James McMahon, was a Flanagan supporter.
Flanagan retired in 2002.
LeBlanc-Considine left Lowell to become superintendent in Melrose in 2002. She was fired from the Melrose job last year, reportedly because of her unpopular suspension of Principal Thomas Vennochi, who formerly worked in Lowell as well.
Samaras was the only one of Baehr's local rivals for the job who is still on the Lowell School Department payroll.
SO, COULD Baehr have received a new contract had she tried?
"Yes" is the most likely answer, but it wouldn't have come without a fight.
It also may have been a bittersweet victory.
Baehr had been in a struggle of wills with Samaras for control of the high school. Baehr's supporters said she viewed Samaras as protective of teachers and staff who refused to toe her administration's line. Her attempt to force Samaras to retire against his will never sat well with the popular headmaster's many supporters. Baehr never provided a satisfactory explanation for her decision.
Conway's ticket-topping election to the School Committee means she officially lost that fight.
Baehr last week reversed her decision and allowed Samaras' request to stay on through the end of the 2008-09 school year.
She said the move was to save the school district the disruption of searching for both a new high school headmaster and a superintendent at the same time.
It also quiets local criticism as Baehr begins looking for jobs beyond Lowell.
COULD THIS be the week state Rep. Dave Nangle takes the job as Sergeant at Arms?
The Lowell Democrat better take the position soon if he hopes to save his beloved constituents some of their hard-earned tax dollars.
The House voted to set a March 4 special election to replace Reps. Michael Festa, D-Melrose, and Doug Peterson, D-Marblehead. Both left to join Gov. Deval Patrick's administration.
Members also set the primary for those races on Feb. 5, the same date as the presidential primary. If Nangle moves fast enough, his open seat could also land on the Feb. 5 ballot and save Lowell and Chelmsford taxpayers the cost of yet another special election.
LOWELL POLICE Capt. Kevin Staveley had a front-row seat on the stage at the Stoklosa Middle School recently when Kenneth Lavallee was officially sworn in as police superintendent.
Staveley looked great in his dress blues, white gloves, etc.
But Staveley's hurting. He's been out of work for a few months, at least, after getting hurt in a cruiser accident that hardly damaged his car.
But at least Staveley showed up for the historic day.
Deputy Superintendent Dennis Cormier, who has been out injured for nearly a year after twisting his back getting out of his unmarked Crown Victoria in the Police Department garage, was a no-show.
EACH YEAR the Lamp of Liberty award is presented to a member of the Lowell community who has made an outstanding contribution to society by helping newcomers find their way.
As the U.S. representative from the 5th District from 1993-2007, Marty Meehan (now the UMass Lowell chancellor) fought for the rights of new immigrants, ensuring them access to such basic necessities as education, employment, health care and social justice.
That's why the Lowell Community Health Center and the International Institute have chosen Meehan as this year's recipient.
Proceeds from the event, scheduled for Dec. 5 at the Stonehedge Inn in Tyngsboro, will benefit both organizations. Tickets are $85 and the event chair is Niki Tsongas, who replaced Meehan in Congress.
JIM OGONOWSKI considering a Kerry challenge?
A fellow posted on Blue Mass Group the other day that he had just been questioned over the telephone by a pollster who, in the blogger's opinion, was clearly testing a challenge by failed Republican Congressional candidate Ogonowski against John Kerry.
The pollster asked some presidential questions before spending the most time asking about Kerry and Ogo, starting out with favorability opinions, etc.
WEDDING BELLS have rung for two of Meehan's best chums.
Developer/Meehan cohort Dave Trahan last weekend married Lori Loureiro, who served as Meehan's key fundraiser when he was in Congress.
The couple and selected guests celebrated in Nassau, the Bahamas, in a five-star restaurant called Graycliff.
Loureiro now works in the private sector, but she did help unsuccessful 5th District candidate, City Councilor Eileen Donoghue, on the fund-raising front in her strong race for Congress.
Among the locals in attendance were Meehan and spouse, City Councilor-elect Mike Lenzi and spouse and Lowell cop Dennis Moriarty.
Spies tell The Column that 57 of the 62 wedding guests "took the plunge" toward the end of the festivities.
Sounds like a splashing good time.
KUDOS GO to state Sen. Steven Panagiotakos, who recently received a Special Recognition Award by the Massachusetts Coalition for Adult Education.
The award recognizes his long support of Adult Basic Education and for his keeping Adult Basic Education a legislative priority.
According to Fred Abisi, director of Lowell's Adult Education Program, "Steve Panagiotakos has been a friend of Adult Basic Education throughout Massachusetts ever since his days on the Lowell School Committee."
The Award was presented to the senator at MCAE's annual conference, Network 2007, held at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel in Marlboro last month.
Contributing to The Column this week were City Editor Christopher Scott, City Hall reporter Michael Lafleur and Statehouse Bureau Chief Hillary Chabot.
Posted by Admin at 4:39 PM
November 19, 2007
The votes tell story: It's Mayor Caulfield
The 2008-2009 City Council will make its first act the selection of Councilor Edward "Bud" Caulfield as mayor on Jan. 7.
Caulfield served as mayor during the 1996-97 term. His competition this time is Councilor Rodney Elliott, who never has been mayor.
Caulfield said last week he has commitments from Councilors Armand Mercier and Rita Mercier and Councilors-elect Alan Kazanjian and Michael Lenzi. Elliott was able to garner support from Councilors Kevin Broderick, Bill Martin (the current mayor) and Jim Milinazzo. Including himself in the tally left Elliott one vote shy.
"It's not like I'm winning something and Rodney's losing something," Caulfield said. "To be honest, people want me to be the mayor, and they want me to bring everyone together. I'll work tirelessly to make that happen. We all have our work cut out for us over the next two years. It's not going to be a 5-4 council, a 6-3 council. It's going to be a council of the people,
and the people expect it and they deserve it."
Armand Mercier proved to be a key vote. He and Caulfield have been political allies in recent years, but Mercier's personal feelings toward the ever-theatrical Caulfield are less than warm.
But Mercier said he considered the retired Caulfield's previous experience and his willingness to devote free time as deciding factors in his vote.
