Legislative roundup: One candidate in, one candidate out

A couple of unenrolled candidates for the State House lead the round up of legislative campaign news today. One candidate in the 13th Worcester District bowed out of the race today, while a candidate in the Second Franklin District jumped back into the ring after dropping out a couple of weeks ago.

13th Worcester House District
First, to Worcester, where Worcester Magazine reports that Bruce Card (U-Worcester) is ending his campaign and endorsing Paul Franco (R-Worcester):

At a press conference today, [Card] added that he’s endorsing Paul Franco, the race’s lone Republican. Card said Franco’s attention to fiscal responsibility, intentions of “restoring integrity to Beacon Hill” and “goals of reviving the economy” mirrored his own platforms.

Franco has posted video of the event, held in a local restaurant. The maudlin music accompanying Card's speech gives new meaning to the term "swan song."

Second Franklin House District
Genevieve Fraser (U-Orange), who had dropped out of the race last month due to health issues, posted a note to her supporters that she has re-thought that position and will continue her campaign after all:

After months of heavy campaigning, including one session that lasted for over 12 hours in direct sunlight, I experienced a variety of symptoms that sent me scrambling to doctors for tests. Since then, the symptoms have cleared...but I now observe the warning and cover-up, and limit exposure to sunlight.

I look forward to resuming campaign activities and providing an independent voice regarding the many issues that face voters in the district.

Fraser had previously endorsed Roxanne Wedegartner (D-Greenfield) when she withdrew from the race.

Worcester and Middlesex Senate District
The Boston Globe suggests that Sen. Jennifer Flanagan (D-Leominster) is an example of a Democrat who is "tacking to the right" this election cycle. Their reasoning? Flanagan attended a Tea Party Forum in June.

Flanagan's bill to closely track prescription use to keep patients from shopping for doctors who will give them painkillers was signed Friday by Gov. Deval Patrick.

Ninth Worcester House District
Timothy Dodd (D-Westborough) attended the reopening of a Jiffy Lube in town. He was joined by fellow Selectman (and Middlesex and Worcester Senate candidate) George Thompson (R-Westborough) as well as Congressman Jim McGovern (D-Worcester).

Shaun Sutner of the Telegram continues his look at the voting patterns of challengers. Today he notes that Dodd was a Republican until July 2009, voting in every Republican primary this decade except for the Special Election ballot last December.

Rep. George Peterson (R-Grafton) accepted a copy of the U.S. Constitution from the Constitution Ride Across America.

Second Worcester House District
Rich Bastien (R-Gardner) posted an item to Red Mass Group criticizing Gov. Patrick for not signing the casino bill and allowing Wonderland Park to close.

Patrick Gerry (D-Gardner) won the endorsement of the MassEquality Political Action Committee.

Sixth Worcester House District
Peter Durant (R-Spencer) released a new web video calling for voters to send the state "in a new direction."

37th Middlesex House District
Gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker stumped for Kurt Hayes (R-Boxboro) at a gathering of GOP women in Lunenburg.

First Middlesex House District
The Pepperell Republican Town Committee wants everyone to know that whoever was campaigning for Sheila Harrington (R-Groton) in the PRTC's name was doing so without its permission.

NARAL has posted it's list of endorsed candidates. Jesse Reich (D-Ayer) is the only Central Mass. candidate in a contested primary to receive an endorsement.

State House Roundup: Prickly debate in 13th Worcester

The six candidates for the Democratic nomination in the 13th Worcester District squared off in a 90-minute debate yesterday at Anna Maria. From the looks of the Telegram photo, the event was a greuling one for the participants. According to the report the dialogue became testy at times, with more than one tart exchange between dueling candidates:

The most heated exchanges came at the end of the session. Ms. [Gina] DiBaro, assistant district attorney in the Worcester district attorney's office on a leave of absence to run for the seat, asked Mr. [Mike] Perotto, who spent 14 years on the Worcester City Council, if he would support a move toward making state legislators part time.

Mr. Perotto did not support such an effort.

“You get what you pay for, Gina,” Mr. Perotto said. He said people need to be paid for the work they're doing.

Ms. DiBaro said states such as New Hampshire and New Jersey use part-time legislators, but Mr. Perotto cut in.

“They have no roads; they have no schools,” Mr. Perotto said, as the audience started clapping and chiming in.

In another exchange, Worcester City Councilor Joff Smith defended his vote to raise his councilor's salary by nearly double in response to a question from John Mahoney (D-Worcester). Smith reminded Mahoney and the audience that Mahoney had run and lost a recent campaign for councilor.

Not discussed last night (or at least not mentioned in the article) was the attendance of retiring Rep. Bob Spellane (D-Worcester). Shaun Sutner reported that Spellane missed 52% of the votes cast in the House this year. Two other retiring representatives, Chris Donelan (D-Orange) in the Second Frankliin District and Bob Rice (D-Gardner) also missed around 10% of the votes cast. It will be interesting to see if attendance at the State House becomes an issue in the last few weeks of the Democratic Primaries for those three seats.

Second Franklin House District
Speaking of the Second Franklin, video of the Tuesday debate in Greenfield has been posted to the Greenfield Community Television Web site.

37th Middlesex House District
Kurt Hayes (R-Boxboro) will be hosting an open forum at the Thayer Memorial Library in Lancaster tonight at 7:00 p.m.

Worcester and Middlesex Senate District
Sen. Jennifer Flanagan (D-Leominster) recently touted her bill to "establish the Johnny Appleseed Trail Association as a Regional Tourism Council."

Weekend Roundup: Lazy days of summer

As one would expect after a lazy summer weekend, there were no big stories to break over the last couple of days. But there were a couple of things of note, here they are...

Sixth Worcester House District
Rep. Geraldo Alicea (D-Charlton) reports that progress is being made in the quest to bring a Registry of Motor Vehicles office back to Southbridge.

Challenger Peter Durant (R-Spencer) has called on Alicea to file Durant's bill to prohibit the state from breaking a lease similar to the former RMV lease in Sturbridge. The press release is a proof-readers nightmare. One hopes the bill is better written than the release.

11th Worcester House District
Kevin Byrne (D-Shrewsbury) announced recently that he plans to run for the Democratic nomination to replace Rep. Karyn Polito (R-Shrewsbury). Denis Leary (D-Shrewsbury) had been the only Democratic candidate to qualify for the ballot, but he recently pulled out due to health issues.

12th Worcester House District
Rep. Harold Naughton received the endorsement of The Gun Action Owners League of Massachusetts.

Challenger James Gettens (R-Sterling) was endorsed by Citizens for Limited Taxation.

37th Middlesex House District
Rep. Jennifer Benson (D-Lunenburg) voted in favor of the sales-tax holiday. Her anti-tax opponent, Kurt Hayes (R-Boxborough), criticized her even though she voted the way he would have.

18th Worcester House District
Selectman Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton) has been under fire for literature claiming he won an award that he did not win. He is challenging Rep. Jennifer Callahan (D-Sutton).

13th Worcester District
City Councillor Joffrey Smith (D-Worcester) is balking at Worcester's newly proposed valet parking ordinance.

Second Franklin House District
Lee Chauvette (D-Athol) has been endorsed by the Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts.

First Congressional District
Bill Gunn (R-Belchertown) brings his campaign to Leominster for a candidate forum Tuesday night at 7:00.