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.

Bove on defensive over Sheriff's job description

After weeks of discussion around Tom Foley (D-Worcester), his disability pension, and his fitness for the job, Scot Bove (D-Holden) finds himself on the defensive this morning after admitting that he did not fully understand the separate job descriptions of the Sheriff and Jail Superintendent.

In this morning's Telegram, multiple sources confirm that there is no physical requirement the Sheriff must meet in order to hold the position. Part of the discussion centered around the Sheriff's former role as Jail Superintendent, a responsibility that has been moved to another officer in recent years:

Worcester County Special Sheriff/Jail Superintendent Shawn P. Jenkins said, “We have a job description for every person but the sheriff.” There is no job description or law setting out requirements to be sheriff, he said.

When Sheriff Guy Glodis was elected six years ago, superintendent was part of the sheriff's job, but Mr. Jenkins estimated that that changed about three years ago. A superintendent has to be able to perform the essential job of a correction officer, he said.

Mr. Bove said yesterday that the job of sheriff and superintendent traditionally had been combined. He said he was unaware that Mr. Jenkins now has the superintendent's job, noting there has been a lot of change in the organization in the past 24 months.

Mr. Bove said he thought that it was required for the sheriff to be able to do a correction officer's job and that if it is not, it should be.

Bove's admission that he was unaware of the appointment of Jenkins as Jail Superintendent and his misunderstanding of the requirements for the Sheriff's position could undermine one of the key arguments Bove has made in favor of his candidacy and against Foley's.
 
In an interview with CMassPolitics.com last week Bove, who has worked at the jail for 27 years, criticized Foley for his lack of understanding about the Sheriff's office, at one point saying "It just goes to show how little he knows about the business."
 
The controversy about Foley's fitness for the job gained new life earlier this week when former Deputy Superintendent William Frisch charged that Foley was unfit for the position in a Telegram article and in letters to the editor sent to various news organizations.
 
In a Worcester Magazine article written before the revelations in this morning's Telegram (disclosure: CMassPolitics.com editor Lance Harris was also quoted in the Worcester Magazine story), Bove argued that Foley, 56, is less qualified than former Sheriff and Bove boss John "Mike" Flynn was at age 78:

“The difference (between Foley and Flynn) is Tom Foley can’t do it because his doctor says he’s disabled.” While Flynn may have had age working against him, Bove draws the distinction over the doctor’s note.

“Foley’s doctors haven’t cleared him for the physical aspects of this job.”

Foley replied that the discussion over his disability is a smokescreen:

“To say I’m going to be walking up and down the tier all day is not what the sheriff does.

“They’re trying to make this disability pension more than it is,” he argues, “(by) requiring me to go wrestle with inmates…it’s spin.”

The Democratic Primary is Tuesday, September 14. The winner will face Keith Nicholas (U-Warren) and Lew Evangelidis (R-Holden) in the general election on November 2.

Tuesday roundup: Haller gives Mahoney a holla

Worcester Magazine reported Monday that Worcester city councilor Barbara Haller has endorsed John Mahoney (D-Worcester) in the six-way Democratic primary for the 13th Worcester House seat. In addition to other attributes, Haller appreciates that "JOHN MAHONEY likes people, babies, and animals. JOHN MAHONEY also likes hard work, public service, and attention to detail."

In his Election.net column today, Shaun Sutner looks at the ethnic and religious backgrounds of the six Democrats, one Republican, and one unenrolled candidate in the race.

Elsewhere around the region...

Second Franklin House District
The four Democrats running for representative debated on WWLP-TV in Springfield.

First Middlesex House District
The Sentinel and Enterprise profiled Jane Morriss (D-Groton), Jesse Reich (D-Ayer), and Tony Saboliauskas (D-Pepperell), the three candidates for the Democratic nomination.

Sixth Worcester House District
The bill sponsored by Rep. Geraldo Alicea (D-Charlton) that bans novelty cigarette lighters was signed by Gov. Deval Patrick and will go into effect in November.