"He'll bring that calming effect to the council," Mercier said. "It's a very time-consuming job. He's got plenty of time. He's done it before."
No candidates have been discussed for the vice mayor's position, now held by Milinazzo.
REP. DAVID Nangle of Lowell will have a lot to be thankful for this week, as the job he's expected to take, sergeant at arms in the Legislature, comes together nicely in terms of responsibilities and salary.
Word out of the Statehouse is that House leaders plan to fill Nangle's seat, as well as several others, on the day of the expected presidential primary, Feb. 5.
Several other reps from across the state have recently resigned to take other jobs. One of them is Sen. Robert Havern, who left for a lucrative lobbyist position. Rep. James Marzilli of Arlington won the Democratic primary last week and will face Billerica Republican Brion Cangiamila, a former Billerica selectman and state rep, in the Dec. 11 general election.
Havern's district includes Billerica and Burlington.
COULD ANOTHER state rep's seat from Lowell be opening up?
Rep. Kevin Murphy, who represents the Highlands and the Acre, said he'd be interested in becoming city manager "someday, if it's open, sure, but timing is everything."
Here's the skinny. Now that the City Council tide has shifted against City Manager Bernie Lynch following municipal elections earlier this month -- on paper anyway -- Murphy's name is the one circulating as a potential replacement.
Even Murphy has acknowledged the fact, as he's said folks have asked him.
"But I don't know why people are bantering it about because I'm not interested in it," Murphy said. "I want to work with the city manager. I don't want to be perceived as undermining him."
IT'S HARD to imagine state Rep. Tom Golden without a McGovern by his side.
But the veteran rep is indeed McGovern-less following the recent departure of his trusted and friendly chief of staff for the last nine years, Nancy McGovern, for greener pastures. McGovern snagged a job working as political director for the Boston office of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Workers.
Before McGovern, chief-of-staff duties were handled by her brother, Mike McGovern, now the friendly chief schmoozer at Greater Lowell Technical High School.
ONE THING to watch with the new council is how it handles Armand Mercier's proposal -- now tabled -- to explore the feasibility of giving the city-owned, money-hemorrhaging Tsongas Arena to UMass Lowell Chancellor Marty Meehan.
It has never been clear if Mercier's proposal could pass muster with the current council, particularly because Councilor Eileen Donoghue isn't a fan.
But Donoghue is retiring, and with Kazanjian and Lenzi's election, the balance of power may change in favor of Mercier's motion, which now is pending before the council's city-university partnership subcommittee, whose members for the next council term would be selected by a Mayor Caulfield.
Last week, Mercier said the measure likely would have to wait until after the start of the new year.
"We've only got four meetings left this year," he said. "We've got a full plate."
The city would have to eat some debt-service money were it to transfer the facility to UMass Lowell, and it's far from clear whether Meehan would even want anything to do with the measure.
But the former congressman has sounded in the past like he would entertain a deal. That would put the deficit-ridden facility off the city's books and onto those of the state, which could more easily afford the capital improvements Meehan has argued the arena needs. The idea might be popular with the new council.
CAULFIELD SAID he expects to re-appoint all existing councilors to their current subcommittees and chairmanships, including Elliott on finance and Milinazzo on economic development, two plum positions.
"I'm definitely going to keep them there," he said, "but Alan Kazanjian and Mike Lenzi are two successful businessmen. I'm going to tap into their expertise."
Martin also will have to be worked into the mix.
YOU WON'T find the magazine CommonWealth on local news stands -- but the quarterly published by the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth has some must reading for Lowell folks.
Beginning on page 75, there's a 13-page spread with the headline "TOP COP -- Ed Davis wants to rebuild trust between police and crime-weary Boston residents. But he'll be measured by whether he can lower the body count."
It's an in-depth, positive profile on the former Lowell superintendent who is now leading the Boston Police Department.
It quotes Meehan, who said the LPD rose to become a "national model" for community policing when Davis was chief.
Coincidentally, the story also quotes UMass Lowell's former provost who Meehan jettisoned, John Wooding. Wooding applauded Davis for bringing something to high-level law-enforcement jobs that aren't always linked to the local constabulary: an "intellectual" flair.
The story also touches on Davis' well-publicized battles with John Cox, Lowell's former city manager.
EVAN KATZ of Groton continues to make the rounds in Nashoba Valley municipal government.
The former Groton administrative assistant and selectman, Harvard's finance director and school business manager, is the new business manager for the public schools in Shirley.
NIKI TSONGAS is unlikely to find a beam of sunlight in her new D.C. digs.
First, the apartment is subterranean -- what Washingtonians optimistically call an "English basement."
Second, the sun shines not at night.
"I haven't seen it yet in the daytime, and I probably never will," Tsongas said.
She declined to reveal her rent, but a Washington one-bedroom costs on average $1,459, according to apartmentratings.com.
LYNCH WILL have to appoint a replacement for Tsongas on the city's Arena and Civic Stadium Commission.
Lynch said Tsongas tendered her resignation from the body on Oct. 17, the day after she beat Republican Jim Ogonowski to win Meehan's former congressional seat. Among other things, Tsongas' commission duties called for her to oversee the Tsongas Arena, named for her deceased husband, former U.S. Sen. Paul Tsongas.
The city manager last week said he had a few ideas for Tsongas' replacement but had yet to make a final decision.
IT DOESN'T look like Mike Hayden and Fred Bahou are on each other's Christmas card list.
Hayden, a member of the Greater Lowell Technical High School board, and Bahou, who failed in his second consecutive bid for a seat on that board last Tuesday, have been waging a war of words in the Letters to the Editor section of The Sun.
During latest campaign, Bahou said he wanted to increase enrollment at the school and expand the nursing program. Hayden responded by saying Bahou's comments were an attempt at "political gain."
It would be interesting to see what Bahou, who garnered 5,100 votes in the Nov. 6 election, would do if, say, newly elected city councilor Lenzi decided to step down from his Greater Lowell Tech seat.
That's not going to happen, according to Lenzi, who was elected to a third term on the Greater Lowell Tech board.
"I said all along that I have no intentions of leaving the board," Lenzi said last week. "I told (Cassin) I'm in for the long haul. I enjoy it up there and that's why I ran."
