Save Fitchburg

Number 775... and the End

2009-03-29T16:14:00.005-05:00

So, this is it. After over three years and 775 posts (counting this one), Save Fitchburg is taking it's final bow. There will be no other posts after this one.

Why?

If you know me, you know that Save Fitchburg hasn't exactly been my favorite thing for a while. It was frustrating. It was repetitive. It was repetitively frustrating. I never got into it to be called a liar. I never did it for people to think I was trying to be something I wasn't: A guy who cared for and was interested in the city.

Things took a new level when the Pride happened. That was never part of the "business plan." But it was good in that it made Save Fitchburg better. Covering Fitchburg full-time gave me better insight into what was going on, and how to write about what was going on. Leaving the Pride has left a bit more on the outside, which is fine. But it made Save Fitchburg a bit less.

It's no secret that I'm now working in state government (for the record, it wasn't a "political hire." No one from Fitchburg, except for my wife and brother, knew I was even interested in the job until I had given my notice to the folks at the Pride. See, this is kind of stuff I don't want to deal with anymore). Unfortunately, that leads some people to believe that I have a state-run agenda. While that's not the case, there's a saying about even the appearance of a conflict being a conflict.

I enjoyed spouting off about Fitchburg politics. Sometimes I was right, sometimes I was wrong, but I was always thinking about what might be best for the city. I did not enjoy the animosity and the people who didn't like what I wrote and just assumed I had an agenda. See the start of this paragraph for the outline of my "agenda."

After three-plus years, I have no need and no use for the headache anymore. No need to read comments and have to literally get up and walk away because they were so infuriating. No need to have people assume I'm up to something devious. This is a long time coming, and it's certainly time.

That said, Fitchburg isn't "saved." Yelling stupidly about the trash fee isn't the way to save it though. As for me, I'm getting out of blogging and politics, and I'm going to try something different.

If you're on Facebook, please join the group "Fitchburg Now." If you're on Twitter, please follow "fitchburgnow." The goal isn't politics and government. It's following the community. If you're an elected official or a community leader, and you have an event coming up, please use the "Fitchburg Now" group page at Facebook or Twitter through "fitchburgnow" followers to let people know. Afterward, if you have photos or video of a Fitchburg event, please put it on the "Fitchburg Now" group page at Facebook. There's plenty of room for some good online community networking in Fitchburg. I hope "Fitchburg Now" at Facebook and Twitter can help be a part of that.

I'm excited about this new little experiment. I'm not sure it will work with any efficiency, but I'm optimistic that it might. I think there's some untapped potential for the city in Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks. Just try to figure this out together, shall we?

So, this is it. The end. Save Fitchburg is all done. It was, certainly more often than not, a pleasure. I loved writing about the good stuff that happened, and I loved good, honest debate about this issues. I loved writing about the Celtics last year (I know you didn't Svens, and I apologize). But the negatives were truly very painful, and at this point the benefits aren't outweighing the negatives. If you're a Save Fitchburg lover, I'm sorry about that. But let's do something else.

So, let's keep it going. Let everyone (or at least a bunch of people) know what you're up to, and share your successes. Go to Facebook and get into the Fitchburg Now group. Get on Twitter, and follow fitchburgnow. If you want to reach out to me, use this e-mail address: fitchburgnow@gmail.com.

Thanks for reading, thanks for writing, and thanks for caring. While I'm putting to bed something that was pretty significant and important to me, I'm glad to moving on to something else. Join, me won't you, in supporting Fitchburg Now.

--30--

While We Were Out...

2009-03-15T09:52:00.002-05:00

Go away for a week, and a mayoral candidate drops out. Huh.

It's old news by now, but it's worth touching on here. Rachel Rosenfeld dropped out of the mayor's race last week, just a few weeks after getting in. She never got the chance to knock on a door, print a yard sign, or even get signatures on nomination papers.

On her website, Rosenfeld wrote: "The very simple fact is that I do not have the physical stamina required. While I see very clearly the job that needs to be done, I also see very clearly that I do not have the physical resources to push this tremendous boulder up the hill. To make it through a successful campaign and not survive the elected term would leave the city in worse turmoil."

From the get-go, her health (she's never been shy about her ailments) has been a question. I asked myself in an e-mail interview. Here, in full, is her response: "It is not an issue for the citizens. Just don't smoke near me. I have never failed in a commitment to family, friends, community or synagogue. I have the personal assistance I need for any mobility issues that may arise, my reasoning and intellect are superb, and I don't plan to invade a foreign country or sign up for any cross country hikes. I have as examples Ted Kennedy, JFK, FDR and a close relative Cordell Hull (who had the same familial disease for most of his lifetime), as well as my own mother and grandfather who dealt with this inconvenience for many years. I have the advantage of knowing both my abilities and my limitations and while my abilities will be an asset to the city, the citizens will not be inconvenience in any way by my limitations. My breathing and mobility issues have taught me the value of persistence, objective and goal setting, patience, and priorities. Similarly my financial issues have brought home priority setting and strict fiscal management."

That was posted on Feb. 19. Less than a month later, she's gone.

Why?

Certainly, her health, unfortunately, is an issue. Campaigns take a chunk out of anyone. If health is already an issue, why go through that meat grinder? Perhaps the more she thought about it, the more she thought she couldn't win.

If I had to guess, she quickly decided she didn't need the headache. She took a pretty good beating here, but that was nothing compared to the S&E forum, where she was absolutely obliterated very quickly. There were some things that weren't mentioned here that were aired out rather fully (and in some cases, perhaps inaccurately) elsewhere. It was brutal.

Here's the thing. Whether it was here, on her website, or elsewhere, Rosenfeld had made a name for herself. Some people liked her. They thought she was smart, passionate, and right. Some people didn't like her. They thought she shot from the hip, was condecending, and didn't really have any solutions. Apparently, those that didn't like her really didn't like her.

It will be interesting to see what she does next. Will she go back to being everywhere and anywhere in her opinions? Will she pick up the activity at her website, which traditionally has been a little sporadic in updates? Will she reign herself in after what happened over the last three weeks?

It might seem ridiculous to ask all those questions of a Internet-based commenter who was in the mayor's race for all of three weeks. And if a legitimate challenger to Mayor Lisa Wong doesn't bubble up, the questions are probably moot. But Rosenfeld has shown, if nothing else, she's hell bent on getting Wong out of office. If someone rises up to take on Wong, they'll have a cheerleader/hatchetman in Rosenfeld to rely on in some capacity. It's a good bet right now Wong doesn't have that challenger, but if so, Rosenfeld will play some kind of role in the next election.

Bye Week

2009-03-07T07:00:00.001-05:00

It's that time of year when Save Fitchburg heads to warmer climes for a week. Whether it's union squabbles, streetlight questions, or more anger about the (seemingly dead) trash fee, you're on your own this week. Won't be posting, and won't be checking comments. Unicow, you've been warned.

Enjoy the week, and I expect all this snow to be gone by the time I get back. Get on that, will you?

A Slow Trickle in the Dark

2009-02-28T15:49:00.003-05:00

The latest dismal financial news: Half the city's steetlights will be out in an effort to save $70,000.

Again, like last night's post, not good news.

I know there are a lot of people who are opposed to switching off the lights, for public safety reasons. Perfectly valid.

Let's do this here though: If you're opposed to a cut, whether it's the streetlights, PD, or somewhere else, that's cool. We all have priorities. But if you're against a cut, you have to realize that the money has to come from somewhere else. Where would you take money from to fund your priority? Or where would you find new money to pay for your priority? It's easy to say you want the streetlights on, but unfortunately we're at the point where you have to figure how to pay for something like that.

So, before you write a two-line rip job, think about it. Where would you get the $70,000 to fix the streetlights? And try to be specific. If you say "school dept.," that's fine, but say where. Two teachers? An adminstrator (one that isn't state mandated)? Maybe, just maybe, there's a good idea out there waiting to be discovered.

Layoffs? Layoffs?

2009-02-27T21:14:00.003-05:00

So, it appears some layoffs in city government are in the cards. Not necessarily good news.

A couple of things:

I still think the union settlements last year were a good thing. Yes, I know, that was a lot of money. But at the end of the day, retroactive raises were off the table. Take the raises that were given out, and add a couple hundred grand. Happy now? Plain and simple, spending some money on raises saved at least as much on the retros. Long-term vision, people. That said, I still don't under stand the department head raises (sorry, department heads). That doesn't make as much long-term sense, unless you want to argue morale and keeping people on board. But...

I like Joe Solomito's work, and I'm not trying to pick on him here (although he did bring it up). But it might be time to stop thinking about back taxes as a way to fix some of this problem. Clearly, that money won't be easy to get. Why not target it for the rainy day fund, and then money that you budgeted for stabilization can be redirected when tax money comes in? First, it's one-time revenue, so you can't build a budget on it. Second, it's just not coming enough to be reliable. Go ahead, argue the city isn't pursuing hard enough, but what aren't they doing that they should be?

Here might be the most interesting thing about this long-term: What will the unions do? Will they make concessions to save members, or will the long-timers throw the young'uns overboard? You go to some other spots and see city employees argue for layoffs. Will there be a universal movement on that, or will different unions do it differently? Will there be furloughs?

Someone said four-day weeks should be instituted at City Hall. The Pride editorialized for that last year. It should be done.

* * * * *

Two more things: I'm befuddled by the Mylott situation. I really like the guy personally, and I think his political skills would make him a good city councilor. And then I look at his track as mayor. It will be very interesting to see how his summer and fall goes. Veeerrrrry interesting.

Part of my "sticking around" plan includes a monthly column in the Fitchburg Pride. The first one is in the paper this week. Check it out, won't you? And yes, I'll ask the editor to keep my face off the cover from now on. I'd steal Shaq's twitter term of "sugly," but it's more "ugly" than "s."

No One. No Way.

2009-02-23T20:29:00.004-05:00

One thing that was reinforced by Rachel Rosenfeld's mayoral announcement last week: The top suspects for the job aren't interested.

As first reported in the Fitchburg Pride over a month ago, the names that kept coming up as potential challengers -- Joel Kaddy, Dean Tran, Marcus DiNatale -- are taking a pass. Rosenfeld said she asked them to run, and they declined.

Why?

Well, here's a few possible factors:

First, maybe Lisa Wong isn't doing that bad of a job. No matter what you thought in 2007, the top issue was the city's finances (although Ted DeSalvatore would disagree, but no one believed him then. Or now). Both Wong and Tom Donnelly ran on a platform of fixing the city's finances.

Just over a year into her term, and maybe she hasn't done so bad. Library fans are screaming right now. Fair enough. But the overall picture is better than it was a year ago. There's $1 million in the stabilization fund. The city hasn't laid off dozens of workers. The city is making do, even though there's less money and fixed costs are increasing.

Wong detractors don't want to hear it, and that's fine. But if you were running for mayor, what would have done differently. Differently that wouldn't piss off a whole bunch of people. For example: if you restore the library's $800,000, where do you take the $800,000 from elsewhere?

Wong has made plenty of missteps: She's been shaky handling delicate personnel issues, she's sticking to a trash fee plan that seems DOA, and she's done just cutting in various departments to get everyone upset with her. But if you're running for mayor, are there enough holes there?

Second, and relatedly, has she done enough wrong to lose 2,000 votes? She won in 2007 by winning about 75 percent of 8,000 votes. To knock her off, you need to get about one-third of the people who voted for her change their minds. Can you do that? That's tough math to run on.

Third, who wants the job right now? Wong had to cut $1 million this year, and $4 million next year. She's getting slaughtered for it. She asks for more money, and she gets double slaughtered for it. If you're watching this, aren't you thinking, "I'm not doing this. Especially for $60,000." Love for the city only goes so far. Consider Tran. He's got a family, a good job, and enough headaches on the council. Is all that garbage enough to quit your job, lose family time, and get pounded on a daily basis? Who wants to go through that? And if you think I'm crazy, as Rosenfeld how it's gone for her over the last week. My last post was, um, highly cynical of her candidacy, and I didn't even come close to treading on issues or with a tone that you'd see elsewhere (I"m looking at you, S&E commenting forums). Who needs it right now?

Fourth, take all of the issue above, and drop everything else for the next 10 months. Go knock on thousands of doors, beg for roughly $1,000 a week, and spend every waking moment wondering how to pull this off. Good grief.

So, it's no wonder there's minimal talk for mayor candidates right now. Is there a more unappealing job in Fitchburg right now?

* * * * *

Perhaps more on this at a later date, but as I write this we're watching Andre Ravenelle's budget presentation right now. Between his enthusiasm, intelligence, and suprises like he subs in a classroom once a month, this guy is very, very good. Why do I worry he's going to bolt soon?

About Rachel Rosenfeld

2009-02-19T19:46:00.003-05:00

Two parts to what is probably going to be a giant post. First, a Q&A with Rachel Rosenfeld (that's "Really Rachel" in these parts) via e-mail. Nothing changed in questions or answers. I'll admit it's not comprehensive, but it touches on background, a few issues, and gets the ball rolling. Second, a few of my thoughts on her announced candidacy for mayor.

Part 1:

Why are you running for mayor?
I love Fitchburg. I sincerely believe I can lead the city in the direction the citizens of Fitchburg would like to see the city go.

What made you decide to dedicate 10 months on a campaign and an election?
If not me, who? If not now, when?

How long had you been considering running?
Many years, Jason.

What's your message? What are the important things that you think you're going to be talking about?
Respect. Teamwork. Bringing the city government - processes, technology, methodology into the 21st century. Sound fiscal management. Public safety. Healthcare. Community. Resurrecting Fitchburg. Unitil, energy and technology. Elderly, disabled, families, children - people as the priority. Accountability. True transparency. Consolidation, coordination, cooperation.

You've certainly been critical of the incumbent. How much of that will be part of your campaign?
Critique and compare. We have differing opinions of how best to serve the citizen-taxpayers of Fitchburg. The voters will see a marked difference between us based upon her record and my platform.

Have you ever run for public office before? If so, where and when? How'd it go?
Ran for planning board many years ago in Shirley against an incumbent townie. Spent no money, didn't campaign. Got nailed to the wall. And got my message across.
Helped to organize and was the co-chair of the Northern Healthcare Coalition, the grassroots group from 12 cities and towns that fought the closure of Burbank Hospital during the Bean administration. We preserved an urgent care center at the Burbank Hospital and ALS ambulance service in Fitchburg. First time in history that DPH ever
issued an order of conditions on the closure of a hospital. Hence my undying loyalty to Emile Goguen who poured himself heart and soul into it while his late wife Connie was undergoing chemotherapy.

What's your organization looking like? How many volunteers or staffers do you think you have now? How many do you want as the campaign gears up?
Volunteer recruitment isn't underway but all are welcome. Folks can email me. ReallyRachel@verizon.net isn't a big secret.

How much money do you expect to raise?
As little as possible to run a campaign on a shoestring - the same way I live, the way I mean to manage the city - do the maximum with the minimum.

There's a couple of schools of thought on door-knocking: That it's very valuable, that it's merely window-dressing. How do you feel about it? When do you think you'll start knocking on doors?
To be decided.

You've been pretty open about your health issues. Do you think you're healthy enough to serve a two-year term and be available 24/7 as the job seems to dictate?
It is not an issue for the citizens. Just don't smoke near me. I have never failed in a commitment to family, friends, community or synagogue. I have the personal assistance I need for any mobility issues that may arise, my reasoning and intellect are superb, and I
don't plan to invade a foreign country or sign up for any cross country hikes. I have as examples Ted Kennedy, JFK, FDR and a close relative Cordell Hull (who had the same familial disease for most of his lifetime), as well as my own mother and grandfather who dealt with this inconvenience for many years. I have the advantage of knowing both my abilities and my limitations and while my abilities will be an asset to the city, the citizens will not be inconvenience in any way by my limitations. My breathing and mobility issues have taught me the value of persistence, objective and goal setting, patience, and priorities. Similarly my financial issues have brought home priority setting and strict fiscal management.

You've talked in the past about how the Mayor's Office is too powerful. How would you work as mayor to reduce the office's power. Would you push for a charter commission to change from mayor to manager?
The last thing I want is to be "Lady Rachel" or "Queen Rachel" and our archaic strong mayor weak council government is set up for just such a scenario. It's modeled on the old English Lord Mayor - Privy Council model that has not been in use in England for a very long time. The reason given for not having pursued charter review and revision has always been that it's too hard, complicated, confusing, time consuming. I have the time and the doggedness to see it through, or at least make a heck of a good start during a term in office.
In addition, the very setup causes unnecessary conflict in the city. There is no reason a mayor and a city council should find themselves in an adversarial position if all have the best interests of the taxpayers at heart. Our current system is practically a bloodsport and it needs to be realigned so that there is a truly balanced balance of power, and equalization, with management responsible to the board of directors, i.e. city council. Sounds like I lean toward a city manager form of government - I've seen it work well and I know there have been issues elsewhere. That's why one person doesn't make that decision.
I want to see a more democratic (little d) form of government in Fitchburg where people feel they have a voice beyond biannual elections. Otherwise they become frustrated and angry. And unlike sausage being made, I believe people DO want to see the process and be involved in how things are done.
Lots of interaction between the mayor and the citizens, open forums, "mayor's open house" if invited to rotate at ward meetings, stay in touch with the people. I see the mayor's role as much more hands on with the people day to day, "mayor at large" with executive responsibilities.

The city is facing a $4 million deficit next year. How do you fill that gap?
One dollar at a time. Seriously. $4M is less than 5% of recent city budgets. You tell me you can't cut 5% out of your household budget and still preserve "vital services" at home.

How do you slow the rapid increases in health care?
What was promised during the 2007 mayoral campaign and never done. Sorry, that's a criticism. In addition to the not-yet-dead horse we've been beating for the past several years, there are additional options that may coincide with bringing healthcare access back to the city.

Would you favor layoffs?
Let's stop giving out raises like candy first. There may be alternatives to people losing their jobs through a well thought out, well planned reorganization program, reduction of hours of hourly workers without losing healthcare and full time benefits, a carefully crafted attrition program.

What departments would you target first?
I would never "target" a department or an individual. I don't believe in people as targets.
I will, however, target inefficiencies. The rationale "we might get sued" won't work. City vehicles are not for commuting. Period.
I would assess the mayor's office first. With computers there's no need for someone else to type my letters. Assistant to the mayor is an essential position (not a chief of staff). Administrative assistant could most likely be shared with another department. As those are two positions each mayor personally fills, I might choose not to fill the Admin Asst position.

Part 2:

So, what to think?

At the outset, you probably fall into one of two camps: "Go, Rachel. Wong needs to go." Or, "Rachel? Really? Isn't she that crazy Internet woman?"

It's no secret Rachel and I have had a, um, combative past. You can flip through the countless comments and catch the highlights. I'll be honest. I'm highly skeptical of her candidacy. Here's why:

First, she's lacking on some organizational basics. Volunteers are welcome, but I don't get the sense there's been a real effort to put together a campaign and organize. Legend has it that Marcus DiNatale has the best voter database and organization in the city through working for himself and his father. If that's true, Wong might have the second best. There are reams of information -- active voter lists, probable voter identification, organizing standouts, blah, blah, blah -- that someone has to do to pull off a well-run campaign. And "to be determined" is an answer on door-knocking that needs to be substantially improved.

Then there's the money. "Shoestring" sounds good, but rarely competes in a high-money race. The 2007 race was around $30,000 in the preliminary. I'm sure both Donnelly and Wong were in the $40,000 by the time it was all said and done. How do you compete with the mailers and the organization? The scrappy underdog only goes so far. Ask Ron Dionne.

Second, I'll call this the DeSalvatore factor. It's not quite what the Unicow posted today, but similar. As the campaign went on in '07, DeSalvatore started pulling his punches. He spent the first part of the year firing from the hip, and then when it got late, he got cautious. People were scratching their heads, and it came across as a bad performance in debates.

What does Rachel do? She created the "Queen Lisa" tag for crying out loud. Is she going to stop name-calling and play it a bit more safely? For my money, she seems a little tame in some of the questions above. If you doubt that, hit the comments. It's all relative. She's been raging for the better part of a year. Does she keep her foot on the pedal, or ease off? I'm not sure either is really a winning play. She might be stuck here.

Third, let's try to probe the thoughts of Rachel here. Does she really want to be mayor, or does she want a larger soapbox to hammer Wong, her archenemy? While the S&E pointed to her blog today as her launching pad, I'm arrogant enough to guess old SF does much better business, and that this is really where she made her bones. While I love old SF, let's be honest here, it's a limited audience. What's really her goal? Is she in it to win it, or hammer at Wong for the next eight to 10 months?

Similarly, is she a stalking horse for someone? She clearly makes the rounds, talking to councilors and other city movers-and-shakers. Is she going to throw bombs and clear the path for another candidate? If I didn't know any better, I'd bet on Tran considering his remarks in the paper today. But that's too cynical, I think. But weirder things have happened in politics.

Fourth, Rachel at some point is going to have answer to a lot of things she has said on her blog and in other spaces in the last two or three years. Some of it would cause people to take pause. I'd love to say I'm going to do it, but the thought of rolling through thousands of comments makes me want to cry. It's a long campaign, I guess I have time.

Fifth, she needs to prove she can play well with others. Right or wrong (and this goes back to me running through comments), most folks feel like she was pro-Ted, and bailed. And then she was pro-Wong and bailed. Personally, I know the feeling. Some days I'm an honest, dedicated guy, somedays I'm jerk blow-in.

Being mayor means playing well with others. You need to massage the unions, work with the council, keep the department heads motivated and working, and be the public face of the city, not only at home, but with regional and state officials. Who knows how she'd roll, but her history here would be Exhibit A of not really playing well with others.

Sixth, being mayor is hard, and there's a lot to learn. I don't expect her to know it all yet. But even for a Day One candidate, a question about a $4M budget gap deserves more than a three-line answer.

Seventh, she's gotta shift into some facts. Consider her answer on health care costs. The first part says nothing has been done. Not true. Wong brought in new coverage last summer that was cheaper than an old plan. So, there's that factual error. This also goes to the paragraph above. Making health care cheaper is a horribly complicated thing that include giant companies and many unions throughout city government. There's no sense of the magnitude of that task in her answer.

On this issue, she pulled for the S&E her quote about Wong not understanding how to live on a shoestring budget. Maybe she does, maybe she doesn't. But (as discussed here in the past) Wong's parents are first-generation immigrants who opened up a restaurant in Cambridge. Generally, restaurant owners aren't rolling in dough. During the last campaign, Wong talked about working in the restaurant as a kid. Yes, she went to BU and she's traveled a good chunk of the world, but I'm guessing she and her parents weren't commuting from Wellesley to the family restaurant, if you know what I mean. Does Rosenfeld have the Wong family W2s from the 1980s? Most of Wong's backstory points to a family working hard to get by and do what they could for their kids. So when Rosenfeld fires away like that, you either believe the hype, or question its validity. She can't afford to have people questioning her validity on anything.

