Primary Results

What They Mean



Well, the people have spoken, damn them. As usual, nearly all the candidates I endorsed went down to defeat, although there were a few bright spots. Perhaps brightest of all was the unexpected success of Worcester area Attorney James P. McKenna (above with family) who ran a sticker campaign to get on the ballot to challenge State Attorney General Martha "The Wicked Witch" Coakley, who was crushed in the Senate race last winter by the heroic Scott Brown. Coakley was left ripe for being removed from office altogether, but the pathetically inept Massachusetts Republican Party failed to field a candidate against her. Yet now against all expectations Coakley has a challenger after all, proof that once again the Fells Acres Curse is still relentlessly pursuing justice.

Overall turnout sucked. In Springfield and Holyoke a measley 11% voted, leaving it a mystery how the other 89% felt. Democracy has essentially collapsed in those communities, which are now run almost entirely by corrupt political machines. Here are the candidates I endorsed, and the voter's mostly foolish choices, with an analysis of what went right or wrong.

2nd Congressional District

Dr. Jay Fleitman



Dr. Fleitman was defeated by Tom Wesley (above) despite winning in most of the district's largest cities. However, the good Doctor was no match for Wesley's landslide victories in the small towns in the eastern part of the district. Actually that was how Scott Brown was able to carry the district back in January, and reveals the probable path to victory for Wesley in November - let Neal carry the big city machines and then cream him in the suburbs. But first the disappointed supporters of the Doctor must quickly climb aboard the Wesley campaign. Sour grapes divisions are an unaffordable luxury in this noble quest to - as Wesley puts it in his campaign signs - Repeal Neal. Now is the time to unite and move forward.

State Treasurer

Stephen J. Murphy



In this worthless race between the evil political boss Steve Grossman (the winner above) and Boston hack Murphy there could be no victory for the public - any way you look at it neither candidate deserves the office. Karyn Polito is the only credible contender.

State Auditor

Kamal Jain and Michael E. Lake



I believe libertarian Republican Kamal Jain (above) was the better candidate, but alas he had no money to get out his message. However the woman who beat him, Mary Z. Connaughton, is still far superior to the unqualified career politician chosen by the Democrats, Suzanne Bump. The Auditor's race is probably the Republican party's best chance at winning a statewide office this year.

Hampden County District Attorney

Jim Goodhines



I said that Goodhines(above) deserved to win by a landslide margin, but instead he ended up finishing dead last in a field of five. What happened? Hard to say, but my impression is that many voters identified Goodhines with the regime of retiring D.A. Bill Bennett, which was not a plus in this anti-establishment year. The winner was the ethically challenged Steve Buoniconti, who reformers from across the political spectrum must now do everything possible to block. Finishing a distant third was Albano era flunkie Michael Kogut - and somewhere in heaven Gerry Daniele is smiling.

Hampshire/Franklin District Attorney

David Sullivan



My guy won, but who cares? This was the dullest, most over-rated race of the primary season.

State Senate Hampden District

Kenneth G. Condon and Susan Dawson



Condon (above) was narrowly defeated by Agawam's Bob Magovern, who is still a much better choice than Democrat contender James Welch, who has failed to distinguish himself in any way during his time as a state representative. Why perpetuate the incompetence?

2nd Hampden House District

Enrico “Jack” Villamaino



I was shocked when voters failed to elect Villamaino (above with Scott Brown) but the woman who defeated him, Marie Angelides, comes with the highest recommendations and deserves to win in November against the do-nothing incumbent Ashe.

Third Hampden House District

Mark A. Del Negro



With a face that could stop a clock, incumbent Rosemary Sandlin (above with the shady Buoniconti) has been a disappointment in every way. It's a mystery how challenger Del Negro could have lost.

6th Hampden House District

Dean C. Vogel



It's a shame that a candidate of Vogel's high caliber was defeated, but winner Gregory Neffinger is more than qualified to go on to victory in November.

9th Hampden House District

Sean F. Curran



Hey, if Curran couldn't win against a convicted felon, who could he beat?

Well, moving on from politics here's a local example of truth in advertising.



The other day I visited the site of the old Mount Tom Ski Resort in Holyoke that closed in 1998. Today the former ski slope is all overgrown.



Here are the ruins of the resort as seen from the top of the slope.



Over the dozen years the resort has been closed all of the buildings have been vandalized. This swimming pool was installed in a futile attempt to keep the resort alive by having facilities that could be open in the summer.



