Thursday Roundup: Foley wins Sheriff race

Thanks to this year's late primary (September 14 is the latest possible "second Tuesday") and the early general election (November 2 is the earliest possible "Tuesday after the first Monday"), candidates are left with a seven-week sprint to the finish in their effort to win election.

For most, that race began within hours after the polls closed, but for Tom Foley (D-Worcester), the start of the general election campaign had to wait until Wednesday. From the Telegram:

Mr. Foley, a former superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, will face Republican Lewis G. Evangelidis, a state representative from Holden who had no opposition in the primary, and independent candidate Keith E. Nicholas of Warren. Mr. Warren is a UMass Memorial Medical Center policeman and part-time Warren police officer.

Mr. Foley, a Governor’s Councilor, received a call from his primary opponent, Scot J. Bove of Holden, conceding the election about 8:45 a.m. yesterday. Mr. Bove is an assistant deputy superintendent at the Worcester County Jail and House of Correction in West Boylston.

Mr. Foley took 52 percent of the vote, winning the primary by 1,660 votes, according to unofficial results. About 40 percent of the victory margin of Mr. Foley, who still lives in his native city of Worcester, came from Worcester, which he won by 676 votes.

As first reported by CMassPolitics.com, Bove decided around 1:00 am Wednesday to wait until results of several cities had been reported before conceding. At the time, Bove trailed by just over 1,000 votes with Milford, Gardner, Southbridge among the precincts not yet reported.

New England Cable News also reported on Foley's victory.

Elsewhere, while candidates gear up for the sprint, reporters and editors were catching up on rest and recharging the batteries...

13th Worcester House District
An advisor to gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker (R-Swampscott) told the State House News Service that the loss of Margot Barnet (D-Worcester) in the state house primary showed the weakness of the Lt. Governor Tim Murray (D-Worcester) "political machine." The advisor suggester that Barnet was Murray's "preferred candidate;" Murray's campaign noted that Murray did not endorse anyone in the race.

Second Congressional District
Rep. Richard Neal (D-Springfield) is feeling some heat from the left, as the Progressive Democrats for America and "Jobs for Justice" organizations protested the lack of job growth at the Springfield Federal Building. Organizers said it was the ninth time they had requested a meeting with Neal, to no effect.

Second Franklin District
The Telegram notes that the next state representative will definitively be from Orange, as Republican nominee Steven Adam, Democratic nominee Denise Andrews, and unenrolled candidate Genevieve Fraser all hail from Franklin County's Easternmost burg.

Mahoney squeaks by Barnet, looks ahead to Franco

WORCESTER -- Telling his supporters that they will need to work just as hard for the next six weeks as they have in the run to the primary, John Mahoney (D-Worcester) accepted his party's nomination for state representative in the 13th Worcester District.

"After what we did in the primary, we're going to kick ass in the fall!" said a jubilant Mahoney, just moments after second-place finisher Margot Barnet (D-Worcester) called to concede defeat.

Mahoney credited his victory to his on the ground in the days and weeks leading up to today's primary. "I met so many people who told me 'I wrote in your name two years ago,'" he said. "And so many others told me that they had met me at there home.

"I only missed four days of the campaign and our hard work paid off in the end."

Unofficial results showed that Mahoney had defeated Barnet by about 120 votes out of only 5,600 or so cast.

Speaking earlier in the evening, Barnet thanked her supporters and told them that their efforts had not gone for naught. "We can hold our heads up high. We fought for a positive future for all of us."

Barnet also lamented the lower-than-expected turnout. "Only about half of the voters who told us they were supporting us came out to vote," Barnet said to a crowd of about 30 supporters. "We found that a number of them took out Republican ballots."

Mahoney said he was not concerned that the low turnout in the Democratic primary would be a problem for him in the general election race against Paul Franco (R-Worcester) and Ronal Madnick (U-Worcester).

On the trail with Margot Barnet, 13th Worcester rep. candidate

WORCESTER -- CMassPolitics.com spoke with Margot Barnet, Democratic candidate for the state House in Paxton and part of Worcester, at her Pleasant Street campaign office this afternoon.



Don't forget to check back at CMassPolitics.com this evening for results and analysis from the 13th District Democratic primary vote!