DONOGHUE HAS asked Lynch to investigate reports of voting irregularities she received about the Nov. 6 city election.
The retiring councilor, who finished as runner-up to Tsongas in the Sept. 4 Democratic primary for the 5th Congressional District seat, raised the issue during last Tuesday's council meeting, and several of her colleagues said they had received complaints as well.
Donoghue said she heard from a woman who was forced to vote via absentee ballot after her name mysteriously disappeared from the registered-voter rolls at her longtime polling place, then was told that absentee ballots never made it to City Hall after the polls closed. She said she also was told about at least one instance in which a poll worker at the Masonic Temple explained the city ballot to a voter in an inappropriate way.
"It's just odd that I heard of three or four incidents that warranted checking out," she said. "I'm raising it because I wasn't on the ballot and I don't have an ax to grind about it. You want to be sure the people who are voting are the people who should be voting and you want to make sure if people do vote, there's a process that happens and everyone knows the process."
This week's Column was written by City Editor Christopher Scott, City Hall reporter Michael Lafleur, Washington, D.C. reporter Evan Lehman and Dracut reporter Dennis Shaughnessey
Posted by Admin at 12:09 PM
November 14, 2007
Why they are the people's choice
The performance of the two top vote-getters in last week's City Council election, No. 1 Rita Mercier and No. 2 Edward "Bud" Caulfield, should not have come as any surprise.
Both are constituent-first councilors, replying to the concerns of others at the drop of an Owl Diner pancake.
Still, the Mercier-Caulfield showing was remarkable. Voters responded to them despite a yearlong effort by the council majority -- the so-called six pro-Lynchers -- to paint them and Councilor Armand Mercier as obstructionists to progress, simply because they were viewed as supporters of former City Manager John F. Cox and weren't in total lockstep with Cox's successor, City Manager Bernie Lynch.
The propaganda continued when challengers Alan Kazanjian and Mike Lenzi entered the council race. The pro-Lynchers questioned their motives for running, since they too had longstanding friendships with Cox.
The strategy backfired.
With Armand Mercier placing fifth, the "obstructionists" finished Nos. 1-2-4 (Kazanjian)- 5 and 8 (Lenzi), securing five of nine council seats.
The pro-Lynchers finished Nos. 3 (Mayor Bill Martin), 6 (Kevin Broderick), 7 (Rodney Elliott), 9 (Jim Milinazzo) and 11 (Joe Mendonca). Mendonca lost his seat.
The final rankings say it all: Lowellians rejected the pro-Lynchers' "we are the good guys" and "they are the bad guys" rhetoric.
So why did four of the five pro-Lynchers survive the election?
Because, at heart, they are quality people too. They have a lot to offer a city that faces extraordinary challenges over the next two years and beyond.
Still the message is clear: Lowellians want both sides in this political power struggle to knock it off.
Manager Lynch has to do his part to foster unity. And that's why I believe, at this point, Caulfield is a better candidate for mayor than is Elliott.
In Caulfield, Lynch has an ambassador who can communicate with both Merciers, Kazanjian and Lenzi. If Caulfield and Lynch find harmony, so will the rest.
Elliott, though, remains a chameleon. He inhaled Lynch's ether about "professional" government, as if the prior City Hall administration had anything but Lowell's best interests at heart. On election eve, at an East End Club candidates' forum, Elliott had the temerity to read a misguided poem denigrating the Cox administration and his endorsed candidates. It hit bottom like an anchor, as well it should. Is this the councilor to unite the city?
Elliott might make a good mayor someday, but not for the next two years. Caulfield has vowed to smooth relations, and he is credible in that regard.
Which brings me to my second point as to why Rita Mercier and Bud Caulfield remain the people's choices. Back in September, they backed a motion calling on Lynch to publicly release the Stoklosa School report. The motion failed 7-2, with Armand Mercier joining Eileen Donoghue, Broderick, Elliott, Martin and Mendonca to suppress a public report that cost taxpayers $9,000.
Lynch has used a new legal exemption -- "attorney-client privilege" -- to shroud the report in mystery for 11 months. He says the report is the basis for a pending lawsuit against DRA Associates, the Stoklosa School's architect, and its release would weaken the city's legal position to recover costs.
Since September, O'Connor has told Sun reporters that a lawsuit was "imminent," just like Lynch said way back in March.
The stonewalling, in my view, was conceived to keep the report hidden from the public before the city election. Why? Because the financial dirt certain councilors were hoping to dig up on former City Manager Cox never materialized yet they wanted to keep the rumors of impropriety alive.
According to sources, the report says there was a lack of oversight on the city's part but no financial hanky-panky.
The shame of this entire episode is that Lynch could have released a summary putting all the rumors to rest without damaging a lawsuit against DRA. He didn't. Why?
Now Lynch and the City Council have the Public Records Division of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts -- as well as The Sun -- breathing down their necks.
Alan N. Cote, the state's supervisor of records, wants to examine the Stoklosa report. In a Nov. 5 letter to Lynch, Cote writes: "As privilege claimant, you bear the burden of proof in demonstrating the City possesses a valid (attorney-client) privilege ... As emphasized by the Supreme Judicial Court in the Suffolk decision, you will be required to produce a detailed index to support your claim of privilege."
Cote doesn't stop there. He requests Lynch to submit all "responsive records" for an "in camera review" to his One Ashburton Place office in Boston.
So what is the city's response to Cote's letter? When asked by a Sun reporter, Lynch deferred questions to O'Connor who, in turn, said she had not received the letter yet. Typical.
The solicitor also told the reporter that a lawsuit was imminent. This time she might be right. The city election is over.
Jim Campanini, editor of The Sun, can be reached at jcampanini@lowellsun.com.
Posted by Admin at 2:30 PM | Comments (1)
November 12, 2007
All eyes are on Nangle's next move
WITH THE City Council election now history, the political focus shifts to state Rep. David Nangle, who could announce as early as this week that he's resigning to become the Legislature's $85,000-a-year sergeant-at-arms.
That move will trigger a special election for the open rep's seat, covering Lowell's Belvidere and South Lowell sections and East Chelmsford. Tuesday's results may have shifted the potential field already.