Look, she's got a lot of time to answer these questions. She's a known entity from her spirited blog comments and posts at her site. But what's she really like? I've never met her in person, so I don't really know. Her announcement has certainly raised eyebrows, and it certainly plays well with the anti-Wong crowd. But is that crowd currently at 50 percent-plus-1? And if it is, will they all rally around her? It's unique for a new candidate (and by new, I mean never running before) to be this polarizing. How she runs, what she says, and how she says it will make for an interesting campaign, that's for sure.

And Then There Were Two

2009-02-18T19:24:00.001-05:00

If you missed the news, Rachel Rosenfeld said today she's running for mayor. That makes her and the incumbent as the two on the ballot right now. I've fired off a slew of questions about Rachel's decision and her plans via e-mail. Hopefully I'll have more later.

McKay to B.F. Brown?

2009-02-14T19:25:00.003-05:00

OK, right off the bat, I have a vested interest in this one, with SF Thing 1 at the McKay School for kindergarten, and likely Thing 2 following her in a couple of years. The future of the McKay is important at the SF Mansion.

So, it didn't go unnoticed that School Committee member James Reynolds is talking about moving the McKay School to a renovated B.F. Brown Building.

At the crux, as in the past, is the nearly $1 million the city pays for rent to FSC for the McKay. Holy crap! $1 million! That's outrageous.

Is it?

I don't really know the answer, but I do know it would cost $5 million to renovate B.F. Brown (according to the super), so it might be awhile. But it's a good reminder that rent is out there.

So, is the city getting $1 million out of that rent? Again, I don't know, but consider:

Principal John Early is consider an associate dean at FSC, and the college pays at least part of its salary.

The electricity and heat are paid for.

The daily a.m. and p.m. police details at the parking lot entrance on Rindge Road are FSC.

FSC may handle custodian duties, and they certainly handle building repair and upkeep.

We toured all four elementary schools last spring. Far and away, McKay was in the best shape of all of them. It wasn't the deciding factor for us, but it certainly was a factor after Thing 1 went to school some days at South Street without heat. It was noticeable.

I guess the unknowable is, how much is the city saving on not owning and having to keep up another building? Consider this: According to my math, the city has $10 million in school repair projects on the stimulous wish list. That doesn't count B.F. Brown, which is in there. You can only assume at this point that if the city was running another school building, it would need repairs there, as well.

In some ways, it might not really matter for Thing 1 or Thing 2. They'd stay at McKay, or they'd get a renovated B.F. Brown (in theory). But before there's an overwhelming chorus of "Hey, $1 million in rent? WTF," there should be consideration as to whether or not it's a fair deal to the city. It's easy to get all fired up over the numbers, but is reality different from the dollar signs?

When Do You Say 'Ouch?'

2009-02-11T20:11:00.003-05:00

So, here's the question:

What cut will be egregious that you'll be offended?

The PD "demotions" got some fire, but really, it wasn't that bad.

The school department's talk of merging BF Brown and Academy barely raised an eyebrow.

Last year's library cuts are certainly grist for the mills, but really, it's not like there was a big protest outside City Hall.

Mayor Lisa Wong told the City Council this week that the city will need to cut $4 million out of the budget for next year. Certainly, big cuts are going to come. With the chances of new revenue looking shaky, based on early reports, you can bank on more cuts than new money. And that's putting it lightly.

I guess it's kind of a hypothetical question that you can't really get a handle on right now, but it's worth asking not just here but throughout the city: When do you say "ouch?"

10 police department layoffs? Closing Summer St. fire station? Closing some parks for the summer? Turning streetlights off?

I guess it's a different way of asking, what are the priorities? Seriously, I hope for some good feedback on this. Recent budget discussions have quickly devolved into "Lisa Wong sucks," and "the trash fee sucks almost as much." I'd like to move beyond that and get some kind of sense of what people think. What cut would make you stand up and say, "absolutely not." Consider stuff like: 3 cops OK, 5 no. Keep parks open, but don't maintain the fields. Stuff like that. What's your limit? You can't avoid them, you can only pick the ones you dislike least. Ready? Go.

Northeastern = Fitchburg?

2009-02-09T09:10:00.000-05:00

A most excellent winter of Northeastern University sports reaches one of its high points tonight when the Huskies tussle with Boston University in the finals of the Beanpot.

NU has had an excellent winter on the ice, leading Hockey East as late as I can remember in the last 20 years, and ranked No. 3 in the country. In hoops, the Huskies are in first place in the Colonial Athletic Conference, and are in the mix for a NCAA tourney berth. It would be the first trip back to the tourney since 1991.

Tonight, NU goes up against BU, and one of two things are going to happen. NU is going to get smoked, or everyone is going to walk out of the building thinking they just saw one of the best hockey games they’ve ever seen. BU isn’t going to get blown out. It isn’t going to be a 4-1, 5-2 kind of boring game. Blowout or nail-biter.

The funny thing is, for Northeastern fans, this excellent hockey ride now reaches an apex, and we’re scared to death. Everyone’s talking up the Huskies, and that makes us nervous. NU hasn’t won the Beanpot since 1988, so most of the NU people I know have never enjoyed a late night at Punter’s Pub celebrating the championship. After 21 years, we’ve been conditioned to expect the worst on one of the first two Mondays in February, especially when BU is involved.

BU, of course, is the Darth Vader of the Beanpot. (And that’s being generous. I can’t put into words how much I dislike BU, and “dislike” is charitable.) They’ve won half the time, and are a very tough out the other half. They will bring they A game tonight. They are beatable. But the Northeastern folk will have to see it to believe it.

However, tonight, we have hope. Perhaps the most hope going into a Beanpot final in 21 years. Since 1988 the Huskies have been in the final a handful of times, and each time they were the significant underdog. This is the first time in 21 years they have a realistic chance of winning this thing. While Northeastern fans and alumni are excited and looking forward to tonight, we’re holding a piece back because we know there’s a good chance that embarrassment or heartache is three periods away. We want to drink all the cheap Punter’s beer we possibly can tonight, but we know we must put up an insulator before we get there. It’s better to say “I thought this might happen,” than sit and watch in horror -- again -- as it goes down the way it always has.

In a lot of ways, rooting for the Huskies is like living in Fitchburg. The news has so bad for so long, that you don’t want to embrace the good. Destare moves downtown? Great, but it will be gone within a year. CoCo Key? Nice, another place for the dirty kids to go swim and pee in the water. Industrial development along Airport Road? Fine, but who really wants to move a business there?

And so goes. After riding out bad years like bad teams, or watching potential squandered, Fitchburg residents are conditioned – like Northeastern fans – to expect the worst. Even when something looks good, we expect it to go bad

Fitchburg has started to build itself back up in recent years, but there’s still a long way to go. Re-creating a city is a lot harder and bigger job than rebuilding a hockey program. Tonight, Northeastern goes into the Beanpot final with a chance – a good chance – to restore that faith and announce its return to prominence. For a Northeastern fan living in Fitchburg, a win tonight will illustrate that, yes, good things can happen, even in places where all hope seems lost.

Is tonight the night? I don’t know. But I hope so. Is now the time for Fitchburg? I don’t know, but I hope so. A Husky win tonight does nothing for Fitchburg, except stand as an example that rebuilding can happen, even in the face of giant obstacles, and it’s OK to hope for and want success.

One more thing: BU sucks.

Not a Secret

2009-02-06T16:53:00.003-05:00

A bizarre letter in the Fitchburg Pride today, from the president of the utility workers' union. Bizarre in that, I don't really know anyone who thought the workers were the problem. He's right, there's plenty of anger at Unitil and its management, but people seemed supportive of the actual guys hanging off poles. He's trying to drum up support for more workers, which is fine, but he also kind makes it sound like Fitchburg turned on these guys, which I don't think happened. Did I miss something?

The Unusual, the Not Good, the Phone Calls

2009-02-06T08:41:00.000-05:00

So, what to make of the announcement this week that a handful of Police Department managers were getting demoted and taking a pay cut?

It’s unusual, it’s not good, and if I were a manager in another city department, I wouldn’t be taking too many calls from 345-9550.

First, the unusual. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of this before. It’s creative, I’ll say that. It’s obviously an effort to keep cops on the street, which everyone agrees is the top priority. It’s probably worth mentioning that the “demotions” aren’t based on job performance (obviously), but instead are a mechanism for lowering pay. I don’t know if maybe they’ll all get “promotions” in the future, but I do feel bad for the “demoted” and their families. A pay cut is never a happy affair. It would be good if they were given some preference on details (yes, more work, but more opportunity) to make up some of the difference. (Note: This is not an endorsement of details as presently constituted. But if we’re playing by the rulebook, use the rules to their advantage.)

Now, the not good. Obviously, this is in reaction to current and upcoming local aid cuts, and there’s more to come. These guys are the first victims, but there’s certainly more to come. I’m not sure if this is the final solution to keeping cops on the street, or if there’s more to come. There’s no way of knowing right now, but this is a sure sign that things are going to more difficult in the next five months. Layoffs were avoided, and hopefully that remains the case. It’s easy to hammer the classic city employee/donut-eating cop stereotype, but this is no time to be wishing someone out of a job. Put this way: If you lost your job tomorrow, how many options would you have for a new one? More and more, people are realizing the answer is “very few,” or “none.” While this is predominately about numbers and services, there’s also human decency involved, and I wouldn’t want to be the one handing out pink slips. That’s gotta play a role now, and later. But this doesn’t soothe any jagged nerves in City Hall and other departments.

Finally, that phone call. There’s a very interesting thought process that seems obvious here. The goal is to keep police officers on the street. How do we that? One way might be get higher-paid members to take a pay cut, and use that savings to keep offices out there. This wasn’t a random numbers cut. It had a direct purpose. You’d have to think that the Mayor’s Office might have similar ideas – or other department-specific ideas – up their sleeve. Are other department managers going to play the same ball? Will they have a choice? Chances are, the phone is going to be ringing soon, and their not going to have any choice but to answer it. I guess we’ll see.

Additionally, what’s up with the Police Department. I’ll admit it. A year, nine months ago, I was really turned off by the union’s moves on raises. Since then, they’ve led the way on contract negotiations by agreeing to no retroactive pay and taking a fairly modest annual percentage increase. (Note: I know people are hung up on those settlements, but please, please, please, don’t forget the general dismissal of retroactive pay. That is such a huge savings, and can’t be overlooked. I’d think we’d be doubling the numbers, if not more, if retro were included. It might not have been the best time to settle, but if you get nowhere, the unions dig in, and a year from now you’re paying the same raises PLUS another year of retro? Yikes.) Now, some of the highest-ranking members of the department are taking bumps down. Looking back, I still can’t get happy about the public tactics, but the contract and this move has me impressed with what they’ve done. Knowing the guys who took this cut, they’ve got a lot invested in the department and the community. It would be unfortunate if they left. Wouldn’t blame them, but it would be unfortunate. I guess we’ll have to see.

So, it begins. $250,000 or so down, $2,750,000 to go (probably actually more, but don’t let big math get in the way of a literary device, I always say).

Budget Blathering

2009-01-29T19:52:00.003-05:00

So, here we are, looking at a loss of probably about $3 million in state aid in next year's budget. Let the screaming begin.

I'm not patient enough to wait for the city budget to download right now, but I'm willing to bet $3 million that the increase in tax levy and new growth won't cover that decrease. So, the city will have less money next year than this year.

A lot will be said and done between now and July 1. Some of it good, a lot of it bad, some of it just mind-numbingly repetitive and either unsubstantiated or just wrong.

In that spirit, I spent a chunk of my car ride home thinking of all the things I don't want to hear during this budget season. Part of that thinking was motivated by a comment I read somewhere else. It's #1 on this little list. I'm sure they'll all come here in the next five months, and some point said referring to these topics will make me lose my mind. But whatever. I don't have much to lose.

#1. The city should run like a business. Well, yes, it should. But what does that mean, exactly? What happens in business when it's not making enough money? It lays people off or it raises prices. Plenty of places are laying off. Jeez, McDonald's raised the price of a double cheeseburger this fall because costs were getting too high. My point? Business can do two things in tough times: cut, or raise more money. The city is in pretty much the same quandry. So when you say the city should run like a business, what does that mean, exactly?

#2. There are too many school administrators. This is an old-time favorite from last year. It got to the point last year where I started shyly asking spurters of this one, "So, um, like who?" I quickly realized that those who were spouting had no clue. I started asking it almost tauntingly, knowing those saying it couldn't support it. I never got bagged. Forget details like state-mandated positions that might be protected. These people couldn't name a position, forget a person. I asked this question last year here probably a half-dozen times, and never got an answer: Specifically, who? Please, I really do want to know. It will come up again, so let's go, people.

#3. Throw the useless ones out of City Hall. Sounds good. Again, who are they? This goes with #2, and might seem a little more easy to figure out, but who is it? Can someone with real knowledge tell me?

#4. My special thing. Let's admit it, we all have it. I have mine. It's the schools. I've never shied away from it. You have your special thing. Likely, it's police or fire. You don't want it cut. Think the library folks are happy? No. You think the 90 percent of the population that is generally unaffected by the changes at the library care? No. That's an extreme example, but it's true across the board. Departments don't operate in vacuums. What happens over here effects stuff over there. The library changes saved the city $800,000. Think of the cop jobs it saved. It probably kept the Summer St. fire station open. At this point, every dollar kept in one department means one fewer dollar somewhere else. So, embrace your special thing and advocate for it. Try to come up with some way to preserve it. But if it gets cut, remember, there's, um, "revenue enhancements" on the table that can help out. Such is your choice.

#5. We're not Leominster. Agreed. This is not a condition that popped up last week, last month, last year, or last decade. It's been so long, the paths so divergent, that it's no longer acceptible to compare the two cities. It just isn't. Sure, you want to make the point that Fitchburg stinks, but the current situations in the two cities weren't born overnight. It's taken a long, long time to get here. To not recognize that and not consider it is just not very right. It sounds good, but at this point it means nothing.

#6. We can't afford it (Or, stupid Unitil). This one we'll hear this year -- a lot -- until the budget is settled. Trash fee? "No way. We're taxed up the ass as is." Override? "Have you seen my electric bill? No way." There's an emotional logic in that. But it has nothing to do with each other, except your wallet. Let's go back to the old McDonald's double cheeseburger reference from above. Do you think when Ronald McDonald convened his kitchen cabinet to discuss raising the price they said, "You know, Wendy's just raised the price on their burger. Maybe we should hold off on this." Hell, no. We have a lot of time to debate whether or not new fees and taxes are a good idea. But it really doesn't have much to do with Unitil. You might not believe this, but Unitil isn't the root cause of all things dark and evil in Fitchburg.

Look, the next five months are going to be a tough road. People are going to demand certain things don't get cut, and most of them aren't going to want to consider a trash fee, override, or anything else that cost more money. Just go into this knowing the city will have less money next year than it does now, and health insurance and other items are only getting more expensive. Just remember to think about the situation, remember that every action has consequences to the entire budget, and that this is most certainly not going to be easy. I look forward to reading many, many comments that tell me all the above is ridiculous.

Sticking with Their Story

2009-01-29T09:31:00.003-05:00

Unitil finally finished its tour of local media this week, with a story in today's Sentinel (finally) on the aftermath of the ice storm. It's more of the same, but one thing in particular bugged me.

That one thing is the continued argument by Schoenberger that the real bad damage stopped on the Fitchburg side of Route 2. He argues that Leominster wasn't hit as bad, and part of that is because the conditions weren't as bad there as in Fitchburg.

There's certainly something to be said for the fickle finger of weather's fate, but at the same time, I still think it's a bunch of hooey. Schoenberger made the same claim in his interview with the Pride earlier this month, and it was something of a bone of contention (you can go to iTunes or here and listen, if you'd like. That portion is pretty deep into the interview).

Here's the thing: Towns like Princeton, Holden, Sterling, Rutland, Paxton, and so on were all pretty much 100 percent without power after the storm (Sterling was at like 90 percent without). Those towns were killed by damage. Go look at a map. What Schoenberger is pitching is that Leominster took a softer hit than Fitchburg. He admits north of Leominster was killed, but for some reason ignores the damage in the burbs to the south, west and east. I just don't get it. For all the half-truths and vagarities that have come out of this, this one for some reason cheeses me off, because it's so obviously not true. Dean Mazzarella may be SuperMayor, but the guy can't single-handedly change the weather. Can he?

If someone from Princeton or Holden reads this, God help Schoenberger. Those snotty towns were in a battle to prove they were the worst-hit community in the state. Holden people were particularly disappointed to hear that I thought Fitchburg looked about the same as their fair town in the immediate aftermath. They'll say they took it worse. I think we're talking a negligible difference in the grand scheme of things. Something Schoenberger either isn't aware of, but won't admit. Either way, it's one particular story line of his that gets me going. Clearly.

How Much on Wednesday?

2009-01-26T20:07:00.002-05:00

I know everyone is focused on tomorrow's frivolity with Unitil, but on Wednesday, the governor's budget comes out, and it will shed some light on the city's budget situation, for sure.

Patrick said last week he might cut up to $375 million from the current local aid figures. That doesn't include potential mid-year cuts.

Factoring in Lottery aid, this year's aid to be held harmless from Lottery shortfalls, and additional assistance, the total in those sections are roughly $11.1 billion this year. That means, roughly, Patrick is looking at a 25-30 percent cut in local aid. For Fitchburg, if it were equal across the board, the city would be looking at a $2 million to $3 million cut in state aid. Don't know what new growth is looking like this year, but I can't imagine it's very much.

In short, cuts are coming, and we can start trying to figure out from where on Wednesday.

DiNatale's Choice

2009-01-25T19:23:00.002-05:00

What was rumor on Friday and pretty much a done deal yesterday became fact this afternoon. House Speaker Sal DiMasi is stepping down on Tuesday. His replacement could be chose on Wednesday.

For second-term Rep. Stephen DiNatale of Fitchburg, this sets up an interesting time. Make the wrong move now, and forget it. It's over for him. Enjoy the back of the room and the basement office.

DiNatale's best move would have been to nudge up to one of the favorites a while ago and try to break into the circle. Odds are, that's Bob DeLeo of Revere or John Rogers of Norwood. If I were betting man, I'd be betting on DeLeo this week. But I wouldn't be betting the mortgage. Was DiNatale betting early? Or is he waiting to see where the winds are blowing this week?

DiNatale's opportunity to really make a move is likely passed. He either jumped in or he didn't. If he didn't, he now has to make a decision: DeLeo, Rogers, or dark horse X. He needs to pick right. The right choice means he stays viable, stays in th game, stays relevant. The wrong choice, and he loses all of the above, and is relegated to also-ran status for a while. Such is life when a speaker is elected.

Let the Yelling Begin

2009-01-21T13:47:00.001-05:00

The hooting and hollering over Unitil starts this afternoon (like it ever really ended) with the City Council's public hearing on their response to the Ice Storm of 2008. If you can't be there, you can follow along with live, blog-style updates at the Fitchburg Pride website. Yes, I don't work there anymore, but I can still pimp it out.

No February Vacation

2009-01-20T21:15:00.003-05:00

On Saturday, I saw my parents and made plans to trundle off three of their grandchildren to Maine for a chunk for a February vacation. A few minutes ago, Mrs. Save Fitchburg and I began the long discussion of whether or not the oldest Save Fitchburg spawn will skip school to go.

The crux of the story: The next time a school official tells you they don't teach to the MCAS, don't believe them.

Simply, the school department wants to get teaching time in before the MCAS. So instead of skipping April vacation (three months away, not four weeks), going on Saturdays, or holding out and waiting for a potential DOE waiver, kiddies will go to school February vacation (President's Day withstanding).

What about parents or teachers who have vacation plans? Whether it's an overnight trip to ski country, or a week trip to Disney? They now face a difficult decision just four weeks before their plans are scheduled. Do they ditch the money and go to school, go ahead with plans and ditch school? If there are a lot of skipped classes, will it affect AYP? In many cases, the attendance AYP factor is a narrow pass. Would big skips be a problem? I guess we're going to find out.

School officials point to a survey where 56 percent of staff favored going to school during February break. Somehow, I think a fewer percentage of parents are in favor. I can hear the cranky oldsters hollering "Those whippersnappers need to go to school," and that's a waiver debate for another time. The issue here is the timing, and it stinks.

Since MCAS was instituted, school officials everywhere have gone to great strides to point out that while curriculum covers MCAS subjects, they don't "teach to the MCAS." But this move will be an inconvenience for some, and a major problem for others. To squeeze in four more days of teaching before the MCAS. The decisions facing parents and the vacation plans suddenly either in ruins or wrapped in guilt are other victims of the ice storm.

See? I'm Really Not Going Anywhere

2009-01-19T10:43:00.002-05:00

I won't be in this week's Pride (I think), but I will be on FATV Wednesday night, 7:30, with Gentleman Bill Gates. Like George Gantz, I won't be able to give him a great answer on why estimated bills are so high, but I will be able to talk about the two-year anniversary of the Pride, my time there, and so on. So, you can catch my ugly mug at 7:30 Wednesday night.

You Won't Get Rid of Me So Easily

2009-01-16T20:02:00.002-05:00

Hi, everyone.

I'm hearing some buzz that my somewhat (intentionally) vague column in today's paper has cranked up some talk about my future. So, in order to keep things relatively under control, a few thoughts:

No, I'm not moving. We're staying in Fitchburg. That's very unlikely to change in the future.

I have a new job, back in the world of public relations, and I'm looking forward to getting to it. That said, I will terribly miss the day-to-day work at the Pride. It probably was the best job I've ever said.

I will still be in the Pride on a regular (monthly, more if events of the day/week/month demand more) basis. I might do some more web stuff. I'll still be doing Save Fitchburg. There might be some other stuff, we're still sorting some of that out.

I have no doubt the future of the Pride is bright, and that it's not going anywhere. Not sure what the long-term plans are, but reporter Karen Mann is still around, and that's all that matters. She's fantastic. This new endeavor has nothing to do with the state of affairs in the Pride in particular or newspapers in general. My belief in the power and potential of independent, local nespapers hasn't changed one little bit, and my belief in the future of Fitchburg is unchanged. It's real, and it's happening.

I will miss being editor of the Pride, without question. But this is a good move for me and my family, and it's a great opportunity for us. When you put out a paper and a front page like this week's -- with a great story on Unitil, a vital look-ahead on campaign season, and a well-written celebration of one of the people that make Fitchburg and its institutions special -- it's tough to go out while kicking ass. But the Pride will continue to kick ass.

