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As noted in a Governor’s office  press release and by our friends over at BlueMassGroup, Commonwealth Corps grants were announced today. Locally the Revolving Museum and UMass Lowell were recipients of this largess.

• The Revolving Museum

Program Name: Commonwealth Corps 2008-2009

Amount: $10,260

The Revolving Museum is an evolving laboratory of creative expression for people of all backgrounds, ages, and abilities who seek to experience the transformative power of art.  The organization seeks three Commonwealth Corps members to work on three distinct projects: 1) Volunteer Program Coordination; 2) Website Manager; and 3) Facilities Coordinator.  Some goals for the projects are to 1) establish a permanent volunteer program; 2) use web technology to increase community participation, provide better services to the public, expand audience, improve communication; and 3) serve the mission of TRM by insuring facility needs are met.

• Universityof Massachusetts Lowell

Program Name: Project IMPACT

Amount: $53,600

Project IMPACT will provide a program of consistent math tutoring for 9^th grade students at Lowell High School to increase the passing rate in Algebra One and prepare students for success on the MCAS test required for graduation.  The goal is to increase the passing rate in Algebra One by 68%.  UMASS Lowell will recruit 1 part time Corps member and  24  14 flex-time members from the student body at the university to tutor the Freshman Academy.

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Last week I met John J “Jack” Doyle of Waltham who is seeking the Democratic nomination for Governor’s Councillor in the Third District which includes Lowell and many of the neighboring communities.  Doyle spent forty years in “claims risk management” in the health care industry, so he spent his working life dealing with judges, courts and lawyers.  He recently retired from that occupation (and from his avocation, refereeing high school and college basketball) so he is now seeking to fulfill a long-time interest in serving his community in elective office.  Although he is not a lawyer, his constant exposure to the judiciary made Governor’s Councillor a natural office to seek.

Our current Councillor, Marilyn Petitto Devaney of Watertown, was elected to the position in 1998 and has held it ever since, winning re-election every two years.  This year Devaney received some adverse publicity after she became involved in a dispute at a Watertown beauty salon.  The case was recently resolved short of trial.  While Devaney did not admit guilt, she did agree to send a letter of apology to the other party.  Devaney is a candidate for re-election and will undoubtedly be tough to beat.

The Third District Governor’s Council seat has several Lowell connections.  Here’s the order of finish in the 1998 Democratic primary that led to Devaney’s election:

1. Marilyn Petito Devaney of Watertown - 12,541
2. Ruth Nemzoff of Newton - 12,181
3. Frank Talty of Lowell - 11,010
4. Howard Goldstein of Newton - 8,725
5. John Costello of Weston - 7,776
6. Ginny Allan of Sudbury - 7,595
7. Garrett Barry of Belmont - 6,036
8. Leonard Golder of Stow - 3,373

Prior to Devaney’s victory, the seat was held by Cynthia Creem of Newton who was elected in 1994.  Here are the results of that year’s Democratic primary:

1. Cynthia Creem of Newton - 25,968
2. Joseph M Downes Jr of Lowell - 13,526
3. Jackie Morrissey of Newton - 11,276
4. Robert Kahn of Brookline - 5,334

Prior to Creem, the seat was held by Lowell’s own Robert Kennedy who, in 1988, challenged incumbent Herbert Connolly of Newton.  Kennedy won, 14,716 to 14,715 - that’s right, out of 38,747 votes cast, Kennedy won by a single vote.  But the story gets better: Connolly and his wife were so busy campaigning on election day that they both neglected to vote.

Good luck to Mr. Doyle.  I’m sure we’ll be seeing much more of him in the coming weeks.

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Congressman Harold E. Ford, Jr. of Tennessee is the current Chairman of the DLC - Democratic Leadership Council. Remember his keynote address at the 2000 Democratic National Convention? He and other DLC disciples - the Clintons and assorted US Senators, Congressmen, Governors and state legislators - are advocates “for an activist government” but one that is reinvented “so that it is both more responsive and more accountable to those it serves and to the taxpayers who pay for it.” Sometimes they are  referred to as “third way” Democrats. Even though Barack Obama is not a DLC member the DLC leadership and members like Congressman Rahm Emanuel and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius - a possible V. P. nominee - have now embraced Obama as the Democratic nominee. Do they have influence on Obama? Will there be a new coalition with the DLC and Obama-believers? Check out their website to brush up on who they are and their broad-ranging views on economic opportunity, security, values, reform and other elements of their activities in regional, state and the national government. While on the DLC Home page look for the story on our Massachusetts State Senator Marc Pacheco of Taunton - the New Democrat of the Week for August 6, 2008. Find information at: http://www.dlc.org/.

