Oh, NO! 0-8!: It's a Family Affair...

Speaking of families, its talk of Clinton families, Kennedy families, and your family at the Kodak theater in Los Angeles. At time of this writing, the remaining viable Democratic candidates, Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, are currently debating for the first time one-on-one and for the last time before Super Tuesday.

Today's family is more local, however. On the surface, this may seem like a thing against a politically connected family, but it is rather just a "Huh?" on behalf of Tuesday's Democratic voters and independents voting in the Democratic primary.

Absentee ballots for Ward 6 (approximately Forest Park and southwestern East Forest Park, see ward map) include a slate of candidates for the Ward 6 Democratic Committee. These committees exist in all communities. Cities like Springfield have wards while towns have townwide committees. These committees represent the interest of the ward and town in the Massachusetts arm of the Presidential primary process.

Groups of candidates are listed together. One such cluster includes a number of Walshes. These are of City Councilor Kateri Walsh's family. Yes there are dozens of Walshes in Springfield. Indeed two other Walshes are on the ballot. However, five are of 42 Magnolia Terrace, where, according to the municipal website, Councilor Walsh lives. Of the five, two are Kateris. Although, WMassP&I does not know the names of all of Councilor Walsh's children, one can only assume that the second Kateri is her daughter. Kateri B. is the Councilor. The other Walshes include Mary Alicia, Michael, and Daniel, ostensibly, her husband. As for the other two Walshes, WMassP&I gives the benefit of the doubt.

Now as a prominent member of the Democratic Party in Springfield with a history in the public arena, it is not unreasonable or inappropriate for her to be on such a committee. Her husband, who by all accounts is equally important in the Springfield Democratic Party, is also a valid choice. However, given that the rules call for 35 slots on the ward committee and there are far less than 35 candidates, it all but assures that all of the Magnolia Walshes will win.

Admittedly, this is not a huge deal. The ward committees do not possess incredible power and the voters on Tuesday will dictate the terms of the state's delegation, not the committees. WMassP&I feels, however, as a supporter of the Democratic party, that because ours is a party of inclusion, there needs to be other voices than that of just one family, even in as minor, even vestigial, an institution as this.

As a person who advocates the symbolism of representative democracy being restored to Springfield, Councilor Walsh does a disservice to her party and her fellow Democrats, by filling the vacuum of interest with her family rather than recruiting party members to fill the gaps.

--Editors note: First I acknowledge the self-serving nature of this appeal, coupled with this entry, but I make it anyway. With 24 pre-printed candidates and 35 slots to fill, I ask my fellow Democrats of Ward 6 to write in "Matthew Szafranski" as a candidate. The preceding entry is designed to make voters think [gasp], not to cast aspersions on Councilor Walsh. Certainly, if elected, I would look forward to work with her and hers on the Ward 6 Democratic committee.

AND THERE YOU HAVE IT FOLKS! My first political pandering! Enjoy it while it lasts because it isn't likely to happen again soon.

Oh, No! 0-8!:Mrs. Clinton Goes to Springfield...

Alas WMassP&I is in its remote blogging mode right now.

Anyway, Hillary Clinton came to Springfield today supposedly at the behest of Cong. Richard Neal, an early supporter of Clinton's. She spoke for while at the Blake Arena at Springfield College. According to The Republican and Urban Compass, Clinton was quite late coming from Hartford, the site of her first campaign stop in New England for the day. Some reports suggested that the Hartford event was less crowded, but The Washington Post said it was "packed."

According to Urban Compass, the crowds thronged at Springfield College forcing many to be turned away. The Blake Arena can accommodate about 2000, but some estimates appear to suggest that 3000 were present inside. Either way, several hundred stayed outside to catch a glimpse of Senator Clinton when her motorcade arrived. Urban Compass reported that City Councilor Kateri Walsh and her husband, Daniel, left before Clinton arrived returning to their car in the, surprise, surprise VIP, section.

