richardhowe.com

My view of statistical analysis was transformed by the 2003 book “Moneyball” by Michael Lewis which explored how the low-budget Oakland A’s used cast-offs and unknowns to regularly field a team that challenged its much richer competitors. They did this by downplaying the traditional wisdom of baseball insiders and selecting players based on statistical analysis. Assistant GMs were no longer former players, coaches or managers; they were now Ivy League MBAs. Besides being an excellent baseball book – Kevin Youkilis is a main character – “Moneyball” also offers lessons in the use of statistics in any kind of management setting. I’ve been a true believer ever since.

For that reason, I was pleased when the Lowell City Council voted this past Tuesday night to create a data analyst’s position within the City Manager’s Office. All councilors seemed to favor the use of the CityStat program, and the “No” votes seemed motivated more by the cost of adding a new employee than anything else.

So while it seems that there is widespread support for CityStat, I’m afraid it will be short-lived. There are a couple of truisms that apply to any bureaucracy, be it government at any level or a big corporation. Central to these is a resistance to change. Rather than viewing change as an opportunity to improve, most see it as a threat. That leads to the second truism – the reason things are done a certain way is because “that’s the way we’ve always done it.” Taken together, those two things make implementing substantive change in a bureaucracy a huge challenge.

Funding the data analyst position was the easy part. For the council, the real test will come when the facts – as established through statistical analysis – demonstrate that many long-established ways of doing business could be improved upon. When those changes are made, however, it will unnerve many involved and councilors will hear about it. The challenge for the council will be to take the long view, to have the self-discipline to ride out the short term turbulence and have faith that the long-term result will be in the city’s best interest.

The City Manager has posted the presentation he made to the City Council on Tuesday night on his website. I’ve taken the slides and reformatted them into the below YouTube video. Please check it out.

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I recently came across an old VHS tape that included short interviews with some of the candidates for Lowell City Council in the historic 1993 election. Back then, Lowell had a professionally-operated local news program that was shown daily at 5:30 p.m. (repeated on tape at 7 p.m. and the next morning). I think it was called “Newscenter 6″ - it was on channel 6 - and it was a significant media voice in local affairs. These interviews were conducted prior to the Primary Election which featured 30 candidates that year. In the General Election, six new councilor were elected.

The above clip includes interviews with Grady Mulligan (who was elected to the council that year), Laurie Machado (who topped the ticket and also married current councilor Rodney Elliott), Fred Doyle (who was not elected that year and who staged a comeback attempt in this last council election, and Brian McMahon (who was unsuccessful in 1993 and is also the son of Robert McMahon who ran for the council in 2007).

The second clip (below) includes John Zagarella (unsuccessful, but who remains an active commentator on local politics), Richard O’Malley (while an incumbent, did not finish in the top 18 in the 1993 primary), Leo Nolan (a frequent candidate best known for addressing the council during meetings while dressed as Batman, the Lone Ranger or while bouncing a basketball) and Tarsy Poulios (the Mayor during the 1991-93 term who was one of only 3 incumbents re-elected in 1993).

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Like him or not, the NYTimes Tom Friedman offers a thought-provoking capsule version of our current national condition and the challenge facing President Obama. As a writer, I’m particularly interested in the idea of the “narrative” mentioned by Friedman and how the President and the Democratic leaders are having such a hard time explaining their actions in ways that make sense to the majority of people.—PM

Read today’s column by Friedman here.

