October 28th, 2011
by DickH
With the city election only ten days away, here are the results of the last municipal election:
NOTE: Incumbents shown in italics
City Council (elect 9)
- Rita Mercier – 6882
- Bud Caulfield – 6334
- Franky Descoteaux – 6186
- Kevin Broderick – 5722
- Jim Milinazzo – 5711
- Bill Martin – 5642
- Joe Mendonca – 5420
- Patrick Murphy – 4860
- Rodney Elliott – 4805
- Armand Mercier – 4588
- Alan Kazanjian – 3554
- Paul Belley – 3209
- Ben Opara – 3144
- Ryan Berard – 2995
- Fred Doyle – 2596
- James Wojas – 2435
- Jose Gabriel – 2326
- Ray Weicker – 2320
- David Koch – 2256
- Syed Hussein – 1712
- Curtis Freeman – 1166
School Committee (elect 6)
- Dave Conway – 7355
- John Leahy – 7275
- Jackie Doherty – 7179
- Jim Leary – 7095
- Alison Laraba – 6942
- Connie Martin – 6825
- Regina Faticanti – 3585
Regional Vocational School Committee (elect 2)
- Fred Bahou – 7138
- George O’Hare – 5483
- Mike Hayden - 5226
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July 27th, 2011
by PaulM
About ten days ago, NYTimes columnist Paul Krugman got to the core of the problem with the national Republican party. When one side opts out of the agreed-to rules of elections and governing in a democracy, the system cannot function effectively. If your attitude is going to be that you take your ball and go home if you don’t get your way, especially if you did not win, then the social contract among representatives and voters breaks down. Republicans in the Congress represent their states and districts, yes, but they also are charged with doing the business of all the people of the United States.
President Obama has made it clear that he’s willing to sign on to a deficit-reduction deal that consists overwhelmingly of spending cuts, and includes draconian cuts in key social programs, up to and including a rise in the age of Medicare eligibility. These are extraordinary concessions. As The Times’s Nate Silver points out, the president has offered deals that are far to the right of what the average American voter prefers — in fact, if anything, they’re a bit to the right of what the average Republican voter prefers!Yet Republicans are saying no. Indeed, they’re threatening to force a U.S. default, and create an economic crisis, unless they get a completely one-sided deal. And this was entirely predictable.
First of all, the modern G.O.P. fundamentally does not accept the legitimacy of a Democratic presidency — any Democratic presidency. We saw that under Bill Clinton, and we saw it again as soon as Mr. Obama took office.
As a result, Republicans are automatically against anything the president wants, even if they have supported similar proposals in the past. Mitt Romney’s health care plan became a tyrannical assault on American freedom when put in place by that man in the White House. And the same logic applies to the proposed debt deals.
Election 2010, Election 2012, History, Lowell, Poetry | 7 Comments »
March 16th, 2011
by Marie
The first meeting of the Joint Committee on Redistricting was held today. From the website of the 187th General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts – a statement from the Redistricting Committee cochairs and the first scheduled meetings on the Redistricting Calendar:
The Special Joint Committee on Redistricting will study and propose a new division of the Commonwealth into 9 Congressional districts under the United States Constitution, 40 Senatorial and 8 Councillor districts under Section 2 of Article CI of the Amendments to the Constitution, as amended, and 160 Representative districts under section 1 of said Article CI…
Message from the Co-Chairs
The Joint Committee on Redistricting has created this website to provide information to the citizens of Massachusetts about the redistricting process. This site includes maps, laws, rules, census data, documents, historical perspectives and a calendar of events and hearings for the Joint Committee. We welcome all public comments and participation during the redistricting process.
See the rest of the information
here on the website.
Thanks to Senator Barry Finegold for the lead from his Facebook post.
Election 2010, History, Politics | No Comments »
March 7th, 2011
by PaulM
Thanks to Nomi Herbstman for posting on Facebook the link to Michael Moore’s speech to the protestors in Madison, Wis. Read it here from readersupportednews.org
Current Events, Election 2010, History, Lowell | No Comments »
February 22nd, 2011
by Marie
Lowell Women’s Week – February 27-March 8, 2011 The theme: “Women’s Strength: Achievement, Power and Vision”
As the annual celebration – Lowell Women’s Week nears, it’s hard not to reflect on the place of women. Lowell has historically been an important place for women – their rights, working conditions, their ethnicity, culture, families, education, political influence and more. Current events – local, national and world-wide come down hard on women and their families. Yesterday we wrote about Sarah Bagley – a 19th century Lowell mill girl, writer and labor leader – today let’s look at a broader aspect of gender in today’s world.
The McClatchy News has an interesting Tony Pugh story about the “gender element” as the ecomomy struggles to recover. Some would argue against the idea that women are suffering more. Men suffered a 7 out of 10 job loss rate among the millions of jobs lost in the recession so according to Heather Boushey – senior economist at the Center for American Progress – “it’s hardly a surprise that men have landed more than 95 percent of new jobs in the recovery, or “mancovery” as it’s playing out.”
Women who had been doing well in the fastest growing jobs market – it seems - are now enduring some belated job-suffering more related to the fall-out of the recession as seen in the Wisconsin situation. More women are teachers, childcare workers, in healthcare, in the service industry - and 60% of government workers are women – all areas with more job losses as local and state governments struggle with cuts amid the continuing financial crisis.
