A number of initiatives begun during Sheila R. Lyons’ first term on the Barnstable County Board of County Commissioners are coming to fruition, and Ms. Lyons is looking for a second term so she can see them through to conclusion.

“We’ve been doing some great things, and we’re in the process of some of these initiatives being realized,” she said. “We’ve put wheels into motion and I would like to see these initiatives through. I do think that there is still a lot to be done.”

Ms. Lyons said that over the past four years, the commissioners have improved transparency by streaming their meetings online and creating a video archive of their meetings; have improved coordination between the Barnstable County Human Services Department, county officials, and individual human service providers across the region; and established the Regional Umbrella Services System (RUSS), which will explore regional applications for the OpenCape broadband network, which is scheduled to be fully active in January.

She added that the county has taken positive steps toward addressing what is shaping up to be the biggest issue in the coming decade: wastewater management.

“We’ve wasted 15 years just kicking this around,” she said, and the threat of a lawsuit by the Conservation Law Foundation and the Buzzards Bay Coalition is emphasizing the county’s need to have a comprehensive wastewater management plan. “Wastewater is indeed the biggest economic and environmental issue on the Cape, and if we don’t deal with it, we’re going to use everything.”

In February, the commissioners charged Andrew Gottlieb and Paul J. Niedzwiecki, respectively the executive directors of the Cape Cod Water Protection Collaborative and the Cape Cod Commission, with exploring a regional management plan, which is scheduled to be submitted by the end of the year.

She said she hopes to see a plan that “doesn’t penalize anyone who has done the work” at the local level and proposes solutions entailing “the least amount of infrastructure, with a savings to the taxpayer.”

Ms. Lyons stated that, despite claims from critics and one of her opponents, Eric R. Steinhilber, she was not in favor of a “wastewater authority” with taxation powers — one of the changes recommended earlier this year by the Special Commission on County Governance.

“Nobody has ever voted for it or called for a wastewater authority,” among the county commissioners or the assembly, she said, and the report itself called for the creation of a regional “wastewater district” and “fair, broad-based funding mechanisms” to support that entity.

Commission co-chairman Robert A. O’Leary suggested taxation on property owners as a way to generate revenue for the district, and Ms. Lyons interpreted that as his effort to “emphasize the seriousness of this” and a challenge to county officials to “have the political courage” to pursue the option if they determined it was necessary.

However, Ms. Lyons said the commissioners have heard significant opposition to a tax-funded regional authority from town officials across the Cape, and she considers the proposal dead.

If funding is necessary to support whatever approach the county adopts, that is all the more reason for the county to develop a comprehensive plan. She pointed to the OpenCape project as an example of how a strong plan can leverage federal funding, noting that the plan was unveiled in 2006, and between 2008 and 2010 received a total of $37 million in state and federal funding to make it a reality.

“That’s what you get when you have a plan,” she said. “That’s why you plan.”

New County Structure

“We need to have some structural changes within the county,” she said, and one of the changes she wants to pursue is “a strong administrator” with executive powers, another recommendation by the Special Commission on County Governance.

By creating a “county executive” position, Ms. Lyons said Cape Cod would gain someone who could truly champion county government and its mission to provide economic, efficient services to all 15 towns.

Creating such a post would require shifting certain executive powers from the county commissioners to the county executive, she said, and separating out peripheral duties currently handled by the county administrator and assistant administrator. The administrator also acts as the county’s finance director, and the assistant administrator serves as administrator for the Cape Light Compact.

“These are too many jobs for too few people,” she said, “and for anything to get done well, you need someone that’s much more pro-active in interacting with departments, out there looking for those grant opportunities.”

Ms. Lyons was also supportive of a new proposal from the assembly to create a county finance director who would be solely responsible for monitoring the county’s revenue and expenditures, and she proposed forming a joint county commissioners/assembly subcommittee to explore the idea.

Once the county executive issue is addressed, the commissioners could then better determine whether it was necessary to act on another of the special commission’s suggestions: combining the county commissioners and the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates.

Under the special commission’s plan, the three-member board of county commissioners would be expanded to seven members, five of whom would represent specific districts, two of whom would be at-large members representing the entire region.

While open to the idea, Ms. Lyons said there are “constitutional questions” whether representation by geography rather than population is allowable, referring to criticism from the smaller Lower Cape towns that they do not have a strong voice in county government.