At the end of "Goodfellas," Henry Hill complains about his suburban existence, particularly when goes out for dinner and gets "egg noodles and ketchup," like all the other "shmucks." When it comes to next Friday, I'll be with the other shmucks, picking up the paper at the nearest distribution point. It'll be sad being on the outside, but I'll know I'm picking up a great product that is a reflection of the promise and future of the community I'm living in.

Kaddy? No. DiNatale? No. Tran? No.

2009-01-15T19:03:00.002-05:00

In tomorrow's Fitchburg Pride is a story that probably won't make those who want Lisa Wong out of the Mayor's Office too happy.

In short, there aren't a lot of likely mayoral candidates at this point, and if you're thinking of getting in, you're starting to spread the word now. But no one seems to be lining up the troops.

Joel Kaddy, Marcus DiNatale and Dean Tran -- probably the most popular names in the rumor mill -- all say they aren't planning on running this fall. They and others said they haven't heard anything in terms of buzz around potential challenge. As Steve DiNatale noted, if you're serious, you're knocking on doors as soon as the snow melts, but you're already figuring out inner circle and how to raise cash. Remember, it was well past $30,000 by the time Wong and Donnelly were all done. That's not small potatoes.

Who knows? Someone might be hedging bets, someone might be super-quietly laying the groundwork, someone might come out of the blue in the spring (a la Wong). But for now, it looks pretty quiet.

Audio of Unitil Interview

2009-01-14T16:23:00.002-05:00

If you're totally into it, you can listen to the entire Fitchburg Pride interview with Unitil CEO Robert Schoenberger and VP George Gantz now. Head over to iTunes, find the Pride's "Two Good Minutes" podcast, and you can listen from there. Or, you can wait until Friday and listen to it here. Or, you can ignore it all together. It might not exactly be riveting listening, but it's out there if you wanna check it out.

Unitil to Seek Rate Increase

2009-01-12T16:20:00.003-05:00

Unitil officials told the Fitchburg Pride today that it will eventually seek a rate increase, partly to pay for some of the expenses borne out of the ice storm.

Begin hyperventilating... now.

The discussion over paying for the ice storm was one of a number of issues touched upon during an hour-long interview with CEO Robert Schoenberger and VP George Gantz.

Also discussed, in no particular order:

Some Ohio crews expected to help Unitil bailed, and that was a serious setback to repairs.

Changes should be made to how mutual aid is delivered to effected areas, perhaps not so much based on a utility's crews in the area, but on "worst/first" basis, where all available crews work on the biggest problems first, no matter the utility serving the area.

The estimated bills were based on past usage, but uses higher supply charges from a supply contract finalized over the summer. It's common practice, and adjustments will be made in January. Estimated payments -- even no payments -- are fine.

The company has no plans to get out of Massachusetts.

Schoenberger and Gantz said they felt Unitil was getting better in Fitchburg, and customers were responding, before the storm. Schoenberger acknowledged his company might never have a "love affair" in Fitchburg.

Unitil is working on improving call center operations.

Gantz said he was impressed with Mayor Lisa Wong's messaging and discipline following the storm. He was more evasive when discussing critical comments from public officials.

Schoenberger and Gantz acknowledge a two-pronged PR effort on the local and state level. Jeremy Crockford, from Unitil's new PR firm, O'Neill and Associates, said Boston media received early attention because much of their reporting was erroneous and needed corrections. Gantz described local media coverage as "aggressive," but "fair."

Those are some of the quick bulletpoints, if you're still seeing straight after the start. There's a story that hits on some of this stuff right now at the Pride Website. There will be a larger story in Friday's Pride, and on Friday we'll be putting the audio of the entire interview online for your weekend enjoyment.

The Cleanup Question

2009-01-09T10:47:00.003-05:00

I commented briefly on this in another post, but it's worth its own post at this point.

Last night, the City Council went off on the city's cleanup efforts. Mayor Lisa Wong defended it, pointing to costs and reimbursements.

As I said in my comment, I don't really want to go through a day of "council said, mayor said." It's repetitive and doesn't get to the heart of the matter.

Here's the real question: Is it worth the cost to clean up quick, or should the city go through the longer hoop-jumping to get reimbursed for the cleanup. It is, according to projections that no one is disclaiming, a $1.5 million question.

In a vacuum, of course you want a fast cleanup. I think you could make an argument right now, today, that coming up with $1.5M for a quick cleanup would be a chore for the city. Did any councilors say last night where they'd get the money from? Looking down the road, the governor this week looked for expanded cutting powers, with mid-year local aid cuts looking more and more likely. You can bank on cuts in next year's budget.

So, you can't answer the question in a vacuum. I'm guessing the councilors have gotten a lot of calls, and want it stopped. But can the city afford to pay for the work themselves? And if you think the federal government is flexible in its rules, ask Townsend how that's working out for them (that town is ineligible for fed reimbursement, because Middlesex County didn't reach the disaster minimum cost).

It's easy to call up a councilor and say "Goddamn it, the branches still aren't picked up and my street looks like crap." But that doesn't take into account the financial side of things. There might be money for this, but there's red tape to deal with first, like it or not. If DPW goes out and starts doing it tomorrow, you can pretty much forget about it.

So, does the city have $1.5M to clean up the mess? That appears to be the question of the day. I'm leaning toward the reimbursement process until someone can detail where the money is coming from.

No Gantz, Let's Bash Elsewhere

2009-01-07T17:21:00.002-05:00

If you didn't see the comment below, George Gantz is taking a pass on tonight's FATV appearance, up to his butt in "emergency" situations around the area. At least they're aware of the "emergency" situations over at Unitil this time. It's been scattered outages, and they've very quickly and proudly announced they've been taken care of quickly today. Good for them.

To fill some more space here in Post #750 (holy crap. 750? I write too much), let's turn our attention to the Boston TV stations, which did themselves oh so proud yesterday and today.

I haven't watched the evening news today, but caught the 6s, the 10s, and the start of the 11s last night. They were in full bluster because there was an ice storm! Just weeks after the last one!

If you remember back to Dec. 10, there were some warnings of some outages in the forecast. Certainly not what we got. This time, the weather guys were pretty on the ball. If anything, the storm was a bit warmer than forecast, but they repeatedly said while there would be ice, it wouldn't be anything like last time. Well played.

On the news side (and I'm looking at you 25, and particularly 7), it was significantly different. If you skipped the weather and just watched the news side, you were expecting Round 2. It really wasn't cool. It was exasperating. It was a reminder that you should skip TV news and read newspapers (particularly the Fitchburg Pride). It stunk.

Anyway, just a reminder that TV news is no good.

Who's Unitil's Audience?

2009-01-07T09:52:00.002-05:00

A reporter bitches (again), but also wonders if his paranoia is founded.

In essence, as Unitil goes about a massive PR effort, I wonder if their target audience is the ratepayers in the region, or state officials in Boston, who really hold the company's fate in their hands.

Consider: Unitil has offered the Pride a sit-down with the Unitil CEO, but I saw him on WBZ last night. Why Boston media before local media? Also, why run a full-page ad in Monday's Boston Globe? For the 20 people in Fitchburg, Townsend, Ashby and Lunenburg who pick up the Globe? Or was it to put a big splash in front of officials in Boston?

Look, PR strategy is PR strategy (in this case, Boston heavyweights O'Neill and Associates are involved), and Unitil's end goal is likely to escape as much harm as possible on the state level, and hope by the summertime everything is back to normal. Getting on BZ and into the Globe furthers that strategy better than being here.

So, you'll see Gantz on FATV tonight and maybe at some point we'll get that CEO interview. But in the meantime, pay attention to where Unitil is putting stuff -- and where it's going first -- and you can decide who they're really sorry to. Us, or state officials.

Tonight's Main Event

2009-01-07T09:14:00.002-05:00

Clear your schedule and have some snacks on hand tonight -- with the phone nearby perhaps -- as Unitil VP George Gantz takes a spin with Bill Gates on FATV tonight.

First, a word from FATV: There's been some talk of some folks "stopping by" to see Gantz tonight. There will be no studio audience for the show, according to FATV. If you want to call in, the main number is 978-343-0834. I assume that's the number to call. FATV's message at this point: Please call, but don't stop by.

We'll most certainly be watching, and chiming in here either through blow-by-blow blogging, or wrapping it up at the end. That 7-8:30 time slot is tough with bedtime stories to be read and tots to be tucked in, so if we got the blow-by-blow route, there may be some delays as we hit "pause" on the DVR. In any event, by night's end we'll have some words on the whole thing here.

Somebody Loves Unitil

2009-01-06T15:54:00.002-05:00

Doing a random search of Unitil, I stumbled on this from streetinsider.com. It's dated Dec. 24, 2008. You know, when most of Fitchburg had power back on. But not all of it.

Janney Montgomery Scott initiates coverage on Unitil Corp. (NYSE: UTL) with a Buy and $23 fair value.

Janney analyst says, "The company has a stable electric and gas utility business in New England and a solid working relationship with its state Commissioners. The recent acquisition of Northern Utilities increases the company’s gas utility customer base and expands its footprint into Maine. In the short-run, earnings growth will be generated from acquisition-related operating efficiencies, while long-term earnings growth will stem from the traditional utility model of capital spending on infrastructure coupled with diligent rate case management, as the company brings returns at Northern Utilities up to par. Unitil offers investors an attractive 6.9% dividend yield, which management has stated it is committed to maintaining."

Unitil Corporation (Unitil) is a public utility holding company.

I know what you're thinking. There's only two comments with the post, but they know what you're thinking, too.

Here We Go Again (?)

2009-01-06T08:18:00.002-05:00

Depending on when and where you get your weather news, we might be in for some more trouble tomorrow.

Last night's 7 news on 56 talked about up to a half-inch of ice tomorrow afternoon. This morning on 25, Fitzgibbons said there's no reason to expect anything like last time. And you know what I mean by "last time."

In any case, the mayor sent out an advisory yesterday afternoon telling folks to, you know, stock up on batteries, flashlights, that kind of thing. Just in case. I'll likely be refilling a gas can or two for the olde generator. Just in case.

If the power does stay on tomorrow night, it could be a doozey over at FATV, where Gentleman Bill Gates has Unitil Veep George Gantz on for 90 minutes. The first half will be an interview (which we're very intrigued to see) and then they're taking calls for the last 40 minutes. You have to assume they'll be on the old seven-second delay, and that there will be extra security at FATV HQ tomorrow night. Gotta give Gantz credit for walking into this one.

The Gantz appearance/beating can be considered part of a fairly aggressive rebound strategy by Unitil. They had the much-derided letter last week, they had full-page ads in the dailies yesterday (including El Globo, which is clearly a PR move), and the CEO is being peddled for edit board interviews. They're on the PR offensive, trying to make up lost ground. That's a lot of ground, though. And when you have Gordon Edes against you, well, you're really in trouble.

Library Director Out

2009-01-05T13:41:00.003-05:00

The tale of Library Director Ann Wirtanen is coming to an end, with Wirtanen heading to the Winchester Public Library, the Fitchburg Pride has learned. She leaves the Fitchburg Public Library Jan. 15.

It's been a tough one for Wirtanen over the last year. She was none-too-pleased by the cuts in library funding and the attendant state decertification. It only got worse when many people noted her lack of response to improve its situation itself, instead doing little more than complaining about the situation. Things got even worse in the aftermath of the ice storm. It's no secret she was displeased over the library being used as an animal shelter. It's also not much of a secret that she expressed her displeasure rather loudly.

Without a doubt, Wirtanen was defending her department, and at the end of the day her responsibility and focus is the library. But the way she went about things didn't do herself or the library any favors, and after the shelter fiasco, there was some talk her days could be numbered.

Whatever the case, she's heading out. Consider this nugget as she makes for the door:

“The Winchester Public Library is well supported by the town. They value the library and it shows,” said Wirtanen.

Hay for President

2009-01-05T12:08:00.002-05:00

Stephan Hay was elected president of the City Council this morning, as was generally expected.

Some folks aren't big Hay fans. I like him. There must be some reason he got the nod from his colleagues.

I'll say this, Hay has some big shoes to fill. Tom Conry did about as well as could be expected for a council president. He was on the ball, available, listened, and ran a tight ship. At mid-term, this council looks significantly better than the council(s) before it. Hay will have to keep the council moving in the right direction, as aid cuts, Unitil, and other horror shows pop up in the next year.

Unitil Says Sorry

2008-12-31T16:14:00.002-05:00

On New Year's Eve afternoon, as desks and offices are clearing out for what could be for many a five-day weekend filled with booze, fun and football, Unitil posts on its website an apology for its handling of the Ice Storm of 2008. You can read it here.

Now What?

2008-12-30T21:27:00.002-05:00

Now that the power is back on, the question becomes: What to do with Unitil or the electricity situation in Fitchburg?

The quick answer, of course, is "kick Unitil out." I'm no expert, but it doesn't seem like an easy process.

For a little background, check out the first handful of paragraphs of this story. I can't imagine much has changed in terms of infrastructure improvements in the last year or so.

So if no one wants to buy Unitil because it's too small and there's too much upgrading that needs to be done, the next option might be a municipal light department. There are a number of MLDs in the state, including next-door Princeton. But most of those are smaller communities, although Holyoke and Braintree are munis. It's not unheard of in a community this size, but certainly outside the norm.

There's been a rumor going around that the city would take the lines and poles by eminent domain, and then hook up with a new provider or muni. The mayor shot that rumor down this week, and in doing so questioned whether or not the city would be a good light manager. She pointed specifically to Unitil's biggest problem after the storm -- having enough capacity (work crews) to handle an emergency. It's a question worth pondering.

I did a brief Assessor's Office search of Unitil property (it's under Fitchburg Gas & Electric in that system, by the way), and found 55 properties. They look like a lot of easements and vacant properties. One was $500, one was over $140,000. I can't say I looked at them all, but got enough of a sense to see their property holdings are easily over $1 million, and probably in the $2 million range (if you do the math, please share). I couldn't get a sense of the value of the poles and wires -- an interesting question considering the state's proposal to allow communities to tax that infrastructure.

Someone asked earlier this week how the Fitchburg holdings compared with the rest of the Unitil system. According to its website, Unitil has 25,000 customers in Massachusetts. If I remember right from the storm updates, about 18,000 of those are in Fitchburg. All the Mass system is under FG&E, so it might need to be sold in one chunk. The New Hampshire holdings have 72,000 customers. The new Maine holding is 52,000 customers.

So, now what? Are there any real sale options? What's the confidence level on a municipal? There are going to be some hearings, but what's the long-term goal, other than ripping Unitil a new one? Does anyone think Unitil will take a beating, learn from it, and become a better provider? Or will the hearings offer little more than a chance to rail for a while? There's some time to figure some of this out before and during the hearings, but at some point some goals or targets -- A better Unitil? A new company? A municipal? Stuck with minor changes? -- need to be created.

The Department of Public Utilities says it doesn't remember a municipality changing electric companies/system in recent history. Fitchburg is really kind of left at the leaping-off point of a situation no one has ever really tried before. So, what's the goal, and how do we get there?

Why Yesterday Doesn't Matter

2008-12-26T08:12:00.002-05:00

Christmas? No, yesterday Celtics-Lakers tilt.

As Mrs. Save Fitchburg and my buddy Bigs can attest, I was smelling a loss last night. At some point the law of averages win out, and a long winning streak at some point comes to an end. They were on the road on Christmas Day (an absolute travesty. The champs should be home on Xmas, period. The NBA needs to make that a rule). The Lakers are a very good team, and yesterday meant a lot more to them than it did to the Celts.

Want proof of that last one? Well, right after the game, I felt perfectly fine with the loss. When the home team wins and lets streamers go off after a game in December, you know it meant a lot more to them than to the other team.

So good for the Lakers. The national media, which has an unending lust for LA and its, um, ethically challenged leader, has another reason to get all hot and bothered for the Lake Show. Pau Gasol proved he can come up big in the 30th game of the season. Which is nice for him. Five months too late, but nice for him. At least he acted like he had been there before. Or not.

Of course I wanted a win last night. The Celtics have done an amazing job of putting teams in their place early this year (hello, Cleveland, Detroit and Orlando). They are playing as well as they were in the Finals last year, and if Rondo keeps it up, they're better than they were last year. Throw in Ray Allen's improved performance (if you thought he was good last year -- and he was good -- he's extraordinary this year. He plays with a beautiful grace that can not be overstated. He's beautiful to watch right now. Beautiful), and the Celts are going to be just fine.

They've played better games than last night, but they had a number of things going against them last night, and it was tied with 3 minutes left. That was the best punch the Lakers could deliver, and as we learned last spring, they can't make that effort six times in a row. So I'm not sure yesterday matters much, except the Lakers got a chance to (finally) fire off some streamers.

It Stinks and It Sucks, and I Don't Like It

2008-12-23T16:08:00.004-05:00

If you've forgotten the above quote, here's another chunk of that most famous of flameouts:

I still really, really, really, really don't like Rick Pitino, but his rampage -- "The negativity in this town sucks" -- is certainly appropriate right now. It's two days before Christmas, and I'm worn out hearing bitching about Unitil, the DPW, and everything else. Where's the spirit, people?

So, I'm giving myself a break. I could very likely post here, but I won't be allowing negative comments until Monday, Jan. 5. If you don't have anything nice to say, keep it to yourself, or take it to another blog. You can send 'em, but no one is reading them. I need a break, and I need to get some holiday mojo going.

The Reinforcements

2008-12-22T21:22:00.002-05:00

It's about a week late for folks who are still listening to a generator whale away in their backyard, but make no mistake, the reinforcements are here.

I was out of the city all day, but drove from the SF Mansion to Wal-Mart Mountain and back, and I couldn't count all the trucks I saw. They were, literally, everywhere. Sounds like Highland Ave. is back, and I know a friend on Marshall St. who got plugged back in today. Hopefully this all ends soon, and then we can figure out how to make it better next time.

A Look (Not Too Far) Back

2008-12-19T09:01:00.002-05:00

If you missed yesterday afternoon's press conference (you can see it, and other press conferences at the FATV website. Kudos to them. They don't have power in their offices, and they're still grinding it out), you might want to check it out. If you have time.

I say that, because it was long. I don't know what happened -- I think after a week of hearing people complain, the collective reporters in the city had enough -- but Wong answered questions for 45 minutes. There were no real heated exchanges, no point where I can point to fireworks, no heroic journalists outwardly fighting for the people (and I'm not trying to create one), but it was a grind as she kept the wall up, and we kept banging away. There's only so many ways you can ask "How much does Unitil suck," but I think we collectively came up with about 17. I give the reporters there credit (and yeah, I was one, but whatever) for sort of deciding now was the time to push, and I guess she gets credit for not cracking.

My point? Only go back and read this post from last month. As people make a "Wong/Unitil" connection (yes, that's you Wally -- and others), check this post out. I can't think of a better way right now to describe what's going on. She all but said yesterday "I'm going to stay on message. Here's the message. I'm not going off it." There was an undercurrent of "I'll deal with Unitil later" in some cases, but she's not coughing up the magic quote the reporters are all but begging for, residents are frustrated for not hearing, and Steve DiNatale and Kevin Starr delivered on Saturday.

I guess I bring all this up because I'm guessing most people end up not watching the raw video, but reading the stories on line and in the papers, and they obviously don't see it all happening. The discipline and on-message style of Wong was frustrating to me last month, and I think it's frustrating everyone right now. But it certainly isn't new. I'm not trying to support Wong or anything else here (that means you, Lori), but I'm trying to help explain what's going on in the city right now, and how Wong is dealing with it publicly. I think yesterday's press conference and last month's post are pretty indicative of what's up.

I'm Taking It All Back

2008-12-18T12:10:00.002-05:00

While I still think there needs to be a review of Unitil and the city's emergency planning, I'll say this: I'm taking back all criticisms and compliments I've given here this week (except for the councilors. They really kicked ass by any measure).

Here's why:

Simply, I don't know shit about this stuff. I don't know how power gets turned back on, I don't know how the circuit systems are set up, and I don't know how this all gets decided and fixed behind the scenes. Yes, it's disturbing that thousands of people won't have power a week after the storm, but I don't know enough to launch off anymore. Maybe I'm getting soft in my re-powered old age. I also realize that, hell, no one in an official capacity -- private and public -- has been through anything like this before. There's no experience or past practices to rely on. There's a playbook -- hopefully -- but you can give Tom Brady and Randy Moss a playbook, but they don't run the plays well until they get practice. And who has ever really been able to practice this?

So, we'll go back to firing away on this at some point, and there are some obvious targets, but for now, we're going to realize our ignorance makes us unqualified, and we're going to put the hammer away... for now. But I'm sure there are plenty of "experts" who will now tell me why I'm an idiot.

See It All. Again.

2008-12-18T10:13:00.002-05:00

In case you're missing those days of yore when the city was covered by ice and you trying to figure out what the hell happened last Thursday night, you can see it again through a handful of videos aggregated at the Fitchburg Pride website. This was a little thing we were thinking about rolling out soon, but figured now was the time to give it a whirl. Check it out, and if you hate it, let us know. If you like it, let us know that, too. If you don't care one damn, let us know that also, I guess. But you'd have to be not caring a lot to be that motivated, I guess.

And... We're Back

2008-12-17T09:56:00.002-05:00

Not to rub it in, but power came back on in my neighborhood at 6:55 this morning. The 5-year-old immediate complained that the lights were keeping her awake.

Anyway, progress has been made. Now it's time to the cable up.

According to Unitil, as of 7:05 this morning, over 11,000 Massachusetts customers still didn't have power. They think all "primary circuits" will be fixed in the next day or so. I don't know what that means, really.

Anyway, there you go. Keep the reports coming, if you wanna.

How Has It Gone?

2008-12-16T17:00:00.002-05:00

Some of this is tough to determine -- and might not ever be determined -- but it's worth five days later to start to assess who has done well and who has not in the aftermath of the Ice Storm of 2008.

We'll start with Lisa Wong. She seems pretty well organized, and has done a good job of holding daily press briefings and handling getting information out. The city side of services -- DPW tree removal, shelters, public safety -- has not been an issue. All in all, from what I can tell, a pretty good job.

City departments. Again, a good job. Especially when you consider something like happens once in a lifetime, and most city leaders haven't been through this before. No one is complaining about a lack of city services. Department heads have come up big.

City Council. They have been fantastic. One person who is smarter than me (I know, I know, that's 39,999 people in Fitchburg) was working at the shelter this weekend, and was blown away by well councilors were performing. They were attentive, listening, helping, and getting stuff done. Councilors have two jobs: Set policy in City Hall, and act a conduit for residents in their wards or around the city. There's no policy here, but councilors have been extraordinary in helping residents out. Collectively and individually, they've been the stars.