The bulk of Clinton's speech, as gathered from The Republican and The Washington Post seemed to focus on reversing the nation's fortunes after the disastrous Bush presidency. She hit some notes about the economy. Introduced by Cong. Neal, Clinton praised Neal's efforts to bring peace to Northern Island and the British Isles.

A comment on Masslive brought up the significance of Clinton's stop in Springfield. Arguably, as it is unknown whether the campaign will bring Clinton back to Mass before Feb, 5, choosing Springfield is reasonable, allows a pop in Connecticut, also holding their primary a week from tomorrow, and blunts Sen. Edward Kennedy's endorsement of Barack Obama. In all fairness, the choice probably had more to do with Neal's encouragement. Clinton could have just as easily gone to Worcester, whose hometown Congressman Jim McGovern supports Clinton, too.

Despite a weak second in South Carolina, Clinton is still very much in the game. Not to minimize South Carolina, but it is not necessarily indicative of anything except that the Democratic voters of South Carolina have truly transcended South's racial stereotypes. The state is very different than Northern states or even its neighbors North Carolina and Georgia. It is not, economically, anyway, as emblematic of the "New South." With an election that will be about the economy on our hands, this is crucial.

As for the Kennedy endorsements, it is difficult to know what effect they will have. Obviously, Ted Kennedy calling Obama a worthy heir of his brother's legacy, echoing his neice Caroline Kennedy's Sunday New York Times Op, will mean something to some people. However, how much will vary according to what people think of Ted Kennedy, JFK, and the course of history. People may love JFK, but they may not love Ted Kennedy, for whatever their reasons. Kennedy's annoucement was in Washington, DC, not Massachusetts where Clinton still leads. In addition, JFK's daughter's endorsement should carry less weight than Teddy's. Tragically, Caroline was only 6 when her father was killed; she says people ask her how they can live out her father's ideals, but truth be told, she can only go on what others have said. Furthermore she has always guarded her privacy, which is her right. This kind of blows the lid off of that.

Fmr. MD Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, both children of the late Robert F. Kennedy have endorsed Hillary Clinton. Bizarrely, some news outlets have remarked on the lack of unity among the Kennedys as if they all think as one mind to begin with.

This race is definitely heating up. Clinton could still clinch the nomination February. Or Obama could. Or it could keep going up until every body's in Denver. With any luck, Edwards will abandon his quest before then and not try to act like a kingmaker at the convention.

Obama needs to move past the rhetoric, hope, and optimism and provide more concrete details, otherwise once in office, he will quickly find his agenda, like JFK's, stalled and face Democratic losses during the 2010 midterms as JFK did in 1962.

For Clinton to win, she must stay on message and her husband, Bill, has to cool down. He is still very useful, but he needs to use those great people skills. His sniping has worked here and there, but it is connected to the loss in S.C.

*Neal photo from wikipedia. Hillary Clinton @ Spfld College by Heather Brandon/from Urban Compass

Stating the Obvious...

Yesterday, Governor Deval Patrick gave his State of the Commonwealth address before a joint session of the Massachusetts General Court, Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray, and other elected offiicals. The governor used the speech as an opportunity to highlight some areas where action is needed in the state. He tried to focus on where there is agreement, but he did spend time on issues where differences remain.

Patrick attempted to offer a more optimistic tone in his speech despite continued concerns about the economy. His mantra during the evening was "Massachusetts is on the move."

After praising Bay Staters in Uniform in Iraq and Afghanistan. Thereafter, Patrick urged that the legislature move on bills that would encourage green technology development and pursue new energy options. Furthermore, the state shot up from 48th to 15th in job creation. Given dismal numbers nationwide, this was probably not too difficult. Between new energy and Life Sciences, Patrick stated that Massachusetts stood to gain speed in job creation.