Worcester County Sheriff
William Frisch, former Deputy Sheriff and supporter of Scot Bove (D-Holden) criticized Tom Foley (D-Worcester) in the Telegram, saying Foley "was found to be 100 percent medically disabled and obviously unable to perform the essential function requirements of his position." Foley countered that Mr. Frisch is "uninformed and totally unaware of the pressures that surround the head of the state police in Massachusetts.”

Nicholas jumps into Bove-Foley fray

Unenrolled Worcester County Sheriff candidate Keith Nicholas (U-Warren) waded into the contentious Democratic primary today, criticizing Tom Foley (D-Worcester) for seeking "another taxpayer funded check" and hitting Scot Bove (D-Holden) for defending a promotion system Nicholas says still allows supporters of the Sheriff to be promoted over other candidates.

In an early morning e-mail, Nicholas attempted to referee the dispute between the two Democrats reported Wednesday morning on CMassPolitics.com. In doing so, he knocked both candidates, though he saved his strongest criticism for Bove.

"It is still a promotional and hiring process of 'who you know,'" Nicholas wrote in regards to Bove's defense of the Sheriff Department's promotion policies. "This is one of the very first concerns that the officers’ union addressed during my interview with them just a few month ago... If this had been corrected two or three years ago, as Scot Bove states, then why is it still an issue with the Officers?"

As far as I am concerned, 'Passing the written exam' carries very little merit," Nicholas continued. "Ultimately the real factors should be the top scores, job experience, training and personnel record...This 'process' opens the door for the person with a lower score, someone with a lesser amount of experience or training, and of course, a mere 'supporter' of the Sheriff or “whom you know” to get promoted."

Nicholas also criticized Foley, saying the issue surrounding his medical disability pension is not the fact of the disability, but that he would be collecting both a pension and a salary.

"Tom Foley had a very respectable and envious career. It is unfortunate that his career was cut short due to his medical condition...," Nicholas wrote. "The simple fact [is] that he is medically retired from one State agency and drawing a tax-free pension for that, and now looking for another taxpayer funded check.

"While many target his medical condition, I will not. To me the real concern is the public perception of drawing two salaries, earning more than the Governor, paid for from the taxpayer’s pockets."

Nicholas and Lew Evangelidis (R-Holden) will join the winner of the Bove-Foley race on the November 2 general election ballot.

CMassPolitics.com Exclusive: Bove and Foley trade blows on promotions, "questionable activities"

Scot Bove (D-Holden) and Tom Foley (D-Worcester), candidates for Worcester County Sheriff, exchanged sharp comments yesterday in response to an August 15 letter Foley posted on his Web site to supporters.

In the letter, Foley charged that many jail workers opposed his candidacy because they "don’t want to act professional. They want to continue with the old practice of promotions based upon who you know or who you donate to."

That accusation brought a strong response from Bove, who defended the promotion policies at the jail in an interview with CMassPolitics.com.

"With the union contract a few years ago, anyone who wants to get promoted has to pass an exam," Bove said. "If you don’t pass the independent exam, you don’t get promoted. It just goes to show how little he knows about the business."

Reached for comment last night, Foley countered that he is not convinced that the promotional process is working the way Bove described. "I am hearing from jail workers that it is not as cut and dried as [Bove] would make it out to be...."

"I know what it's like to be promoted through an exam process. Certainly Scot is not a product of that process."

In the letter to supporters, Foley also charged that jail workers were engaged in "questionable activities" in opposition to his campaign.

"Throughout this campaign I have become aware of some questionable activities by jail employees while being on the payroll that I will follow up on if I am elected," Foley wrote.

When asked about the charges, Bove, who has been an employee at the jail for 27 years, responded, "He needs to clarify that, because I don’t have a clue what he is talking about.