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The threads of life continue to weave back and forth when we take these occasional trips down memory lane. I like the forty year look-back and this time it takes us to the beginning of the decade of the 1970’s . In 1970 the soap opera “All My Children” debuted; the “Chicago Seven” were found not guilty of conspiracy to incite a riot at the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago; the Concorde made its first supersonic flight; Paul McCartney announced that the Beatles would disband; students at Kent State University were shot and killed; a bill lowering the voting age to 18 is signed by President Nixon; Three Rivers Stadium opened in Pittsburgh; John Kerry and Jane Fonda attended an anti-war rally in Valley Forge, PA; Janis Joplin died from overdose of heroin; PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) began  broadcasting; Gary Trudeau’s “Doonsbury” comic strip debuted; Democrats swept the mid-term elections; Ronald Reagan was elected Governor of California and Jimmy Carter  was elected Governor of Georgia; the U.S. EPA  began operations and OSHA was signed into law; and the North Tower of the World Trade Center topped out at 1,368 ft. - the tallest building in the world. For us personally - Bill got his DMD degree from Tufts and started an internship at the VA and Boston City Hospital - and as the mother of a 15 month old with child-care challenges, I was teaching English classes at Lowell Hgh School.  Using the Lowell SUN edition of the day, let’s take a brief look at Sunday February 1, 1970:

On the State and National News Scene: Governor Frank Sargent proposed sweeping new initiatives to improve the state judicial system… V.P. Spiro Agnew kicked-off a cross-country Lincoln Day speechmaking tour in Baltimore with an off-the-cuff speech that decried the 91st Democratic-controlled Congress as “unproductive and yet spendthrift.”… A U. S. District Court issued a restraining order to stop a nation-wide shutdown of the railroad… Democrat Senators William Proxmire (Wis), Wright Patman (Tex) and Majority Leader Mike Mansfield (Wy) along with House Leader Carl Albert characterized President Nixon’s budget as “pitifully inadequate” to stem inflation and looked for deeper cuts in his defense budget.

Local Round-up: In education - The Lowell School Committee brought budget deliberations to a tentative finish alloting about $10.8 million for education in the public schools. In a dispute over school maintenance - School Committeeman William Collins wanted the City DPW to cede control of school building manitenance to the school department… Mayor Richard Howe and Committeeman George Kouloheras sparred over Howe’s fears of possible “pork barrelling” if the School Committee contracted out the work to special friends. “Lies, lies” responded Kouloheras… School Superintendent Wayne Peters called for the expansion of special ed programs… Increasing Audio-Visual Aids program director George Baker’s salary to $14,000 came under fire… $200,000 was allocated for 18 re-locatable classrooms and $134,000 for 35 new teaching positions… Superintendents of three vocational schools - Nashoba Valley, Shawsheen and Montachusett worried that possible use of an illegal warrant might require the return of some school funds.

On the Municipal Side: Lowell City Councillor John Mahoney, Rules Committee Chair, pushed for a 6:00 PM Council meeting starting time rather than 4:00 PM with a stricter limit on City Council debate time and an elimination of the council afternoon meeting session. Councillors Phil Shea and M. Brendan Fleming also served on the Rules Committee.

In Politics: “Women of Dracut and Ward 9 Lowell” were invited to a “Meet the Candidate Tea” at the Walbrook Lounge in Dracut…  ad signed by Nicholas Lambros.

In City Sports: Lowell Tech beat cross-river rival Lowell State in basketball 96-83 defending against the play of LSC’s Bill Quirk (18 pts), Dave Ryan (20 pts) and others with the stellar play for Tech of Mike Camuso, Mike Finocchio and teamate Pryzdial… George Bossi’s Lowell High School wrestlers routed Westford 45-15 with the winning style of Max Desilets, Ray Delorme, Rick Freitas, Russ Chateauneuf, Gary Potvin and Brian Dowling… Golden Gloves tickets were available at the SUN Annex for as low as $1.75 up to $3.50…All-Star Professional Wrestling was scheduled for the Lowell Memorial Auditorium featuring Killer Kowalski vs Victor Rivera and Gorilla Monsoon vs Prof. Tanaka.

