Lowell

Discussion of two proposed modifications to the city’s zoning code dominated last Tuesday’s Lowell City Council meeting. Both involved parking and both were rejected by councilors. The first would have eliminated the parking requirement for a microbusiness, meaning a business in a small space with few employees. This amendment was…

This coming Tuesday will be the last city council meeting of the year and of the 2016-17 council term. The first item on the agenda, under Mayor’s Business, is “Recognition – Mayor’s Holiday Fest Committee.” That event – the First Annual Mayor’s Holiday Fest – took place on November 28,…

The following just arrived in my inbox from Councilor Samaras: Why I want to be Mayor: A Vision for Lowell As I’m sure most people are aware, I have decided to seek the office of Mayor of the City of Lowell.  In the weeks following the election, I have had…

Selecting a Mayor One of my earliest memories of Lowell politics is from January 5, 1970. A new city council was being inaugurated and my dad, just reelected to his third term, was going to be mayor. Or so we thought. As our family walked into City Hall for the…

Founded as a town in 1826, Lowell’s first governing body was a board of selectmen. The rapid growth of the mills made a city form of government preferable, and so in 1836 the state legislature granted Lowell a city charter. The city charter brought a new form of government consisting…

Between Thanksgiving, a quiet council meeting last Tuesday, and no meeting this coming week, today is a good opportunity to step away from the day-to-day political life of Lowell and remember the big picture. To me, understanding the big picture is all about history, because as Harry Truman once said,…

City Election Follow-Up Last Tuesday’s city council meeting was pretty sedate, with barely a mention of the Lowell High project. That seems to reflect the will of most people in the city. This past election was like a Micky Ward v Arturo Gatti fight: the winners and the losers were…