Of course, not all all is good here. I just got off the phone with Mrs. Save Fitchburg, and I told her regionally, we are significantly in the minority at this point, we still have no power. There are still murmurs that Unitil hasn't been, well, fully committed to getting things done here. For example, Wong said on Sunday a Unitil person had been with DPW employees for half the day. Not the whole day, half the day. Jeez. I think in a situation of this size, it's not unreasonable to think that some parts of the city will be without power for a week or a few days longer. But it's been five days and just over half the city has power at this point. That doesn't seem so hot, especially when you hear Unitil is just about done in New Hampshire. Throw in the history, and it's enough to have a bad guy in this whole thing. Congratulations, Unitil.

Time to Update

2008-12-16T07:41:00.002-05:00

OK, I don't have a lot of time -- there's so much work to do this week -- but one thing I want to try to start getting a handle on here is what's up, and where? My street and neighborhood (the Hollywood area) got the mess cleaned up yesterday, and I saw utility crews on Rollstone Road last night and Shea Street this morning. It looked like lites were on Shea St. last night, but I didn't see any at 6:30 this a.m. (although crews were there. Maybe they turned it off for a while?)

As far as I can tell, south of Franklin Road, from Oak Hill Road to Rollstone, is still stone dark. I haven't been anywhere else since Sunday, unfortunately. Parkhill seems to be creeping back to life.

I'll try to update comments a little bit more today. Tell us about your area.

It's Not So "Pretty" Any More

2008-12-15T07:29:00.002-05:00

It's Monday morning, and the biggest change since last night is all the ice has melted, and that thinnest of silver linings -- that it still looked kind of pretty out -- has melted away.

Yesterday afternoon, Unitil said about two-thirds of its 27,000 customers were without power. Mayor Lisa Wong said it was the goal to get half of those 17,000 without power hooked up by today. If we can, we'll update later. It's going to be some busy days ahead.

An important note: You might want to have your individual connection to power checked. Unitil made a point yesterday of saying their responsibility ends at the connection to your home. If there's a problem with the connection pipe at your house (mine seems to be leaning, I'm not sure if it was like before and I didn't notice or if that's a new issue), you need to take care of that. I don't know if you can have someone check it before Unitil gets your street back up, but there you go.

Anyway, keep on fighting. More later, one way or the other.

Unbelievable.

2008-12-13T20:43:00.003-05:00

I don't really know what to say right now. It's been two days of juggling some work and updates, while trying to get the family moving in the right direction. From what I've seen and heard, a lot of people seem to be on the same schedule.

More later, but if you need anything, call 343-4801. Call 911 for emergencies only. Stay warm, stay smart, and someday will back on this and it will all seem funny.

FHS91 Is Right

2008-12-10T16:55:00.009-05:00

Yesterday, after I expressed some apprehension about over-inflated expectations for CoCo Key, FHS91 said it was going to be OK. That it was awesome.

He's right.

I had a blast, and both the 5-year-old and 3-year-old are currently on the couch, about to pass out from an extraordinarily good -- but exhausting -- time. Expectations met, indeed.

First, the kid report: The 5-year-old is a bit of a scaredy cat, and avoided the big slides that run outside (more on those later). The 3-year-old was bitterly disappointed when he was turned away. But beyond those minor setbacks, they had a blast.

Probably Fun Thing #1 was the giant bucket of water that tipped over every five minutes (that's the 5-year-old ready for a soaking in the photo above. But there was a ton of fun stuff around there, including smaller slides both kids liked, water cannons that were fun on both ends, and a variety of things that go splish and splash. They had a blast there.

There was a deeper swimming pool that gave the 5-year-old a chance to work on swimming without a life jacket, and the 3-year-old had good times jumping in and swimming to the toy snake in the middle.

For the kids, it was water, slide, and water shooting and splashing everywhere. What's not to love?

Here's a look at the slides both spent a lot of time on, which were in shooting distance of one of the water cannons.

Here's a look at one of the items that dumps water on the person pulling on the rope. So simple, so much fun.

From the adult standpoint, it was a great time playing with the kids. I found the splash area far more fun than the swimming pool, but probably only because I didn't become fully engaged with the basketball hoops. That could have been ridiculously fun.

I managed to squirm away from the kids to get down one of the bigger rides. Just the thought of starting inside, sliding outside, and finishing inside is very cool to the inner child.

I took an inner tube with me. There are two tube slides and one body slide. At the top, the lifeguard told me one was darker than the other. I took the dark one. Which on a rainy afternoon means pitch black. It was very, very cool. Sign me up for more of that.

The lifeguards are all nice enough, and stick by the rules, which is a positive for parents (although not for 3-year-olds). There were about 100 people there, 150 tops, so it wasn't crowded at all, which was very nice. Or there were a lot more people there and it spreads out well. There's an A&W/Pizza Hut food stand that's a little limited, and a bar. That area looks like this (food on the right, bar in the background):

I know there's been grumbling about the cost, and at $40 a throw, it is expensive. But the place isn't designed to be a community pool where you stop by occassionally or regularly to hang out. Water Country ain't cheap, either. But I know the Connecticut one (in Waterbury) was promoting a $199 annual pass. If that happens in Fitchburg, it would be well worth the cost. I think annual passes would be a good move in terms of building up some community goodwill (although so far all signs are that they are rolling on working in and around the community), but I'm not sure where that stands.

Either way, at some point we'll be back. There's too much fun to be hand just around the corner. Just like FHS91 said.

Tomorrow There Will Be Water Slides

2008-12-09T16:19:00.002-05:00

Slowly, folks are starting to get a look at CoCo Key (Damn you and your early playtime, FSC91. Damn you.). And by "starting to get a look at," I mean they get to play on the water slides.

Tomorrow afternoon, they're opening the joint up to the online media. That's me! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! I'll be bringing along Save Fitchburg Thing 1 and Thing 2, and we're fired up, ready to go.

When we're done toweling off, high-fiving, and screaming "awesome," (or whatever happens) I'll post some pictures, descriptions, and some commentary here. Might not be until evening, but from all reports, it'll be worth the wait. At this point, from what I've seen via photos, plus scattered reports, plus my child-like love of water parks, my expectations are sky-high. I wonder if I'll be disappointed. I guess we'll find out tomorrow.

Back to the Celtics

2008-12-05T11:57:00.002-05:00

I've had a Celtics post brewing for awhile. Sorry, I'm still hooked.

First, they are kicking ass. No two ways about it. They're demolishing bad teams, and sucking the life out of would-be challengers (say hello, Detroit and Atlanta). They took care of business the right way against Indiana the other night, smacking around one of the two teams that beat them this year. They're 18-2, and the national NBA writers are busy loving LeBron and 2010, and Kobe. Let them love them. I'm not sure the Celtics are "better than they were last year," because they were very, very, very good in the Finals. But they are better now than they were at this point last year.

Interestingly, I think many Celtics fans though this would be The Year they broke through. Last year would be the transition year, and this year would be the year they went for it all. They were good enough to win it all last year, and look like (injury free) they'll be right there again this year.

A few observations: Ray Allen is playing great ball right now, and when he's playing well, he is just beautiful to watch. Just a joy to behold. Kevin Garnett hasn't lost an ounce of intensity, and that trickles down. When Rondo is playing well, the Celtics are probably unstoppable. Just too much. And Paul Pierce is playing at a whole new level. The guy takes over games now with the confidence of a champion. He's totally believes he can win a game when he needs to. It's pretty cool to see.

I finally got off the dime to write this one after reading S.L. Price's excellent, excellent story on Pierce in this week's Sports Illustrated. Some of it is old news to Celtics fans -- his yelling out the names of the guys drafted in front of him, for example -- but it's a better look at what makes Pierce tick than anything else I've read on him. Ever. He's clearly not a darling little angel, but he's also supremely driven and legitimately gives a damn. Can't ask for much more at this point. Love him or not, definitely worth a read.

In Praise of Joel Kaddy

2008-12-04T12:56:00.002-05:00

The current City Council has been together for about a year, and at this point has any councilor been more proactive and forward-thinking than Joel Kaddy?

In the last year, Kaddy has separated himself from the pack outside of the Council chambers, and it's worth noting.

Early in the summer, Kaddy started weekly walks through downtown Fitchburg on Friday afternoons. They weren't always well attended, but it was a small step to drawing some attention to downtown and getting some people down there. I haven't talked to him about it in awhile, but I assume he'll back down there after the winter. I should have publicized it more. Shame on me.

Kaddy has also played a big role in getting Fitchburg First (finally) off the ground. The business organization works on getting residents to at least consider buying from local stores, promoting better services and competitive pricing. The birth of Fitchburg First was difficult, but Kaddy and a handful of other business owners (he owns Once Upon a Tile and Traders of the Lost Arts, both in West Fitchburg) have really gotten it moving in the last few months.

Finally, Kaddy took over getting the holiday lights up in the Upper Common. He rounded up volunteers, including some companies that provided bucket trucks while others donated food and a warm spot on a cold day. It might not have happened without Kaddy's crew, and if it did, it would have cost the city perhaps thousands more.

While councilors do a ton of stuff behind the scenes for their neighborhoods and individual residents, and some make sure they get plenty of air time during council meetings, Kaddy's work in the last year has been creative (downtown walks), important (Fitchburg First), and significantly community-supportive (the holiday lights). He's had a notable -- and noteworthy -- impact this year.

Football Tonight

2008-12-02T15:48:00.002-05:00

If you didn't get enough football on Thursday -- and how could you, football rules -- Fitchburg High is back at it tonight, tussling with Shrewsbury over at Oakmont in the first round of the playoffs.

I'll be lurking around the sidelines, so if you're there, say hello between plays and my furious scribbling. If you can't make it, check out Pride website when it's all said and done for coverage. You'll be glad you did.

Here Comes CoCo Key

2008-12-01T15:04:00.003-05:00

Maybe I've just been too focused on it, maybe I pay too much attention to these things, maybe it's because it's everywhere, but it seems like CoCo Key is going to be a major deal in the region.

In the last month or so, they've been everywhere. They were at the mall earlier this month, they were in Rutland last week, and CoCo was nesting in the Upper Common last weekend. Everywhere you turn around, CoCo Key is there. And whatever they're doing, it's working. Everyone knows about it, and everyone is ready for it. I took a bunch of Prides to a Sterling school in October, and every fourth-grader in the room knew exactly what CoCo Key was all about. And their visibility has only increased since then.

CoCo Key is ready to open Dec. 17. There's a VIP event the day before (featuring Gervais Peterson. You know. From the first "Survivor." Or maybe you don't). If you're up at the hotel, it looks pretty darn cool from the outside. Where the heck was this 30 years ago?

Without a doubt, expect to hear a lot of CoCo Key news locally over the next month or so. The question, however, is in the long term. It doesn't seem like the kind of company that would target an iffy area. It certainly is operating like the kind of company that knows what's doing (based on its massive, professional PR effort and its timeliness in construction). But will it thrive in Fitchburg? Will it put Fitchburg on the map? Will it lead to more business in that neck of the woods? Will they offer residents annual passes? (The answer from what I can tell is no, but it's the question I get first and repeatedly.)

Anyway, it's worth noting that CoCo Key comes barreling into town in two weeks. You won't be able to hide from it for too much longer.

What's 10 Percent Between Friends?

2008-11-24T13:56:00.003-05:00

Sometime in the next two months there's a chance that local aid from the state is going to be cut. Some people say it's going to happen, some people think it's going to happen, pretty much everyone hopes it's not going to happen.

The buzz is building around 10 percent as a cut figure. No one is quite sure if this true or not -- and no one knows if that's even an accurate number.

But it's important to pay attention to that number and that background now, as the City Council wrangles with funding (or not) union contracts this week. For the councilors thinking about not voting for the contracts, the problems with those potential local aids are their chief source of concern (along with perks, although we discussed that last week).

First, let's dispel the myth that a 10 percent cut in local aid would equal a 10 percent cut in the city's services. The city government receives a grand total of $11.8 million in local aid, most of it in the $10.6 million in lottery aid, state aid to fill in for lottery decreases, and additional assistance. A 10 percent cut of the city's government aid would be about $1.2 million, or about 5 percent of the $51.9 million spent on city services.

Now, on the school side, a 10 percent cut of all local aid would equal about $4.2 million in a $46 million budget ($44.1 million not counting Monty Tech). That's a far tougher cut (just ask the 25-kid kindergarten class teachers how they feel about it). But honestly, not relative to this conversation. I can hyperventilate over that later.

OK, back to the city-side budget. Of that $52 million in play, $22 million is wrapped up in employee benefits. Let's say you're whacking 5 percent out of that. How many employees do you have to lay off to save $1 million? )Honestly, that's a question. I don't know the answer.) The next biggest area is the cops, at $6.2 million. That would be a $300,000 cut there. Then debt at $5.3 million, but I don't see how that's cut. Fire is next, also at $5.3 million. That's a $250,000-plus cut there. Next is DPW, at $3.3 million, or $150,000-plus. Would 5 percent be cut across the board? Who knows? Probably not.

The council has a bit of tough decision here. It would go a long, long way for the city to settle these contracts. Would the few hundred thousand it would cost to do it be devastating to the city if local aid cuts happen? What's the level of cuts, however, where it would be bad to approve these contracts? 10 percent? 5 percent? Anything? Does anyone really, truly, know what's going to happen with local aid? (And if someone says they do, they're either lying or have a good Tarot card reader around.) It's tough to not consider potential local aid cuts, but it's also tough to vote against something based on something that might or might not happen.

Anyway, if you decide to watch this go down, there's your background on where things stand.

Contracting Incentives

2008-11-20T11:27:00.002-05:00

The council spent some time Tuesday night picking away at the police contract, and there was some grousing about the incentives and perks in the deal. Which are the same as the old perks and incentives.

Look, some of these perks are silly and need to get gone one of these day. I'm thinking the "no accident" clause is one. Some concerns are completely valid, and need to be addressed. I'm thinking about Dave Clark's long-standing effort to get new employees to pay a larger portion of health insurance costs.

Here's the thing, though. There wasn't a lot of wiggle room here. In some way, this is an emergency settlement.

Wong needs to get the unions to the table on the health insurance. Has to happen at some point. But isn't settling contracts that are two years expired top priority? Considering there's a whole different process on that, it could take some time.

More pressing are incentives. But really, how far could Wong go? And how far could the union go? The union set aside retroactive raises. The 4 and 2 percent bumps in January and July only go so far in curing that. The union left thousands of dollars per member on the table. You gotta give a little to get a little. The union left money on the table, it kept its perks.

Hopefully we can include "for now." It's easy to make political hay on incentives and perks. But getting them negotiated out is a whole different ballgame. You have to give a little to get a little (yeah, I'm repetitive), so what does the city have to give to get the incentives eliminated? Or does the city go nuclear, try to rip out the incentives, and offer nothing in return? That would be, um, interesting.

The bottom line at this point is that for better or worse you can't fiddle with the perks without giving something back. And considering how horrible this situation was/in, rolling them over at this point may have been the only way to get any kind of contract done.

A Reporter Complains

2008-11-15T10:56:00.004-05:00

There's news today that two more union contracts were settled last this week. That's good news.

But for a reporter, this turn events is very frustrating.

At Wednesday's press conference, I asked the mayor four or five questions about the other pending union negotiations. In effect, she didn't answer any of them. She danced around them, relying on "not publicly discussing ongoing negotiations." One of the questions was pretty much "are other contracts close." She pretty much completely didn't answer that one. (If you really want to watch the oh so awesome display, I think you can download video here. If not, try here.)

Of course they were close to completion. She settled them a day or two later. But instead of even expressing optimism that something else might happen soon, she completely clammed up.

After I asked my first question, I knew I wasn't getting anything out of her. I decided to ask a few more questions, mostly to send some kind of signal that her non-answers were frustrating. I didn't want to grandstand, but I did want to push a little bit. I might have pushed harder, in retrospect.

She can say or not say what she wants to the public and the media. She's committed no great crime or treason by not spilling her guts. But if nothing else, that was the perfect example of the conservative nature of this Mayor's Office when it comes to publicly talking about things it might not want to talk about. From Day 1, Wong has a discipline that maintains walls around what she wants walls around. Whether it's a press conference, at an event, or in a one-on-one, she's very disciplined about what she says -- and what she doesn't say. Wednesday was a great example of that. I asked my four or five questions, but halfway through her answer to the first one, I knew I was banging my head against a stone wall.

I wonder if the public cares. As a reporter, I don't think it would have done any damage to express optimism that some contracts might be close, and that things were going smoothly. Heck, she wouldn't give insight into the character of the negotiations and her relationship with the unions.

I guess in the end, results matter. She's getting these things settled, and you'd have to think more are going to get done very soon. But a touch more sunshine -- not giving away the farm, but being a little more accomodating -- wouldn't hurt.

Police Get a Deal

2008-11-11T10:45:00.004-05:00

The head of the police union says his members aren't happy with the deal. Annie DiMartino says she won't vote for a 6 percent increase. Sometimes, the sign of a good compromise is everyone hates it.

If you missed it, the police union and the mayor have agreed to a contract that gives the union a 4 percent raise on Jan. 1, and a 2 percent raise on July 1. (Note: those percentages are flipped from what you might have read in today's papers. Wong says the above numbers are accurate). There is no retroactive raises for '07 and '08.

The police union doesn't have to like this deal, but its members should be praised for accepting it. Big time. I'm amazed they pushed aside retro pay. The 4 percent is a pretty good number (a very good number), but leaving the retro pay behind is a huge move for them. Can't be understated. If you want a symbol for doing the right thing, the police union throws out a big one today.

From my simple calculations, according to the budget the patrolmen are being paid $3 million this year. The overall increase from both raises is about $180,000. (That hasn't been confirmed, and is merely a ballpark figure. Don't take it to the bank.)

But one of the big factors lurking behind all of this is the back pay that would have come with retroactive raises. If DiMartino is opposed to the 6 percent in total increase, how would she have felt if there were retro raises? Let's say the patrolmen salaries were $3 million in 2006. (Sure, that might not be accurate, but without raises, and layoff since then, the number is probably higher. Just bear with me.). Four 2 percent raises (in 07, 08, 09, 10) would cost the city a total of $247,000, or $67,000 more than the deal as structured. A good chunk of that would have been back pay ($121,000 according to two years of 2 percent increases starting at $3M). So, the city got the union to move away from retro pay. A huge move.

So, good for the union for agreeing to it, and good for the mayor for getting them to agree to it. I don't get the feeling they'll be holding hands together anytime soon, but it's a step forward for the city.

Now, what will the council do? If DiMartino is the voice of the majority, do they shoot this down? That might be the question of the day.

What Do We Want? Verizon. When Do We Want It? Now.

2008-11-07T16:46:00.003-05:00

I'm now on Day 3 of screaming at Comcast, and it has gotten me nowheres.

Somehow, my e-mail address with Comcast, which I've had for at least 5 years, has been wiped out. Gone. No one knows what happened. What started as a technical glitch -- a mild term, considering all the address rebuilding and whatnot that comes with this -- is now a customer service issue. I was told Wednesday someone would call me back within an hour. Nada. When I called Thursday, I was asked why someone should call me back at this point. I want on a rampage about bringing me back and what not. Nada. This afternoon, I was told there's a 72-hour minimum before they call back, as they try to figure out what happened. Not long enough to calm me down on this one.

So, shockingly, the cable company is showing little to no customer service. Why am I not surprised?

What's my point? The city is currently negotiating with Verizon to bring FiOS into Fitchburg. At this point, it can't happen soon enough. If you're someone working on the cable contract and are reading this, I'm begging you to get this done soon. Begging you. We need an option.

If you think Comcast stinks, too (and why wouldn't you?), please share below.

It Only Gets Harder

2008-11-06T11:21:00.002-05:00

I took yesterday off from writing here, mostly because I didn't think there was much I could add that wasn't written somewhere else.

Today, I considered writing something about what will be on one of Obama's biggest problems. He won 340-something EC delegates, more than a majority of the popular vote, but a significant chunk of the country will not give this guy a legitimate chance to prove himself.

I realized I couldn't say it much better than my college buddy Mike Biglin, who wrote the following on Facebook Tuesday afternoon. I'm gonna let Bigsie bring it on home, Philly style:

After hearing some things and reading some of your comments, just one thought I wanted to put out there as we enter into mid-afternoon on Election Day 2008:

We're all in this together, no matter whom we support or voted for. Everyone has been talking so much about fear these days -- the Daily Show did a STELLAR John Oliver report last week on it from both sides, showing how both sides sound like COMPLETE TWITS -- so keeping with that theme, here's what I fear most from tonight: Obama supporters being so obnoxious when they win that they'll make the worst of Patriots fans look like lobotomized vegatables. OR, if McCain wins, Obama supporters going over the top the other way - acting like the apocalypse just hit the planet.

Hey folks, if McCain wins tonight -- the world's gonna keep turning on its axis, the sun will rise and you're gonna wake up; trust me.

We MUST work together, whoever is in charge. and this country is too big, too great, for the election of ONE MAN to completely destroy what centuries of people have toiled and given their lives to build. If you think that, you're deluded beyond comprehension -- and I'm talking equally about both sides here.

when did intelligently agreeing to disagree cease to exist? I voted for Obama, but if McCain wins I'm sure as hell not going to jump off the Tobin. and Obama people, if you think that your way is the only way and refuse to listen to anyone else -- well, then you're no worse than that lovely gent residing on Penn. Avenue in DC for the last eight years - that's the way HE THINKS.

so get over yourselves, open up your minds and hearts and embrace the one thing that this day DOES represent -- how great this country is, and remember the blood that has been spilt in places like Concord and Valley Forge; Spotsylvania Court House, Anteitam and Little Round Top; the fields of Meuse-Argonne and St. Mihiel; the hedgerows of Normandy and the jungles of Guadalcanal; and today in the hills of Afghanistan so you DO have the right to walk up to that polling place and cast your vote.

think about them before you start acting like an @ss tonight, OK?
thanks for reading
bigs

Tonight's TV

2008-11-04T15:08:00.002-05:00

I'll be interested to see how tonight's TV coverage goes. If Obama wins Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania by 9 p.m., will they call it? Or try to build some false drama for a McCain rally? Usually there's a race to be first. It will be interesting to see what happens. Could they call the election before California closes? What if Obama rolls up 215 early on? Everyone knows he's winning Cali. Do you call it then, and maybe lose viewers steadily as the night goes on? I dunno.

I'll say this for some corners of the national media: They've gone out of their way to keep McCain in the game. In general, the media love a good story, and an Obama blowout, at least for tonight, is just about the worst story. A close election, and dramatic comeback or hold-off, is a much better storyline tonight. That's why Pennsylvania is suddenly back in play. McCain has shown a twitch of life there, so it's suddenly a state he can win and create some more avenues to 270. We'll see.