P.O. Box 13: Testify, testify! (Part 4)

Part 4 of our look at campaign mailers in the 13th Worcester House District race. This review includes mailings received on September 9. Also see Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 5.

Thursday, Sept. 9, produced a bumper crop, all from the supposed "front-runners" of the campaign. Margot Barnet, last heard from more than a week ago, again had multiple entries. Here they are:

Margot Barnet
"Your Vote Matters"
Here's another union mailer from SEIU (see Part 1). It's got the hallmarks of a statewide mailer, with no specifics about Barnet's policies and no mention of Worcester or Paxton -- just "... an important primary election for our community." Also, if you don't know where to vote, visit wheredoivotema.com (a state-run website) or call 800-462-VOTE. Nothing groundbreaking here.

Margot Barnet
"Someone We Trust"
This one's from Barnet's local office and focuses on her résumé as a community volunteer and organizer in Worcester: "We know we can trust her to be a champion for our concerns, because that is exactly what she has been doing for decades in our community." It's Barnet's strongest selling point and this is probably her most effective mailer yet.

John Mahoney
"Mahoney Momentum!"
Another big one -- 8.5" x 11". I just had to show the front side, because it's got that great headline, but the back is probably more interesting ... the entire purpose of the mailer is to show seven testimonials, including one from a Paxton resident. Mahoney gets a great cross-section to endorse him, from elected officials (Councilor Barbara Haller and School Committeewoman Dianna Biancheria) to former Police Chief Edward Gardella, a teacher and a senior citizen.

Next time the post office has to raise the price of a stamp because business is down, don't blame John Mahoney. The information on this mailer could have easily fit into a card half this size, but he's still paying to send the largest mailers the campaign has seen so far.

Joff Smith
"What People Are Saying"
I've got to go with first impressions here -- the color scheme is awful; a lot of dark-text-on-black. That said, Smith strikes back with his own list of testimonials, leading off with former School Committee member Dotty Hargrove and city boxing star Jose Rivera. Nobody identified from Paxton. Still, folks who risk eye damage to read the thing learn about Smith's attention to education, neighborhoods and seniors.

It should be said that while testimonials are better than vague promises, they're still not as good (in this voter's opinion) as specific promises or beliefs. I'm learning not to expect specifics in the mail, though.

This is the fourth in a series of "P.O. Box 13" blog posts about campaign mailers in the 13th Worcester House District race. The opinions expressed are those of a 13th Worcester District voter and not necessarily those of CMassPolitics.com. The series continues here.

P.O. Box 13: Barnet triplets arrive (Part 1)

Part 1 of our look at campaign mailers in the 13th Worcester House District race. This review includes mailers through August 31. Also see Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5.

Supposing you're new to town, you don't subscribe to the newspaper, listen to talk radio or read political blogs like this one -- much less attend debates or volunteer on a campaign. How will you decide whom to choose in a six-way Democratic primary race?

Can you depend on campaign mailers? Let's take a look at how the campaigns look on paper -- in their own words -- when given a chance to bombard my house with junkmail. We'll start two weeks out, with the mailers that arrived Aug. 31, and update with other posts until the primary election Sept. 14.

Margot Barnet
"The Healthy Choice"
Here's a mailer with a Service Employees International Union logo on it (and Dorchester return address, and "authorized and paid for by 1199SEIU" disclaimer), carrying the nurses' and healthcare workers' union endorsement. SEIU says Barnet will "create and protect jobs," "protect access to quality, affordable healthcare," keep property taxes low while protecting "local services"; keep seniors and disabled independently at home. Not too much specific here, and not too much to differentiate her from Democratic opponents, who all promise the same things.

Margot Barnet
"For His Sake"
This 10" x 6.25" card also arrived Aug. 31, return address that hotbed of grassroots volunteerism, Ashburton Place on Beacon Hill in Boston. Margot has the Massachusetts Teachers Association endorsement, and apparently that's message enough because the mailer doesn't give any specifics on her education views. A quirk: the clip art of a cute elementary schooler is in color, but Barnet's mug is small and grayscale. I can't prove it but I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that identical mailers were sent to every contested Democratic primary district, with the local endorsee's name and likeness inkjetted onto the blank space in a preprinted card. Gotta love local campaigns. It's possible this was not a a district-wide mailing but rather an MTA-only effort; we have a teacher in the house.