Mayor Bill Martin finished a strong third, behind perennial ticket-topper Rita Mercier and Edward "Bud" Caulfield. He may run, considering his strong ties in the former Sacred Heart parish, covering South Lowell and East Chelmsford. That strong base will help, should other candidates run and splinter the city vote. Martin took his first swing at the Statehouse in 1998, losing to Nangle in a crowded field.
Meanwhile, Councilor Kevin Broderick was considered a solid candidate, but his sixth-place finish Tuesday has him rethinking whether to run (our money says yes).
Local lawyer Stephen Geary, chairman of the city Zoning Board of Appeals, tells us he's considering running again. Other potential candidates include City Councilor Eileen Donoghue, pumped up by her recent run for U.S. Congress; Assistant City Solicitor Maria Sheehy; local lawyer David Hall; and Lowell Democratic activist Michael Demarais.
School Committee member John Leahy, Nangle's cousin, has rejected the idea. Leahy said he and his wife, Joan, have decided, "it's just not the right time for us."
Lowell police Detective Chris Panagiotakos, younger brother of state Sen. Steven Panagiotakos, looked at running, but has decided against it.
Potential East Chelmsford candidates are beginning to surface, too.
Lowell police Sgt. Thomas Fleming grew up in the Sacred Heart neighborhood. His parents Brendan (the former councilor and mayor) and Bernice Fleming, still live in the neighborhood. Fleming said a run is unlikely.
More realistic is a run by former Lowell police officer-turned-union-activist Jerry Flynn. His union, the New England Police Benevolent Association, is busy and seemingly doing well. Flynn is very close with Sen. Panagiotakos and Nangle, ties that could serve him well.
Another addition might be Patrick Murphy, a Lowell resident ran unsuccessfully for the 5th District Congressional seat as an Independent. Murphy, who opened eyes on the campaign trail, sent an e-mail to The Sun saying he's looking at Nangle's seat with "interest."
HERE'S THE order of finish in the 1998 Democratic primary that Nangle won. Many forget how close it was: Nangle, 1,268 votes; Martin, 1,048; Geary, 978; Rita Mercier, 817; Karin Theodoros, 766; Scott Consaul, 291. Nangle then went on to beat Republican Karen Simao in the general election.
MEHMED ALI will be watching any special election closely. Ali finished a surprisingly strong 10th in the council race. If a sitting councilor wins the rep seat and leaves the council, Ali's next in line.
State law allows a local official to also serve in the Legislature, so no resignation is required.
A CURSORY glance at City Council election numbers show:
* Turnout was 60 votes more than in 2005, 12,713 to 12,653.
* There were 6.36 votes cast per voter, consistent with 2005 (6.46) and 2003 (6.28), so the widespread theory that people would bullet for one group of candidates had no traction.
* Since 1999, Armand Mercier has been Mr. Consistent, finishing fifth, fifth, fifth, tied fourth-fifth, and fifth.
* The new denizens of downtown, in Ward 2, Precinct 3, did not turn out in large numbers. There were only 75 more ballots cast in that precinct on Tuesday than two years ago.
* The shocker: A massive drop in the vote totals of just about every candidate who also ran two years ago, caused by the larger number of strong candidates splitting up nearly the same number of total voters. Rita Mercier was down 12 percent, Caulfield down 9 percent, and Armand Mercier, Broderick and Rodney Elliott were in the 13 percent range. Jim Milinazzo lost 8 percent. Kristin Ross-Sitcawich dropped 29 percent. Martin apparently got a mayoral bounce, and was only down 3 percent. With everyone else backpedaling, Martin went from ninth in 2005 to third this year.
Only one candidate picked up more votes in '07 than '05. Incumbent Joseph Mendonca was up 6 percent, but not enough to hold a seat with Mike Lenzi and Alan Kazanjian surging forward.
So where did the votes go? Every candidate who finished 10th to 18th this year had about 500 votes more than those in the same spots in 2005.
MILINAZZO WAS at a loss to explain how he lost 1,000 votes from 2005. He fell to the ninth, gaining the final council seat after placing seventh two years ago. "I was surprised, partly because people were telling me I was going to be bunched in the third, fourth, fifth area, and I thought I worked hard," he said,
He said he was particularly disappointed to have finished out of the top nine in neighborhoods like Centralville and Pawtucketville.
"I'm happy to be back on, but some of my disappointment was not doing as well in some of the neighborhoods that I really tried to be visible in and work hard," he said.
DONOGHUE CALLED many Lowell voters with a recorded message in the days leading up to the election, asking voters to support "progress" being made in the city.
Some saw that cryptic comment as code: Support the incumbent councilors who forced out former City Manager John Cox and brought in Bernie Lynch to replace him.
Donoghue said that's a misinterpretation.
"It was just to remind people because there have been so many elections" in the past two months, she said. "It was just an opportunity to remind people we've made progress and their vote really matters. It wasn't specific to anybody, just you know, support your city."
Just so you know, the call was paid for by the Broderick, Martin and Milinazzo campaigns.
COX'S INITIAL horse in the October race for Congress, James DiPaola, abandoned early because he missed Malden.
Then Cox's second choice for his endorsement, Andover state Rep. Barry Finegold, received only about 500 votes in Lowell, compared to more than 5,400 for Eileen Donoghue. (Cox's wife, Colleen, however, had a sign on the couple's front lawn for eventual Democratic primary winner Niki Tsongas, with whom she worked at Middlesex Community College.)
But Cox's endorsements for City Council? Five of the six candidates who received his blessing were elected: Caufield, the two Merciers, Lenzi and Kazanjian. Four of them grabbed the top five spots in total votes. And in the Centralville-Christian Hill districts where Cox grew up, the votes poured in for all the above candidates while the pro-Lynch crowd got drubbed.
The only Cox candidate who didn't get elected was SAC club bartender Bob McMahon, finishing 12th.
THE BIGGEST losers on Tuesday were the local bloggers and their anyone-but-Cox-endorsed candidates. Wearing the long faces were the Left in Lowell liberals and Richard Howe Jr., the full-time Middlesex Register of Deeds, part-time Middlesex Community College instructor, occasional talk-show gadfly and incessant political blogger. (As previously mentioned, Ross-Sitcawich, a big LIL favorite, saw her council vote total drop 29 percent. On the School Committee side, LIL sister blogger Jackie Doherty dropped 18 percent, finishing fourth this year after topping the ticket in 2005. Oh my!)