Note: Regarding possible DLC influence on Barack Obama - Indiana Senator Birch  Evan Bayh an apparent leading contender as the VP nominee was chair of the Democratic Leadership Council for four years.  mps

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Globe “City and Region” columnist Kevin Cullen landed a hit today on local State Representative Colleen Garry of the 36th Middlesex District which includes the communities of Dracut and Tyngsboro. Garry who serves on the House Ways and Means Committee generally flies below the political radar. She is considered to be conservative - she is for heterosexual marriage only, against in-state tuition for the undocumented and against stem cell research. What’s curling Cullen’s non-partisian hair? It seems that Colleen Garry is a whiney “HillBillie” who is pouting over a decided lack of “Barack Obama outreach” to her and other HRC supporters. She’s looking for more than e-mails and wants a more personal contact from the campaign. I guess that Garry’s pique was noted in a Herald article which focused on the recent 5 million-dollar Obama haul at a Boston fundraiser. I’m sure an Obama operative will be in touch with Garry soon! Will she answer?

Cullen aside - Garry and other Hillary supporters are at a political crossroads. Crushed that HRC’s nearly 18 million votes weren’t enough to pull-off a win for the Democratic nomination for President against a less-experienced guy from Illinois and angry that the historic moment for a woman (particularly this woman) becoming President  won’t happen in 2009, they must make a choice. Will they stay home? Will they disrupt the Democratic Convention? Will they pull-out all the stops to bring Obama down? Will they vote for John McCain? Are they PUMA-nistas? Will Hillary Clinton herself be able to bring them into the fold for the November election? Will conversion to Obama-olgy only come with HRC on the ticket as VP? Stay tuned.

On another note - with credentials as a solid Hillary Clinton supporter in the primary I’ve purged the whininess and tucked away the pain. Perhaps it’s age and innate pragmatism - but changing the focus, mentality, philosophy, morality and bureaucracy of the current administration to a new agenda is far too important for the future to hold onto personal angst. I’m on the train - if only in the cheap seats.

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I was in Connecticut this past weekend attending a family wedding. While checking out the local newspaper - the New Britain Herald - I came across some gambling statistics for the Mohegan Sun.  Claiming an “extremely long streak of bad luck” for the casino, Mohican Sun CEO Mitchell Etress reported an 89% drop in net income for the third quarter as compared to the same time last year. The luck it seems this time was on the side of the gamblers not the house - causing the high losses. What’s this really all about? Has the bottom fallen out of the casino business? Officials claim that gamblers played about about 6% more money. It’s a puzzle to me but then I’m no gambler. When I occasionally do buy a Mass State Lottery ticket I just view it as an educational donation. Perhaps the pot-of-gold at the end of the casino proposals for Massachusetts just full of “fools gold.” Stay tuned.

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Over on the Herald’s blog former SUN reporter Hillary Chabot writes about the impending override of Governor Patrick’s budget vetoes. She notes that Ways and Means Chair Senator Steve Panagiotakos is predicting a prudent “fifty-fifty split” with the Governor. Apparently the Republican members expect Pangi  to jump through hoops to explain why this Governor is allowed to keep half of his cuts while a GOP Governor would suffer a full override.

“There has better communication (with Patrick) so there will be less for us to have to override” said Panagiotakos. “I want to make sure that the five members of the minority party remember those days of wine and roses, because they’re gone.”

The Senator will probably end up on GOP mouthpiece Barney Keller’s  hit list or at least as a talking points bullet. Barney and friends have been lobbing charges at Democrats from one end of the Commonwealth to the other. As the legislative session ends the heat is turned up for the coming election. Stay tuned.

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If you are looking  for other campaign volunteer opportunities, there are State Senate and Rep races needing  workers and races for Governor’s Council.

Rep. Jamie Eldridge - 37th Middlesex District - is running for the Democratic nomination in the Middlesex & Worcester District to replace retiring Senator Pam Resor. Eldridge is well-respected for his high-level  5th CD campaign last summer. http://jamie.combsnet.com/

Jim Arciero of Westford and Chelmsford Board of Selectman member Pat Wojtas are running for the Democratic nomination in the 2nd Middlesex District to replace retiring Representative Geoff Hall.  Billerica Representative Bill Green is challenged in the Democratic primary by Selectman Jim O’Donnell. As part of an ongoing effort to turn the First Middlesex Rep District “blue,” Groton Democrat Virginia Wood is challenging Republican incumbent Bob Hargraves. Lawrence has a spirited and heated race in the 6th Essex District as former Acting Mayor and City Councillor Marcos Devers challenges incumbent Rep. Willie Lantigua for the Democratic nomination while the Freshman Rep Methuen’s Linda Dean Campbell is again facing Christopher DiBella in the 15th Essex District primary.