In Business: Pat Meehan of Meehan Tours organized a trip to Mexico sponsored by the League of Catholic Women… The Melody Ranch offered Magnavox color TVs on sale from $239.90 to $499.50… At Ostroff’s on Middlesex Street - GI packpacks for $5.98, GI foxhole shovels for $1.99, flight mittens for $5.98 and mummy sleeping bags for $19.98… the Union National Bank offered a 1-Yr Certificate with a  $100,000 minimum at 7.5% and regular savings at 4.5%… H&R Block offered “to do your income tax” starting at $5.00… There was “Money to Rent” by calling Jackie Boisvert at the  M.V. Finance Company… Glamour Uniforms offered the ingrid Bergman “Cactus Flower-style” uniform for sale with two guest tickets to see the movie at the Lawrence Cimema…

On the Social Scene: Popular local doctor - Dr. Ed Quinn was feted by wife Catherine and daughters Kathy and Stephanie at a Sunday birthday brunch…  Mrs. John (Dolores)  Beati chaired the 1970 Silver Heart Ball at the Speare House… The Lowell Lawyers Wives Club lunched at the Lanam Club. President Mrs. Paul Fitzgerald introduced new members - Mrs. Frank Balas, Mrs. Eugene Bernstein and Mrs. Howard Hall. (No mention of the first names of these ladies even in 1970.) … The South Lowell PTA hosted guests at the J. G. Pyne School with a focus on “guiding not forcing the child” in choosing courses of study. PTA Vice-president Bill Samaras introduced the speakers - Dr. Eugene Wood, Lowell High School Dean of Students and Larry Martin,  L.T.I. Assistant Dean of Admissions.

In Entertainment and Dining: The Peter Pan Drive-In on Pawtucket Boulevard boasted a “broasted” all-white meat chicken dinner at 99 cents… The Dining Out Guide listed: The Branding Iron Steak House, Cathy Gardens, the Coq d’or, the Epicure, Howard Johnson’s, Old Oaken Bucket, the Royal Steak House, the Speare House, the Town House Motor Inn and the Yankee Doodle (Were any of these your favorite place to dine?)… Area Cinemas were showing: “Fanny Hill,” “Midnight Cowboy,” “Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice,” and “Take the Money and Run”… Peggy Fleming guest-starred with the Shipstead and Johnson “Ice Follies” at Boston Garden.

Bits and Pieces: Getting ready for the Immaculate Conception PTA variety show “Under the Spotlight”: Rosemary Casey, Mary Teague, Bob Sayer, Anne and Mary Croke, Chris McCartin, Donna Quinn, Warren Griffin, Mary Anne Monazynski, Tony Casella, Brendan Keegan, Polly O’Donnell, Boyd Gervais, Jean Meehan, Bob Callery, Naomi Sullivan, Pauline King, Joe Pyne, Owen Conway and amny others.

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Lynne at www.leftinlowell.com just posted this info, which amplifies the theme of the moment being promoted by Prof. Bob Forrant of UMass Lowell–PM

Roundtable on Economy with Kerry, Tsongas

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Candidates who ran for Lowell City Council in 2009 were recently required to file their end-of-the-year reports with the state’s Office of Campaign and Political Finance. These reports show us how much money each candidate raised and spent during the year. By comparing this data to the election vote totals, we can calculate how much each candidate spent per vote.

In 2009, the most efficient council candidate was Patrick Murphy who spent only 71 cents for each vote he received. Next was Rita Mercier who spent $1.12 per vote. Third was Rodney Elliott who spent $1.39 per vote.

The following table shows the top twelve finishers in the council election in order of the efficiency of their campaign spending. The columns show the candidate name and order of finish in the voting; the amount of money spent in the campaign; the amount of votes received; and the cost per vote.

2009 Council Campaign Expenditures

Some other observations:

The top three fund raisers in 2009 were Alan Kazanjian ($27020), Bill Martin ($22300) and Kevin Broderick ($22140).

Many council candidates finished the race with significant amounts of money on-hand. Whereas at the start of 2009, few of the council incumbents had more than $1500 in their accounts, at the end of 2009 – right after the election was finished – most had considerable amounts still in their bank accounts. The three councilors with the biggest bank balances at the end of 2009 were Rodney Elliott $11023; Rita Mercier has $7772; and Kevin Broderick has $7478. There are many questions or implications raised by this. For example, why did these candidates judge it unnecessary to spend money they already had on the last campaign? And looking ahead, these healthy early balances give put these councilors in a more secure position should they choose to run again in 2011 (or for some other office in the interim).