For more than a year, Left in Lowell bloggers greedily published undocumented negative rumors and unverified comments pertaining to Cox, while pushing the "professional" government of the pro-Lynch crowd. Howe more stylishly did the same, painting Cox and friends as the bad guys in a power struggle with the good guys. In the end, the bloggers' blather for control of cyberminds -- and votes -- lacked credibility and had no impact. Every Cox candidate they blasted, except one, won council seats.
WHERE WOULD a candidate Lynch have finished in the Council race? A poll taken by Martin and Broderick, whose results were never released publicly, supposedly said Lynch was Lowell's most popular politician. It led to Lynch getting a controversial two-year contract extension before to the election. But of the five councilors facing re-election who voted for the extension only one -- Martin -- got a bounce. Lynch's perceived popularity didn't help incumbent Mendonca, who lost his seat, while Broderick, Elliott and Milinazzo fared worse than they expected in regaining theirs.
DENNIS CANNEY finished last in the eight-way race for School Committee, but he's not sad.
"Hey, I got 4,904 votes, so I almost could have got on the City Council," said Canney with a smile. (Milinazzo's total was 4,908.)
The former Lowell High teacher and coach raised about $5,000, so the way he figures each vote cost him about a buck.
"My mother always told me as one door closes, another opens," said Canney. "So that's how I'm viewing this election."
SUPERINTENDENT OF Schools Karla Brooks Baehr was pragmatic about the election that saw Lowell High School housemaster Dave Conway top the ticket.
"Elections happen," Baehr said Wednesday. "School committees change, but my job is to be the superintendent of schools and that does not change."
Baehr's current contract expires at the end of the current school year. The road toward a new contract will be bumpy.
Conway's campaign largely made an issue of Baehr's hiring practices, saying the superintendent overlooks Lowell residents for promotions. Frequent Baehr critic Regina Faticanti finished second.
Conway was diplomatic about Baehr's position during the campaign, saying he needs to evaluate her performance from a seat on the committee before making up his mind. But he is expected to side with Faticanti, who thinks the superintendent's seven years on the job might be enough. Committee member Jim Leary seems to be leaning in Faticanti's direction.
Fourth-place finisher Doherty has remained a strong Baehr supporter. Connie Martin narrowly edged out Kevin McHugh for the sixth and final school-board seat by 78 votes, good news for Baehr, because Martin has been a much stronger backer.
John Leahy has often been on Baehr's side as well, though he now says he'd like to see a plan for the future of Lowell High School before he can give her firm support.
YOU'D THINK the first person Baehr would have called post-election would be Conway, the No. 1 vote-getter in the school board race. But Conway says he never received a congratulatory phone call. Two days after the election, Conway said he literally bumped into Baehr at a school event when the superintendent congratulated him and quickly moved on.
IF THE board is split 3-3, the new mayor -- likely Caulfield -- will have the deciding vote. That could be more bad news for Baehr.
Caulfield will likely join the chorus critical of Baehr for hiring from the outside, a charge her administration has denied with exhaustive reports showing evidence to the contrary.
Most significantly, a Mayor Caulfield will exert considerable pressure on Baehr to keep Lowell High School Headmaster Bill Samaras on the job. Earlier this year, she refused Samaras' request for another year at the school.
"The man should receive a medal for the work he's done at Lowell High School," Caulfield said. "To more or less say, 'it's all over, Bill,' I don't like that. But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."
SPEAKING OF THE impending mayor's race, Rita Mercier had some choice words about Mayor Martin's comments in a Sun article on Wednesday. Martin said Mercier and Caulfield should make a "magnanimous gesture" and vote for Elliott's mayoral bid, because Elliott is the longest-serving councilor who hasn't held the ceremonial post.
"Why wasn't (Martin) magnanimous two years ago when Elliott was in the same position but (Martin) decided to leapfrog over Elliott?" Mercier asked. "He wasn't thinking of Rodney then, was he? I don't owe Rodney anything," she added.
"All the mayor's trying to do is put me and Councilor Caulfield on the defensive. He's done it for the past year. It didn't work then and it won't work now."
Mercier made her comments following an appearance Thursday night on NewsTalk Live hosted by Sun Editor Jim Campanini.
LOWELL IS now the only Plan E city in the state to have winner-take-all elections for council. Voters in Springfield overwhelmingly supported a new district/at-large council starting in the 2009 elections, which supporters say will open government there. E. Henry Twiggs, chairman of that Springfield's Democratic City Committee, told the local newspaper, "We have finally taken ourselves out of the dark ages."
LOWELL PATROLMAN John Boutselis' reign as head of the patrolmen's' union is over. Patrolman Frank Nobrega crushed Boutselis, something like 140-30 we're told. One former union president said it was the most lopsided defeat in the union's history.
LAST SUNDAY, WCVB Channel 5 exposed that all members of the state's Sex Offender Registry Board lack the appropriate qualifications for the $85,000-per-year job.
One of those members is Vesna Nuon, who serves on Lowell's Zoning Board of Appeals. Nuon escaped mention during the broadcast, but his resume was posted on the WCVB Web site. It lacks any mention of education or experience that would qualify him to classify how likely a convicted sex offender is to re-offend.
The only thing close is the nine years he spent as a victim-witness advocate at the Middlesex District Attorney's Office, from 1991 to 2000.
FRANK SILVA, president of the Billerica Municipal Employees Association, was suspended for two days without pay in September for conducting union business during work hours. Silva has been banned from Town Hall, and is unable to enter the building without prior approval.
In turn, the leader of the 75-member union that covers the town's DPW employees filed a complaint with the Massachusetts Labor Relations Board, charging that Town Manager Rocco Longo, Assistant Town Manager John Sanguinet and DPW Director Abdul Alkhatib are preventing the union from conducting business and are not following Civil Service rules.
The union and the town have been in contract negotiations for a year and a half.