"He is making some outlandish accusations, I assume, to deflect some of the things that are going on with his campaign," Bove continued. "But if there is anything going on [at the jail], he certainly should make someone aware of it--which he hasn’t done--other than in a rambling letter he posted on his website."

Yesterday, Foley responded, "I stand by the comments in my letter. It is something I will address if I am elected."

Bove and Foley will face off in the September 14 primary. The winner will face Lew Evangelidis (R-Holden) and Keith Nicholas (U-Warren) in the November 2 general election.

Foley v. Telegram

Worcester County Sheriff Candidate Thomas Foley (D-Worcester) has reacted forcefully to the Telegram's reporting last week of his disability pension. In a nearly 1,300-word letter to supporters that he posted to his Web site earlier this week, Foley accused Telegram reporter Shaun Sutner of treating his campaign unfairly and charged that his opponents were engaging in unfair campaign tactics.

First, his comments about Sutner and the Telegram:

In December, when Sean Sutner first wrote an article in the T&G about our candidacy he wrote about the pension as if it was a new revelation. I spoke to him at the time and told him that it had been openly spoken about and vetted in the Boston newspapers. I told him this was no new revelation even though he proceeded to write it as one and inferred [sic] that I was trying to hide it. During this conversation I expressed my opinion that I felt he was being unfair in some stories he was writing about local police. Apparently he didn’t like that as I have never received a fair, substantive analysis of my candidacy since.

...To [Telegram columnist] Diane Williamson’s credit she took the time and effort to research this subject and found that I was telling the truth. It was Sean Sutner who once again lost credibility. Sean Sutner has little credibility with the law enforcement community. 

Sutner responded Wednesday on his ElectionNet blog:

I was mistaken in my story last November in which I reported that there was no mention of a heart disability or the tax-free $112,000 pension when Foley, now 56, stepped down in 2004, saying that he was being muscled by a troopers' union that was trying to undermine him.

What I should have said was “scant” mention.

A check of the major newspaper stories of the time, including The Boston Globe, Boston Herald and the Telegram & Gazette, shows one mention that Foley had put in for a disability retirement....

So, in effect, my story last November did reveal the disability pension for the first time in a long time, and for the first time ever in the T&G, the biggest media outlet in Central Massachusetts, Foley's home region.

Both sides of the dispute have merit. Foley is understandably frustrated that the issue continues to overshadow his campaign. As far as he is concerned, he has addressed the issue years ago and would like to focus on those issues that he feels are important. For Foley, the discussion of the issue now, nearly six years after he left the State Police, must seem tedious and unnecessary.

But Sutner is also correct that while the question had been posed years ago, it had not been discussed in Central Mass. In fact, the question of Foley's disability and pension would not be an issue now, except that he is running for office.

And even if the issue had been discussed in the Telegram years ago, candidates for office must understand that their work history is fair game for the press, regardless of how old or worn out that history may seem to the candidate. (One can look at the difficulty Jeff Perry, candidate for Congress in the 10th District, is having over allegations stemming from his police work nearly two decades ago as another example.) Just because it's old news to the candidate doesn't mean it is old news to those who are considering for whom to cast a vote.

Perhaps more germane to the campaign itself is Foley's charge that employees at the jail--who he implies are Bove supporters, although he does not explicitly say so--are engaged in dirty tricks. He also ties Sutner's work to these opponents:

...I will apply that same persistence and high expectations if I am elected to Sheriff because it is our job, the public expects it and because it is the right thing to do. It is for this reason that some who work at the jail are launching these negative attacks.

There is a group working there that doesn‘t want change. They don’t want to be held accountable. They don’t want to act professional [sic]. They want to continue with the old practice of promotions based upon who you know or who you donate to...Throughout this campaign I have become aware of some questionable activities by jail employees while being on the payroll that I will follow up on if I am elected. Last night many of our signs were destroyed (including one supporter’s sign destroyed and tires slashed) and Sutner wrote another jilted article. It makes you wonder what kind of people we are dealing with here; hiding behind anonymous unfounded allegations and late night cowardly acts. Please do not respond to the negative campaigning and unprofessional activities we are seeing and will continue to see.