Part of the talk of keeping McCain alive is that the polls might be wrong. In some states, where polling has been going non-stop for weeks and months, that seems difficult to imagine. And consider this: fivethirtyeight.com (yes, I love that site) reported this afternoon that its database includes 2,077,765 interviews. What an amazing figure. If the polls are off, the poll system is so horribly broken, it's scary. But is the poll system really that broken? I guess we'll find out tonight, but considering the width and breadth of polling, that's tough to imagine.

What's Going On Out There?

2008-11-04T09:19:00.002-05:00

Chime in and let us know what's going on at your polling place. It's gonna be busy.

A 3A voter early on said he was number 135. Mrs. Save Fitchburg went around 8:15 in 3A, and was number 279. Wow. A 4B voter reported being 148 at about 9 a.m.

I think I'll be standing in a line tonight when a go. What was going on when you voted today?

Where It All Ended

2008-11-04T08:43:00.003-05:00

If you haven't heard, today's Election Day. Go and do your civic duty, for crying out loud. If nothing else, send a message to the Legislature, make pot a little more legal, and end dog racing*.

Today will be heralded as the end of the very long presidential election, but that's not 100 percent true. The presidential election was decided about six weeks ago, when John McCain's Two Big Gambles came up snake eyes.

Usually, I dislike national polls for presidential elections, because they're useless. Winning the national election doesn't matter, winning states and Electoral College votes do count. Just ask Al Gore. But when you look at the tracking of the national polls, and look back to what was going on, it makes all the sense in the world.

McCain was leading the national polls narrowly in late September (check out the line graph at fivethirtyeight.com to get the details), which makes sense coming on the heels of a pretty good national convention. But then the wheels came off for McCain.

While politics and policy play a big role in choosing a president, there's also that big part of the American public that looks for leadership, intelligence, and steadiness in a president. It's the elected position in our country that probably has more to do with intangibles than it does actual policy goals. Maybe it's because the country and the federal government is so big we subconsciously understand one guy can't really make that much difference. But we look for someone to guide us through the tough times and spur us on when the opportunity to do better arises. With that in mind, consider the second half of September for McCain.

By then, about three weeks after the convention, Sarah Palin was exposed as the horrible choice that she was. Immediately after her pick, the base loved her but a lot of people wanted to find out more. After her woeful Charlie Gibson interview and a better sense of background on Palin, the verdict was in: Palin's best attribute was allowing Tina Fey to absolutely scorch her on Saturday nights. The pick reflected poorly on McCain, and did not exactly point out solid judgment on McCain's part. Arguable in early September, it's almost indefensible now.

At almost the same time, as more and more people wondered "what was he thinking," McCain took what might have been a bigger short-term gamble by staging his threatened debate walk-off to get involved in the bailout talks. That was another one that was quickly scorched by McCain non-fans, and the fallout was even worse. From all reports, McCain offered almost nothing to the conversation, and when the first bailout failed, he was tied to a sinking ship. With the Palin issue nipping at his heels, his judgment and leadership again came up short. He couldn't take credit for making a great save, and instead looked ineffective and jumpy.

In the meantime, Obama took her slow and steady. His was a campaign that wasn't the Tom Brady Patriots of 2007, but the early Tom Brady Patriots. Didn't make mistakes. Took advantage of opportunities. Moved the chains. Didn't try to do too much in one spurt. Accuracy and game planning were the keys.

McCain, however, felt compelled to take risks. In the end, Americans don't want a risk-taker in the White House. They want someone who appears to be a steady hand on the wheel. McCain took two big risks and he failed on both of them. Look at the graphic of the national polls from late September through the first few weeks of October. Obama's numbers took off, and McCain was never able to turn the tide. Those numbers reflect a final verdict on McCain and his judgment.

After eight years of W, McCain may have had an uphill climb from the very beginning, but he made two choices that in the end will prove to have been fatal, and put his candidacy on life support six weeks ago.

*-I don't necessarily subscribe to those opinions, as you might know. And some of that is just factually incorrect (like the pot thing, but let's not get into that now, OK?).

Winners, Winners, Chicken Dinners

2008-11-03T07:31:00.002-05:00

No need to watch TV tomorrow night to find out who won and who lost. Here's what's going to happen. Or not. I was wrong one time before, about 14 years ago. It does happen.

President
It appears not "who," but "by how much." I'm not really feeling the 350-plus predictions for Obama, and think he'll do better than the slightly panicky 320 predictions. Let's say he'll get around 330-335 Electoral College votes, a very good haul. The much tougher question is whether or not Obama can declare a mandate with over 50 percent of the total vote. I think he'll just barely make it. But barely.

U.S. Senate and Congress
Locally, John Kerry and John Olver will cruise, each with over 60 percent of the vote. It's worth noting that Kerry's opponent raised something like $2 million, but had to pay $1.75 million to his fundraising consultants. The Globe wrote a story about it last week, and wrote a larger story on Response America over the summer. Nathan Bech was loudly badgering Olver over the summer, but my inbox is lot quieter now than it was in August. Which is weird. Anyway, not much heat in these elections.

State House, Senate and the rest
Heavy boredom, with unchallenged races and down-ballot seats that don't require any attention.

Question 1
It'll fail. I'm not sure it will reach the high-50s that polls have it at. I'm guessing it will be pretty close to 2002, when it failed about 55-45. If the question's proponents were smart, they'd drop it and consider an income tax reduction in the future to 4 percent or so. Then we'd really have something to talk about.

Question 2
Polls have this question exceptionally close. All kinds of police chiefs and other law-and-order types are opposed. I'm guessing, but I think it'll fail. In the end, people will feel like they're making marijuana more OK, and will automatically think that is bad.

Question 3
I think this will fail also, but it will be close. And I wouldn't be surprised if it passes. But I think the emotional argument loses out to voters who wonder just how badly someone would treat their money-makers.

Question 4
This one came out of nowhere. It's non-binding, and encourages green technologies. Fitchburg is one of 11 House districts that have it on the ballot. I got my first press release on it last Thursday night/Friday morning. If people read the question, they'll probably vote in favor of it, but who knows?

So, there you go.

No Surprises from Wilkerson

2008-10-31T08:32:00.004-05:00

This isn't Fitchburg news, but it's tough to ignore. And if you're someone who ever covered the State House, none of this is exactly surprising.

Sen. Dianne Wilkerson (D-Roxbury), caught stuffing money into various articles of clothing, isn't leaving the Senate. Instead, she's fighting to the end, which will likely include defeat in next Tuesday's election (UPDATE: Wilkerson said today she's dropping her campaign). She's going down in flames, just like you kind of always figured would happen.

I first met Wilkerson in 1992, when I registered to vote last-minute at Boston City Hall. She was standing outside the clerk's office meeting voters. I happened to be from her district. She lost that year, but won in 1994.

Since then, she's been one disaster after another. I covered her federal court visits for her income tax problems. When my buddies and met at the best Northeastern campus pizza place before the odd hockey or basketball game, we'd giggle that maybe we'd see her come out of the halfway house next door. She never was able to get her campaign finance reports just right. The financial problems, the skirting of the laws, just never seemed to stop.

But Wilkerson somehow managed to keep some measure of goodwill in the Senate. She kept just enough people -- and the right people -- on her side so that she could go home and get elected every two years.

Reporters didn't seem to deal with her very often. Part of that stems from the fact that as she marginalized her position by losing good chairmanships, she dealt with fewer and fewer big issues from a leadership role. She had minimal influence for a long-time senator. That, and she was difficult to get a hold of. Almost impossible, even on issues you'd think she'd want to talk about. Maybe it was a bunker mentality. Maybe she had as little use for reporters as she did the law. I don't know. I just know that you didn't see her much, and didn't talk to her much.

It would disingenuous for me or anyone else who has watched Wilkerson over the last 10 years (and much like a car crash, you can't help but be drawn to looking) to say they saw this coming. This is about as heinous an act a politician could (allegedly) pull.

Considering her past, however, the arrest and the charges aren't an overwhelming surprise. But what has happened since then shouldn't be a surprise at all. There was no way Wilkerson was going to stop her sticker campaign. There was no way she was going to agree to the Senate's call to step down. It could get worse for her today, if the Ten Point Coalition comes out today (as reported) and calls for her resignation.

Wilkerson is out of options. Her colleagues want her gone and one of the most influential organizations in her district wants her gone. Surely she is surrounded by a core group of supporters who continue to enable her bunkered-down, entitled, absurd attitude. On Tuesday she'll be out of options for another term, and then the Senate can either continue to press her to leave, or let her die a slow political death.

No matter the final steps, Wilkerson is going down in flames. While the details may have been surprising, is the end result really unexpected?

The McCain Numbers Crunch

2008-10-30T12:08:00.000-05:00

The national polls have shown a presidential horse race that is stagnant or maybe slightly moving toward John McCain. But national polls are useless in a presidential election.

It’s all about the state polls, and Electoral College delegates. John McCain might be a great closer (although a lousy candidate the other 90 percent of the time) and Barack Obama might be a lousy closer (remember New Hampshire, Indiana, et al), but the map and the numbers are not kind to McCain right now.

Sure, McCain might be able to turn the slow-moving national numbers into a steady stream in the next five days, get state polls going his way, and pull off the upset, but I wouldn’t count on it.

First, the Save Fitchburg theory on polls. Yes, they can be wrong. But over time, with multiple pollsters using multiple methods, it creates a good snapshot on what’s going on. Might polls be wrong? Yes. The 2000 exit polls were a disaster. But these aren’t exit polls. In battleground states, there are so many polls that over the course of the last few months they should be considered pretty reliable.

Let’s break it down. The projections below are from fivethirtyeight.com, a fantastic, scientifically solid site. It’s run by one of those baseball sabermetrics/Moneyball guys. Check it out for all the details. But the theory here is they have a formula that goes over poll results and spits out percentages on probable results. It’s a step beyond poll numbers and looks at probability. Great stuff.

At the bottom of the post is a state-by-state rundown to go digging around the numbers.

Obama has 214 Electoral College votes that are considered 100 percent in the bag. Something crazy would have to happen there. We’re talking California, New York, and yes, Massachusetts here. They aren’t going anywhere.

At the next level, Obama can count on 50 EC votes with 95 percent confidence. The biggie in this group includes Pennsylvania. This gets him to 264. McCain is in trouble. Obama has 22 more EC votes with 90 percent probability. That’s 284, and we’ve got a winner. He’s got 25 more at 80-plus probability, for 319 Electoral College votes.

For McCain, he’s got 118 votes in the 100 percent column, and another 24 at 95 percent. He’s got 18 at 90 percent probability or better, and 3 at 80 percent or better. That’s 163, 107 votes short of the presidency.

The rest are the close battlegrounds. It’s four states, 64 Electoral College votes, including the 27 in Florida. If McCain were to win all of those, he’s at 227, still 43 away from the White House. He’d have to win all of the Obama states at 80-95 percent probability to get 47 votes. Those are Colorado, Virginia, Nevada and Ohio. Obama wins his 95 percent probabilities, and one of those at 80 percent or better, and he wins the presidency. That doesn’t include the 64 EC votes in the close battlegrounds.

The options are very few for McCain. He pretty much has to with both Florida and Ohio if he wants to pull this out, and then do more. Even if he loses both Florida and Ohio, fivethirtyeight projects Obama having a 73 percent chance of winning if he loses them both.

Florida and Ohio would pump another 47 into the McCain column. That gets him to 210, based on the above 163 for McCain lead-pipe cinches. Now he needs to find 60 more. The other closes races – North Carolina, Indiana and Missouri are 37 votes. He needs 23 more. Virginia and Colorado are 22. Now he needs one more state. Any state. Nevada and New Mexico would be likely targets, but we’re dipping into states that are 90 percent probable for Obama.

So, to summarize, McCain needs to figure a way to win Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, Indiana, Missouri, Virginia, Colorado and Small State X. If he loses either of the first two, he’ll need to find two states to cover for that loss (unless he absolutely steals Pennsylvania).

It’s been interesting the last week or so. You go to some of the big general-interest Websites (I’m thinking Yahoo! in particular here, although Comcast.net isn’t too far behind), and they’ve been headlining the little changes in the national polls in McCain’s favor. The media has loved the Good Story above all else, and a last-minute comeback by McCain would be the ultimate Good Story. Why not keep it alive until the end?

There are a number of variables that can change between now and Tuesday – about 50 to be exact – but there appear to be too many “ifs” and “got tos” for McCain to pull this off. It should probably be a relatively late night, at least until 11 p.m. California’s 55 delegates are a big chunk of the Obama tally, so he might need those to get to 270. If it’s called earlier than that, wow, is it going to be a blow out.

Here’s the list. The number after the state is the Electoral College delegates for that state.

Obama, 100 percent projections: 214
California 55, Obama 100 percent
Connecticut 7, Obama 100 percent
DC 3, Obama 100 percent
Delaware 3, Obama 100 percent
Hawaii 4, Obama 100 percent
Iowa 7, Obama 100 percent
Illinois 21, Obama 100 percent
Massachusetts 12, Obama 100 percent
Maryland 10, Obama 100 percent
Maine 4, Obama 100 percent
Michigan 17, Obama 100 percent
New Jersey 15, Obama 100 percent
New York 31, Obama 100 percent
Oregon 7, Obama 100 percent
Rhode Island 4, Obama 100 percent
Vermont 3, Obama 100 percent
Washington 11, Obama 100 percent

Obama, 95-plus projections: 50
Minnesota 10, Obama 99 percent
New Hampshire 4, Obama 97 percent
New Mexico 5, Obama 98 percent
Pennsylvania 21, Obama, 99 percent
Wisconsin 10, Obama 99 percent

Obama, 90-plus projections: 22
Colorado 9, Obama, 93 percent
Virginia 13, Obama 94 percent

Obama, 80-plus projections: 25
Nevada 5, Obama 83 percent
Ohio 20, Obama 80 percent

McCain, 100 percent projections: 118
Alaska 3, McCain 100 percent
Alabama 9, McCain 100 percent
Arkansas 6, McCain 100 percent
Idaho 4, McCain 100 percent
Kansas 6, McCain 100 percent
Kentucky 8, McCain 100 percent
Louisiana 9, McCain 100 percent
Nebraska 5, McCain 100 percent
Oklahoma 7, McCain 100 percent
South Carolina 8, McCain 100 percent
Tennessee 11, McCain 100 percent
Texas 34, McCain 100 percent
Utah 5, McCain 100 percent
Wyoming 3, McCain 100 percent

McCain, 95-plus projections: 24
Arizona 10, McCain 97 percent
Mississippi 6, McCain 99 percent
South Dakota 3, McCain 99 percent
West Virginia 5, McCain 98 percent

McCain, 90-plus projections: 18
Georgia 15, McCain 92 percent
North Dakota 3, McCain 90 percent

McCain, 80-plus projections: 3
Montana 3, McCain 89 percent

The rest: 64
Florida 27, Obama 70 percent
North Carolina 15, Obama 57 percent
Indiana 11, McCain 56 percent
Missouri 11, Obama 53 percent

The Death of the Boston Sports Fan?

2008-10-29T09:29:00.002-05:00

Is this the obituary for the Boston sports fan? You know, the real fan who did the right thing? It just might be.

I haven't been to a Patriots game since they lost to the St. Louis Rams in 2001 (it was the last game that team lost on their way to the first Super Bowl). I'm not a Pats fan, and tickets are so hard to get, so whatever. But for the last few years you've heard some complaints about the crowd not being what it once was.

In the two games I went to this month, I'm thinking that comfort level has leaked into two other teams.

Earlier this month, I went to Game 3 of the ALCS. The game, frankly, stunk. The Sox lost, 9-1. The game was out of hand by the middle innings. It was a nice day in Boston, but by the 4:30 start time the wind was up and it was getting cool. By the middle innings, it was downright cold. Some fans -- likely people who never go to Fenway -- wore shorts or no heavy jackets. They were gone by the 6th. The exodus only picked up in the 7th and the 8th.

There's probably something to be said for leaving early when your team is getting smoked. But I'm willing bet for every person at that game (roughly 39,000), there were 100 who would gladly take their spot. Instead of sticking it out, it got awfully empty late. By the 9th, I was sprawled over about three rows and 10 seats. And no one was even close to me.

Of course, the big stories revolve around Game 5. Mayor Lisa Wong admitted -- awkwardly, uncooly -- at last week's press conference that she left early. She tried to laugh it off, but it was a really uncomfortable moment. As Wong rambled on, Andy Roy (who went to another beating in Game 4) and I were not amused. On the other hand, by brother who also lives in Fitchburg stuck it out. He was a happy boy when he called me leaving the ballpark. Wong wasn't alone in doing the wrong thing. At least my brother did the right thing and was rewarded for it. How do you leave early what might have been the very last game of the season?

That brings me to last night, when the Celtics handed out rings and raised Banner 17 to the rafters. It seemed like a good crowd -- the place was packed in advance of the ceremony, and it was good and loud from the get-go. But the posers were outed halfway through the fourth quarter, when the place started to empty out. The Celts were only up by 6 or so at that point. The real drain began in the last two minutes, even with it being a one-possession game for much of that time. Yeah, it was 11 o'clock, and the national TV timeouts were painfully long, but it was the home opener for the defending world champions (no, I can't write or say that enough), and the place was more empty than full by the final buzzer. There wasn't even the usual backups on the stairways getting out.

Outside of New England, the sports world hates our guts. Our teams win, a lot, to the point where we shrug off an ALCS appearance as nice, but not really special. Last night's display was really lame. It would be borderline for the Bobcats in January. But the Cavs on banner night? Good Lord.

It's frustrating to have to clear out a winter weekend and hope you get lucky just to get two crappy seats to a crappy mid-week Sox game. I can't remember the last time I went to a weekend game for the Sox, tickets are so hard to get. It stinks that Mrs. Save Fitchburg and I spent a good hour poring over the Celtics schedule and made a gameplan just short of D-Day to score three or four Celtics games this year. It stinks to beg, borrow and steal your way into a legitimate, unqualified Big Game, and see the collective crowd treat it like just another random game.

So, this month may have signaled the death of the old Boston fan. The ones who didn't stay late at Fenway just to sing "Sweet Caroline." The ones who stuck it out just because that's what you do. The ones who appreciated the moment, the opportunity, and the specialness of the times.

Back to the Money

2008-10-28T07:06:00.003-05:00

Presumptive state Sen. Jennifer Flanagan closed her primary campaign against former Rep. Brian Knuuttila by raising over $14,000 in campaign contributions in the first half of September, according to campaign finance reports filed this week.

Going into September, Flanagan, who blew out Knuuttila in the preliminary election, had spent over $72,000 on her race, and had over $20,000 in the bank. Knuuttila had spent nearly $40,000, and had a slight advantage with $23,000 in the bank.

But in the first few weeks of the month, with the election looming, Flanagan raised almost all of the $15,205 she took in from the end of August through the middle of October. In the meantime, Knuuttila raised about one-tenth of Flanagan's amount, with $1,550.

Those amounts do not include over $20,000 in independent expenditures on Flanagan's behalf by a number of special interests groups. Knuuttila did not benefit from any independent expenditures, according to Office of Campaign and Political Finance reports.

In the meantime, Fitchburg Rep. Stephen DiNatale, who does not face opposition on the ballot, reported little campaign activity. He received five donations from officials from Charles George Trucking Co., all maximum $500 donations. He took in no other money during the latest reporting period. DiNatale spent $1,240, on donations to local groups and one donation to Jamie Eldridge, a fellow lawmaker who is running for state Senate.

Somewhere, Andy Dufresne Smiles

2008-10-26T09:20:00.002-05:00

Andy Dufresne, of course, was the protagonist in "Shawshank Redemption." You know the line about hope and being a good thing. And no good thing ever dies.

Barack Obama had a chance to knock the hope out of John McCain, and didn't do it. There's be just enough twitches of life in recent national and state polls to keep the door open for McCain. Considered an excellent closer, McCain has to knock the door down, but at least it's not padlocked shut.

The problem for McCain is there are so many "he's gottas." He's gotta protect a slim lead in Florida, and he's gotta steal Penn. or Ohio. He's gotta come back in traditionally GOP states like Virginia or Colorado. Out of six to eight states, he's probably gotta find his redemption in probably three-quarters of them.

Can he do it? Absolutely. In most of those states the polling numbers are close enough that their not lead-pipe cinches for Obama. I'd also assume there's some soft support for Obama out there that might chicken out at the last minute. We're 10 days away from electing the first black president in this country. That is a monumental sentence. Will some folks stumble on that? It's certainly possible.

You can go to good websites like Real Clear Politics and fivethirtyeight.com and get details on polls and projections (538 is especially good. It's done by a statistician and is excellent) and see the crystal-ball reading of Obama winning 340 to 350 Electoral College delegates -- or more. But I don't think so. I think it tightens up between now and Nov. 4, and it's a Late Night for Natalie come Election Night. Obama certainly has the easier road, but McCain has hope. And that's the best of things.

The Unevenness of the Q1 battle

2008-10-24T13:03:00.001-05:00

One of the more under-reported stories of Question 1 – and an area the proponents have egregiously ignored – is the ironic money disparity between the two sides.

It’s not too surprising that the no side – funded predominately by state and national public-employee organization – is absolutely crushing the woefully funded yes side. It’s really brutal, and no one talks about it much.

In the first half of October, the “Coalition for our Communities” raised $2.4 million. $1.5 million came from the Mass Teachers’ Association. Another $750,000 came from the National Education Association. AFT-MA was good for $70,000. A passel of other public employee unions were also in the show.

It also spent an eye-popping $2.9 million. The New Media Firm, Inc. in Washington, D.C., earned nearly $1.6 million in consulting fees, which would appear to pay for the tidal wave of TV ads you’ve been seeing. A company called MSHC Partners, Inc., also in D.C., was paid $1.2 million for design and printing. I’m guessing that’s a mailer coming your way.

None of the above includes the $76,000 in in-kind contributions given to the no effort, mostly from – yup, public employee unions. In all, they’re up around $4.5 million in money raised up to this point.

In the meantime, the Committee for Small Government raised $25,891 in the first half of October. That’s after just over $40,000 in September. There’s a lot of consulting and some printing expenses, but obviously nothing too substantial.

You’d think if you were on the yes side, you’d be screaming non-stop about big-money interests doing its big-money thing in an effort to keep up big-money spending. But, alas, I have heard very little of that. It’s worth whatever embarrassment being outspent whatever-to-1 to note that it’s this kind of reliance on big bucks that is what they’re trying to stop. Seems obvious.

None of this should be a surprise. I worked on the beer and wine in supermarkets question in 2006, and both sides raised and spent millions. The money came from the usual suspects, and both sides were pretty even.

I don’t know what big-pockets person or group would come out in favor of 1 and pour money into it. Who with wads of cash – or relies on wads of cash from state government – would support Question 1? Obviously, no one.

If nothing else, it’s illustrative that in the context of this question, public information and spin is working. In 2002, the no team ignored the question, thinking it would die a quick and easy death. Of course, that didn’t happen, with the question getting 45 percent of the vote.