The complaint alleges that Alkathib met with members of the Engineering Department in September and October and tried to persuade them to leave the union; that Chester Puffer was not given a heavy-machine operator position because he is a union member and member of the collective-bargaining team; and that despite ample notice, town officials refused to allow James Herrick to leave his position at Town Hall to attend a union meeting.
Longo declined comment. The town has until tomorrow to respond in writing to the state.
This week's Column was written by City Editor Christopher Scott, Assistant Managing Editor/Local News Tom Zuppa, City Hall reporter Michael Lafleur, Lowell Schools reporter Jennifer Myers, Statehouse reporter Matt Murphy and Sun Editor Jim Campanini.
Posted by jimcamp at 7:33 PM
Time for unity
Now that the Lowell election is over and the political dust is settling, it is time for city councilors to start fulfilling the promises of unity and cooperation made on the campaign trail.
For more than 15 months, there has been a deep division on the council, a rift sparked by the change in city managers. It is time for that break to be healed -- for the good of the council, the city and its residents.
Every councilor elected Tuesday told voters he or she had no hidden agendas, no axes to grind, no political battle to avenge. We believe they spoke from the heart, that they want what is best for all of Lowell's 108,000 residents. The actions they take over the next two years will let us know if we were right.
Certainly, a unified City Council, working alongside City Manager Bernie Lynch and other local officials to boost economic development, increase job opportunities, repair roads and improve neighborhoods, is in the best interest of every Lowell citizen.
Lowell's leaders must work on the ambitious $500 million Hamilton Canal District plan, smooth the way for a new Target and Lowe's to move into the city, aggressively market the community to attract more business and maintain the city's improved crime rates.
This is difficult work, and it becomes more difficult if the City Council split continues.
In two months, there will be two new faces on the council. They must join with the seven returning councilors to put aside petty political bickering and old grudges. Lowell can move toward a brighter tomorrow only if all of its leaders are willing to look to the future instead of gazing wistfully at the past.
In recent interviews, Councilor Armand Mercier said the council must "move forward" and "stop talking about the past." Councilor Rodney Elliott promised to reach across the aisle to unite the fractured board "to work to improve the lives of every resident of Lowell." Councilor Edward "Bud" Caulfield vowed to organize a unity breakfast.
It is heartening to hear these words from veteran councilors, and to have heard similar vows of unity and cooperation from the two councilors-elect. Lowell voters, and The Sun, will be watching to see if the councilors keep their promises.
Putting their positive words into action -- by working cooperatively as a council alongside City Manager Lynch -- will restore faith in residents and in business leaders who may be considering moving into Lowell.
Posted by Admin at 11:44 AM
Extend school day
The fact that Lowell school leaders are again considering an extended-day program at two of the city's middle schools is good news. The bad news is that School Committee members and union officials apparently don't know much about the plan.
Certainly, we know why children aren't performing to their full potential -- because our kids aren't spending enough time learning mathematics, science, history and English. Now we need a detailed plan that will allow the city to obtain additional grant money to keep schools open longer.
The typical student receives fewer than six hours of instruction a day for 180 days a year. And that's not considering time lost to absences, assemblies, field days and similar activities. There's simply not enough time to learn and truly comprehend all the information students need to be successful in college and careers.
The current thought is to add an additional one hour and 45 minutes to the school day at the Stoklosa and Robinson middle schools. It's a good idea and one we hope can be implemented.
A similar plan was attempted more than a year ago, but regrettably an impasse between the administration and the teachers union scuttled it.
We are concerned that union leaders and School Committee members say they have heard very little about the new effort to extend the school day. It is imperative that everyone be on board if this plan is to reach fruition.
We realize it's early in the planning process, but it would be prudent for Superintendent of Schools Karla Brooks Baehr to include board members, administrators and teachers in her planning efforts and keep them informed of the progress being made.
The need to improve our students' academic performance is an issue nationwide. Clearly, it's time for Lowell to grant our children the additional hours they need to survive and thrive in a global economy.
We urge the city's educators to work together to successfully implement a longer school day in Lowell.
Posted by Admin at 11:31 AM
November 9, 2007
Backtalk 11/09/2007
UNDERPAID: To the people who think police details should be replaced by flagmen because they are overpaid: Give me a break! Police officers are way underpaid for the job they do. They risk their lives every day. If you think it is such an easy job, why don't you go out and protect our streets?
Dracut
LIGHTEN UP: The backpacks kids have at Chelmsford High School are much too heavy. Twenty-five pounds is absolutely unacceptable for a high-school student. The teachers and department managers really need to re-plan their homework assignments or simply give less so kids don't have to carry home large textbooks as often.
Chelmsford
SPECIAL SERVICES: To the man who wrote complaining about the cost of educating special-needs students because, in his words, they won't be able to function in society enough to justify the cost of their education: These children have as much right to an education as any other. These children and their families have enough to deal with without ignorant people trying to hold them back. They deserve any and all services they need.
Wilmington
CONFLICT: I was surprised in The Sun's election section that it didn't indicate who, if any, of the candidates for City Council or School Committee is unable to vote for contracts in the city because of relatives working for the city. Aren't there people who have family members in the system and they can't vote on those contracts? That's a conflict of interest.
Lowell
LEAVE EARLIER: The lights on Lakeview Avenue in Dracut are fine. It's the drivers not allowing enough time to get to where they want to go. All they have to do is go to bed earlier, get up early in the morning, and then you'll be fine.
Tyngsboro
INNOCENT VICTIMS: Babies bring a sense of new beginnings, innocence and a love like no other. To be selfish and cruel enough to harm this little helpless human being is beyond my comprehension. If I were the family member of a person who did such an evil act, I would help lock the door of the cell you would spend the rest of your life in and turn my back on you.
Tyngsboro
CUT BACK ON CALLS: In response to guest columnist Mr. White: Politicians should not be allowed to make all those calls at all times of the day and night. It's really distracting, and it turns everybody off to them.
No town given
BackTalk is an anonymous call-in line for readers to voice opinions on local, state and national issues. Personal attacks will not be published.
Posted by Admin at 3:19 PM | Comments (1)
November 8, 2007
Shelter residents trying to rebuild their lives
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I was a resident of our Lowell shelter for almost two years.