Foley's charge that jail workers "don't want to be held accountable. They don't want to act professional [sic]." and that they may be tied to dirty tricks could become explosive in the last three-and-a-half weeks of the campaign.

Monday roundup: Pension talk still driving sheriff's race

If a small snapshot is any indication, the political talk around Worcester  is still centered on the Worcester County Sheriff's race, where discussion of Governor's Councilor Tom Foley (D-Worcester) and his disability pension continues as we begin a new week. The topic was discussed this morning on WCRN-AM's The Midday Report with Hank Stolz. While there is no podcast of the show available, most of the callers sounded like they were more apt to blame Foley for running for office while collecting disability than to blame the odd pension system that would allow him to collect while being sheriff (should he be elected).

For better or worse (depends, I suppose, or which candidate you support), today marks the fifth day of discussion of Foley's disability pension. Dianne Williamson broke the ice in the Telegram with a column on Thursday, followed by notes from Shaun Sutner on Telegram.com on Friday and in the print edition on Sunday.

Coincidentally, Foley's supporters have come out in force over the weekend. Whether in response to the stories or because of the calendar (yesterday was 30 days before primary election day), Foley lawn signs have been sprouting like clover in this area. This morning I drove through Clinton on my way to 495 and counted 24 Foley signs in the 2.6 miles between the Lancaster town line to the west and the Berlin town line to the east.

Speaking of the Telegram, if you are trying to access the stories lined above and find yourself banging your head against the (fire)wall, it's because the T&G has begun charging non-subscribers for online access to most locally-produced articles. I have an on-line account and will continue to include links to the Telegram in my stories, but how much access you, the reader, will have is anyone's guess.

On to a very short roundup...

Third Congressional District
The Telegram keeps up its profiles of Congressional candidates, this time checking in on Brian Herr (R-Hopkinton). Herr briefly outlined some of his positions:

Like his opponents in the primary, Mr. Herr wants to cut government spending. He supports unemployment benefits in this “scary time,” but doesn't support borrowing money to extend benefits. He believes the government should provide services for vulnerable populations such as people with disabilities, as long as cuts are made elsewhere.

Schools, he contends, are best run at the local level, so he wonders why the country needs a U.S. Department of Education with a budget in the tens of billions of dollars.

He slammed a bill Congress passed last week to restore public jobs as more unnecessary spending.

He believes spending cuts need to come before new tax cuts.

Herr also claims to have more than 4,000 Facebook friends.

Fifth Congressional District
Sam Meas (R-Haverhill) has added former Haverhill Mayor Mike Sullivan as an advisor. He is also apparently "Bad to the Bone."

Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin Senate District
Fifth Worcester House District
Sen. Stephen Brewer (D-Barre) and Rep. Anne Gobi (D-Spencer) spearheaded a bill to allow the Worcester County 4-H Club to lease land from the state for the next 25 years.

Scot Bove on Tom Foley's disability and retirement

In the Telegram's daily ElectionNet report, Shaun Sutner looks further into the ramificaions of Tom Foley's disability retirement and it's role in the race for the Democratic nomination for Worcester County Sheriff. Yesterday, Foley spoke with Telegram columnist Dianne Williamson. Today, Sutner wrote:

So far, Foley's opponent for the Democratic nomination, Scot Bove, has not talked about it publicly, including at a sheriff's debate Thursday night in Harvard.

It might look petty or negative for Bove to bring up questions about whether Foley, the retired state police superintendent who gets a $112,000 tax-free pension because of a heart condition but says his doctors have cleared him to return to work.

Perhaps Bove (D-Holden) has decided to take a low profile on this issue as spring turned into summer, but in May, Bove had some pointed words for Foley in a Democratic candidates' debate I moderated for Sterling-Lancaster Community Television.