Placing his new revenue issues mid-speech, Patrick was essentially burying two controversial issues that have stalled in the House. Patrick called again for casino legalization. WMassP&I has already stated its concerns on the issue, particularly with the placement of a casino near urban centers. While Patrick has touted the potential from the "resort" industry, with cities and towns nationwide looking to gambling to solve problems, it will not be long before outside existing places like Foxwoods, Las Vegas, and Atlantic City, "resort" development will be limited to casino parlors. The "resort" part will become unnecessary as most gamblers will be local. Who would travel to Massachusetts to gamble when you can do so elsewhere?

That being said, WMassP&I is not prepared to lose out to Indian Casino Gambling as Florida did. Any legalized gambling must be restricted to Indian reservations so the state can still get its share. Without state legalization, federal law provides a remedy for Indian reservations to legalize gambling without state approval.

Patrick also reiterated its pursuit of local options meals taxes. Technically, this also include hotel occupancy taxes, but as long as local add-on taxes are reasonable WMassP&I does not see this as any threat. However, meals taxes will harm cities that are desperate. Suburbs, except with massive strip mall developments, are unlikely to pass these, especially if it would impede further development. Instead it would only serve to harm cities, which will enact the taxes in desperation (or delusions of grandeur to build a oceanfront City Hall) and harm competiveness. In addition, without a server minimum wage increase, it will impact servers' wages. Restaurant patrons may be disinclined to tip as well with more tax to pay. It may seem foolish, and it is, but people are often times cheap enough. In Connecticut, servers are paid $5+ dollars an hour compared to $2.63 in MA. In addition, although Patrick tries to call this an effort to relieve property taxes, it is really just shifting it. Furthermore, although proposition 2 1/2 has been a great handicap, local options could be an invitation for reckless local spending. Can anybody say world's most egotistic mega structure?

Patrick also announced formation of a Governor's Council of Economic Advisers and Transportation Bureaucracy streamlining. He reiterated his call for eliminating telecom property tax exemptions. From the outside this seems like a no brainer, but Verizon provides many good-paying jobs in Massachusetts. Higher taxes may encourage them to reduce employment levels and reduce their investments in Massachusetts.

In addition, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and Communication Workers of America are facing fresh contract negotiations this spring/summer with expiration in August. These may be some of the most contentious after the 2003 negotiations in which the unions pulled a fast one on Verizon by in fact not striking and forcing Verizon to pay union workers and keep scab replacements on hand. Patrick must consider this in his calls for telecom tax reform. Perhaps in exchange for securing jobs in Massachusetts and permitting the tax change, Patrick could support a statewide franchise for Verizon's new FIOS cable service and high-speed Internet.

Overall the speech was not bad. Patrick was not visibly upset by the inertia of his agenda, but tried to phrase the debate around the people wanting action. Despite his mandate, however, given some of the surprise support Patrick had for some issues, like gambling, he should not be shocked that while Bay Staters want action they may not want his game plan.

In his defense, the legislature has not been very fair to his ideas. Used to running the Statehouse like Parliament, the Speaker and Senate President have acted more like prime ministers than congressional leaders of a coequal branch. Using autocratic obstructionism to keep out bad policy is little more than a stalling tactic. Legislators, House Speaker DiMasi in particular, will need to form coherent arguments to defend their position and stop the bad policies by convincing people that this state cannot afford to kill the goose to get the golden eggs, whether it be with gambling or higher local taxes.

***See more photos from the State of the Commonwealth Address HERE!

Where's Da Money?...

Well truth be told, the money is probably lost somewhere in a sub prime mortgage that was defaulted on Las Vegas or elsewhere.

Both the Boston Globe and the Republican have reported that FCB Executive Director Stephen Lisauskas has personal ties to one of Merrill Lynch's employees, hence the transactions' path through Albany and not the investment firm's Springfield office.

Although the Globe independently confirmed the relationship Lisauskas had with Merrill Lynch employees, the main basis of its article were statements by City Councilor Jimmy Ferrera. His spotlighting of the issue is appropriate, but as legal experts have advised, may be counter-productive to city's possible lawsuit.