I was very grateful for the services provided by the center, and now reside in a beautiful studio apartment provided for me through the center and the Lowell Housing Authority.
Many of the clients of the center are honest, decent people who, through personal misfortune, are very appreciative to have the shelter available to them as they struggle to rebuild their lives.
Granted, issues do exist, and I feel that through dialogue and cooperation among the neighborhood business owners, residents, staff and clients here at the center, problems can be resolved to everyone's mutual satisfaction.
Please do not shun us. Instead, embrace us.
We do want to be an asset to our neighborhood and community.
BARBARA A. DROLL
Lowell
Posted by Admin at 5:41 PM
November 2, 2007
LIVE CITY ELECTION COVERAGE
| Welcome to the Lowell Sun's live
election night coverage from the Blue Shamrock Pub in Downtown
Lowell. We will be online beginning at 7pm and results will be updated throughout
the evening. To discuss the election with Sun Editor Jim Campanini,
just click on the "Continue reading Live City Election Coverage"
link at the bottom of the results table. Results Updated 11/07/07 10:51AM
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6:05pm The Shamrock is gearing up for the big night, as is Chris Tierney of the Lowell Sun. The computer whiz kid is making sure the programs are working properly and the web pages look sharp and crisp. 6:10pm People are beginning to trickle in. Representatives from Senator Steve Panagiotakos' office are here as well setting up their computer which will post the results to the assembled crowd and media. Jim Campanini will join us in about 50-minutes to chat with you. |
| 7:35pm The excitement level is picking up. Senator Panagiotakos entered the room a little while ago. The projector is up and running. Won't be long now before the first results start trickling in. |
 7:38pm
City Councilor Rita Mercier arrives. Despite years of topping the ticket,
Mercier tells us she's nervous tonight and that she's "always nervous
on election night because you never know what's going to happen." |
|
7:50pm James Campanini is in the house. He says the key to this
night is Belvidere. If the challengers run well in the Reilly School and
maintain top seven finish in the other two precincts, it will spell good
fortune for them throughout the rest of the city. The question is; can the incumbents who live in Belvidere hold off any potential surge. Those results are likely to come in by 8:10. |
| 8:00pm The "names" are rolling in. State Rep. Kevin Murphy, many of the candidates in tonight's races, as well as UMass-Lowell Chancellor Marty Meehan. |
|
8:08pm Rita Mercier tops Ward 1 Precinct 1 with 194-votes. Bud Caulfield placed a strong second with 153 votes. Armand Mercier, Kevin Broderick and Bob McMahon all had 134 votes. Mike Lenzi was next at 129. On the school committee side, Regina Faticanti won that area with 156. John Leahy was 2nd with 149. 8:12pm With three precincts now reporting, Rita, Bud and Armand are running 1-2-3. Kazanjian is 4th and Lenzi 5th. 8:15pm The last Belvidere precinct is now reporting. Overall it's Mercier first. Martin 2nd. Lenzi 3rd. Broderick 4th. Bud 5th. Milinazzo 6th. Kazanjian 7th. Elliot 8th. Armand 9th and Bob McMahon 10th. 8:21pm With 9 precincts reporting, it's still Mercier 1st, then Millinazo, Martin, Caulfield, Broderick, Lenzi, Kazanjian, Elliot, Armand, and Mehmen Ali 10th 8:26pm Next update; Rita, Martin, Bud, Broderick, Lenzi, Kazanjian, Millinazo, Mercier, Elliot, Ali 10th, McMahon 11th. School Committee; Conway topping the ticket, Regina 2nd, Jackie 3rd. 8:28pm Mercier, Caulfield, Martin, Kazanjian, Broderick, Lenzi, Millinazo, Elliot, Armand, Ali, McMahon, Keegan 12th. School: Conway, Leahy, Faticanti, Leary, Doherty, Martin, McHugh 8:31pm More than half the precincts are now in. Mercier, Bud, Martin, Kazanjian, Broderick, Lenzi, Armand, Elliot, Millinazo, Ali 10th, McMahon, Mendonca. 8:34pm Rita, Bud, Martin, Kazanjian, Broderick, Armand, Elliot, Lenzi, Millinazo, 10th is Ali, McMahon, Mendonca, Keegan 13th. School Committee: Conway, Leahy, Faticanti are the top three Please Pardon any spelling errors. The fingers aren't made to move this quickly...LOL! 8:36pm School Committee Update: Leary 4th, Doherty 5th, Martin 6th 8:38pm Mercier, Caulfield, Martin, Kazanjian, Broderick, Elliot, Armand, Lenzi, Millinazo, Ali 10th, Mendonca 11th. No changes in the school committee standings with this update Only two precincts remaining. Only 40 votes separate Connie Martin and Kevin McHugh for the last School Committee spot. 8:42pm Ali trails Milinazzo by 208 votes for the final spot. Mercier tops the ticket by over 1,000 votes 8:44pm We haven't had any new precincts report in a few minutes. Don't know if it's a glitch in the system or what. 8:53pm New results coming in just now: Rita, Caulfield, Martin, Kazanjian, Armand, Broderick, Lenzi, Millinazo, Ali 10...about 210 votes separate Millinazo from Ali. No changes in the order in the school committee 8:58pm Mike Lenzi leads the Greater Lowell School Committee race. Laferriere is 2nd. 9:02pm Final results (we'll post vote totals on the board in a moment): 1)Rita 2)Bud 3)Martin, Kazanjian, Armand, Broderick, Elliot, Lenzi, Millinazo round out the top 9 School Committee: 1)Conway, Faticanti, Leahy, Doherty, Leary, 6)Martin Some glitches in the system...we'll repost if there are any changes and take your questions with Jim in a few minutes 9:33pm This begins a new era in Lowell with the victories
of two challengers, Alan Kazanjian and Mike Lenzi. Both are businessmen
who should bring a different perspective to city government. They are
also quite popular throughout the city. I can see Council Edward "Bud"
Caulfield putting in a bid for mayor, and likely putting together a coalition
to serve in that post. The incumbents have reason to expect the challengers
to roll up their sleeves and work together with City Manager Bernie Lynch
to meet the challenges in housing, taxes, development and infrastructure
improvements. There is no time for divisiveness, It is a time for action.