When the assembly was created in 1998, constitutional “one man, one vote” requirements led to the assembly’s weighted vote system, which gives larger towns such as Barnstable and Falmouth more influence on votes that the Lower Cape towns, some of which have less than two percent of the total vote.

She added she understood the concept of having county commissioners represent specific districts, but said that in running a county-wide campaign, “as difficult as it is, I had a much better understanding of Cape Cod because I ran a 15-town campaign. I spent time getting to know not only the elected officials in those towns but the individual voter, and I could start to see where each town has similarities and differences culturally, politically, philosophically.”

“If you’re going to govern over the entire land, you need to know the land you’re governing,” Ms. Lyons said.

New County Services?

Ms. Lyons identified two other brewing major projects for the county, the first of which is the proposed purchase of the Dennis-based Aquacultural Research Corporation (ARC), which has been pitched by its current owners as a possible county service.

The candidate said she first became aware of ARC’s interest in becoming a county service six years ago, while Ms. Lyons was still on the assembly, through local shellfisherman who were concerned at the prospect of losing the state’s only commercial shellfish hatchery, which provide the Cape’s 235 shellfish farms with 90 percent of their seed.

The commissioners have held two executive session meetings to discuss the $4 million proposed purchase so Ms. Lyons could not comment in-depth on the matter, but said the county “would be negligent if we did not look at it.”

However, she added that she would not support the idea if the commissioners’ research suggests the business would be “a money pit…I would like for it to be able to pay for itself.”

“We have to have the right plan, the right business plan,” she said. “It’s not like we’re going to be negligent about it just to go forward.”

Ms. Lyons said she planned to exercise similar caution when exploring the concept of establishing a regional emergency dispatch center. The Barnstable County Regional Emergency Planning Committee’s 911 Dispatch Study Steering Committee is currently working on that proposal, and one option on the table is utilizing existing infrastructure and personnel at the Barnstable County Sheriff’s Department’s regional dispatch center.

While she was open to that possibility, Ms. Lyons said she was hesitant to endorse that model due to past issues with the sheriff’s department and its administration of the region’s Centralized Emergency Medical Dispatch (CMED) system.

The Cape and Islands CMED system coordinates communications between four area hospitals and ambulances operating on the Cape and surrounding communities. It also coordinates MedFlight helicopter landings for the Cape.

Ms. Lyons noted that James M. Cummings, county sheriff, has in the past warned of a possible CMED shutdown if he could not obtain funding to support its $450,000 annual operating costs, and she worried that a similar lack of a funding mechanism for a full-fledged county dispatch service could lead to problems down the road.

Ms. Lyons’ official campaign website is www.sheilalyonscapecod.com.

This week Sen. Wolf issued a second endorsement for Mary L. (Pat) Flynn of Falmouth, who, like Ms. Lyons, is running for re-election to the county board.

“Commissioner Flynn has a distinguished record and she has been a driving force in moving the County forward on a number of key issues.” Sen. Wolf said in a press release.  “Mary Pat is not afraid to take on difficult issues and bring people together to solve challenges…Mary Pat has served us well.”

Kind words, but really, it’s not surprising that Sen. Wolf would support two fellow Democrats.

***

The proposed debate between Falmouth’s Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates candidates Julia C. Taylor and Andrew V. Putnam is officially on.

The two candidates will participate in a debate that will be taped at the FCTV studio, with questions provided by yours truly. Jay Zavala, president of the Falmouth Chamber of Commerce, will moderate.

I mention this is part in the hope that it inspires other assembly candidates to follow suit. Delegates often bemoan the assembly’s lack of visibility, and events like these would be a nice step toward fixing that long-standing problem.

Political news and announcements may be e-mailed to Michael Bailey, senior political reporter, at bailey@capenews.net.

In 2010, Eric R. Steinhilber tried his hand at state politics, running for the open State Senator of the Cape and Islands seat. This year he’s focusing his efforts more locally as he runs for one of two spots on the Barnstable County Board of County Commissioners.

“Bottom line is, I just want to serve the community and be involved, do what I can to help and bring about better solutions,” Mr. Steinhilber said. “I just care a lot about the Cape. I’ve got two little kids now, and I want to make sure the Cape’s just as special for them as it was for me growing up.”

He added that he opted against running again for state senate because the incumbent, State Senator Daniel A. Wolf (D – Harwich), “is a millionaire. I got to work for a living, and sometimes you’re going to have a tough time raising more money than what a millionaire can put into a race.”