Ferrera, although a disciple of Puppolo to some extent, is not particularly establishment material in the city. He ranks low among the nine winners for city council and will have no choice, but to run as a ward-rep in the 2009 election. Still, the area blogosphere remains suspicious of him as do members of the city's reform element. Comments left on blogs focus on his grandstanding in the paper and media as a means to maintain a long-term position in municipal politics. Notably, these have not made any judgement about his quality as a councilor per se.

In any event, the responsible thing to do might be to keep quiet from now on. A number of details have already been made public and once this is all over, then we can do whatever we need to do to vindicate or crucify any guilty parties.

It has also been suggested in blogs that this new Control Board, as in the Patrick appointees, is sub-par to the previous one. It is impossible to say at this time. If there is any malfeasance or misfeasance it looks as though it may rest with Lisauskas. The current board members are quite qualified and to paraphrase Heather Brandon bring different things to the table.

In any event, this will certainly only serve to strengthen the rallying cry to abolish the Control Board ahead of schedule. The likes of Kateri Walsh and Bill Foley will use this as a reason to demand restoration of local control, neglecting of course their role, whether on the Council or not, as municipal leaders in the current crisis. Such calls will remain irresponsible as this could have just as easily happened on their watch. Odds are we may would not find out about it until the parties involved were dead or had fled to Paris.

Ferrera has not called for dissolution of the Control Board ahead of schedule and neither did the local officials on the board, Mayor Domenic Sarno and City Council President Bud Williams. In any event, the likelihood that Gov. Deval Patrick would reverse himself over this is remote. He may play some musical chairs with the board, but that is all. Moreover, nothing will happen until Attorney General Martha Coakley's investigation is complete and any negotiations and/or lawsuits are settled.

Palace Intrigue @ 36 Court...

Well today was scheduled to be an edition of Oh, No! 0-8, but we know that Hillary won New Hampshire by surprise and that John McCain did so, well, not so surprisingly. The intention was to let the dust settle before commenting on it, so another day won't hurt...maybe.

Anyway.

Bill Dusty, at Springfield Intruder, picked up on some political meanderings appearing with Bud Williams new appointments to the Chairs of City Council committees. The two pieces that were the highlights were Jose Tosado's chairmanship of FOUR committees and Rosemarie Mazza-Moriarty's appointment to none.

These actions are largely unexpected, but put into context not entirely unexplainable.

Springfield Intruder is certainly on the money about Mazza-Moriarty. Although it is possible that the City Council website shows incomplete subcommittees, Mazza-Moriarty appears to be assigned to only 2 committees. Although chairs are picked by the City Council PreZ, the members may not be. Either way, somebody is either trying to repudiate Mazza-Moriarty for trying to get the IB job at Van Sickle/complaining about not being President or is just trying to tick her off into resigning. While either one, even against somebody as ho-hum as Mazza-Moriarty, is not nice or professional, the latter is more of concern. Her replacement would be Morris Jones, who, if the rumors are true, and they probably are, is affiliated with the Asselin clan and plugged into some of the city's more corrupt elements as exemplified by said affiliations.

The other half of the story, Tosado's quadruple appointments, is one major thing. Kissing-up. Despite Williams' respectable finish in this year's city council elections, Tosado was the top vote-getter and barring discovery of immense corruption, and it would have to be monumental, he will be an at-large city councilor in 2010. Williams will have to fight for it. Maybe Tosado will help him out. This is despite Williams having a wealth of donors. An analysis of Campaign Finance records show Williams having sufficient donors (and many not on other councilors' records), while having an above average frugality for incumbent councilors. His campaign has a significant amount of cash on hand. Still money only buys so much.

If Williams is responsible for all appointments on subcommittees, he did not make all bad choices. Bruce Stebbins and Pat Markey on a number of important committees. I realize that since committees have so few members and ostensibly are changed annually, that this may be simple rotations. Nonetheless, these generally well-respected guys will hold some sway on important committees.