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The Lowell SUN in its BreakingNews section is announcing that Henri Marchand - lifelong resident of Lowell has been selected by City Manager Bernie Lynch for the newly reinstated job of Assistant to the City Manager.

The Lowell Sun

Updated: 01/21/2010 05:43:22 PM EST

LOWELL — Henri Marchand, a life-long Lowellian well-known in the city’s business and activist circles, will be City Manager Bernie Lynch’s new assistant.

Marchand, 56, a life-long Lowellian, is ca community relations associate at UMass Lowell and had served as the producer of Sunrise, the university’s morning radio talk show for four years. He spent 18 years working for the Lowell Plan, the last 11 as the assistant director.

“He’s Lowell through and through,” said Lynch.

Lynch said on Thursday that he needed an assistant as soon as possible, because so many services and projects — including responding to residents’ concerns — have gone by the wayside. Lynch’s former assistant, Andy Sheehan, lost his job when the City Council cut his salary. Sheehan is now assistant town manager in Westford.

The council restored the funding on Tuesday night, with $45,000 from excess in the Greater Lowell Technical High School’s allocation.

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With a nod to my colleague Dick’s listing of Mayors of Lowell  from 1950 to the present and in honor of Mayor Jim Milinazzo and the 100th anniversary of Mayor Meehan’s election, here is a list of Mayor’s from Lowell’s incorporation as a city in 1836 to 1950:

• 1836-1837  -Elisha Bartlett
• 1838-1839  -Luther Lawrence
• 1839-1841  -Elisha Huntington
• 1842-1843  -Nathaniel Wright
• 1844-1845  -Elisha Huntington
• 1846-1848  -Jefferson Bancroft
• 1849-1850  -Josiah B. French
• 1851            -James H. B. Ayer
• 1852            -Elisha Huntington
• 1853-1854  -Sewell G. Mack
• 1855            -Ambrose Lawrence
• 1856            -Elisha Huntington
• 1857            -Stephen Mansur
• 1858            -Elisha Huntington
• 1859            -James Cook
• 1860-1861  -Benjamin C. Sargeant
• 1862-1864  -Hocum Hosford
• 1865-1866  -Josiah G. Peabody
• 1867-1868  -George F. Richardson
• 1869-1870  -Jonathan P. Folsom
• 1871            -Edward F. Sherman
• 1872            -Josiah G. Peabody
• 1873-1875  -Francis Jewett
• 1876-1877  -Charles A. Stott
• 1878-1879  -John A. G. Richardson
• 1880-1881  -Frederick T. Greenhalghe
• 1882            -Francis Jewett
• 1883-1884  -John J. Donovan#
• 1885            -Edward J. Noyes
• 1886-1887  -James C. Abbott
• 1888-1890  -Charles D. Palmer
• 1891-1892  -George W. Fifield
• 1893-1894  -John J. Pickman
• 1895-1897  -William F. Courtney
• 1898            -James W. Bennett
• 1899-1900  -Jeremiah Crowley
• 1901-1902  -Charles A. R. Dimon
• 1902            -William E. Badger*
• 1903-1904  -Charles E. Howe
• 1905-1906  -James B. Casey
• 1907-1908  -Frederick W. Farnham
• 1909            -George H. Brown
• 1910-1911-John F. Meehan
• 1912-1913  -James E. O’Donnell
• 1914-1915  -Dennis J. Murphy
• 1916-1917  -James E. O’Donnell
• 1918-1921  -Perry D. Thompson
• 1922            -George H. Brown
• 1923-1926  -John J. Donovan
• 1927-1928  -Thomas J. Corbett
• 1929-1931  -Thomas H. Braden
• 1932-1933  -Charles H. Slowey
• 1934-1935  -John J. Bruin
• 1936-1939  -Dewey G. Archambault
• 1940-1943  -George T. Ashe
• 1943            -Joseph J. Sweeney*
• 1944-1945  -Woodbury F. Howard^
• 1946-1947  -Leo A. Roy
• 1948-1949  -George A. Ayottte
• 1950            -William C. Geary

Many of these names may seem familiar. Some names appear on streets and parking facilities. Others are well-known Yankee names from Lowell’s history.