Mr. Steinhilber said he would be a proactive commissioner who would “see each side of the issue and come to a solution that I feel is grounded in the principle of doing the most good in the most effective manner with the smallest amount of governor.”

“I think that type of leadership is really needed at the county level right now. I think it’s lacking,” he said.

That lack of leadership is most evident in the county’s handling of the wastewater issue, Mr. Steinhilber said, and he has made that the focus of his campaign.

Although the sitting commissioners, including his two opponents Mary L. (Pat) Flynn and Sheila R. Lyons, have voiced their opposition to a proposed “wastewater authority” with taxation powers, Mr. Steinhilber insisted he was “the only candidate in the race that can be counted 100 percent to be opposed to a taxing authority being created and imposed on the people of Cape Cod.”

“I think the proposal is alive and well. I think it’s still being pushed by a number of individuals,” he said, “and I think it is more likely to come to pass if the incumbent county commissioners remain.”

He said evidence of the sitting commissioners’ openness to the concept can be found in their February vote to charge Andrew Gottlieb and Paul J. Niedzwiecki, respectively the executive directors of the Cape Cod Water Protection Collaborative and the Cape Cod Commission, with exploring the concept, which had been pitched to the commissioners by the Special Commission on County Governance.

“I would have voted not to move the ball even further toward a taxing authority,” Mr. Steinhilber said, adding that by voting on the topic before the special commission had formally filed its final report with the commissioners was proof that “the county commissioners, I felt, couldn’t wait to get their hands on it to vote on it…they were excited to vote for it.”

He said the commissioners, despite their prior opposition, would be likely to accept a new recommendation he expects to emerge from a new task force assembled by the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce — as task force that, like the special commission, is fronted by Robert A. O’Leary.

A task force memo obtained by Mr. Steinhilber noted that the group wants to emphasize “positive messaging during the county commissioners’ election,” and the candidate believed the task force “feels they have a much better chance of getting a taxing authority in place with the two incumbents remaining.”

“I’ve been told by others in county government that this group was formed in direct response to my campaign,” Mr. Steinhilber said, but he declined to name his sources.

Better Communication Needed

Mr. Steinhilber also objected to another proposal by the special commission, to combine the county commissioners and the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates into a single seven-member board with legislative functions. Executive functions now possessed by the county commissioners would be transferred to an appointed county executive.

“You can’t get better government with less representation,” he said, and he expressed admiration for the assembly’s performance, but acknowledged that the delegates — as well as the county commissioners — are not as visible in the community as they should be.

“It’s a communication problem,” Mr. Steinhilber said, and if elected he planned to hold public office hours to create a stronger connection with individual towns.

The candidate did support, conditionally, a proposal by the assembly to create a finance director to keep better control of county finances. Mr. Steinhilber said such an entity was necessary for enhanced transparency, but he thought such a position could be established using existing county personnel and resources.

“I don’t think we should create a brand new position out of whole cloth,” he said. “You can’t keep adding to county government. You need to come up with solutions inside of county government.”

Opposes New County Dispatch

Mr. Steinhilber also wanted to tackle what he regarded as a financial time bomb, the county government’s growing unfunded pension liability. “No one seems to be talking about it,” he said, quoting figures stating that the county’s liability between 2002 and 2010 jumped from $190 million to $475 million.

A report prepared by the Segal Group showed that the unfunded liability was expected to grow by another $25 million between 2010 and 2012, but actually increased by $47 million.

“That’s all on the backs of Cape taxpayers,” Mr. Steinhilber said, and he vowed to take action on that.

He identified another brewing taxpayer expense in the effort to establish a regional 911 emergency dispatch center that served all of the Cape’s police and fire departments. Mr. Steinhilber strongly endorsed the basic concept, but said there was a better way to make the concept reality than creating an all-new regional dispatch center.

“My main concern is that the county doesn’t get into a position where they build a center from the ground up” rather than take advantage of the existing emergency dispatch center run by the Barnstable County Sheriff’s Department — where, notably, Mr. Steinhilber has worked as a reserve deputy.

“We already have a top-notch center that’s run by the county sheriff,” he said, and he noted the sheriff’s department is in the middle of a hardware upgrade and is exploring options for expanding the facility in order to serve more towns.

Local law enforcement department heads have expressed concern over this approach due to the fact the sheriff’s department, and by extension its dispatch center, are state agencies, and they fear losing any local control over the center.

