Stories in Friday’s Boston Globe, Lowell Sun and Eagle-Tribune cover the final plaudits and and farewell speeches of eight retiring members of the Masachusetts State Senate – two represent the Merrimack Valley and one has connections … State Senator Steven Panagiotakos of Lowell, State Senator Sue Tucker of Andover and State Senator Rob O’Leary raised in Lowell.

From Senator Steven Panagiotakos in the Lowell SUN:

In a heartfelt address, Panagiotakos focused on his constituents. It was helping a student get into college, an unemployed person land a job, or a grandparent find a nursing home that gave him the most fulfillment.

“I always told my staff that for someone to call my office, it’s got to be pretty damned important to them, so it had better be pretty damned important to us,” said Panagiotakos.

From Senator Sue Tucker in the Eagle-Tribune:

In closing, she said, “I know some of you have been through such tough races, just stay close to the people who sent you here. Try to look at things through their lenses. So hard when you get under this golden dome, the people you represent feel so far away. I hope I have been a small part of your lives, because you have been a huge part of my life.”

From Senator Rob O’Leary noted in the Globe:

“I’ve come to know the good and bad of both state and federal campaigns and elections,’’ said Robert A. O’Leary, a Barnstable Democrat who ran unsuccessfully for the 10th Congressional District. “I’ll miss the good, but I’m happy to say goodbye to the bad.’’

The most powerful conflict in politics today is not between liberals and conservatives, O’Leary said, but “between idealism and cynicism, between those who embrace public service and those who want to denigrate it.’’

In case you missed them – read the Globe story here;  read the SUN story here; read the Eagle-Tribune story here.