But this time, the no squad showed up, and in force. I think the yes crew has done a pretty good job of corralling free media, but that’s getting drowned out by the paid media. The no side is taking no chances this time. A poll yesterday had it 59-26 against, not good news for the yes side.

It gets to the point now that you have wonder what number allows them to fight on another day. It lost once, nobly. If it gets killed 60-40 or worse, can they come back and put this out there again in six years and gain any kind of traction? Or will they have to come up with something else?

But there’s more than money at play here. The no side has wisely harped on the potential loss of local services as the main fear factor here. It works, and works well. I’d make the same argument if I was working that campaign. The message on the other side isn’t as sharp. The now-infamous “41 percent of state government is waste” line has been mocked all over the place (it’s not an actual figure, it’s from a survey). If your jumping-off point is false, where do you take your argument from there.

They also have refused to point to areas for cutting. Any. The no side has rallied support around local services. The yes side has no cause, no illustration of waste to rally around. If they could point to some big-ticket areas to get the ball rolling, they’d have something for their potential supporters to identify and rally around. Specifics are easier to get riled up for than the non-specific “waste” they keep talking about.

Part of the problem might be that there’s always one good story to illustrate the need for a particular program or budget item. There might not be enough good stories to mandate all of the spending for a state or local program, but there are enough good stories to make the argument that fundamentally the program or service is good.

But enough. Go to the OCPF website and dig around for a few minutes (learn about Carla Howell’s trip to Vegas!) if you desire to learn more. There’s a lot of money being spent on this race, and it’s not even close to being a fair fight.

Turning off the Lights

2008-10-22T11:54:00.002-05:00

As you may have read today, Mayor Lisa Wong talked last night about turning off some streetlights to save some money.

Of course, the immediate reaction is that this will create further lawlessness in the city and we're all doomed. A silly overreaction.

This isn't an unusual idea. Communities all over the place are considering turning the streetlights off at night, and some are doing it. I'm not sure how many are urban communities like Fitchburg, but it is something that thoughtfully planned makes sense.

There are obviously some high-crime areas that shouldn't be touched, but there are plenty of quiet, peaceful side streets that would likely be unaffected if the streetlights were out. I'm thinking of my street. I don't think I'd mind if the lights were out. How about some high-traffic streets like John Fitch? There's always traffic on that road. How about creating a random turn-off system, where there's no distinguishable pattern? (What, are the bad guys going to drive around town and find the area with the lights out?) How about turning lights off all night in some areas, but only for a few hours -- like maybe 5-8 p.m. in the winter when there's still a lot of traffic or 3-6 a.m. year-round when no one is out -- in others?

From what I can tell, no one is calling for a blackout of the city. With some planning, some common sense, and some logic, it makes no sense not to try it. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work, and the lights go back on again.

Back to Question 1

2008-10-21T16:26:00.002-05:00

Based on numbers before last week's cuts...

The District Attorneys are budgeted $102 million in this year's state budget. A 40 percent cut via passage of Question 1 would mean a reduction of roughly $40 million (my math is awesome). What would that mean? Probably not much, because the $600 million trial court budget would be slashed by $240 million. Fewer judges, fewer courtrooms, mean less need for DAs, so this all works out perfectly. At the same time, the State Police would be cut about $114 million out of its $285 million. Which is fine, because the courts wouldn't be able to handle the backlog, so the police don't have to worry about it.

But wait, all those bad guys wouldn't need to go through the court system anyway, because the sheriffs would cut about $114 million out of its $286 million, so there would be fewer jails and guards to watch the bad guys. Which is fine, because there would be fewer DAs and judges and so forth. Better news: DOC would cut about $200 million out of its $540 million, so the state prisons would also be cut back. But that's OK, because the court system will be processing fewer bad guys, so there won't be that big of a need.

In the meantime, UMass would be cut about $200 million out of its $497 million. But that's OK, because UMass could get around it with fees. If a kid can't afford it, they can go to a state college. And they'll get cut about $88 million out of $222 million. But that's OK, too. Not everyone can afford Harvard. Not everyone can afford FSC. They can go to a community college. Which will lose about $96 million of its $222 million. But that's OK, because not everyone can afford to go to college. Those kids should just get a job. And business will be streaming in and hiring all these kids because there's no income tax. Businesses can train 'em, no problem.

Forget what I wrote before Question 1 makes so much sense.

CoCo Key Opens on ...

2008-10-20T20:24:00.003-05:00

Although it seems like there's been an endless list of bad news regarding the economy in general and Fitchburg in particular, there is some good news. CoCo Key is opening up soon. The indoor water park may even offer some kind of discount for Fitchburg residents. You can find out when the park is scheduled to open, see some photos, and more by going here. Did you really think I was going to tell you here?

And while I'm pimping the website, it's worth noting, again, that you really should sign up for e-mail news alert updates. You're missing so, so much. Go to the link above, click on "Get News Updates," and you'll start getting notices when we're doing stuff not in the paper. I won't use your e-mail address for other stuff. Promise.

See You Saturday Night

2008-10-16T23:32:00.002-05:00

The scene, the Save Fitchburg mansion. The inning, the bottom of the seventh. Me: "If they don't score four runs here, I'm going to bed." A few minutes later, "Papi could hit 10 times between now and tomorrow morning and not get four runs across." A few minutes later: "Papi's going to f--- me here, hit a home run, and I'm gonna have to stay up."

It's already cost me a good 90 minutes of shut-eye, and probably another half-hour or so to settle down, but if you bagged it after six, oh, baby, did you miss a miracle of a finish tonight.

Question 1

2008-10-16T10:03:00.004-05:00

There's a story in tomorrow's Fitchburg Pride about Question 1. You've probably heard about it, you might have even seen the ads on the old TV in the last few days.

There's bad ideas, and there's really bad ideas. Question 1 is a really bad idea.

You're in one of two camps on this one: State government is way bloated and they need to learn a lesson. Or, this will destroy services and probably lead to higher property taxes.

State government is probably bloated, and has some waste in it, even legislators admit to that on this one. But $12 billion? I don't think so. And as the fine folks at MTF point out, the Yes folks are delirious with their $48B state budget figure. It's closer to $31B.

Mass Taxpayer Foundation figures after the state makes payments it has to make and does what it has to do to get federal funding, everything else in state government would get a 70 percent cut. Holy cow, the sky is falling.

The biggest problem with Question 1 is there's no moderation. It would make perfect sense to get the Legislature to lower the tax rate from 5.3 to 5 percent, like it was supposed to a long time ago. It would even make some sense to devise a long-term plan to lower it to 4 percent or something.

But knocking it all out in two years is a recipe for disaster. Education funding and local aid would take a pretty severe cut. And if Q1 were the pass, why would there be any appetite for an override (over/under for a Fitchburg override the first year, $5 million. Like that would ever pass)?

There are a lot of folks in the city (and who comment here), who are frustrated by the library changes, the lack of raises for police and the lack of cops of street. They're not pleased to hear the Fire Department might be closing a station. That would likely be the tip of the iceberg if Question 1 were to pass.

The same question got 45 percent of the vote in 2002, and a majority of voters in Fitchburg voted in favor. But the question was ignored then because opponents thought it was so crazy that no one would vote for it. But they overestimated the wisdom of the electorate. And this go-around, people are a lot more pissed off about the economy and their state of affairs than six years ago.

So, ironically, the big money is rolling in for the no campaign, which will be well past $2 million when it's all said and done. In the meantime, the yes folks are hanging their hopes on public bloodlust and misleading figures (like the total budget number, and the infamous "41 percent of the state budget is waste" line, which was actually a poll result, not any kind of real budget analysis), and about $20 to their name (not really $20, but you know what I mean).

I told one of my friends who works in the Legislature a few weeks ago that might vote yes on 1 just to watch the chaos and see what they'd do. He wasn't pleased. And in the end, there's nothing funny about Question 1.

-----

Quickly, on last night's debate: McCain was somewhere between aggressive and over-the-top angry. I thought there were times he was so angry that he couldn't talk right. It was his best debate performance, but I'm not sure it did him a ton of good. Obama was on the defensive, but defended well enough. If anything, McCain should have given both barrels at the last debate, and then either come back with similar last night or -- more likely -- found a middle ground of looking ahead while smacking Obama again. Too little, too late.

Sometime soon, like in the next week or so, one of two things is probably going to happen. The polls will reflect that Obama peaked too soon, and this thing will tighten up quickly, or Obama will hold onto his leads and they will firm up to the point that he'll cruise to the presidency. I'm not sure McCain did enough last night for that performance to change things, but we'll see, I guess.

John Stinks. Jeanne Does Too.

2008-10-13T05:52:00.002-05:00

As most folks wait for John McCain to go nuclear on Barack Obama, those who like splattered blood with their politics need simply look north for a taste.

The Sununu-Shaheen race for U.S. Senate out of New Hampshire doesn't much here, except the ceaseless advertising has clogged our TV viewing for weeks now, and will only grow in the next few weeks. And good lord, has it been nasty.

Shaheen and her friends (there's so many ads I've lost track which are from the campaign and which are from 527s) want you to think Sununu and George W. Bush all but camp out together in the Rose Garden. Sununu and his friends want to remind you that Shaheen is a dirty tax lover.

There have been a few competitive races in Massachusetts since I moved here in 1989, but I don't think any of them come close to matching the bomb-throwing in this race. Romney-Kennedy was pretty heated, especially when Kennedy starting bringing in union folks from Indiana, but it certainly didn't reach this level. Weld-Kerry was downright gentlemanly, and Romney-O'Brien was pretty heated, but again, not to this level. Kerry Healey certainly held up her end of the bargain, but Deval Patrick didn't take the bait. In this New Hampshire race, both sides are firing away mercilessly.

For what it's worth, Shaheen is up in most polls, but the average seems to be in the 5-7 point range, certainly close enough for Sununu to keep gunning, and for Shaheen to keep returning fire.

It's interesting in that we have to stake in the race, but most folks I've talked to have obviously noticed the horrific tenor of the ads, and are turned off by it. I wonder how folks in New Hampshire (ahem, Derek) view the campaign to this point. Are they also turned off by it, or is it such a contested race that people are getting swept up in it?

For those interested in politics, it's certainly a good lesson in modern politics. There's a ton of money being spent, and 527s are playing a big-money, bash-away role. It's also an interesting look at the national map, where there's growing talk of Democrats consolidating power in the House and Senate. You'd think if that were the case Republicans would be looking to preserve and incumbent who is in a tight race. Who can come to N.H. to make an appearance that would be a big, late splash for Sununu? I wouldn't think Bush. McCain is losing in polls in N.H. currently, and his own fish to fry.

Eh, I'm rambling. But with all those ads I've seen (they're absolutely pounding Sox games), how can you ignore it?

Drugs and Taxes

2008-10-10T07:54:00.002-05:00

As you probably know by now, the Police Department dropped warrants on 30 street-level drug dealers this week. Also, Councilor Dean Tran is advocating for a tax cut for homeowners and businesses.

First, the Tran proposal. Tran has been an advocate of returning tax money to property tax payers since the got into office. He has always been very upfront and very honest in that he sees that as a top priority, and that he'll do whatever he can to make that happen.

However, Tran said this week money shouldn't be placed in free cash or stabilization, and instead returned to taxpayers. It's not a crazy idea, but is this the time?

The municipal finance geeks say a community's stabilization fund should equal 10 percent of the annual budget. I'm no economist (of course), but that seems very high, and pretty much unattainable for most communities. Hell, Leominster isn't even at that level. Fitchburg, in the meantime, is just over 1 percent.

That stabilization figure plays into bond ratings and all that stuff, and is supposed to be around for when times get bad. Sure, times are bad now, but you get the drift.

Here's the rub: Is the stabilization fund a luxury, or a necessity, like other parts of the budget? I'd say a stabilization fund of the above-mentioned 10 percent is a luxury. I think a realistic stabilization fund of several million dollars is a necessity (imagine if the city had a good stabilization fund before now. Could the library have stayed open? Could contracts and raises be settled?).

Complicating the thinking here is the relatively small discount of $5. It's the point that counts perhaps (and if you make that argument Tran here, shouldn't it apply to Wong's pay cut proposal?), but at this point, I'm willing to pay $5 for the prospect of some fiscal stability.

As for the drug sweep, it's good news that 30 drug dealers were targeted. The better news is that Police Chief Robert DeMoura is pushing other city departments to smother the buildings they live in with any building infraction they can find.

Pride reporter Karen Mann hit Wednesday's press conference, and when she was filling me in, I muttered "He didn't just steal from the Lowell playbook, he just took a copy with him." Karen said DeMoura has admitted as much.

When I worked in Lowell, these efforts were big deals. The city manager, the chief (maybe even DeMoura, for all I remember), the Building Department, the Board of Health, the Fire Department, and some others all stomped down the street, taking notes, writing tickets when possible, and later sending out letters. I tagged along as they pointed out what was wrong and what they were going to do about it. I took some time -- a year or more -- but I'd drive those side streets later and it was obvious things improved dramatically.

DeMoura noted that change won't come overnight, that it takes time for the landlords to get the message and get their act together. But hopefully city departments make it a priority and help the PD out on this one. It would be huge for some neighborhoods if this was done the right way and got the potential impact that is there.

Two Men Enter, One Man Leave?

2008-10-07T19:49:00.047-05:00

8:53 p.m. -- We're live at the Save Fitchburg Mansion, ready for this little meeting, the second of three between Obama and McCain. Sounds like the storyline leading into tonight is "How nasty?" The ill will has built quite a bit in the last week, and there's a chance it might bubble up tonight. It would be kind of surprising, considering the format and the room. The audience is very close to the candidates, and the atmosphere is fairly intimate. Attacks will be magnified if they come tonight. Will it happen? Who knows.

We're likely watching on CNN, if for no other reason than force of habit, and I've found it to be hilarious to watch the stupid pie-chart graphic thing their poor analysts are forced to do. We're less than 10 minutes from game time. Grab a beverage and a snack, and get ready.

9:01 -- I'm gonna kick your ass. No, I'm gonna kick your ass. That handshake had all the warmth of my car this morning.

9:03 -- Is it just me, or does Barack Obama have two microphones? One on his coat, one in his hands. Is that necessary?

9:07 -- This is clearly the best stage for McCain. I though for a second there he was going to climb into old Alan's lap, but he's certainly more energized than last go-around.

9:09 -- For some reason, I didn't grab a beer before I sat down. If you have one, have a sip at every "my friend(s)." That's my advice.

9:10 -- Meg Whitman and Warren Buffet for treasury. Huh. McCain clearly loves Whitman, the former CEO or something of eBay. Buffet? Seems unlikely. I'm a bit surprised both mentioned an actual name here, though. Pleasantly surprised.

9:12 -- While we're establishing the drinking game rules, finish your beverage when "Wall Street" and "Main Street" are in the same sentence. While I'm here, McCain should probably stop mentioning the whole "I suspended my campaign" stuff. That one, um, didn't work.

9:14 -- At least Obama answered Oliver's question about what the bailout -- sorry, rescue -- plan does for most people. And of course, he has to flip it into "no, no, no, Republicans bad." Can we just all agree here that they're all to blame and move on?

9:18 -- Mrs. Save Fitchburg chimes in for the first time "They can't help themselves," as McCain lights into Obama again on the bailout and whatnot. She's right. They really can't. Mrs. Save Fitchburg is so smart.

9:20 -- "Nobody's completely innocent here," sayeth Obama, but George Bush is really, really craptacular. Mrs. SF strikes again.

9:22 -- It's time for a stupid CNN "analyst scorecard" update. We'll add up the plusses and minuses, and give a score: Plus-3 for McCain, plus-24 for Obama. I have no idea what that means, really.

9:23 -- Fitchburg's future, I wanna watch the next debate with you. Maverick! indeed. Unfortunately, Palin's done on the debate stage.

9:25 -- McCain mentions his good friend Joe Lieberman, who takes that opportunity to curse McCain for picking Palin. So close, Joe. So close.

9:26 -- Oooh. Good prep work by the Obama campaign to drop him today's gas price. Either that or the candidate noticed as he was being driven around town today. Or not. I'm betting on the not. Yeesh.

9:27 -- Obama rolls out the horrible "go through the budget line by line" poopie that is just so unbelievable. The dude's got a nerve. And he says he's going to find programs that don't work. Shouldn't he have a specific or two at this point?

A 78-year-old on the Internet? Right on.

9:29 -- Mrs. Save Fitchburg doesn't like aimless talk about going through the budget. I told you she was very smart. Pretty, too.

9:30 -- We're at the one-third pole, and this has been relatively boring. No new ground, and no sniping. Certainly not the nuclear attack from McCain some were predicting. We've still got an hour, but so far, so bland.

9:31 -- Obama: "A lot of you remember the tragedy of 9/11." "A lot?" I think a few more than that, there Barack.

9:35 -- Where do you think Mitt Romney is watching tonight? And how pissed is he? Suddenly, this campaign is about the economy, and he's the bestest businessman there every was. And what's he doing? Uh, I actually don't have an answer to that question right now. But if the sentence includes "2012," it's probably accurate.

9:37 -- Whoa, did McCain just drop news on the doubling of the kid deduction? I don't think that came up at the last debate. And I'm not sure about this, but I think I'm better off the way things are now, paying my health care through work and not paying taxes on it. Just saying.

9:38 -- "I think the Straight Talk Express lost a wheel on that one." And there's the worst line of the night. Take a bow, Barack Obama.

9:41 -- McCain says fixing Social Security isn't that tough. I think I'll disagree on that one, thanks. Two "my friends" so far in this answer. Someone take Fitchburg's Future's keys away.

9:42 -- Another "my friends." Fitchburg Future is calling into work tomorrow.

9:43 -- What's a green job? Time for a useless CNN "Analyst Scorecard" update. McCain, still plus-4. Obama, plus-42. Wha? This debate is so mediocre and even right now, it's ridiculous. Yet CNN has Obama up 38 points? Ugh. It pisses me off that "the media" gets lumped together too much, without any thought or depth, and unfairly. But it's stupid crap like this that makes me wonder.

9:46 -- I'll admit, I'm intrigued by nuclear power. Has the technology gotten better since Three Mile Island, or is the old Seabrook scare factor too much to overcome? Is there someone, somewhere, who can discuss this logically and with some intelligence? Or it just a bad, bad idea?

9:47 -- Brokaw is pissing me off. If they're going over time, he needs to cut them off. He needs to stop this passive-aggressive stuff. Although I like the "Manhattan Project-like" nuclear power question.

9:51 -- A slight tangent: In all this health insurance talk, no one says "hey, look at Massachusetts." I wouldn't expect it from McCain. Maybe it's one of Obama's little secrets. That said, the missed story of the week: The Globe's story on how ER visits are still pumping, even with so many more people insured. This was supposed to lower the costly ER visits, and so far, not so good. Great story that I didn't pay enough attention to.

9:53 -- Here's one thing for sure: These guys have different ideas, different philosophies, and different plans for what to do. There's no "these guys are pretty close. I don't know." McCain is on his insurance plan again. Someone needs to tell me if I win in this or not. I keep reading I wouldn't, but I haven't been sold.

9:55 -- Doing the math in my head, there's no way McCain's plan is good for me. I pay a sizable chunk of my health care, and that $5,000 deduction is worth what, like $1,700? It would be a loss for me, I think.

9:58 -- I know what you're thinking: "This health care talk is a waste of time, because it's too damn to fix." I'd agree with you, gentle sir/madam.

10:01 -- Time to put the hammer down. Three drinks per "surge."

10:02 -- Here's a question that won't get asked tonight: What's our responsibility in Iraq? Leave when everything is ironed out? Leave when they're well on their way? Leave now and let the dice fall where they may? How much is our long-term staying there guilt for ripping that place apart? I think McCain will talk about "victory" soon, but what's "victory?" Al queda was never there, and Hussein is gone. We've won already, in some aspects. Is the equivilent of a two-point a win a "victory," or do we have to win by 20? This is some fundamental stuff that seems to get lost in the rhetoric.

10:07 -- Hey, kids, what time is it? CNN "Analyst Scorecard" time. Yea! McCain: plus-11. Obama, plus-60. I'd say this thing is making me stupider, but I'm still able to the maths in my head, so maybe not.

10:09 -- Do I want to be the "F section?" This is broadcast TV, right?

10:11 -- For the second debate in a row, Obama said we will "kill" Bin Laden. Not "get him," or "capture him," or "hunt him down." "Kill." That doesn't seem very, how do you say, presidential.

10:16 -- We've got 14ish minutes left, and it hasn't gotten ugly yet. They both clearly feel the other is wrong on Iraq/Afghanistan/Pakistan, but it's been more slap-fight than bomb-throwing tonight.

10:17 -- Barack Obama is an international name-dropper. Elitist swine.

10:24 -- One more CNN "Analyst Scorecard" count. Because you're wondering. McCain: plus-18. Obama: plus-59. I still don't know what that means, but I do know Obama wasn't three times better tonight.

10:24 -- Obama doesn't want to call Russia an "Evil Empire." McCain says "maybe." That's diplomatic. However, the right answer is everyone knows the Evil Empire is in The Bronx.

10:25 -- I thought McCain might hug Terry the former Naval officer. Instead he gave him a pat on the shoulder. Just one more disappointment tonight.

10:26 -- What's the highlight tonight? What's the clip everyone is going to show tonight and tomorrow? I admit I'm dog-ass tired, and my attention was divided between TV and keyboard, but there's not a good one that comes to mind. Anyone?

10:28 -- In the unasked questions category: How much money have you lost in your investments in the last three weeks? I'd love to know.

10:30 -- This last question sucks, and will lead to non-answers. Enjoy.

10:34 -- McCain's closing is very, very good.

10:35 -- At least on CNN, I missed McCain and Obama shaking hands because of a lousy camera angle. In the end, much of the same from a few weeks ago, no real big winner. Big loser? Brokaw. He stunk. Good night, Fitchburg.

Live-Blogging Tonight

2008-10-07T18:27:00.001-05:00

I'm 80 percent sure I'll be live-blogging tonight's presidential debate showdown. I mean, it is "Debate Night in America," after all.

80 percent? Well, between early tee times and late-night baseball, I'm not at the top of my game. In fact, I'm thinking sitting at the ye olde keyeboarde will get me through this mess. But I might just totally pack it in and sit on the couch. But clearly, I'm thinking ye olde keyeboarde.

So, join me, won't you, for the second prezzie debate. I'll check comments regularly throughout during the boring parts, so send along a note, a term of endearment, or whatever.

Wong Asks for Pay Cut

2008-10-07T08:07:00.002-05:00

Mayor Lisa Wong is going to ask the City Council tonight to cut her pay by 2.5 percent. The money would be used to keep a fire engine operational.