Other Massachusetts counties have established governance boards to keep control of regional dispatch centers at the local level, Mr. Steinhilber said, and Cape Cod could emulate such models.

Mr. Steinhilber said he wanted to address the regulations that deter new businesses from setting up shop on Cape Cod. In speaking with business owners, he said he heard a great deal of frustration due to the sometimes convoluted and multi-layered process of establishing a new business, which included dealing with multiple town boards and, in some cases, the Cape Cod Commission.

“To a lot of them it feels like a constant maze to navigate…it’s tough to get quick decisions,” he said, and he wanted to constantly review regulations to make local and regional review processes more streamlined and business-friendly.

He doubted that the launch of the OpenCape regional fiber optic broadband network would prove a potential boon to businesses. “I don’t necessarily know if OpenCape going to be a big part of that. I don’t think people are not opening a business because they don’t have access to the Internet,” he said. “Call Comcast to get the Internet.”

Mr. Steinhilber said he was undecided whether to support the county’s possible purchase of the Dennis-based Aquacultural Research Corporation (ARC), which has been pitched by its current owners as a possible county service. While supportive of the local shellfishing industry, Mr. Steinhilber said he was wary of the $4 million suggested purchase price.

He proposed forming a county subcommittee to review the finances of the business and the proposal to determine if it would be a worthy return on the county’s investment.

For more information on the candidate, visit Mr. Steinhilber’s official campaign website at www.ericforcc.com.

State Senator Daniel A. Wolf (D – Harwich) has issued an endorsement for the Barnstable County Board of County Commissioners race, and he is backing his one-time rival Sheila R. Lyons of Wellfleet.

“Sheila Lyons is a leader for Barnstable County who is not afraid to take on difficult issues and bring people together to solve challenges,” Sen. Wolf said in a press release. “From broadband internet access to wastewater, Sheila has worked hard for the last four years. Sheila has served us well and I’m proud to support her.”

Sen. Wolf and Ms. Lyons squared off in 2010 for the Democratic nomination in the state senate race.

Ms. Lyons also received an endorsement from Congressman William R. Keating (D), who said, “Sheila has tackled the issues affecting the Cape head on.  I support Sheila in her re-election campaign and look forward to continuing to work with her in the future.”

***

Andrew V. Putnam of Falmouth, candidate for the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates, has put together a campaign ad you can check out online at YouTube:

The candidate is holding a pair of meet-and-greets next week. On Thursday, October 18, Mr. Putnam will be at Betsy’s Diner on Main Street in Falmouth from 7 to 9 AM, and at Liam Maguire’s, also on Main Street, from 5 to 7 PM.

Finally, Mr. Putnam is calling for an open debate this month with his opponent, the incumbent delegate Julia C. Taylor. Mr. Putnam announced on Monday that Ms. Taylor had accepted, and they are working on a date, time, and location for what may be the first-ever dedicated debate between two assembly candidates.

I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to someone treating the assembly race like a real political campaign. It’s so weird!

***

Mark your calendars for Wednesday, October 17 and get ready to meet the candidates who are running to represent Sandwich in the Legislature.

The League of Women Voters of the Cape Cod Area is co-sponsoring a candidates’ forum at Sandwich High School that night, and the guest list includes Senate President Therese M. Murray (D – Plymouth) and State Representative Randy Hunt (R – Sandwich), and their respective opponents, Thomas F. Keyes of Sandwich and R. Patrick Ellis of Sandwich.

Rep. Hunt and Mr. Ellis will face off at 6:30 PM, and Sen. Murray and Mr. Keyes will square off at 8 PM. The event is open to the public.

After that, the League of Women Voters of Falmouth will hold its candidates’ night on Wednesday, October 24 at the Morse Pond School in Falmouth. That begins at 7 PM. The final roster of invited candidates has not been announced.

***

Speaking of Mr. Keyes, his next fundraiser is next Sunday, October 21 at the Aqua Grille on Gallo Road, Sandwich. Former US Attorney Michael Sullivan is the evening’s special guest.

The Oktoberfest-themed event runs from 5 to 7 PM and is $35 per person or $50 per couple. Tickets will be available at the door or in advance by calling 774-208-3480.

***

Quickie endorsement time. Christopher Sheldon, Republican candidate for US Representative of the Ninth District, recently received the endorsement of the Wholesaler-Distributor Political Action Committee of the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors.

