Snark-Infested Waters by Mike Bailey

Snark-Infested Waters by Mike Bailey

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Posts Tagged ‘Barnstable County commissioners’

The Week In Politics – May 11, 2012

Friday, May 11th, 2012

In last week’s rundown of the candidates for district and county offices, I omitted the race for governor’s council of the first district for space reasons. Let’s cover that now.

Not surprisingly, voters are looking at a possible repeat of the 2010 election, when brothers Oliver P. and Charles O. Cipollini, of Marstons Mills and Fall River respectively, ran against each other – by which I mean, they were both candidates and they campaigned, but Charles kept telling voters to support Oliver.

Charles won the election and, like last year, has no primary opponent. Oliver, however, will face off in September against fellow Democrats Walter Moniz of New Bedford and Nicholas D. Bernier of Swansea.

My theory, Cynical Version, is that the general election will come down to Charles and Mr. Bernier, because voters don’t know squat about any of the candidates and will simply vote for whoever appears at the top of the ballot, and “Bernier” comes before “Cipollini.”

My other theory, the Non-Cynical Version, is that Charles will probably square off against Mr. Moniz, who ran in 2010 and got his 2012 campaign ramped up nice and early.

Either way, both those scenarios would better serve the voters than another non-campaign featuring the Not Even Remotely Fighting Cipollini Brothers.

***

The campaign events calendar is looking pretty thin all around, except for Sandwich Republican Thomas F. Keyes, who has a slew of events scheduled for this month and next.

Among the upcoming local events for the state senate candidate: house parties at the homes of Beverly Comeau in Sandwich (May 18), Frank and Andi Keohane in Falmouth (May 30), Ted and Sylvia Wahl in Sandwich (June 3); a reception with Mary Z. Connaughton, former Republican candidate for state auditor, at the Nimrod in Falmouth (June 18); a garage sale (seriously, that’s what it says) at the Sagamore home of Alice Zinkevich (June 23); and a meet-and-greet at Ms. Zinkevich’s home (June 26).

Keep up with Mr. Keyes’ campaign events at www.votekeyes.com/events.

***

Sheila R. Lyons, incumbent Barnstable County Commissioner, is preparing to launch her new campaign website. There’s just a placeholder page there now, but I’ll let you know when the full site is up and running.

One of her opponents, Eric R. Steinhilber, has also launched his campaign website, which already has some content on it.

The third candidate, incumbent Mary L. (Pat) Flynn, does not have a county commissioner-specific website up yet.

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

The Week In Politics – May 4, 2012

Friday, May 4th, 2012

It’s candidate roll call recap time, and things are looking a bit disappointing for the local ballot.

Tuesday marked the deadline for candidates for district and county offices (not including the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates, more on that below) to file their nomination papers with their local registrars of voters, and the final tally is pretty sad: only five of the Cape’s 12 incumbents seeking re-election — two State Senators, six State Representatives, two Barnstable County Commissioners, and two county officers — have challengers in the coming election.

Senate President Therese M. Murray (D – Plymouth) is poised to first face a new (and so far invisible) primary challenger, Democrat Stephen M. Palmer of Plymouth, and the winner of that contest will face Sandwich Republican Thomas F. Keyes. State Representative Demetrius J. Atsalis (D – Barnstable) will take on Centerville Democrat Brian R. Mannal, and whoever prevails will go on to the November general election unopposed.

The other contested local races are State Representative Randy Hunt (R – Sandwich) and Sandwich Democrat R. Patrick Ellis for the Fifth Barnstable District; and Commissioners Mary L. (Pat) Flynn of Falmouth and Sheila R. Lyons of Wellfleet against Eric R. Steinhilber of Barnstable (see below for the latest wrinkle in this race).

There’s a chance this number could dwindle further if, during the nomination paper certification process, any candidate should become disqualified for failing to collect enough valid signatures, but this happens infrequently.

I’m truly surprised by the slim pickings considering this is a presidential election cycle, which is generally more active than mid-term elections, but I also feel sorry for voters. Solid contests are good all around: they make the incumbents work for their jobs, open up opportunities for new blood and new ideas and government, and lead to more educated voters. A greater number of contested races would have been beneficial all around.

***

On the plus side, the race for US Representative of the Ninth Congressional District is looking ever more robust. Republican Adam Chaprales of Sandwich is throwing his hat in the ring, setting the stage for a GOP primary race; Christopher Sheldon of Plymouth is already running.

Mr. Chaprales is a former one-term Sandwich selectmen whose main claim to fame is that at age 21, he was the town’s youngest-ever selectman. Now 28, he works for New York Life Insurance Co. He launched his campaign this past weekend. His official campaign website is www.adamforcongress.com.

(One bit of web design advice for the candidate: that floating “sign up for updates” bar is wicked annoying. Lose it.)

Incumbent Rep. William R. Keating (D), Democrat C. Samuel Sutter, the Bristol County District Attorney, and non-party candidates Daniel Botelho of Fall River and Peter A. White of Mashpee are also running.

The deadline for Congressional candidates with party affiliations to file their paperwork is this coming Tuesday. Non-party candidates have until mid-summer.

***

Nomination papers for the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates were distributed this week to town clerks and Janice O’Connell, clerk of the assembly, and we already have two confirmed candidates for the county’s legislative body.

One of them is Falmouth’s Andrew V. Putnam, and the other is Ronald R. Beaty Jr. – the same Ron Beaty who was running for county commissioner…and I say “was” because none of the town clerks I spoke received his nomination papers by the Tuesday deadline.

This effectively ends Mr. Beaty’s plan to run dual races for county commissioner and the assembly. Earlier this year Mr. Beaty sought an opinion from the office of the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth – Elections Division and was informed that he could legally could hold both seats, as long as he exercised due diligence to avoid voting on issues as a member of one board that directly impacted the other (e.g., he could not as a county commissioner vote to raise the stipend delegates receive).