You can read more about it here.

You'd have to think the Council will have no problem approving the request, right? More importantly, in the letter to the council seeking the change, Wong notes the city might be seeing a reduction in state and federal funding, and that annual raises might be a thing of the past. Or at least not of the near future. It's all in the story, which might be updated later, so peek back if you feel the urge.

About Last Night

2008-10-03T08:08:00.003-05:00

I ended up undergoing a fairly interesting experiment last night. My basketball game in Waltham ended at 8:55, which meant I listened to the first half of the vice presidential debate on the radio, and watched the second half on TV (and after sticking out the Sox the night before, DVR-delay wasn't an option).

This was something of an unscientific experiment, because the first half of the debate was pretty domestic, and the second half pretty foreign. But from my listening/viewing, Sarah Palin was much better in the first half. Here's why.

After watching for a few minutes, I turned to Mrs. Save Fitchburg and asked if she had been reading her answers all night long. She had scribbled down her memorized bullet points while Joe Biden gave his answer, and then looked down and clicked right through them. On the radio, I though she was just sifting through the audio files and coughing them up as needed. Coming home and seeing that she was heavily reliant on her crib sheet lessened her performance.

That said, she did what she had to do. She didn't implode, she made some points, and she ran out the clock as necessary. I thought her answer on global warming was completely false and a real stretch. You could just tell that her programmed response wasn't really what she feels on that issue. That said, I didn't believe either her or Biden on same-sex couples (I think she secretly has no use for same-sex benefits of any color, and I think Biden secretly would approve of gay marriage. Just a hunch).

If you're a clear-thinking observer, you think Palin did fine. C+, maybe a B-. You didn't turn off the TV and think "I underestimated her." You didn't turn it off and think "Wow, was she a disaster." If you're a Palin hater, there was plenty of grist for the mill (I'd say, specifically, the "I've been at this for five weeks" line was particularly troublesome). If you're a Palin fan, you're thrilled with her effort to paint herself as a regular person (personal note: Is the vice presidency a job for a "regular person?"). You're happy with her attack lines, which were solid. You're feeling a little bit better about things.

I thought Biden was solid. B, maybe a B+. I watched on CNN, where he won the ridiculous analyst pie chart thing. More interesting, I thought he did better on the scrolling line graph of uncommitted Ohio voters. Even more interesting, the way that thing spiked every time Biden took off on George Bush. I thought Biden was better, but not by light years.

Finally, if you didn't know any better, Gwen Ifill gave no hint of bias, impropriety, or anything else. In fact, even if you did know better, and were looking for it, Ifill was perfectly fine as moderator. Dead issue (not that it ever really had much of a life).

The Return of Dan Mylott?

2008-10-02T14:03:00.001-05:00

Former Mayor Dan Mylott told the Fitchburg Pride today that he's considering a run for City Council next year. Read the story to get some more info.

About Tonight, And Last Night

2008-10-02T09:26:00.002-05:00

When was the last time the country was so into a vice presidential debate? When was the last time a veep debate had so much promise for drama? When was the last time we cared this much?

I'm not sure about the answers to any of the above, but I do know this: More people than usual are very intrigued by tonights Palin-Biden faceoff.

Much of it, of course, is wrapped up in the Curious Case of Sarah Palin. From mega-star to mega-worry in a month, this is Palin's big night. She struggled through her hyped interview with Charlie Gibson, and she absolutely bombed in her much-hyped interview with Katie Couric (a chunk here. You can find the rest if you haven't seen it).

Palin has proven to be everything you kind of thought she'd be: Overly scripted, short on details, and trying so hard to stay on message that she blows it when pressed on specifics. Her inability to name one newspaper or magazine she read regularly was disturbing. Her insistence on answering follow-up questions with the same programmed response is even more disturbing. In short, I think she's sucked so far in her one-on-ones.

Biden, of course, is a whole other ball of fun. He says the wrong thing quite often (the whole debacle over him saying a campaign ad was terrible, then backtracking was particularly bad), and can stray off the talking points too much and get into trouble.

All that said, I think by tomorrow morning the storyline is going to be "the return of THE Sarah Palin." Debates offer the opportunity for more generalities, with little follow-up for specifics. Palin can stick to the message, and work her charm and likability. While she offered little depth in her convention speech, it was a winner. I expect that kind of performance tonight. I think Biden won't go for the jugular, and will instead hope she hangs herself. I also think it's more like Biden makes a big mistake than Palin.

While Tina Fey and "Saturday Night Live" have been absolutely killing Palin -- and I'd say more people have watched that online than on TV -- it might be the best thing for Palin. Expectations are low for tonight for Palin, and I think she's going to surpass them easily.

------

I haven't written one word this year about the Red Sox. A big chunk of that is due to my unhealthy obsession for the first half of the season with the Celtics (by the way, Mrs. Save Fitchburg wins the award for Wife of the Year/Decade/Century/Eternity with her procurement of C's opening night tickets. Unbelievable). There was also kind of a, you know, complacency in the Sox this year.

That said, I was up until 1:30 this morning watching the Sox put the Angels to bed in Game 1 of the AL Divisional Series. Jon Lester was massive. Jason Bay was clutch. Jacoby Ellsbury was great.

I need a nap, but before I hide under the desk for a snooze, I've thought for about a month now that if the Sox can somehow get past the Angels, they're going to win the World Series. I think the White Sox are flawed, and I'm gambling that at some point the stage gets too big -- and the collars too tight -- for the Rays. Although the Cubs are damn good, I have little fear of the NL. Too many World Series sweeps, I guess.

So, here we go. Hopefully another month of late nights and big wins. Much of it likely depends on Josh Beckett staying healthy, and getting the rust off J.D. Drew and keeping Mike Lowell on the field wouldn't hurt. But after last night, you can't help be excited by the potential.

This Makes No Sense

2008-09-29T14:20:00.003-05:00

I'm no economist -- my lack of paying attention in macroeconomics is still one of my great collegiate regrets -- so I'm not exactly sure what killed the "rescue" plan, but according to the early-line AP report I just read, it sounds like more politics that the economy are to blame.

This whole situation makes no sense.

For starters, why did House leaders put to the floor a bill that might not have had the votes to pass? Don't you do head count after head count to make sure you have the votes before this goes to the floor? The Dow is currently down 566 points. Would it really have been worse if they had taken one more day to smooth out the wrinkles? I really, really, don't understand this.

Much of the first part of the story deals with lawmakers being edgy about being re-elected if they vote for this. If they think it's the best thing to do, could someone please grow a pair and vote the way they think is best for the country? It's not like we're potentially facing a massive fiscal meltdown or anything. I know, I know, getting re-elected is the top priority for anyone in public office, but at some point don't some votes become bigger than that? I'm not reading "I wasn't going to be forced into a bad vote five weeks before election." I'm reading "I'm not voting this way before election." That's two very different things. It's a sad reminder of how these people work sometimes.

The bottom part of the story deals with Nancy Pelosi and apparently her nasty, partisan speech that kind of closed the debate. Some congressmen said they voted against based on that speech alone. I don't know who gets more blame here, Pelosi for not keeping her big mouth shut until it was over (jeez, have a press conference after if you have to), or lawmakers who couldn't rise above her pettiness and tuck her ridiculousness aside and do the right thing.

For what it's worth, Olver voted in favor. It looks like, with me going through the roster on memory, Lynch, Tierney and Delahunt voted against.

Like I said at the top, I'm no economist, so I don't know if this plan was really that good or not. I also don't know if the now-familiar claim of "if we don't do something -- fast -- we're screwed" is 100 percent true, or part-truth, part-guess, part-spin.

But I do know this: Based on the early returns, it sounds like politics -- and not simply doing what seemed to be right -- played a giant role in what happened today. Who knows how this shakes out in the wash, but the first blush of this one is pretty lousy.

Not to get too "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" here, but beyond some financial stability, I think what people want to see right now is a leader. Someone who can say "we're going to take care of this. It might not be pretty, it might hurt some, but we're going to figure this out." That giant sucking sound you hear right now is Washington.

Who's 'The Guy?'

2008-09-25T08:40:00.003-05:00

Before diving in, a brief thought on this bizarre McCain campaign suspension idea: If McCain had said "I'm going off the campaign trail, dropping my debate prep, and concentrating on this crisis for a few days. If my debate performance stinks on Friday, too bad for me, but the country takes precedence," that would be one thing. But the whole suspension -- even taking down ads -- makes it look like desperate grandstanding. Why take your ads down? What does that have to do with it? Running ads don't effect a darn thing. McCain may have had a good idea here, but he overplayed his hand.

Now, on with the show...

Yesterday afternoon I had a wonderful lunch with someone who has played a role in city government and politics for decades. But afterward, I think we both went away a little frustrated and discouraged on one particular issue.

What we decided is that there is no absolute power player in the city who can mobilize forces, get people together, set a goal, and make it happen. In short, there's no "The Guy" who can demand results on a shared priority.

The mayor can be that person, but usually it takes a mayor with a longish tenure and the mandate to look forward. The current mayor has a shortish tenure, and is still focused on the city's survival.

How about other politicians? Stephen DiNatale seems to be a capable representative, but hasn't shown the ability to be the force of nature that demands people make something happen. Jen Flanagan is completely unproven in this realm, and isn't from the city. I don't know of a councilor who has the power to pull something together. Is there a business leader in the city who can fill the power void?

What we're talking about here is someone who has power, ability, network and resources to get the power players in the same room and say "This what we're going to do, and all of here are going to make it our top priority until it gets done. And we're going to get it done." And then they make a big public display and keep talking about it until it happens.

I think back to the Crocker Field restoration event at the Fay Club a few weeks ago (read about it here). The room was full of the city's power players, but I don't think there was The Guy who could grab the city by the scruff of the neck and drag it forward. The Crocker Field folks are looking for $3.2 million overall, and $900,000 for FieldTurf. It appears to be a very significant mountain, so Crocker Field can be more than a few dozen times a year. A great idea for the city, and should be a priority.

But there's no one who can organize all the leaders and demand results. There's no force of nature that says "jump" and gets people leaping. I think back to last year's holiday lights fiasco, where the city needed $5,000. There was no one to step up and take that over and make it happen, and that was for a measley $5,000.

There are dozens of priority projects for the city, but no one who can say "OK, we're doing this one first, everyone get on board." There's no one who can sit at a table with the 10 most important people in the city, demand unity and action, and get something done. There isn't The Guy, who through sheer force of will and power, makes stuff happen.

Or maybe there is, and I don't know who it is. If there is, now would be a good time for The Guy to step forward. It's a void in leadership that needs filling.

Our Fickle, Fickle Queen

2008-09-24T13:44:00.003-05:00

I was driving down River Street this afternoon, and sadly noted the (waaaaaaaaay tooooooo eeeeeaaaarlllllly) closure of Dairy Queen.

Not to say I didn't know this was coming. I went a few weeks ago, and roughly half the Blizzard ingredients were blacked out. The end was near, my friends.

While I enjoy tasty high-brow ice cream, I have a soft spot for Dairy Queen. Particularly Blizzards, generally peanut butter cup. I only hit it about a half-dozen times during the summer, but it's always with great anticipation. I like frozen chemicals.

But this mid-September closure (OK, OK, late-September) is an outrage. A true frozen treat crime. I mean, there hasn't even been a frost yet.

I don't know much about the economics of ice cream stores, but I do know that it's a sad, sad day when you realize the Dairy Queen is closed. I'm just glad I wasn't on a Blizzard run when I found out.

I know, I know, the one in the mall is still open, and that's nice and all, but I almost never go to the mall. It also doesn't have the same vibe. Jeez, they don't even ask "For now or take home in a bag."

You can go back to living a real life now.

A Good Move on Stabilization

2008-09-24T07:44:00.002-05:00

The City Council did the right thing last night and approved a $600,000 transfer to the stabilization fund from free cash. Here's why:

First, it sends the message that the city is no longer interested in spending every single penny it gets its hands on. You want fiscal responsibility and conservatism, you're getting it (at least in a small, starter step). This $1.3 million in free cash set off something of a small feeding frenzy as a number of entities started drooling over it, but it's a good message to send that the priority is still shoring up the city's financial position and not spending.

Second, I'm pretty confident in guessing that if a few bucks are needed to settle union contracts, the council will provide the eight votes necessary to move the money. If there was a hold up on this, it was that a transfer out of stabilization needs two-thirds, while a simple transfer needs a simple majority. But considering the council's clearly expressed desire to take care of the contracts, it seems very likely that they'd maintain that priority and take it out. The one problem for the unions, however, is that who knows what might happen in the meantime, suck out some of that money, and make it unavailable. But the final piece I'd consider is the political factor. If Wong presents a police contract, for example, three years late and asks the council to pay it, who's really going to vote against it. So I'm not overly concerned.

All in all so far, the mayor and the council are doing the right thing with the free cash. There's still that question of what's going to happen with the rest of it, and it might be a messy battle of priorities, wish lists, and other territorial factors. But the first steps have been positive.

My Obsession with New Hampshire Grows

2008-09-23T08:44:00.003-05:00

If you go back a few weeks, you'll find my last post about New Hampshire and its potential role in this year's presidential election.

I've been picking away at this particular scab, and my obsession only gets larger. Certainly Florida was The Story in the 2000 election, and rightly should have been. And always will be. But...

Did you know that Bush won the Electoral College 271-267? Or by one more than the magic 270? And that he won New Hampshire by only like 9,000 votes (like 1.5 percent)?

The Electoral College map looks so close, still, that I continue to wonder what is going on with our neighbors to the north. N.H. will be one of the first battleground states to wrap up on Election Night -- maybe the first -- but it might provide the four votes Obama or McCain needs to win the White House. I'm picking up scattered reports that some locals are organizing to go northward between now and Nov. 4, but not too much.

I know at least one faithful reader here lives in N.H. (yes, Derek, I'm looking at you). If you live in the Granite State, or have some insight into what's happening up there, please share. My obsession needs some soothing.

About Tuesday Night

2008-09-18T12:39:00.002-05:00

OK, OK, it's a day later, but whatever.

Brian Knuuttila was smart enough to know early on that Fitchburg would be a key community for him. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't able to come through with the performance he needed to win.

Not that this was very clear back in February, when Knuuttila and Jen Flanagan jumped into the Senate race, but the map was stacked again Knuuttila from the beginning.

Under Knuuttila's best case, Flanagan dominated Leominster and the southern 'burbs, while he cleaned up in Gardner and the northern burbs, while stealing Lunenburg and trouncing in Fitchburg. The only thing he got was the Gardner part.

Part of it was what was going on down the ballot. Flanagan earned more support in her key communities because there were other elections grabbing attention -- and voters. Leominster had a House race, as did Clinton and Sterling. It was particularly helpful in Clinton, where Flanagan rolled up a 644-vote victory.

For Knuuttila was cursed with a smaller base in Gardner, which is half the size of Leominster. With no House race there, he was immediately playing big catchup.

From the beginning, Knuuttila thought Fitchburg would be where he won the election. He started the race with tons of support from city councilors and others, and his growing up in the city and being a rep for part of it for years were considered benefits. However, Fitchburg didn't have the votes available that Knuutila needed.

A few weeks ago, I was talking to a Knuuttila supporter who though maybe a 60-40 victory for Knuuttila would be enough to win. But that didn't consider the low turnout. And the Fitchburg turnout was dreadful by any measure -- and for Knuuttila it was beyond fatal. Consider: Flanagan earned more votes in Leominster (4,234) than the total votes cast in Fitchburg (3,567) by almost 700. Yikes.

All that said, Knuuttila failed in a number of areas. He split northern town Ashby, and lost in Townsend. He needed a win in Lunenburg, and lost by 273 votes, winning only 35 percent of the vote. In Fitchburg, he won by only 267 votes, winning only 53 percent. His supporters were hoping for 60 percent, and he fell well short of that standard.

It was, in the end, a weird campaign. Where were the standouts? I didn't see one, and I drive through the intersection of Electric Ave. and South St. -- a popular standout spot -- almost every day. Where were the sign-holders on election day? While the candidates had a fiery distaste for each other, it didn't carry over to the campaign, which was dull, listless, and boring.

One Flanagan supporter said there was so much concentration on likely voters -- which might have explained the ridiculous amount of mailers -- that there was no effort to reach unlikely voters who weren't coming out. That might have been a sound strategy for Flanagan, but Knuuttila needed to get voters out in Fitchburg and Gardner to win, and he didn't do it.

One Proposal for North and Main

2008-09-17T14:22:00.002-05:00

The Fitchburg Redevelopment Authority received one proposal -- with plans -- today for the three-acre site at the corner of the North and Main streets. You can read more at the Fitchburg Pride website.

Quick summary: One plan includes a drugstore, one doesn't. Both include a building that would be retail on the bottom, student housing on the top. No details on what happens to ownership of that building, but I'd guess -- guess -- with retail involved that it would stay privately-owned and leased to the college. It had better be.

Flanagan Wins Senate Seat

2008-09-16T19:55:00.001-05:00

All the results aren't in, but Flanagan has a lead of over 3,000 with Gardner done, and most of Fitchburg in. She dominated in Leominster, Clinton, Sterling et al, and played it semi-close in Fitchburg.

For more, go to the Pride website. We'll be updating throughout the evening.

Election Day Roundup

2008-09-16T06:18:00.001-05:00

It's primary election day, although there's not much else on the ballot but the state Senate race. That should be enough to motivate people to get out and vote, but I'd be surprised if 5,000 voted. Heck, 4,000 might be a good number. Seems like people are snoozing through this one.

Anyway, I won't be in Fitchburg all day, and will be voting tonight. When you hit your local polling place, note what number your machine is at, and give any other details from what you see at the polls.

Fitchburg in USA Today

2008-09-15T08:25:00.002-05:00

As part of a series of stories looking at the presidential campaign in each state, USA Today features Fitchburg today.

Nothing overly new to folks who live here. But it's always interesting to see how someone dropped into the city out of nowhere looks at Fitchburg.

Who's Sending You Mail?

2008-09-13T10:10:00.003-05:00

You might have gotten this in your mail today. Notice, in the small print, that it's paid for by MassAlliance. Who is MassAlliance? Good question.

According to its website, "Mass Alliance is a powerful, united voice for the broad progressive movement in Massachusetts politics. We are a coalition of twenty-two progressive organizations committed to collaboration, education, advocacy, and electoral work to advance the progressive agenda."

Who's in the coalition? The Boston Teachers Union, Clean Water Action, the Democratic Socialists of America, Mass Teachers Association, Massachusetts Peace Action, Planned Parenthood, the Sierra Club, and more.

It's worth noting in its campaign finance report, MassAlliance had raised and spent roughly $600, and the expenses went to consultants. No word of printing or mailing costs. It's also worth nothing that MassAlliance raised $2,000 in 2007, and spent it all on consulting. 2006 was more of the same.

Now, I don't know the details of the law, but I think there's a possibility that a member group can pay for the mailer, and slap the MassAlliance name on it. Put the flyer clearly says "Paid for by MassAlliance." Maybe they're going to pay it off later, and the expense and revenue don't show up in the last report. If true, this is a new practice for an organization that has not done mailers in the past.

Also in the mail today was a pro-Flanagan mailer from the Mass Teachers Association. That's twice in a week from them. Mass Nurses also had a mailer this week. Honestly, I didn't notice if past mailers from Flanagan were from her campaign or interest groups. I couldn't find a campaign finance report for Mass Teachers. Sorry about that. I'm not sure why, but it has me frustrated.

So, in adding up what was spent on this campaign, it's worth throwing thousands of dollars more on the Flanagan side. She's not spending it, but she's certainly reaping the benefits of special-interest groups spending on her behalf. It still falls waaaay short of the $200,000 Knuuttila claims he heard she'd raise, but all the same, worth noting.

About Last Night

2008-09-12T14:21:00.002-05:00

OK, sorry this is almost 24 later, but it's been busy lately, if you haven't heard.

Anyway, thoughts about last night's hoedown between Jen Flanagan and Brian Knuuttila...

First, I wasn't there, and I get the feeling that I'd think a little differently if I did, and I think I probably wanted to be there in the end. So, remember, I watched this on TV (like most folks) and missed some stuff if I was there, I think.

For starters, neither one blew me out of the water, but I was less impressed with Knuuttila. But I'm not sure it's entirely his fault. His opening statement (how much longer was he planning on going, by the way) sounded mysteriously similar to another opening statement/message we heard on the same stage a year ago. He seemed to be picking up the "career achievement" mantle from Tom Donnelly. Wasn't inspiring then, isn't now. Yes, Knuuttila has had an impressive life as a police officer, lawyer, et al. (By the way, that special attorney general stuff is a designation given by the AG's office to allow lawyers to work on stuff. It is almost meaningless, but Knuuttila brings it up constantly). But he never tied pulling people over on Route 2 to being an effective senator. Yes, it gives him a background in public safety that Flanagan can't match, but he didn't say how he was going to use it.

That said, Knuuttila got off the line of the night with the "but you need my help" line when Flanagan asked why he was coming back. Flanagan had a point: Knuuttila did a lot of Legislature bashing (House bashing, really), even though he was a House member until just a few years ago. But Knuuttila used it to his advantage with that tasty.

I'll admit, I forget the exact thing that sent Flanagan off, but she was clearly steamed. I told Mrs. Save Fitchburg, as Knuuttila was still asking the question, that she looked steamed. She didn't hide it in her answer. Folks who were there said she never calmed down -- and she did look ticked the rest of the night -- and said she stomped out after the debate quickly. Not good times. Not really sure what it means, but I don't think it's very good.

In the end, they played pretty close to type. Knuuttila played to his career history and almost positioned Flanagan as the incumbent. For those and question whether Flanagan is Senate material, her performance didn't make them feel much better about that.

Live from FSC: Coverage of the State Senate Debate

2008-09-11T17:43:00.024-05:00

6:45: Fifteen minutes until start time and the auditorium is pretty empty...probably because every Knuuttila and Flanagan supporter has lined the streets of the college holding signs.

7:00: President Antonucci kicks it off, starting with a moment of silence for victims of 9/11.

About 3/4 of the seats full so far, including all of the Fitchburg city council, a few wearing Knuuttilla t-shirts.

7:05: Opening statement from candidates

Flanagan- Talks about being from Leominster, and going to FSC. "I have been invested in my community for as long as I can remember" She feels blessed to have done so much at a young age and wants to do more. "This region is very very delicate." Gang violence, transportation needs, health care needs. "I have worked from the ground up, I have made myself available."

"I am in this for the long haul, I will continue to work for you" She said she is criticized for being a one city candidate, but said it is not her fault she only represents one community, but has always worked for the region. "I felt I represented my city well." Abilities she has shown in the house thinks will work in the senate. Already has experience collaborating with the senate.