Some of the vandals were conspiracy theorists.



Speaking of the towers, Saturday was the day known by everyone simply as 9/11. A solemn vigil was held in front of Memorial Hall at UMass.



As usual, the town of Amherst made an ass of itself with a silly controversy over whether to fly flags today. Meanwhile the UMass Republican and Democrat Clubs united to turn the "Gossip Wall" (where students sit gossiping each day at lunch) into a sea of flags.



In Northampton there was a display of chalk art on the sidewalks downtown. Included was this flag tribute.



A very artistic dragon.



And this being Northampton, not everyone used the chalk in service to art.



Northampton multi-media artist Dann Vazquez has released this video featuring a variety of Hamp bands.

Neal in Danger

District Goes Republican



Among the more interesting statistics to emerge from the January 19th special election in Massachusetts is that the cities and towns making up the congressional district of Congressman Richard Neal went for Republican Scott Brown over Democrat Martha Coakley by a eye-popping margin of 57 versus 42 percent. In fact every single community in Neal's district went for Brown except Northampton, Springfield and the town of Hadley. This map shows the general shape of Neal's district and the election results, revealing the three lonely Democrat wins (in blue) amidst a sea of Republican red:



The Democrats have held the seat since 1949, and Neal himself has held it since 1989, repeatedly re-elected with no opposition from the Republican Party since 1996. However, this year the winds of change are blowing in the 2nd District, just as they are in the state and the nation. The surprise Republican triumph last week in Neal's district has got to be encouraging news to Neal's two GOP challengers, Northampton's Dr. Jay Fleitman and Tom Wesley of Hopedale. Just a few weeks ago, Neal's challengers looked like a couple of likely losers fighting over a booby prize. But now with Scott Brown's demonstrated ability to inspire the district to vote Republican, the GOP nomination looks increasingly like a stepping stone to Congress for someone who runs a Brown-style campaign. Indeed, Neal's long and unchallenged incumbency, usually an asset, now looks like it may make him a rich target in this revolutionary political climate where dumping the establishment status-quo appears to be a top priority of the electorate.



Indeed, the sudden increase in the value of the Republican nomination in the 2nd District has increased speculation that a Republican heavyweight may be tempted to join the fray, such as former GOP State Senator Brian Lees (above). In 1986 Lees ran for the 2nd District congressional seat and lost, but if he still harbors any ambitions for congress, what better time to run than now? There is even some speculation that Neal may ultimately be challenged by someone from within his own party, a fresh face that could help protect the seat from an anti-establishment campaign and thereby hold the seat for the Democrats. Stay tuned, this race is getting interesting.

Nazis for Martha

I don't know of any liberal Democrats who were quite as upset about Scott Brown's victory as Adolph Hitler:



Hampenings

Cool grill in a Northampton parking lot.



I have no idea what this Hamp protester is protesting, and he seemed unable to explain it to me.



A snowman melting to death on a Northampton bench.



Today's Music Video

Who's that casting devious stares in my direction?

Endorsements

And Predictions



Oh no, don't tell me we've slithered around to another local election! Well, I guess I must do my duty and advise you how to vote. Not that I expect you to follow my advice, I certainly don't allow anyone to tell me how to cast my ballot and neither should you. However if you're a wiseass like me who spends the whole campaign season pretending to be some kind of ultra-informed pundit, then I think I owe it to you, dear readers, at the end of the process to give you my frank opinion of who I perceive as being the best (and worst) candidates and who I think will win. Of course the voters may end up making me look like a fool at the polls tomorrow if my preditions turn out wrong and my appraisals incorrect, but that won't bother me. You don't play this game as long as I have without developing the hide of a rhinocerous.

Let's start with the Springfield Mayor's race:

Dominic Sarno

The long awaited arrival of ward representation in Springfield has turned out to be something of a dud, at least in the short term. Of course it didn't help that for at least three decades the corrupt Democrat Party machine in Springfield, afraid of talent and hateful towards idealism, systematically drove out of town nearly everyone who wasn't a criminal or a hack. Now the talent pool is so thin that when ward representation finally arrived to water down the power of the political establishment, there really were hardly any good activists left still living in town to vote for. Yet, it is crucially important that the few decent candidates win.