Political news and announcements may be e-mailed to Michael Bailey, senior political reporter, at bailey@capenews.net.

“Sheila Lyons is a leader for Barnstable County who is not afraid to take on difficult issues and bring people together to solve challenges,” Sen. Wolf said in a press release. “From broadband internet access to wastewater, Sheila has worked hard for the last four years. Sheila has served us well and I’m proud to support her.”

Sen. Wolf and Ms. Lyons squared off in 2010 for the Democratic nomination in the state senate race.

***

Andrew V. Putnam, candidate for the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates, has put together a campaign ad you can check out online at YouTube:

On another note, Mr. Putnam is calling for an open debate this month with his opponent, the incumbent delegate Julia C. Taylor. No word on whether she’s accepted.

I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to someone treating the assembly race like a real political campaign. It’s so weird!

Political news and announcements may be e-mailed to Michael Bailey, senior political reporter, at bailey@capenews.net.

When Mary L. (Pat) Flynn of Falmouth first ran for the Barnstable County Board of County Commissioners in 2008, she knew she did not want to be a one-term wonder.

“It’s one thing to go the first round, but I don’t think anyone should ever into it thinking they’re only going to be there for one term,” Ms. Flynn said. “It’s pretty difficult when you’re elected to a position or an office that people have never heard of before — and that was as vague as the county seemed to be to a lot of people — so it doesn’t make any sense not to work at it.”

Ms. Flynn reflected on her first term and its ups and downs, starting with an annual budget creation process that she said has improved considerably since she first took office.

That improvement, she said, was the result of bringing delegates in while the commissioners worked on the budget, which involved meeting with County Administrator E. Mark Zielinski and various department heads. Previous budget processes had the commissioners and assembly working separately, which resulted in conflicting priorities.

“I invited [the assembly] to come to our meetings,” Ms. Flynn said, and several members of the assembly accepted the offer. “I think that really helped…transparency and working together makes a big difference.”

Ms. Flynn admitted that the county did not handle as well one of the thornier region-wide issues of the past few years, a public outcry against the Cape Light Compact and the Cape and Vineyard Electric Cooperative (CVEC). “It could have been done a lot better,” she said.

Starting in March 2011, a number of residents began attending the commissioners’ meetings on a regular basis to air concerns that the CLC and CVEC were not conducting their business in a transparent manner, particularly when it came to their finances and operational practices.

For several months the commissioners entertained public comment but did not act on the residents’ requests for a formal inquiry. Eventually the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates took up that effort.

“It was hard to know what it was all about,” Ms. Flynn said. “We had to have it explained to us too, and that probably didn’t help. If we had been more informed in the very beginning, if we had gone out and done our homework when [the residents] first came there, it could have been handled better.”

An equally controversial but, in Ms. Flynn’s opinion, more productive debate arose from a set of recommendations submitted to the county by the Special Commission on County Governance. Formed at the behest of the commissioners but operating independently of county government, the commission was charged with examining the current county structure and operations.

Ms. Flynn did not serve on that commission but attended several meetings “because it’s so important to hear that dialog. It’s one thing to see it on a piece of paper…but to actually be there and listen to the dialog back and forth was very helpful.”

The two hottest topics to arise out of that process: a restructuring of county government to eliminate the assembly and expand the board of county commissioners from three members to seven, who would serve in more on a legislative capacity while administrative matters would be handled by a county executive; and the creation of a regional wastewater authority with taxation authority to oversee wastewater management.

“I’m committed to pursuing the changes,” Ms. Flynn said, although she was quick to point out that she did not support the wastewater authority concept, reiterating an opinion shared and expressed by the other commissioners and Andrew Gottlieb, executive director of the Cape Cod Water Protection Collaborative, at a July meeting.

Ms. Flynn viewed the county’s role is addressing wastewater management as an advisory one, and perhaps to help find state or federal funding for local and regional water management projects.

She further expected that the commissioners would keep their eyes on a possible lawsuit against the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In 2010, the Conservation Law Foundation and Buzzards Bay Coalition submitted a letter of intent, the first step toward filing a lawsuit, alleging the EPA had failed to meet its obligations under the federal Clean Water Act to control nitrogen loading in the Cape’s coastal embayments. The county commissioners and the commission were also named in that letter.

Since the filing of the letter of intent, the county has tucked away money in the event the lawsuit goes forward. The EPA has filed a motion in federal court to dismiss the case.