Others in the Greater Lowell /MV delegation - Senators Panagiotakos and Tucker, Representatives Golden, Nangle, Garry, Miceli, Finegold and Tucker have no primary or Republican opposition. But Reps Kevin Murphy (Lowell) and Barbara L’Italien (Andover) and Senator Susan Fargo (Third Middlesex) face either a Republican or Independent in November.

And then there is the race in the 4th Middlesex District to replace Senator Jim Marzilli. The contest in the Democratic primary is between  firefighter union exec Ken Donnelly and Arlington Selectman John Hurd. Billerica is in the 4th District.

In the Governor’s Council - Third District race, longtime incumbent Marilyn Petitto Devaney of Watertown is facing a double-barreled challenge in the primary from fellow Democrats Watertown Fire Department Lieutentant Tom Walsh and Jack Doyle of Waltham. In the Fifth District incumbent Mary Ellen Manning of Peabody faces primary challenger Timothy Houlten.

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Yesterday’s Globe reported that the state legislature is about to alter the way in which the UMass Building Authority pays for new construction.  Up until now, UMass has not had to put construction projects out to bid whenever “private funds” paid for a majority of the project.  “Private funds” has been interpreted to include fees paid by students.  (While a 2004 law apparently recategorized fees as public funds, that law elapsed in 2006).   

Being able to side-step the state bidding laws as long as a construction project is paid for by student fees.  That might explain why the annual tuition for an in-state student at UMass Amherst is $1714 while the “fees” for that same student total $10,232. 

There’s no indication of whether this new bid requirement will effect the recent awarding of the contract for the new dormitory at UMass Lowell.

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Jamie Eldridge, a candidate for the Middlesex and Worcester State Senate District, held a successful fundraiser in Lowell this morning at the Brew’d Awakening Coffeehaus.  Sponsored by State Senator Steve Panagiotakos and Attorneys Michael Gallagher, Richard Cavanaugh and Eileen Donoghue, about 50 people were in attendance including State Representative Kevin Murphy, UMass Lowell Chancellor Marty Meehan, Lowell school committeeman John Leahy, and Bob Halpin of the Merrimack Valley Economic Development Council.  Jim Arciero, a candidate to succeed State Representative Geoff Hall was also in attendance.  Much of the speaking and chatter involved reminiscing about the special Congressional election in the spring of 2007 which included Donoghue and Eldridge as candidates.  The 27 debates held during that campaign obviously created some bonds between the candidates that have persevered beyond that election.  Although he faced two Lowell candidates in that race (Donoghue and Niki Tsongas), Eldridge made a very positive impression on many in Lowell with his forceful and articulate advocacy of controversial issues such as the need for single payer health care.  I’d often overhear audience members after some of the 27 debates remark, “I don’t agree with him on that issue, but I have a lot of respect for the way he fights for what he believes in.”  That approach may not have won Eldridge the Congressional election, but it created a reservoir of support that’s benefiting him today.

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Governor Patrick unveiled his Readiness Project plan for school reform last week.  The proposal was filled with a number of far-reaching proposals that would shake up the status quo in public education in the Commonwealth including

• A statewide teachers contract
• Consolidation of school districts with less than 4000 students
• Full-day kindergarten and universal pre-K
• Stronger academic requirements for all students
• More effective drop-out prevention programs
• Differentiated pay for teachers in different subject areas and in urban schools
• Dual enrollment in high school and community college
• Free tuition at community college

Any one of those items is worthy of a lengthy debate.  Taken together, they represent a proposal to radically overhaul the state’s system of public education.  In the coming weeks, we’ll return to this topic several times.  For instance, why stop at consolidating only districts of less than 4000 students – why not consolidate them all and give the state full authority over public education?  Maybe it’s time to return to neighborhood schools and eliminate much of the current busing of students.  There’s much to debate.

Unfortunately, our own local newspaper has pretty much ignored all of these portions of the governor’s proposal, choosing to focus almost exclusively on a single item – the Governor’s attempt to revive in-state tuition for the children of illegal immigrants.  “Ed Reform Plan: Patrick backs tuition break for children of illegals” may have sold more copies of the paper, but it didn’t add anything to the debate on ed reform.

UPDATE: Education Secretary Paul Reville visited the Sun yesterday to present the Readiness Project to the paper’s editorial board.  That has resulted in a front-page story and an editorial in today’s paper that present a more balanced and comprehensive account of the school reform proposal than appeared last week.  We’ll add links later today after the stories become available online.

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