Will women loose hard-earned gains in the job market? Do the proposed budget cuts – by both the administration and the Republicans – at the federal level fall more heavily on women? Will we return to the view that men – the stereo-typical bread winners – need the jobs more than women do? Have women yet to learn the skills necessary to get ahead and survive in the professional world, as some have charged? What about women, children and older women in poverty – can those statistic improve with current trends and attitudes?
From the McClatchy article:
The trend has given a new gender-specific meaning to the phrase “jobless recovery” and is further proof that the hiring rebound isn’t reaching all groups.
“The improvements in the overall employment picture obscure what’s happening to women. In fact, women have lost ground since the recovery began,” said a recent statement by Nancy Duff Campbell, co-president of the National Women’s Law Center.
Read the full Pugh article here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/02/21/109118/men-fare-better-as-economy-recovers.html
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February 18th, 2011
by PaulM
David Corn in Politics Daily skewers Speaker Boehner (R-Ohio) for mangling the truth and showing no mercy for those about to lose jobs due to federal budget cuts. Corn has a surprising wrap up to his column that he titled “Naked Lunch.” Here’s the opinion piece, which I picked up on realclearpolitics.com, and here’s the kicker in the wrap up:
So Boehner’s one big idea may be wrong and misguided. Still, if he believes it, he ought to be less Scrooge-like. His lack of sympathy for those who could lose their jobs due to the proposal he’s pushing is stunning and belies his where-are-the-jobs mantra of the previous campaign. In a less-imperfect world, he’d be ridden out of Washington on a rail for such coldheartedness, his duplicity denounced far and wide (and maybe even on Fox News). But all that ensues is a day or two of bad press, with liberal partisans griping about his insensitivity. And the moment gets lost in the wash.
But it was an exchange to remember. In explaining how he had come to title a novel “Naked Lunch,” William Burroughs said that beat author Jack Kerouac had suggested it and that “the title means exactly what the words say: naked lunch, a frozen moment when everyone sees what is on the end of every fork.” This week Boehner had his naked lunch moment — and what was on the fork was ugly and, worse, mean.
Culture, Election 2010, History, Lowell, Politics | 1 Comment »
February 10th, 2011
by Marie
The meeting last week with the Tewksbury Board of Selectmen, the Town Manager and the state delegation is covered by Bill Gilman in the current edition of the Tewksbury Patch.
State Senator Barry Finegold D-Andover and state Reps. Jim Miceli D-Wilmington and Paul Adams R-Andover each spoke before the board and answered questions. The exchange bewteen the BOS Chair and newly-elected Rep Adams – as reported – was enlightening and in my opinion showed a contrast in view, approach and focus.
(Rep) Adams advised the board to go after the “low-hanging fruit” as a possible area of cost-savings. He specifically singled-out union contracts as something municipalities needed to get control over.
Todd Johnson, Chairman of the Board of Selectmen, said the issue isn’t so much union contracts in general as it is the rapidly rising cost of health insurance premiums, in particular.
“(This) is going to cost people jobs eventually,” said Johnson, while asking the Legislators to make healthcare reform a priority. “We value what (municipal union workers) do and we need them. They have been great partners. But we need to look at this in a macro sense.”
As I wrote in a post last week – Senator Finegold noted (and Rep Miceli agreed):
The governor hopes to cut Medicaid and avoid reductions in state aid,” Finegold said. “But I don’t expect that to have any benefit this year. Maybe in year two or three, but not this year.” Cities and towns depending on state funding to offset shortfalls in local revenues will be forced to make tough budget decisions this year, Finegold said.
“I don’t see how you’re going to see any increases in local aid,” Finegold said. “It’s inevitable that towns will probably have to do layoffs. This is as tough as it gets.”
Read the entire TewkburyPatch article here.
Election 2010, Greater Lowell, Politics | No Comments »
January 27th, 2011
by Marie
Tewksbury’s State House delegation at the School Committee meeting – Rep Paul Adams (R-Andover), Senator Barry Finegold (D-Andover), Rep Jim Miceli (D-Wilmington)
While attending the Tewksbury School Committee meeting last night, the state house delegation led by State Senator Barry Finegold put the brakes on the notion of Tewksbury getting an increase in Chapter 70 money. It appeared from Governor Patrick’s budget presentation that Tewkbury schools might benefit from savings elsewhere. As Rick Smith reports on the Tewksbury Patch this morning:
“The governor was incredibly optimistic,” said newly elected State Sen. Barry Finegold, D-Andover. “I fully expect cuts to restricted local aid and unrestricted local aid…”
The governor hopes to cut Medicaid and avoid reductions in state aid,” Finegold said. “But I don’t expect that to have any benefit this year. Maybe in year two or three, but not this year.” Cities and towns depending on state funding to offset shortfalls in local revenues will be forced to make tough budget decisions this year, Finegold said.
“I don’t see how you’re going to see any increases in local aid,” Finegold said. “It’s inevitable that towns will probably have to do layoffs. This is as tough as it gets.”
Long-time State Representive Jim Miceli and newly-elected Rep Paul Adams both agreed with Finegold’s assesment.
Read the full article here on the TewksburyPatch.
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January 15th, 2011
by PaulM
NYTimes columnist Paul Krugman today writes about the divergent moral views afoot in the USA today. He uses plain language to describe a serious problem. Read his opinion here, and get the NYT if you want more.
His writing colleague David Brooks also looks at the moral landscape and sees a people who have too much pride in their own certainty about what it takes to live well and make a living. Read his column here.
Culture, Current Events, Election 2010, History, Lowell | No Comments »
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