#John J. Donovan a successful businessman and banker who lived in the “fashionable” Highlands was elected the first Irish Catholic Mayor of Lowell.

*William E. Badger a law and order, temperance-minded man was named acting Mayor in 1902. City Councillor Joseph J. Sweeney - later also a member of the State Legislature - was named acting Mayor when the sitting Mayor was convicted on bribery and a kick-back scheme in November 1942. The Plan E form of government was voted in by special election in November 1942. ^Woodbury F. Howard - a leading proponent of a charter change - was the first Mayor elected by his colleagues under the Plan E charter.

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In honor of Jim Milinazzo’s election as Mayor at today’s City Council Inauguration, here is a list of Lowell’s Mayors through the years:

• 2010 - James Milinazzo
• 2008 - Edward “Bud” Caulfield
• 2006 - William Martin
• 2004 - Armand Mercier
• 2002 - Rita Mercier
• 2000 - Eileen Donoghue
• 1998 - Eileen Donoghue
• 1996 - Edward “Bud” Caulfield
• 1994 - Richard Howe
• 1992 - Tarsy Poulios
• 1990 - Richard Howe
• 1988 - Richard Howe
• 1986 - Robert Kennedy
• 1984 - Brian Martin
• 1982 - M Brendan Fleming
• 1980 - Robert Maguire
• 1978 - Raymond Rourke
• 1976 - Leo Farley
• 1974 - Armand LeMay
• 1972 - Ellen Sampson
• 1970 - Richard Howe
• 1968 - Robert Maguire
• 1966 - Edward Early
• 1964 - Ellen Sampson
• 1962 - Joseph Downes
• 1960 - Raymond Lord
• 1958 - Samuel Pollard
• 1956 - Samuel Pollard
• 1954 - John Janas
• 1952 - Henry Beaudry
• 1951 - George Eliades
• 1950 - William Geary

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At a traditional ceremony held at Lowell City Hall before a packed council chamber this morning, the nine members of the Lowell City Council for the 2010-2011 term were sworn-in by Judge Chernoff (not the City Clerk). Members included incumbents Kevin Broderick, Edward Caulfield, Rodney Elliott, William Martin, Rita Mercier and James Milinazzo with newly elected members - former Councillor Joseph Mendonca, Franky Descouteaux and Patrick Murphy.

After an invocation offered by Fr. Taggart, Pastor of St. Patrick’s Church and the national anthem sung by the Lowell High School Acapella choir, members were sworn-in by the City Clerk. The Clerk then called for a roll-call vote for the office of Mayor. Each councillor as called offered the name of James Milinazzo for Mayor and he was thus elected unanimously. Mr. Milinazzo was escorted by Councillors Martin and Elliott to the front of the well for his swearing-in by the Clerk. At the podium, Mayor Milinazzo noted that he was “humbled by your confidence” and he pledged “integrity and professionalism” during his tenure in office. The Mayor noted former mayors seated in place of honor at the ceremony - former Mayors Richard Howe, M. Brendan Fleming, Tarsey Poulios, Armand Mercier and Brian Martin. (I know I missed one.) He introduced the police and fire chiefs, GLTHS members David LaFerriere and George O’Hare and Manager Lynch. He particularly thanked outgoing Mayor Caulfield for his service and representation of the city. As I was watching the ceremonies on the Lowell SUN website - with good visuals and poor audio - the feed to the SUN site and my computer died. I’m sorry to miss the Mayor’s additional remarks and the rest of the festivities. Hopefully, there will b e a rebroadcast on LTC or the SUN website. My congratulations to all - especially the Mayor - as they begin their term of office.

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