Margot Barnet
"Her Work Made a Difference"
The third (maybe second?) Barnet mailer of the day, same size as the last one, but this one comes from her local campaign office, paid for by her local committee, and quotes a Worcester resident on the obverse. The reverse is four testimonials on how Barnet has "already made a difference in our community," and three of them are obviously local. She has Mayor Joe O'Brien's endorsement.

John Mahoney
"Head and Shoulders Above"
The 8.5" x 11" mailer that rival campaigns couldn't stop making fun of. Is he running for shooting guard? Perhaps an apple picker? The flyer is a gimmick, though, and I suppose anything that starts a conversation is fine. It took me a few looks to notice the five foreheads and haircuts that come up to waist-high on Mahoney. A little exaggeration there -- Mahoney is 6'3", which is tall, but not freakishly so. Now, this is nitpicking, but the "measuring stick" behind Mahoney is a ruler -- he appears to be 6 1/4 inches tall. And this is ridiculous nitpicking, but if you could see the ruler extend behind him, below his shoulders, it would end about half a foot (er ... about half an inch) above his wrist. So maybe he's as tall as 10 inches. Details, folks.

The back side is a positive get-to-know-me biography in bulleted format. All he really promises to do is "return your phone calls promptly, work diligently to improve your quality of life, and approach the issues from a fresh perspective." How?

I'm still surprised that Mahoney didn't mention in this mailer or (other than briefly) at the Aug. 31 debate what really sets him apart from his opponents -- he's the only one who ran for this office before it was an open seat (write-in candidate in 2008).

Next: the rest of the week.

This is the first in a series of "P.O. Box 13" blog posts about campaign mailers in the 13th Worcester House District race. The opinions expressed are those of a 13th Worcester District voter and not necessarily those of CMassPolitics.com. The series continues here.

13th Worcester: Barnet leads in fundraising, cash on hand

Buoyed by a $10,000 personal loan to her campaign, Margo Barnet (D-Worcester) led all of her Democratic challengers in fundraising for the 13th Worcester District House seat.

Barnet raised just over $33,000 in the reporting period from January 1 through August 27. She also has more cash remaining in her campaign account, reporting $14,694 left to spend in her quest for the open seat being vacated by Bob Spillane (D-Worcester).

However, a closer look at Barnet's report with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance indicates that she could be in for more criticism from fellow candidates over her perceived ties to special interests.

In last week's debate, Barnet came under fire for the endorsements she has received from Political Action Committees across the state. Campaign records show that Barnet has benefited from those PACs to the tune of $2,700, more than any other candidate in the race.

Her main critic at the debate, Mike Perotto (D-Worcester), has also been a top beneficiary of PAC money. Perotto's take from PACs was second in the district, with $1,900 logged from the organizations. No other candidate in the race has received more than $550 from PACs and two candidates, Gina DiBaro (D-Worcester) and Joff Smith (D-Worcester) reported no PAC money at all.

Barnet has also raised more money from out-of-state and out-of-district sources than any of the other candidates. 58% of the $23,159 she has raised (outside of her personal loan) have come from donors outside of Worcester or Paxton, with over $4,600 of that coming from outside of Massachusetts.

Despite leading all candidates in fundraising, Barnet has raised the least money from Worcester and Paxton, bringing in only a tick over $7,000 from the towns in the district. The best local fundraiser was DiBaro, who pulled in $10,420 from local donors.

(Smith only logged $6,975 in itemized receipts from the district, but logged over $3,000 in small, un-itemized contributions. While his verified contributions were less than Barnet's, he undoubtedly brought in more than $50 in small contributions from the district. Barnet itemized all of her receipts, claiming zero un-itemized contributions)

Smith and Don Sharry (D-Worcester) find themselves in a strong position to make a late push, each of them having over $12,000 still in the bank. Despite raising nearly $20,000 in the period, DiBaro has spent nearly all of it, leaving her campaign with just over $3,000 to spend in the last week of campaigning. Perotto's campaign is also nearly broke, with just $1,330 left out of nearly $17,000 raised.

John Mahoney (D-Worcester) raised the smallest amount in the period, banking just over $15,000, however he started the period with over $15,500 from his city council campaign coffers.