Hopefully, this election will signal a change in the political tone in
the city. John Cox endorsed five of the nine councilors-elect, including
the two newcomers. It shows he still has some clout. It remains to be
seen if he will exercise any influence over the new majority, but he has
said he does not want to return to City Hall and I believe him. This is
a time for him to settle down and help others to improve Lowell's quality
of life and image. As for Manager Lynch, he is competent and well qualified
for the job. However, he must now show his greatest skill: how to communicate
with a new council that will have its differences on some policy issues. This concludes the blogging of city of Lowell election. Be sure to pick
up tomorrows edition of The Sun and visit Lowellsun.com for full in depth
coverage of all races. |
Posted by Admin at 3:23 PM | Comments (48)
November 1, 2007
Six incumbents, three challengers
Lowell has experienced significant changes during the past two years. A new city manager and police superintendent were hired, finances have been stabilized, the crime rate is down and new businesses have arrived.
Thanks, in part, to City Council efforts, Lowell has grown economically and is moving ahead with significant projects that should continue to spur job development and boost city revenues.
Lowell's leaders are forging ahead with the ambitious $500 million Hamilton Canal District, new Target and Lowe's stores are scheduled to move into Lowell, neighborhood parks are being renovated, and roads are getting repaired. Subcommittee meetings are now televised, council motions are listed on the Web site and more people are getting involved with city government.
Unfortunately, there also is a widely perceived division on the council, a break that must be healed for the good of the council, the city and its residents. That division, sparked by the change in city managers, has continued for more than 15 months.
Lowell has always prided itself on its ability to pull together when times are tough, and to ignore personal and political differences when the future of the community is at stake. It is necessary now.
It is past time that all councilors put aside petty political bickering and old grudges. Lowell can move forward only if all of its leaders are looking to the future instead of wishing for the past. We think the slate of candidates we have endorsed could heal the rift and allow the new council to proceed on a united front.
With all this in mind, The Sun recommends returning Kevin Broderick, Edward "Bud" Caulfield, Rodney Elliott, William Martin, Rita Mercier and James Milinazzo to the City Council on Nov. 6. The Sun also endorses challengers Jo-Ann Keegan, David Koch, and Mike Lenzi.
Keegan sits on the Board of Health and has been a public-health nurse for 26 years. She would like to crackdown on code and health violations to improve residents' quality of life.
Koch is president of the Back Central Neighborhood Association and wants to represent every resident of Lowell. He would push for more industry and additional jobs.
Lenzi, who sits on the Greater Lowell Technical High School Committee, is a successful businessman who would like to bring his experience to the council.
Broderick, an attorney, wants to continue to move the city forward, keep government transparent, finances stable, attract more business and provide good services at the least possible cost to taxpayers.
Caulfield, who is running for his 11th term and promises to unite the new council, supports the Hamilton Canal District plan and worked hard to help last year's flood victims.
Elliott has solid financial skills, is a proponent of neighborhood preservation, supports bringing in new business, wants to help unify the council and would like to crack down on the problem of absentee landlords.
Martin, an attorney who is currently Lowell's mayor, wants to help properly develop the Hamilton Canal District project, work to keep middle-class families in Lowell, maintain open government and support reasonable, affordable contracts for employees.
Mercier is known for her strong constituent services and her work to aid flood victims. She is always willing to listen to residents' concerns.
Milinazzo has considerable development expertise, has worked to protect neighborhoods from dense developments, and hopes to continue Lowell's revitalization and focus on cleaning up city neighborhoods.
Posted by Admin at 2:26 PM
Backtalk 11/01/2007
LOVING LOWELL: I hope the Sox keep Mike Lowell. He is such a solid player. They can always count on him. It would be wrong to pick a prima donna like A-Rod over Lowell.
Wilmington
FABULOUS: Hooray for the Red Sox! What a great team. They deserved to win the World Series. Let's do it again next year.
Tewksbury
EXTRA BURDEN: Why do we have to pay for special elections because our elected politicians leave before their term has expired to take other jobs? They should have to reimburse the cities and towns for the cost of these elections, and not be an extra burden on the taxpayers.
Billerica
LOCATION: New Orleans is flooded -- again. Southern California is burning -- again. As long as people continue to live in places they have no business being, we will always have these human disasters. We can do nothing to prevent nature's wrath, but we can be smarter about where we live.
Dracut
BE POLITE: Why is it that so many people have bad manners today? It is so disappointing. No one bothers to say please or thank you or even return a phone call.
Pelham, N.H.
GREETINGS: I don't care what people say, I'm going to say what I've been saying for the past 48 years -- Happy New Year, Happy Valentine's Day, Happy St. Patrick's Day, Happy Easter, Happy Memorial Day, Happy Fourth of July, Happy Labor Day, Happy Halloween, Happy Thanksgiving and last but not least, Have a Merry Christmas!
Tyngsboro
TOO AGGRESSIVE: I am extremely upset and disgusted with the "speed trap" set up several times weekly at the Hunt Falls Bridge Rotary on Route 110 East. I think this officer needs to get a life. He has actually taken the idea of a speed trap from an annoyance and "revenue enhancement" all the way to obnoxious harassment. He needs reassignment.
Dracut
SLOW DOWN: I wish motorists would slow down on our roadways. Is what you have to do so important you can risk hurting someone?
Hudson, N.H.
SPEAK CLEARLY: Has anyone noticed that many of the new movies have dialogue you cannot understand? Most of the actors mumble or slur their words.
Lowell
NICE WRITING: Whoever is writing the copy for the obituaries these days -- it's lovely, just lovely.
No town given
BackTalk is an anonymous call-in line for readers to voice opinions on local, state and national issues. Personal attacks will not be published.
Posted by Admin at 2:23 PM
ELECTION NIGHT COVERAGE
Join us online as we provide up-to-the-minute vote tallies live from the Blue Shamrock Pub in downtown Lowell. Sun Editor Jim Campanini and staff will be there to provide instant analysis and commentary as results trickle in, plus answer any questions you might have. Whether you want to just find out how your favorite candidate is doing or have your voice heard, The Sun Community Blog has you covered.
Posted by Admin at 2:22 PM