Exploring Changes

As for the changes to county government’s structure, Ms. Flynn said the commissioners need to continue their discussions with the assembly, which has so far expressed strong opposition to the notion of blending the two government bodies into one, often citing the loss of a direct representative to the county for each individual town.

“This is an exploration,” she said. “It’s really trying to work this out, and I think [the delegates] have as much of a responsibility to think about how county government works and how it can work better as we do. They can’t just say, ‘We like everything the way it is,’ and that’s the end of it. They have a good reason to become involved in the dialog.”

Specific recommendations aside, Mr. Flynn said the special commission review brought renewed attention to the county’s potential in providing services to towns, perhaps even “some things that the state does now.”

“I think that’s a little ambitious,” Ms. Flynn admitted, “but I think we’ve just scratched the surface of what regional opportunities there are, and the value that those efforts have for the towns. There’s real value to the towns in what the county can do.”

Ms. Flynn noted that her extensive experience in town government, which includes two runs as a selectman (1993 to 2002 and 2007 to present), gives her an insight into the relationship between the county and towns unique among this year’s slate of candidates.

The coming year will provide the Cape with numerous opportunities for regionalized services through OpenCape, the Barnstable County-wide broadband network that is scheduled to be fully active in January 2013.

The county is already preparing to offer “e-permitting” services through town websites, which would allow resident to obtain municipal permits, licenses, and inspection services online, and Ms. Flynn said assessing and certain public health functions could be added down the road.

The commissioners will, probably after the New Year Ms. Flynn said, start taking a hard look at a possible new regional service in the form of a takeover of the Aquacultural Research Corporation (ARC), the state’s only commercial shellfish hatchery and the business that provides 90 percent of the Cape’s 235 shellfish farms with seed according to William Clark, director of the Cape Cod Cooperative Extension.

In July, Mr. Clark made a pitch to the assembly to buy the Dennis business and contract its operations back to the current owners. The $4 million transaction would be funded through an increase to recreational and commercial shellfish licenses.

Ms. Flynn flatly denied claims that this project was a done deal, and indicated that the commissioners has to first explore several issues that could decide whether this transaction is in the best interests of the county.

“We have to have a clear understanding of what the owners want,” she said, and from there get an appraisal of the property, which is 40 acres in a residential zone right on the beach, which would require an environmental assessment; and then get an idea of the cost of refurbishing the buildings on the site in an environmentally sensitive manner; and then come up with a detailed business plan.

“Definitely, we are looking at it. We’re not just turning away from it and saying no, because we recognize the importance of that resource,” Ms. Flynn said, “but we need more information before we have a discussion.”

If the name sounds familiar, he is running as a Democrat for State Senator of the Plymouth and Barnstable District, i.e., Senate President Therese M. Murray’s (D – Plymouth) district — and if sounds only vaguely familiar, it’s because he’s been running such a low-key campaign it’s almost subliminal.

Last week I came across what I guess you could call a website. It’s a single page featuring a Sears Portrait Studio-quality shot of the candidate and some brief text that bemoans “tax and spend” government, but provides absolutely no insight to the candidate’s stance on the issues or ideas.

If you’re bored and want to waste a couple minutes – literally, it’ll take you no more than two minutes to read the whole thing – go to http://stephenmichaelpalmer.com.

***

From the Ouch! That Stings! Department: State Representative Demetrius J. Atsalis (D – Barnstable) last week received an endorsement from former fellow state rep Marie Parente. This is noteworthy because Rep. Atsalis’s primary opponent, Brian R. Mannal, use to work for Ms. Parente.

Ah, but Mr. Mannal acted quickly to undermine the value of his former boss’s thumb’s up. In a press release he pointed out that after she left office, Ms. Parente tried (and failed) to goose her state pension by factoring in the value of her State House parking pass and her per diem (given to legislators to cover travel, meal, and lodging expenses).

Mr. Mannal also notes that Ms. Parente is entangled in the ongoing investigation into the probation department brouhaha, and pushed a relative for a gig with the department.

As an added note: big kudos to Mr. Mannal for annotating his press release with references to sources that support every one of his claims. First time I have ever seen such a thing. I dig it.

***

Ah, the magic of deadlines, that thing that can make current news look like old news.