These squabbles are not uncommon, but have played out in the press a bit more than is common. It is important to monitor them as they can be signs of problems, opportunities, or fraying support elsewhere. From there, all that's left, is to dig a little deeper.

Political Symphony...

Yesterday at Symphony Hall in Springfield, politicians on all levels gathered for the inauguration of Mayor Domenic Sarno and the swearing in of the City Council and School Committee. In a rare display of civic pomp and circumstance, Sarno took the oath of office before a crowd that filled the orchestra seat and parts of the second level (loge). The Mistress of Ceremony was Sarno's chief of staff, Denise Jordan.

The processional onto the stage was led by an honor guard provided by the Springfield Fire & Police Departments. The Springfield Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet provided the music. Vanessa Ford sang the national anthem, while Sarno's daughters, Cassandra and Chiarinia, said the Pledge of Allegiance. Michael Ashe, Sheriff of Hampden County called the inauguration to order. An invocation was offered by Rabbi David Edelman, Dean of Yeshiva Academy.

City Clerk Wayman Lee administered the oath of office for the City Council and School Committee. Afterward, "You Raise Me Up" was sung by Josephe Broadnax and then a prayer was offered by Rev. Dr. Howard John Wesley. Later blessings were offered by Rev. Pedro Osorio and Rev. Robert White. Songs were sung by the Edward Boland School Chorus including the "Springfield Song" and "God Bless America."

Speakers included US Representative Richard Neal, State Rep. Thomas Petrolati, Speaker Pro-Tempore, and State Senator Stephen Buoniconti offering greetings from their respective bodies.

Sarno was sworn in by City Clerk Lee and former mayor the Honorable Mary Hurley, First Justice Chicopee District Court.

In his inauguration speech, Sarno praised his predecessor Charles Ryan for his work during the city's fiscal crisis. Sarno also served on the Control Board as City Council President in 2004. Sarno also thanked his family, and his parents, immigrants from Italy, for all their help in reaching the Mayor's Office.

As far as goals, Sarno narrowed his agenda to five points.

1. Sarno advocated an emphasis on public safety calling for 50 additional officers be hired for the department, when/if money can be found.
Although the need for public safety is real, it is hard to say whether extra police officers will do the trick. Springfield already has an above average number of officers to citizens. Improving public safety requires more than extra cops.

2. Public education was Sarno's close second for priorities. He announced that he would be an activist chair of the school committee and call for efforts at the middle school level to keep kids interested in learning through high school and beyond.
This could work, but the how will be tougher, stay tuned.

3. Economic development in the form of tax base and jobs growth was noted as being a priority for fiscal stability. Fiscal discipline was folded into this. He specifically noted Riverfront development and the former Crane property in Indian Orchard. Sarno also advocated efforts to help people keep their homes amidst the mortgage crisis.
Sarno could be in the best position to get this achieved, but a great deal of this will require outside forces to continue investing in the city and in greater amounts. State help is a must, too.

4. Sarno called for a continuation of basic services, specifically mentioning the trash fee. He once again called for it to be abolished.
In a nod to the fiscal realities, Sarno called for the trash fee to be rescinded as soon as is financially possible. The less combative tone is crucial.

5. Finally, Sarno called for better environmental stewardship by the city, namely carbon footprint reductions and energy efficiency.
Help from the state on this, too, will be necessary, but local efforts will go a long way, too.

Overall, it was a very good speech. Not too much overreaching. There appears to be great things he can do for the city. However, that is contingent on Sarno keeping his administration honest and not slide back into the darkness of the past.

OH, NO! 0-8!: Iowa I-O-U...

Well the voters of Iowa kinda sorta made their voices heard.

Yesterday, the Iowa caucuses took place officially kicking off the voting for the 2008 Presidential race. The results for the Democratic caucus placed Illinois Senator Barack Obama in a surprising first place, followed by former Senator John Edwards and N.Y. Senator Hillary Clinton in second and third place respectively.