Here are some raw numbers:

Total Fundraising (1/1/10-8/27/10)
Margot Barnet...$33,159
Joff Smith...$19,714
Gina DiBaro...$19,430
Don Sharry...$17,245
Mike Perotto...$16,716
John Mahoney...$15,165

Cash on hand (as of 8/27/10)
Barnet...$14,694
Smith...$12,944
Sharry...$12,455
Mahoney...$9,117
DiBaro...$3,310
Perotto...$1,330

District Contributions*
DiBaro...$10,420
Sharry...$9,745
Mahoney...$9,250
Perotto...$7,550*
Barnet...$7,017
Smith...$6,975*

Out-of-District Contributions (Out-of-State in parentheses)*
Barnet...$13,442 ($4,621)
Smith...$9,700 ($550)*
DiBaro...$9,010 ($600)
Sharry...$7,250 ($900)
Mahoney $5,365 ($500)
Perotto $3,850 ($450)*

Political Action Committees
Barnet...$2,700
Perotto...$1,900
Mahoney...$550
Sharry...$250
DiBaro...$ 0
Smith...$ 0

*--"District" includes all contributions from Worcester and Paxton. Many contributions from Worcester may have been from parts of the city outside the district. Smith and Perotto each reported over $3,000 in un-itemized contributions, which are not included in the District and Out-of-District totals.

Thursday, the 13th

Last night was a night for the Democratic candidates in the 13th Worcester House District to shine, as a standing-room only crowd filled The Willows in Worcester to hear the six contenders face off in a spirited debate. We start the coverage with an original report from CMassPolitics.com:

If Margot Barnet and Joff Smith weren't already the frontrunners in the 13th Worcester House race, they were certainly treated as such Thursday night at the Willows in Worcester. In a debate where all six Democratic candidates were allowed to ask questions of each other, Barnet and Smtih were the two with targets painted on their backs.

Smith was repeatedly called upon to defend his record on the Worcester City Council, while several candidates made veiled -- and outright -- critiques of Barnet's endorsements by teachers and nurses unions.

Jeremy Shulkin of Worcester Magazine was also there and noted that more often than not, when candidates went on the attack, they were the ones to lose the battle:

Any kind of attack on a candidate’s record or position rarely worked last night (and on two specific occasions it backfired on the attacker).

It’s no secret that Barnet has been endorsed by some heavy-hitting unions, including nurses and teachers. As Perotto pried into those endorsements, calling them “special interests,” Barnet asked if he sought endorsements as well. He answered that he did, but it doesn’t change the fact that they’re “trying to control you.” (After the debate, a source from another campaign said the correct response would have been “Yes, we met, but I wouldn’t agree with their demands.”)

The other gaffe was a Mahoney attack on Smith for using his political power to get a road paved that raised the value of his family’s company, Goldstein Scrap Metal. Mahoney’s mistake? His source was a publication that, as Smith pointed out, recently smeared a Worcester firefighter. He then got the audience on his side by mentioning that certain writer’s feud with Dianne Williamson. When Mahoney clarified to mean Harding Street, Smith pointed out that his family’s business isn’t located there.

The writer and publication cited by Mahoney was Roaslie Tirella of the In City Times who, in her own inimitable way, ripped Smith for his defense in a post this morning:

Wow! We had wanted to mention Joff Smith in our blog about moron’s (see below) because he embodies everything that is creepy about America: Joff Smith thinks he is a TV/movie star! Smith, who is in his late 20s, actually has an agent! Someone who tries to get him into the movies! Someone who actually makes calls on the behalf of Smith’s acting career.

(One could argue that calling someone a moron in print loses its effectiveness when the writer incorrectly uses the possessive tense "moron's" instead of the plural "morons.")

The Telegram also covered the debate, and their coverage has drawn criticism from candidate Gina DiBaro. On her facebook page, she notes:

Please see [the] article that was posted last evening after the debate. Where my name was mentioned. For some reason it was not published this am in the telegram & gazette !!!!!

Specifically, she is noting that while the original online version of the story included three paragraphs on DiBaro, the version that hit newsstands and doorsteps left her comments on the cutting room floor. The missing links:

After the back and forth between Mr. Perotto and Mr. Smith, Ms. DiBaro, a former assistant district attorney and one of the quieter voices at the debate, chimed in.