At the event, I asked Foley about the charges that he would be "double-dipping." The exchange devolved into the candidates levelling charges back and forth, with Bove questioning Foley's assertion that the job was purely administrative (and implying that Foley wasn't phsically up for it) and Foley accusing Bove or forcing correctional officers to contribute to his campaign.

Here is the entire exchange:

Thursday roundup: A new sheriff in town

The Telegram really brings it today with a bunch of stories on area politics in their Thursday edition, led by a look at last night's Sheriff's debate in Harvard:

Three candidates for Worcester County sheriff last night promised to kick politics out of the Worcester County Jail and House of Correction, while the fourth candidate, an assistant deputy superintendent at the facility in West Boylston said the jail has already been professionalized.

The emphasis at a sheriff candidates forum at the Harvard Unitarian Universalist Church was more on individual qualifications to run the Sheriff's Department than differences over issues. The forum was sponsored by the Worcester County Chapter of the Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, with Ronal C. Madnick, director of the chapter, posing questions to the candidates.

Madnick (U-Worcester), you may remember, is a candidate for state rep. in the 13th Worcester district. His participation as a moderator in this debate has sparked some discussion of a conflict of interest.

The Telegram's lead columnist, Diane Williamson, also took a look at candidate Tom Foley. Specifically, she examines the questions surrounding his retirement from the State Police due to a heart problem and the effect that issue is having on the race:

When Foley retired at age 50, he filed for and was granted a disability pension due to a heart condition. Under state law, he receives a tax-free pension — $112,000 — equal to 72 percent of his salary. The sheriff’s salary is $123,000, although under law Foley would only be eligible for about $93,000.

His opponents raise valid questions. If someone is so disabled that he must retire from one public job, how can he take another one? Is he disabled, or isn’t he? Just this week, while endorsing [Scott] Bove, the Worcester County Superior Officers Union said Foley couldn’t meet the “basic requirements” for sheriff because of his health, as the sheriff must also be a correction officer.

Williamson concludes that Foley's health is less of an issue than a flawed pension "system that encourages excess and abuse."
 
Elsewhere...
 
Third Congressional District
Brian Herr (R-Hopkinton) says the appropriations bill that passed congress earlier this week was akin to a shakedown:

It's no surprise that Jim McGovern voted for this bill...during his political career he has received $1,176,725 in contributions from labor unions. This year alone, he has received $2,500 from the American Federation of Teacher, $2,500 from the National Association of Firefighters, and $2,000 from the National Education Association.

It looks like the vote for this bill was nothing more than a $26 billion political payback.

Robert Delle (R-Westboro/Wayland/Paxton) talks about his upcoming move to Paxton and his campaign for office. He also says he "considers President Obama a socialist and is so wary of government spending that he believes people are 'stealing' federal stimulus money, though he didn't say who."

In an op-ed for the MetroWest Daily News, Michael Stopa (R-Holliston) argues that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is crowding out private investment and hurting the economy.

Fifth Congressional District
The four candidates for the Republican nomination discussed their ambitions at a debate in Concord:

When it came time to ask questions to one another, the candidates touched on tort reform for the healthcare bill, cost of living increases and the first piece of legislation they would file if elected.


Repealing the healthcare bill would be first on Golnik’s list, while Weaver said he would like to establish and chair an anti-appropriations committee to look at the books and cut unnecessary expenses. Shapiro would start by slapping a dollar limit on the federal budget and keeping bills under 100 pages, and Meas said he would seek to become the Ways and Means chairman and simplify the tax code to stimulate the economy.

13th Worcester House District
Mike Perotto (D-Worcester) visited Worcester Community Cable Access's "What It's Worth" show.

Shaun Sutner of the Telegram checks in on the relationship between Joff Smith (D-Worcester) and Worcester Mag columnist and former city councilor Gary Rosen. Sutner also looks at the efforts of Paul Franco (R-Worcester) in Paxton.