Last week’s column listed the three men who were interested in serving as Thomas K. Lynch’s successor on the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates and noted that one of them would be appointed to the vacancy soon. Since I file the columns on Wednesdays, by the time it saw print on Fridays (in most editions), “soon” was out-of-date by one day.

Last Thursday the Barnstable Town Council appointed Patrick Princi to fill the vacancy until the end of the year. Mr. Princi, a parole officer in the Falmouth District Court and current member of the Barnstable Planning Board, was chosen in a 10-to-two vote over J. Gregory Milne, who received the other two votes, and Terry T. Duenas.

All three men have taken out nomination papers for the seat, but Mr. Princi’s appointment gives him an edge in the November election since he’ll have a modicum of first-hand experience and a bit of name recognition.

Political news and announcements may be e-mailed to Michael Bailey, senior political reporter, at bailey@capenews.net.

The de facto incumbent, Congressman William R. Keating (D) faced off against C. Samuel Sutter, Bristol County district attorney, on a live NECN debate with Jim Braude serving as moderator. Over the course of about 22 minutes, the two candidates traded ideas on major issues and some in-our-own-backyard concerns.

First, I’ll recap the predictable Democratic Party-approved lip-service: cut military spending! Troops home now! Tax the rich! Create jobs! Reach across the aisle and hug a Republican!

Now, onto the good stuff. Cape Wind came up early on. Mr. Sutter offered the “right idea, wrong location” sound bite and with a metaphorical “Whatcha gonna do?” shrug said the thing was a done deal, so time to suck it up, cupcake. Rep. Keating spun his previous opposition to the project as “concern” over its chosen site, but said the prospect of jobs for Cape Cod and a step toward breaking the nation’s dependence on foreign oil (another Democratic oldie but goodie) outweighed the project’s siting-related drawbacks.

Controversial Energy Facility Chat Number Two was about Pilgrim Nuclear in Plymouth. Mr. Sutter claimed Rep. Keating was dead silent on the issue of the plant’s re-licensing until he criticized said silence earlier this year, but Rep. Keating said he visited Pilgrim during his first month in office, and co-sponsored H.R. 1242, The Nuclear Power Plant Safety Act.

Rep. Keating boasted about his job creation successes and specifically highlighted $540,000 in federal funding he secured for Falmouth Hospital and money that trickled down to the Falmouth Fire Rescue Department, all of which saved jobs. Mr. Sutter berated the Congressman for coming in “at the last minute” and taking credit for his “small roll” in securing that money, which had been “in the works” for years.

I know it’s traditional for pundits to name a winner and a loser in debates, but neither man really shined or tanked. It was a rather tepid discussion with a few jabs but no knockout punches.

Go to www.necn.com to view the full debate video.

***

We should soon know who will be Barnstable’s new representative for the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates — and, in all likelihood, that town’s candidate-to-beat for the November election.

Last week I reported that Terry Duenas, executive director of the Cape Cod Community Media Center, and Patrick Princi, chairman of the Barnstable Democratic Town Committee, had filed letters of interest with the Barnstable Town Council, which will choose one of the two men to replace former delegate Thomas K. Lynch.

J. Gregory Milne, former town councilor and two-time candidate for the Barnstable County Board of County Commissioners (2002 and 2008), also submitted a letter of interest just before the July 3 deadline.

On a related note, Ronald R. Beaty Jr. of West Barnstable has withdrawn his candidacy for the assembly and is now running for…nothing. He previously planned to run for the Barnstable County Board of County Commissioners, then entertained the notion of running for both the board of commissioners and the assembly, then dropped his county commissioner run.

***

State Representative Randy Hunt (R – Sandwich) is hosting a golf day campaign fundraiser in Sandwich. The event is scheduled for Monday, September 17 with a 1 PM shotgun start, and will be held at the Ridge Club in Sandwich. A reception follows at 5 PM.

Further details are pending, just to keep you all in suspense. Go to www.electrandyhunt.com for additional info as it becomes available.

Political news and announcements may be e-mailed to Michael Bailey, senior political reporter, at bailey@capenews.net.

It looks like two men are putting their names in for consideration as Barnstable’s new representative for the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates.

Information released by the Barnstable Town Council’s office stated that Terry Duenas, executive director of the Cape Cod Community Media Center, and Patrick Princi, chairman of the Barnstable Democratic Town Committee, have filed letters of interest with the council, which will choose one of the two men to replace former delegate Thomas K. Lynch. Mr. Lynch had to resign from the assembly when he was appointed as Barnstable’s new town manager.