“Can we weigh in on why we wouldn't vote for either of them?” she said.

Asked about Worcester County Sheriff candidate Thomas J. Foley, who retired from the state police with full medical disability, Ms. DiBaro said that since Mr. Foley has said he will not collect his full salary if he becomes sheriff, he would, in a sense, save the state money.

Those paragraphs have been tacked onto the end of the latest online version.

Barnet, Smith targeted in 13th District debate

If Margot Barnet and Joff Smith weren't already the frontrunners in the 13th Worcester House race, they were certainly treated as such Thursday night at the Willows in Worcester. In a debate where all six Democratic candidates were allowed to ask questions of each other, Barnet and Smtih were the two with targets painted on their backs.

Smith was repeatedly called upon to defend his record on the Worcester City Council, while several candidates made veiled -- and outright -- critiques of Barnet's endorsements by teachers and nurses unions.

The candidates are running for state representative in Paxton and several precincts of Worcester, to replace the retiring Robert Spellane (D-Worcester). The winner of the Sept. 14 Democratic primary will face Paul Franco (R-Worcester) and Ronal Madnick (U-Worcester) on the November ballot.

The knock on Smith: "I don't think he's distinguished himself on the City Council. He's been a follower, not a leader" -- John Mahoney. "He just didn't get it sometimes. You need experience. He let 25,000 trees be cut in his district. Unfortunately, he didn't take the leadership role" -- former colleague Mike Perotto. "Joff is trying to have it both ways. I'm not sure what we should be doing [about taxes]. Joff's saying it like it's an easy answer. I think he's pandering" -- Barnet.

Smith painted himself as the taxpayers' advocate on the council, saying he'd stood up to the administration in voting against tax increases, but Perotto and Mahoney took him to task for supporting the lowest residential tax rate -- and thereby maintaining a higher tax rate for businesses, driving businesses out of the city and ultimately increasing the share that must be borne by homeowners.

Late in the debate, John Mahoney tried to pin Smith on a charge of using his political influence to ensure that his family's business's road was repaved. Smith said Mahoney was mistaken.

"You've got to take a look at your source -- InCity Times, which is known for not always reporting the facts," Smith said. His family's business is "on a cobblestone road," not on busy Harding Street as Mahoney had alleged.

Barnet declared herself "proud to have the support of the people who teach our children, the people who take care of our ill." She had a quick rejoinder for Perotto's charge that she was "beholden to special interests."

"Did you seek any of those endorsements?" she asked. He admitted he had. "Then why are you attacking me for having received them?"

"They want to control you, Margot," Perotto replied. Other candidates, later in the debate, emphasized their "independence" from "special interests."

Late in the debate, both Barnet and Perotto pulled insider moves on Don Sharry, quizzing him on health care. Perotto asked him for his opinion on "Chapter 58." Sharry floundered a bit before admitting he didn't know what Chapter 58 is. It's the state health insurance law, Perotto responded; Sharry said he'd like to see the cost of care cut.

"We're both in the health care industry and we both understand this," Perotto said, "but at least I understand what Chapter 58 is."

Barnet asked Sharry what committees he'd like to join, if elected; he said he'd worked in health insurance for 20 years, so he'd like to serve on that committee.


"Which committee is that?" she asked.

"That would be the health insurance committee," he said, admitting he didn't know its exact name.

Barnet's only clear misstep was an overreliance on prepared statements; both her opening and closing statements ran over the alotted time, and she hesitated and dithered before answering a question in the middle of the debate that she had planned to address in her closing remarks. It's hard to say anyone "won" the debate, although Smith and Gina DiBaro managed to avoid making any mistakes.

Weekend Roundup: Margo Barnet on the move

Margo Barnet (D-Worcester) has gained some major support over the last couple of weeks in her attempt to win the Democratic nomination for the State House in the 13th Worcester District. Shaun Sutner of the Telegram reports that she has been getting help from outside organizations:

Three deep-pocketed unions have flooded the 13th Worcester District with mailings for Margot Barnet, the most liberal of the six Democrats in the race to succeed state Rep. Bob Spellane and the chosen candidate of Worcester Mayor Joe O'Brien.