Knuuttila- Took a few minutes to mention his cousin, Doug, on plane that hit the south tower on 9/11.

He and his cousin went to school here in Fitchburg. Spent 5 years on active duty in Marines.

In charge of 67 individuals at that time. Was police officer, patrolled FSC. Worked at various police departments in the area. Was also a firefighter, and got his law degree. "There is nothing like defending or making 45 bail arguments to keep someone out of jail so they can be at home with their family." He said he is the true regional candidate. Currently Worcester County Sheriffs general counsel. "My experience in public safety continues to this day."

Encouraged people to get out in vote.

7:15: Would you pledge to serve full term? Why consider getting out of race?

Knuuttila: left during 5th term, 5th. Glodis approached him, needed general counsel. Had inmate lawasuits hanging around the neck, needed accredidation. Like everything else, timing is everything. Told Glodis wanted to provide with staff and constituency until next state rep. was elected.

Other issue, we were told my opponent would raise as much as $200,000, but then found out wasnt true. political science 101 move .

7:20: Voted against giving $150 million from states rainy day account to cities and towns. regret that?

Flanagan: I voted that way because time and time again in our budgets, the budgets are piecemeal. I thought the money was going to go to re-occuring expenses. My vision is to make sure our cities and towns are taken care of, but have to be responsible with that.

No one wants to cut public safety. But difficult times you make difficult decisions. The truth of the matter is, we have peoples lives in our hands. Take the votes that are necessary.

7:25: If voters repeal state income tax what will you do?

Knuuttila: I would have voted for $150 million on stabilization account. Make no mistake, question 1 is extremely dangerous. Look back to similar ballot initiative in 2001. People upset income tax wasnt rolled back to 5 percent by legislature.

A loss of 7 billion. It is going to be devasting. Stands a good chance of passing because of inaction of legislature. I am firmly against it (question 1).

7:25: No reform to CORI, some say it is a barrier. Do you support reformation?

Flanagan: Been a major issue on beacon hill this past session. CORI reform needs to happen. Commonwealth puts a lot of money into rehabilitating criminals in jail. Once they come out of jail they are shut off. Shut off housing, jobs. Had a man come into her office, hand her a resume, and asked what qualified for. He had a dismissed manslaughter charge from 12 years ago, and still cant get job or housing. I absolutely support CORI reform would do again if came up in leg. next year.

7:30: Would you support repeal of gas tax or wind turbine?

Knuuttila: Would support any renewable or green energy source. But alt. to repealing gas tax. In 2005, we created a law that gave $800 in tax deducation for fuel assistance in winter months. Also took initiative for $600 tax credit if taking energy efficiency steps.

During FY08 budget process amendment to have that law extended, and my opponent voted against it. It is not just one solution, a number of things you can do, and this is one of the tools in the shed my opponent took away. This is catastrophic people cant pay $5 a gallon.

7:35: Do you think your vote to keep gay marriage off of state ballot was in line with district?

Flanagan: That vote wasnt about the Democratic stance. The people of my district at the time had said to me, its their life. I'm catholic, i believe people ought to get marry. I know churches have a right to not marry people. I was very comfortable taking that vote. It is a right people have and a right we need to honor.

7:35: What would you do to reverse fact only state spending less on education

Knuuttila: Funding for education is quite frankly the most imp thing we can do as legislators. I was involved in increasing education funding. Antonioni brought more money for education. A lot more needs to be done. Leominster high school has more buckets than books. Fault in SBA for letting buildings become what they are today.

7:40: Do you think health insurance program has been successful?

Flanagan: Mass has undertaken one of most complex issues, proud to be part of this. Proud to insure over 1/2 million people. Bugs to be worked out, but that is what happens when first in nation. Found more poeple are now obtaining health care in the right why, not in piece meal way. I think we need to continue on track of health care reform, and affordable plans are offered. All about a partnership. State, employers, employees. I think we have done a great job in Mass, and need to continue. Will see benefits later in life, healthier people.

Now candidates ask each other a question:

Knuuttila: Voted against amendment for extra $15 million for schools. Extra $15 per pupil for materials. How do you explain this vote.

Flanagan: not an anti education vote. need to make sure there is funding for cities and towns, but where is money coming from? to allocate an additional set of money when we didnt know where the money would be coming from. there are tough votes on beacon hill. i work in the classroom as a junior acheiver volunteer. cities and towns are also responsible, contributing to what students need. if we continue to increase at every turn, not being responsible, not providing for their future, providing for their today. we do things in ways we can get it done.

Knuuttila: But this would have helped a little bit more, and you voted against it. It wont happen in a lump sum, it is a brick in the wall, and this would have been one more brick in the wall. the though vote, the tough vote, rep. would have been the money to the cities and towns.

(loud cheering for Knuuttila)

Flanagan: What is your proposal for funding dedicated revenue stream (for health care reform)?

Knuuttila: Even though it is the first in the nation, it is broken. Penalizing employers and employees for not having or offering appropriate health care. Cant piece meal stuff like this. This is an excellent example of this overextension. When I take office in Jan. revise this program, to find the funds where they can be found.

Flanagan: Talk about Leg. taking steps without knowing where money is coming from. That is just what you said to me with education question. There is no one way to get this done alone (health care reform). Sometimes it takes a tax break, sometimes people dont pay attention until there is a consequence.

(loud cheers)

Knuuttila: Flanagan was given a 38 rating for voting on bills by AIM. Miserable voting record, has driven out good paying jobs. What will you do?

Flanagan: If big companies have problems that is fine. I have family members with small businesses. It is not always about catering to big business. We have obligations too. I am not to worried about my aim report card, worried about my people here.

Knuuttila: What are you talking about? I worry about the people in my district all the time. AIM report card is just that. Tells who is keeping good paying jobs in Mass. Will you give those people a little extra?

(loud cheers)

Flanagan: What do you plan to cut to fund fuel assistance?

Knuuttila: We had a tool in the shed. The point I made a few minutes ago, is that you voted against it. It was in existence, and now it is gone. We need it this winter. Much more needs to be done, but this is a good example of what the leg. can do to help people with their high home heating costs this winter. So here is an example of what you can do, or i intend to do when i am the next state senator.

Flanagan: It doesnt answer the question of what programs will be cut. If the leg. is so bad in what we are doing, why do you want to come back.

Knuuttila: Because you need my help.

(Cheering match between the two camps)

Knuuttila: Another mailing sent out, said we need someone with exp. to help public safety. He listed all of his previous public safety posts he held. What is your experience, your public safety experience if any?

Flanagan: Well it is not having five former careers. My experience has been in this district. Writing grants with cheif Cronin. working on comm. policing. or working with north county worcester drug task force. it is not always about holding the career. i am criticized about my age and experience. quite frankly i am part of the generation coming up. we are the ones that are trying to do it now. public safety comes in all shapes and sizes. people come to me day in and day out with problems. to try to chastize that is getting a little ridiculous.

Knuuttila: You may be able to empathize but I can relate. At the end of the day I worked also, I worked also on these grants. Those have been in place for awhile. These things dont give you pub. safety experience.

Flanagan: We appreciate your public safety career. But you have advocated for pay raises for court appointed lawyers. You advocate for a lot of people, including human service providers. These are the people I have been advocating for since day one. Would you continue your quest to get more money for lawyers, or for human services?

Knuuttila: Do you know what my undergraduate degree was, human services. I am the one that make sure the services are adequate and provided to people in jail. We are taking about the Constitution of the US when we keep these people out of jail. They (court appt lawyers) hadnt gotten a pay raise in 23-24 years. But i know human service workers deserve a raise because i was in the field.

Flanagan: I commend the corrections officers. My concern are for the people working in residential programs or the people who cant go home because their is no home to go to. These people are making $28,000 to fight it out with these kids. And the turnover rate is so high. The only reason people leave is because they dont have enough money. I am going to continue to fight for human service workers just as we did when we passed senate 65 last year.

Now questions from Pres. Antonucci from the audience.

Now representing more than one town. Any opinion on what could be done for regionalization of services?

Flanagan: Leg has given money to Econ. dev. council to market our region. Busses, unfortunate didnt do it, but another way we could regionalize. Public safety too.

Need to look at services each town has. it is possible to become more regional. but unfortunately people look with geographical boundaries. i am looking to be the state senator to represent the region. i have already worked with mayor wong, d.a. early, and sen. antonioni.

What do you think you could do to speed up process of better transportation to this area

Knuuttila: Helped work on Fitch rail line when rep. house vice chair of joint comm. on transportation. some of the things my opponent talks about, were dev. by sen. antonioni, rep. goguen, rep. knuuttila. some of the initiatives we have started, i will make sure as the next state sen are brought to fruition. i took a train to gardner to find the house i live in today (in 80's).that rail was disconnected. make no mistake, i will pick up where i left off.

Do you think earmarks are a good idea?

Knuuttila: earmarks are a good idea in the state budget. shows a leg. is concerned enough about an issue to have it earmarked in a budget. these earmarks that leg. fight for that now dont exist, really quite frankly undercuts leg. ability to fight for its constituency. i would go beyond that, pepole and constituency of district are undercut as a result.

Flanagan; earmarks is a necessary part of the budget. esp. for people out here, outside of 495. it is a way for leg. to tell agencies this is what we want. we are telling people where we want it to go. it is crucial that we have earmarks. it gets the funding to the programs. i continue to support earmarks.

Closing remarks:

Knuuttila: God bless you for coming out on such a solemn day. I have a few things. I am proud of my service to my country and my Commonwealth. When you were getting the blizzard of 78 i was in a monsoon trying to get a letter written with a felt tip pen before it washed away. It is an experience like non other. I am proud to call myself a veteran. Proud of the fact that i fought a fire on the inside while a gardner firefighter. there is nothing closer to combat than fighting a fire on the inside. i am proud of these experiences because i can understand what apublic safety and officials go through. but most proud of fact have a son, and sseven grandchildren and a daughter. make no mistake i am making a $30,000 a year pay cut to do this. that is the level of commitment i have. i intend to be bold when i go to the senate. i intend to rep. my constituency to the fullest. i learned what to do during my 5 terms in senate, and more imp. i learned what not to do. i never left feeling i compromised my integrity. most of my checks were $15 from grassroots those are the people that believe in this candidate. i intend to represent the peoplel that contributed to my campaign. it is imperative you vote on sept 16. sempre fidelis.

(about 40 people standing ovation)

Flanagan: I appreciate that we can take about 75 mill for commuter rail. appreciate the $1.8 million in more grants in leominster. i have delivered for my district. and i have experience. no one can take away the 13 years i spent on beacon hill working for the poeple of my community. no one can take away the fact tha ti care about the poeple the support me, the nurses, the teachers, the people who are protecting our citizens. i am proud of everything i have received for poeplel and eveything i have worked for. those are everyday people who just like you will elect someone to go to boston. what is such a special interest that is fighting those fires and going out on police calls. those are special interests, those are the people of our community. those are the people that i am giong to rep. on beacon hill. sometimes it seems like the mail boxes are cluttered and poeple are talking about issues, that is important, we are talking about issues. 11 cities and towns. it is imp that someone who has exp that has worked frm the ground up continues to go there and gets the work done that needs to be done. when the day is over and this district has received money, it is because the leg. did it. it is imp. we have someone who truly cares about what is going on in boston. i ask you for your vote on sept. 16 because i care about everyone in this district donation or not.

(about 30 people standing ovation)

The debate is over, and each candidate is now being swarmed and given the thumbs up from supporters.

Both candidates were well prepared and didn't falter on any questions. They both showed passion for their district, although at times, I couldn't tell if Flanagan was being passionate or defensive. She defintely is very defensive about people criticizing her age and experience outside of Beacon Hill. She stands behind the 13 years of experience she has on the hill though, and is proud of advocating for children and the social service fields especially.

Knuuttilla was a lot calmer. He is def. proud of his service to the country as a Marine, and service to the Commonwealth as a police officer, fire fighter and court appointed lawyer.

Knuuttila believes his experience in multiple careers is an asset to being able to represent people.

Winner, by a slight margin, I would have to give it to Knuuttila.

Senate Fun and Games Tonight

2008-09-11T14:04:00.002-05:00

The long state Senate campaign (remember, this started in February) limps home on Tuesday, but before that the two candidates, Jennifer Flanagan and Brian Knuuttila, meet for one last debate tonight.

The Pride's Karen Mann will be on the scene, and will be posting live here as the night goes on. Game time is 7 p.m., but I'd expect Karen will be setting the scene before that. So, make sure you have plenty of chips, dips and beers as Karen brings it home in style.

SF Child: No to Uniforms

2008-09-10T09:54:00.003-05:00

And her father agrees, I think.

If you missed it, there's the perennial push for school uniforms in the city's schools. Mayor Lisa Wong was on WEIM 1280 "The Blend" this morning. She was pretty non-committal, even on how the city should even go about getting community feedback.

SF Child 1 is 5, and is all of six days into kindergarten, but I figured I'd ask her what she thought about wearing a white shirt and blue or brown pants or skirts everyday. She crinkled her face and said "nah." Not surprising for a kid who wears a pink shirt everyday and was sporting glittery jeans this morning. So, there's your community feedback.

I think I'm also opposed to uniforms, mostly because I think it's going to cost me more, and that's probably true for tons of kids. Many kids wear the same thing out of school that they do in school (I guess for better or worse in some cases), SF Child 1 included. Buying uniforms is only going to add a whole new section to the wardrobe budget that I'd prefer not to have to deal with. Major deal? No. To the point that I'm not even close to particularly charged up on this matter, and if it happens, well, whatever. Yes, I'm a man of my convictions.

Anyway, at least one kindergartner is opposed.

Senate Cash

2008-09-08T21:15:00.003-05:00

When you get a second, go to the Fitchburg Pride website, and check out a story on campaign fundraising, eight days before the primary election. It's a little lacking, in that Brian Knuuttila's campaign did not file an electronic report today. But others did. It includes links to local candidates' reports, so have some fun on this delightful Monday evening. I'm going to go watch the Raiders now.

Meanwhile, just a few miles away

2008-09-04T13:42:00.002-05:00

I hate to get into more presidential politics after last night's and today "Lefferts is a dumb poopiehead" comments (although I wonder why people don't either, 1. read what I write or, 2. believe it. Because that's apparently a problem on this stuff), but I'm a sucker for punishment.

Anyway, I was trolling around Real Clear Politics, where they have Obama currently up in Electoral College, 273-265. That includes toss-up states breaking one way or another (obviously), so to call it a hard and fast count is probably not a good idea.

Furthermore, according to RCP, Obama has a poll average lead of .3 percent in New Hampshire. New Hampshire is four Electoral College votes. Hey... if I move four EC votes from NH to McCain... it's a tie. That would be awesome.

Considering the comments on here in the last 24 hours, I suspect there are some pretty solid McCain fans trolling. Not sure about Obama fans, but I assume they're out there. So, anyone planning on hiking to NH between now and Election Day and doing some civic good? Or will we just watch and see what happens? Crazy to think such a battleground is just 10 or 12 miles away, and all we can do is watch and maybe pitch in a little bit if super-motivated.

Restoring Radio Contact

2008-09-03T18:00:00.002-05:00

Sorry for not posting much lately. Between vacation and the unbelievable chaos at work since returning, I've had little time to even think about what's going on, forget come up with decent thoughts about it. And considering the unending litany of comments, I figure I'm at least the stupidest asshole in Fitchburg, if not all of New England, and it's a fight I don't have the energy, time or patience for.

Anyway, here's a couple of random thoughts from the stupidest asshole in New England:

I was looking for a reason not to vote for Barack Obama. As much as I was sort of resigned to pulling the trigger for him, I didn't really want to, and was hoping John McCain would give me a reason to vote for him.

Instead, McCain pretty much pushed fulling to Obama with the Sarah Palin pick. It has nothing to do with the whole teen pregnancy business, and everything to do with the fact that McCain would be putting one heartbeat away someone who was essentially the mayor of Ashby two years ago. So unprepared, so not ready. Such a bad pick. It makes me seriously question McCain's judgement, and I really question how well this pick was vetted. If you can't get this right, what can you get right?

The state Senate election is 13 days from now. What a snorefest. Why? Is it just assumed Flanagan has it in the bag? What am I missing? For a race that last winter seemed rock-em-sock-em robots, it's been dullsville.

On the other hand, it seems like the Red Sox are putting together at just the right time. Five series wins in a row, and getting good ball over the place. Dustin Pedroia is ridiculous right now. Imagine if they could get fully healthy. They're not catching the Rays (although the throw-away tix for next Tuesday's game that is part of my package is looking very good right now), but they're likely making the playoffs. If they can beat the Angels in the first round, I like their chances against Tampa/Chicago/Minny/all of the NL. Hopefully they play this well the rest of the way.

Football season starts tomorrow night. I'd be psyched if the Raiders finished 8-8. Sad, I know, but that's the way it is. I am excited to see Darren McFadden, and worried to see JaMarcus Russel. They're on MNF (late game) next Monday. I guess the Pats will be good, too.

Eh, that's it. It's quiet on the city side, no?

Union, mayor back at it

2008-08-25T14:41:00.002-05:00

If you didn't see Saturday's Sentinel, the police union wrote Mayor Lisa Wong a letter claiming she is out of touch and not properly funding the department. Wong said the out-of-touch claim is ridiculous.

Not good times for the mayor. The library folks are already displeased, and the union returns with more fire. And the police department got a little more money through the budget process.

So that's two departments that are looking for money, and are blaming Wong for the financial issues in their departments. There's probably a line where "no money" crosses into "out of touch." Has that line been crossed?

It appears pretty certain the police union is not buddies with Wong, and likely won't ever be. More bad news for Wong, especially in that they don't seem to feel the need to be shy about it. You'd have to think they'll be searching for a candidate to back next fall. You also have to wonder if other departments and unions are going to join the fun.

While we're here, it's worth noting that city councilors told the Sentinel they hadn't seen the letter. But the Sentinel had seen it, and I'm guessing it didn't come from the Mayor's Office. So you'd have to think the union is going to grind its ax in full public view the rest of the way.

But the bad news is now starting to back up on her. Her options are being reduced for next year. She can make run at overrides, or not. If she doesn't make a run at overrides, the library, police and others won't be getting more money and will likely get cut. If she does go for overrides, she'd going to tick off a whole lot of residents who don't want anything to do with an override. The likely outcome would be worst-case: She throws out override questions, everyone gets angry and shoots them down, and the departments still don't get any money, so everyone's angry.

So, what's she going to do? The original override plan went in the dumper with the deadline foul-up of earlier this summer. But at some point -- sooner rather than later -- she's going to have to decide one way or another which way to go on this. Either commit to an override effort or not. And by that I mean either move that way or don't. She can't wait until the holidays to roll out an override effort for February or March for next year's budget. It's gotta happen soon to get people prepared and understand what's going on. She talked about leadership a lot during the campaign, and now might be the time to show it.

A Couple of Things

2008-08-19T06:30:00.002-05:00

Getting back from vacation and still sort through the rubble, but here's a handful of things.

First, two days later, the lead story from Sunday's Globe continues to bug me. If you missed it, the story basically says that while property assessments are going down, property taxes are going up.

It's a nice showoff for computer-assisted reporting, and shows that the DOR stuffs a lot of interesting information on its website. Honestly, if I had the time, I'd dig around there more often, but too often just go to find something specific. But the problem with the Globe story is that it relates two things that don't really have anything to do with each other.

This has been discussed here before, but it bears repeating: Property values are only part of the equation when it comes to property taxes. The real focus needs to be on the tax levy.

The levy is the total amount a city or town can collect. As you may have heard, that amount can increase 2.5 percent plus new growth each year. As you may also have heard, most communities increase that full amount each year.

From there, the tax man calculates the total property value, and sets the tax rate. Then the tax rate is assessed on your property value. If you property value holds steady (as seems to be the case pretty much in some areas of Fitchburg lately), you're likely to pay more in taxes if the tax rate goes up (which, I belive, it did).

Simply, communities are taxing more under the provisions of 2 1/2, and with assessments declining, the tax rate gets bumped higher, which creates a higher tax bill. The tax levy is created without assessments in mind, and tying the two together is disingenuous. Sure, it sucks to see your property devalued while shelling out more in taxes, but the two really don't have anything to do with each other.

End of that particular rant.

*****

While the Save Fitchburg Family was away, Brian Knuuttila lawn signs sprouted up all over the place it seems like. Shockingly, this race is less than a month away. It's stealthy crept up, it seems like.

I honestly am not excited about Knuuttila's chances in this one. The Memorial Day Disaster sticks out in my mind, not just in the bizarre circumstances, but also his admittance that he's going to get horribly outspent. So there's that. I also see better visibility from Flanagan at big events. Despite all that, I wonder if Knuuttila can pull off the upset, although it will be very difficult.

You'd have to think Knuuttila is going to easily carry Gardner and the towns between there and here. He has to. Absolutely has to. You'd have to think Flanagan is going to destroy Leominster and carry the towns to east and south. That leaves Fitchburg.

Knuuttila, however, can't just win Fitchburg. He has to win by huge numbers. Maybe 3-1. Maybe more.

Consider: Flanagan's chief core community is Leominster, which is twice the size of Gardner, Knuuttila's home community. Also, the only other contest race around the area is in ... Leominster, where there's a House seat (Flanagan's) being contested. So you have to think there will be more turnout there than there will be in any other community. And you's have to think that's good news for Flanagan.

So, Knuuttila is depending on a huge win in Fitchburg, where turnout could be a problem in that there's nothing else on the ballot worth noting. I would think he'll need to make up thousands of votes in Fitchburg. I wouldn't be surprised if it's 2,000 or 3,000.

Then, consider that 8,000 came out last year for the gigantic mayoral election. Will that many people come out for a state Senate race they've been paying no attention to -- and one without a local candidate (yes, Knuuttila fans, begin outburst here)? Let's say 6,000 people come out, a fairly ambitious number. Knuuttila would need to win, 4,500-1,500. Is that even possible?

Knuuttila has shown some strength in Fitchburg, and it's not silly to think he's going to win the city. But for him to win this race he's going to have to absolutely dominate in Fitchburg. If you like him, you'd better get out and vote for him.

*****

Finally, while away, I read the RFP for North and Main has been extended. If you're a conspiracy theorist on that particular situation, you're beside yourself. I wonder what exactly is going on here (part of coming back from vacation means you can't track stuff down immediately, only wonder what's up). If you want a CVS in there tomorrow, this is not good news in that you'd have to think that bid proposal was pretty easy to write. In theory, this delay keeps the door open for some other kind of development. I don't know what the deal is, but sometimes even though there are good intentions, appearances make things look a sketchy. I think this might be one of those times where appearances look bad. Who knows, maybe in a month there will some private developer making a bid that blows everyone way. But if there's a low-ball, non-pharmacy developer who ends up winning this process, let the howling begin.