Unfortunately, at the top of the ticket there are no decent candidates. There are instead Dom Sarno and Bud Williams, with Sarno being the least undesirable. Ironically, less than a year ago voters were anxious to punish Sarno for doing a bait and switch job on the city's hated trash fee, which Sarno used to dupe voters into foolishly choosing him over the sainted Charles V. Ryan. However, if the only alternative is Williams, then voters would only punish themselves by dumping Sarno.

I like Bud Williams, but he has no business running for mayor. In fact if elected he wouldn't even really be mayor, the real power behind the throne would be his best friend and controversial deal maker Frederic Hurst. Both Williams and Hurst were shameless servants of Mike Albano during his reign of incompetence and corruption, and they have long associations with some of the shadiest characters in town. You don't want to find out who shows up in City Hall once Williams and Hurst are in charge. Therefore, the wisest voters will put a clothespin on their nose and vote for Sarno.

Fortunately there are some good candidates to choose further down the ballot. Fiscal conservative Tim Rooke deserves a return to the City Council, and would have able allies by his side if Pine Point's John Lysak and former Councilor Carol Caulton were elected as well. Dynamic School Commitee member Antonette Pepe deserves re-election as does Chris Collins. Joe Flebotte (below) MUST defeat Albano stooge Peter Murphy.



Predictions - Voters re-elect Sarno, but without enthusiasm as Williams gets a depressingly high percentage even as he loses. The councilor and school committee candidates I chose will all win despite being saddled with my endorsement.

Next let's look at the mayor's race in Northampton:

M. Clare Higgins

It's odd how hotly contested this race is, since it is between two big government liberals with no known differences on any significant issue. With no issues to disagree on, the race had no place to go but to become very personal. The real challenge to whoever wins the mayoralty is to try and reunite the city after so much hard feelings on both sides.

Simply put, challenger Mike Bardsley hasn't made a compelling case to remove incumbent Clare Higgins. She may have suffered a little from the hubris that comes from holding an office for a longtime, but her second place finish in the primary was a sufficient wake up call. There are big budget cuts coming at the end of this fiscal year, and Northampton will need a seasoned pro like Clare in charge to squeeze the pennies. Higgins was a clear underdog two weeks ago, but indications are that she's surging in the homestretch.

Prediction: It's Mary Clare in a squeaker. Dave Narkowicz takes one of the at-large seats.

Turning to the World Wrestling Federation, um...I mean Agawam politics:



Despite occasionally keeping bad company (see above) I endorse Richard Cohen for Mayor of Agawam. It's not like I have much choice. His challenger, once perceived as an appealing fresh face, has turned out to be Anthony Ardolino without the smarts. There are some high profile write-in candidates also running, but it is impossible to win on a write-in campaign. Cohen, a competent mayor who was thrown out for boring the voters to death, now looks like dynamic leadership in light of the scandal plagued current mayor and the painfully inexperienced kid trying to succeed her.

Prediction; Plodding virtue triumphs over reckless youth as Cohen takes it in a landslide.

Rand Rising

Here's a good three minute video explaining how "Ayn Rand is proving to be even more influential in the 21st century than she was in the 20th."



Paglia Slams Media

Feminist philosopher and literary critic Camille Paglia recently made some insightful comments:



I have been deeply impressed by the citizen outrage that spilled out into town hall meetings this year. And I remain shocked at the priggish derision of the mainstream media (locked in their urban enclaves) toward those events. This was a moving spectacle of grassroots American democracy in action. Aggrieved voters have a perfect right to shout at their incompetent and irresponsible representatives. American citizens are under no duty whatever to sit in reverent silence to be fed propaganda and half-truths.

The mainstream media's failure to honestly cover last month's mass demonstration in Washington, D.C. was a disgrace. The focus on anti-Obama placards (which were no worse than the rabid anti-LBJ, anti-Reagan or anti-Bush placards of leftist protests), combined with the grotesque attempt to equate criticism of Obama with racism, simply illustrated why the old guard TV networks and major urban daily newspapers are slowly dying. Only a simpleton would believe what they say.

Hamp Hater

As you know everyday I traverse the woodland way into downtown Northampton, which is particularly beautiful this time of year.



However, it takes away from the beauty to stumble upon this.



Actually there seems to have been a rash of hateful graffiti painted around town recently. I wish whoever is behind it would go find someplace else to be an asshole.

Halloween Shots

Iron Horse dude Jim Neill was a work of art for Halloween.




School for the Dead playing in the park.



Northampton ghouls.




Mary Carey captured this gorgeous shot of the Halloween moon rising over the Norwottock Trail.