Whoever is appointed to the assembly would have the advantage should he decide to run for the post in November. Even though he would serve only three months or so until the election, that could be enough for such a low-profile race to leverage the “incumbent’s advantage.”

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Sandwich hosted dueling Senators over the past week, as Democrat Elizabeth Warren swung through town last week for the opening of the Sandwich Democratic Campaign Office – and give some face time to state representative candidate R. Patrick Ellis – and yesterday US Senator Scott P. Brown had a joint meet-and-greet with Mr. Ellis’s opponent, State Representative Randy Hunt (R – Sandwich) at Two Brothers Pizza & Mexican Restaurant.

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By the time you read this, Congressman William R. Keating (D) and his Democratic primary opponent C. Samuel Sutter will have wrapped up their first debate. The two met on NECN’s “Broadside” with Jim Braude, and I’ll have some thoughts on that next week.

Political news and announcements may be e-mailed to Michael Bailey, senior political reporter, at bailey@capenews.net.

I’d attach a picture of Stephen M. Palmer of Plymouth to this column, but I can’t find one. Nor can I find out anything about this guy, who is allegedly running against Senate President Therese M. Murray (D – Plymouth) in the Democratic primary.

I say “allegedly” because so far all anyone knows about the guy is his name. Town clerks in Bourne, Falmouth, and Sandwich, which fall within the Plymouth and Barnstable District, reported receiving nomination papers from the fellow, and he’s been mentioned in a few other media outlets as a candidate, but he has no Internet fingerprint and has yet to pop up on the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance database.

It’s looking like Mr. Palmer might belong to that rare species of candidate, the guy who goes through all the steps of getting on the ballot but never actually running.

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On a similar note, it looks like Peter A. White of Mashpee is ending his campaign for Congress. He’ll instead focus his energy on supporting Green-Rainbow Party candidate Dr. Jill E. Stein.

In addition to citing family obligations, Mr. White — as he did when he dropped out of the 2010 Congressional race — implied the fault for his withdrawal lay with voters who did not rally to his side. “People are being herded into the Wall Street Empire’s two-party crap trap once again,” he said, “so what’s an activist for democratic social change to do?”

Let’s call a spade a spade here: Mr. White is your standard angry-at-the-system one-note candidate. He hates big business, he hates big oil, he hates the war, and he hates the current government system, and never have his press releases strayed from those specific bones of contention.

Not that any of these concerns are without merit, but when your every statement is a verbal fist-shake at your chosen pet peeves, why should any voter believe you’d dedicate any energy to issues outside such a limited area of focus? Or even be fit to handle the dry nuts-and-bolts responsibilities of the job?

Righteous indignation, now matter how justified, is not the most important qualification for elected office.

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Readers might recall that some time ago, I offered a similar criticism of Ronald R. Beaty Jr., candidate for the Barnstable seat on the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates.

Well, it appears he took that critique seriously and could be withdrawing from the race.

“I have been giving quite a bit of thought to your [comments] regarding the expected vacant Barnstable seat on the county assembly,” Mr. Beaty wrote to me in an e-mail. “The more I reflect upon it, the more you seem to be right on this particular matter…perhaps the time has finally come for me to let other Cape citizens discuss, debate, and fight over the current issues involving county government on Cape Cod.”

“Perhaps I should just completely remove myself from the equation all together,” he wrote. “I am sure that eventually other more qualified individuals will step forward to do what needs to be done.”

I maintain that it is always in the best interests of the voters to have a choice in candidates, and competition forces candidates to work a little harder to prove they have the best ideas. I also believe that if a given candidate is in a race to grind an ax and has no interest in addressing a broader range of issues, they’re not doing voters any favors. Running for any elected office should be about serving the public and not one’s own interests.

(I know, that’s cock-eyed optimism on my part, but a man can dream, can’t he?)

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Andrew V. Putnam of Falmouth, candidate for the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates, is holding his campaign kick-off event on Wednesday at J.R. Brody’s Roadside Tavern in East Falmouth. That runs from 5 to 7 PM and it’s an open-invitation shindig, so drop on in after work.

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Finally, R. Patrick Ellis, Democratic candidate for State Representative of the Fifth Barnstable District, has launched his official campaign website. Go check it out at www.electpatrickellis.com.

Political news and announcements may be e-mailed to Michael Bailey, senior political reporter, at bailey@capenews.net.