For the Republicans, former Arkansas Governor, Mike Huckabee beat out former Mass. governor Mitt Romney by 10 percentage points followed by former Law & Order cast member and Tennessee Senator, Fred Thompson.

Barack Obama's stunning performance wowed the media, or at least they played off being wowed. What is more interesting is how Edwards beat out Clinton, leading the Clinton camp to undergo some soul searching. An Obama victory in NH outside the margin (technically it doesn't exist as it is an actual vote), would seriously jeopardize Clinton's prospects.

All the hoo and holler aside, Iowa is not necessarily indicative of anything. Even the media outlets that attempted to make something out of Obama's win and Clinton's bronze, conceded that the Iowa caucuses, the Democratic ones in particular, are a complex process that may not be evidence of anything. Moreover, although NH is whiter, wealthier, and so forth than Iowa, it is not the same state politically or geographically. Therefore, all the Iowa caucus can fairly predict is who will get Iowa's delegates, who are actually selected by District and State Conventions before the Dems convention in Denver.

New Hampshire is a different story. The votes on Tuesday are in an actual primary and therefore significantly more direct. The process in Iowa is also more exclusionary. As it is technically a party event, not a state event, different rules apply, such as no absentee ballots. Second shift workers, the infirmed, and the out-of-state are out, according to the New York Times.

Despite the differences it is possible to discern a few useful facts from Iowa. For example, it is clear that Obama has a significant following among younger voters. Some estimate suggest that young people in Iowa nearly matched seniors in raw numbers. Were this to happen in NH, Clinton could be in significant trouble. Clinton's campaign most appeals to middle-aged women and senior. Both are valuable groups, but in the face of record youth vote, not as made-for-TV. Still, this is not for sure. New Hampshire is proud of its first-in-the-nation status and more voters take the primary more seriously than in, say, Massachusetts. Therefore, a wider swath and not just the die-hards participate in primaries. New Hampshire is historically more conservative than rust belt Iowa. NH Polls still give Clinton the lead. Iowa may have slimmed whatever edge she had, however . When taking into account independents, however, it becomes even harder to predict.

As for the Republicans, despite Huckabee's victory, his win may mean comparatively less than Obama's. It is a disappointment for Romney who dropped a bunch of cash in Iowa and perhaps he is hoping for sunnier pastures in the Granite State. It is hard to gage where runners-up in Iowa fit in NH. Giuliani is not spending a lot of time there, but John McCain needs a second place finish to make the trip to South Carolina, the next primary, worthwhile. McCain received the endorsement of NH's most influential paper, the Union-Leader, but his war stance and the Dem's siphoning of independents in the primary will only serve to hurt the Arizona Senator. Polls do not have Huckabee in the top 3, however.

Notably absent in this conversation is John Edwards. Despite the silver in Iowa, Edwards will probably only win a few primaries in the South. He'll keep fighting for a while, but unless Clinton goes down and takes Obama with her, Edwards lacks the resonance with most of the country. They either want Obama's promise for change or Clinton's resume. His populist appeal, though nice, is not hitting the mark with voters. An Iowa ad, for example, touting his fighting for jobs, included a former Maytag worker, probably laid off when Whirlpool bought the appliance-maker, a scenario the President of the United State is unlikely to have the power to prevent. Fighting for people is great, but only when it is within one's power to do something about it.

Note:
WMassP&I will not be endorsing anybody in either party for the primaries. First of all, we, as a member of the ultra-liberal media establishment, are not interested in the Republican primary. As for the Democrats, between the unpredictability of the race and the positive and negative qualities of Clinton and Obama it is impossible to make a declared preference. The heart and the brain are moving in two different directions for us there.

Short of that, we will offer predictions. For the Dems, Clinton and Obama will take first and second separated by the narrowest of margins, leaning toward a slim Clinton victory. The GOP will yield a place for Huckabee third, joined by either McCain or Giuliani. Do not expect McCain above third, and maybe Giuliani taking second if McCain takes third. Romney is in position to take NH.