The Massachusetts Teachers Association, the Massachusetts Nurses Association and SEIU Local 1199 have all chipped in for Barnet.

Barnet also picked up the endorsement of the Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters earlier today.

Speaking of endorsements, Paul Franco (R-Worcester) continues to get mileage out of the withdrawal and subsequent endorsement of Bruce Card (U-Worcester).  Franco and Card appeared together on the Hank Stolz Experience on WCRN-AM and Charter TV3, and Franco also took a turn on the Jim Polito Show on WTAG-AM.

18th Worcester House District
Sutner also reports that some supporters of Rep. Jennifer Callahan (D-Sutton), including two Uxbridge selectmen, are retracting their endorsement of a letter Callahan published last month calling challenger Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton) a liar.

Ms. Callahan wrote letters that appeared in four Blackstone Valley community newspapers in which she attacked Fattman for allegedly purveying a series of lies about her and rebutting each one.

The letter had 16 co-signers. Callahan also listed Sutton Town Administrator James Smith and planning director Jennifer Hager as contacts.

Now, though, two Uxbridge selectmen have distanced themselves from Callahan's letter, and Smith says he and Hager have nothing to do with any conflict between the candidates.

Here is Callahan's original letter, as published in the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle.

First Middlesex House District
All five candidates appeared at a forum sponsored by the Pepperell Business Association last night. Earlier, Republicans Connie Sullivan (R-Ayer) and Sheila Harrington (R-Groton) squared off in a televised session on Groton Community Television. Part 1. Part 2. Part 3.

Second Franklin House District
Video of Wednesday's debate in Greenfield has been posted to the Greenfield Community Television Web site.

Saturday roundup: McGovern keeps up the pressure on Afghanistan

Rep. James McGovern (D-Worcester) continued his anti-war advocacy with a column in Friday's Telegram. The congressman explained his vote against the $33 billion war appropriations bill:

I voted in 2001 to go to war in Afghanistan — to hunt down al-Qaida and eliminate their threat. I would cast that same vote today — in a heartbeat. Al-Qaida remains a threat, and we must redouble our efforts to destroy them wherever they are — in Pakistan, in Yemen, in Somalia, and elsewhere around the world.

But what we are doing in Afghanistan today is far beyond that original authorization. We are engaged in extensive, expensive “nation-building” in a very complicated, dangerous part of the world.

And frankly, given the level of unemployment and the severe economic situation we face in the United States, I’d rather do a little more “nation-building” here at home.

Speaking to the Attleboro Sun-Chronicle, McGovern laid out his support for allowing the Bush-era tax cuts to expire on families making over $250,000. "I'm sorry, if Donald Trump doesn't get a tax break it's not the end of the world," he said.

Elsewhere in the Third Congressional District, Robert Delle (R-Westboro) is calling for a boycott of New York City over the planned mosque and Islamic Cutural Center a couple of blocks from the former site of the World Trade Center. I can think of a dozen or more reasons to stay away from New York, but that wouldn't be one of them.

Fifth Congressional District
Rep. Niki Tsongas (D-Lowell) gave a detailed explanation of her vote against the Afghanistan military authorization.
 
Sam Meas (R-Haverhill) gets his second national profile in a week, as The Weekly Standard checks in on the campaign. Meas characterizes Tsongas as "so convoluted, she’s so out of touch."

13th Worcester House District
Margot Barnet (D-Worcester) introduces herself to the community at Blue Mass Group. She also revvealed that she is a longtime BMG member with a paper trail.

Ronal Madnick (U-Worcester) will be hosting a debate next week between the four candidates for sheriff. Shaun Sutner of the Telegram wonders if having a candidate in one race moderate a debate in another is a "possible election-season conflict of interest."
 
Second Franklin House District
For what it's worth, Madnick won't be the first rep candidate this cycle to moderate a debate for another office. David Roulston (D-Greenfield) hosted a debate between the Northwestern District Attorney candidates earlier this week.
 
First Middlesex House District
In his role as a member of Ayer's Finance Committee, Jesse Reich (D-Ayer) defended the agenda of the upcoming meeting of finance committees across the region.
 
Sheila Harrington (R-Groton) announced some upcoming events. She will be hosting a night of billiards in Ayer later this week, and giving away ice cream in Dunstable and Groton next month.