Now, however, it looks like he’ll be running only for the assembly. “After carefully reevaluating the political ramifications of my non-party candidacy for Barnstable County Commissioner, I have finally decided to formally withdraw myself as an Independent Candidate,” he wrote in an e-mail, “and to throw my complete support to Eric Steinhilber and his candidacy.”

He is dedicating himself to his assembly run, and said his “various positions on the respective issues currently related to county government will now be vigorously pursued via that potent avenue!”

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

The Week In Politics – April 27, 2012

Friday, April 27th, 2012

It may be a relatively dry spring so far, but that doesn’t mean there’s no mud to sling.

Two candidates for re-election have come under fire recently for alleged ethics violations. First we have Sheila R. Lyons, incumbent Barnstable County Commissioner, who was been accused by rival candidate Ronald R. Beaty Jr. of accepting campaign donations from individuals who she has interacted with in her official capacity as county commissioner.

First, Mr. Beaty cites on his blog the fact that Ms. Lyons received in December 2011 a $200 donation from Henri S. Rauschenbach, who the county commissioners appointed to co-chair the Special Commission on County Governance.

Important details number one through three: Mr. Rauschenbach was recommended for the special commission by the Cape Cod Business Roundtable, not the county commissioners, who only approved the selection; the donation was made eight months after that appointment; and Mr. Beaty has made his disdain for the special commission very well known and has made a number of efforts to undermine its work.

I’ll also point out that this is a complete 180 from December, when Mr. Beaty publicly showered praise on Ms. Lyons. In an e-mail sent out to Cape media outlets, he called Ms. Lyons a “shining star” and a “pragmatically insightful and pleasant woman who cares deeply about social justice, the welfare of individual Cape Cod residents as well as Barnstable County as a whole.”

Of course, he wasn’t running for Ms. Lyons’ job at the time.

Mr. Beaty further noted that Robert Ciolek, an independent consultant to the Cape Cod Water Protection Collaborative, also donated to Ms. Lyons in 2011 — several months after (I repeat: after) he was contracted by the commissioners to serve as the CCWP’s consultant.

Mr. Beaty claims these donations could constitute legal conflicts of interest, but there’s an important piece missing from this equation: did Ms. Lyons derive direct personal financial benefit? There’s nothing to suggest she did, so unless someone can prove otherwise, the claim here falls flat.

(Not that campaign donations for political favors aren’t a real problem, but it’s important to draw a clear distinction between politics as usual, which is unfortunate, and true graft and corruption, which is despicable.)

Ah, but what about the fact that Ms. Lyons last month received a $75,000 bank loan through the Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank, for which Dorothy A. Savarese serves as president — the same Ms. Savarese who sat on the aforementioned Special Commission on County Governance?

Well, unless Ms. Savarese personally signed or pushed through the loan application, the accusation of a conflict of interest is again hollow.

In the case of Mr. Beaty, he appears to be venting his ire at the special commission and its recommendations — specifically to reformat county government and to explore the creation of a regional wastewater management entity — at Ms. Lyons, perhaps in an attempt to undermine her re-election and prime his own campaign.

Problem is, if these charges cannot be proven and do not result in any sort of official sanction by the state ethics commission, Mr. Beaty’s tactic could backfire.

The same could be said for Brian R. Mannal, who is challenging State Representative Demetrius J. Atsalis (D – Barnstable) in the primary. Mr. Mannal last week filed a formal complaint against Rep. Atsalis with the state ethics commission over an e-mail sent by the incumbent.

That e-mail was sent from Rep. Atsalis’s State House e-mail address to Lee Fisher, former lieutenant governor of Ohio, asking if he remembered Mr. Mannal from his and then-Governor Ted Strickland’s 2006 campaign.

Apparently, Rep. Atsalis was trying to clarify Mr. Mannal’s party loyalties, noting that his opponent was involved in President George W. Bush’s campaign in 2000, later got a gig with the state of Ohio under a Republican administration, and remained a member of the GOP until 2004 (Mr. Mannal has openly admitted to jumping ship to the Democratic Party that year).

Rep. Atsalis acknowledged the e-mail, which he called “innocent,” and said he sent it through his State House e-mail account in error.

Here, an ethics violation might not apply because the e-mail did not have any sort of monetary value attached to it, but the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance does prohibit the use of public resources such as state e-mail accounts for campaign purposes.

It should be noted that Rep. Atsalis already has one official strike from the OCPF. In June 2011 the OCPF fined Rep. Atsalis $3,125 for “numerous recordkeeping and reporting errors” on his campaign finance statements from 2007, which he failed to rectify by 2010. He was also required to practice strict “enhanced reporting requirements” through 2014 or face an additional $2,500 fine.

This brouhaha has a little more legitimacy to it than the Beaty/Lyons kerfuffle, but I think the voters might like to see a little more debate on the issues in the coming weeks rather than back-and-forth accusations of ethical lapses (especially if there is no merit to them).

***

This coming Tuesday marks the last day for candidates for county and district elected offices to file their nomination papers, and as things stand this week, we’re looking at a rather empty local ballot.

To date only three incumbents have declared opponents: Senate President Therese M. Murray (D – Plymouth), State Representative Randy Hunt (R – Sandwich), and Rep. Atsalis. That leaves State Senator Daniel A. Wolf (D – Harwich) and State Representatives Timothy R. Madden (D – Nantucket), Cleon H. Turner (D – Dennis), and David T. Vieira (R – Falmouth) running unopposed.

There’s also been no buzz for two county seats that are up for grabs this year: the Register of Deeds, a seat currently held by John F. (Jack) Meade, and the Clerk of Courts, now held by Scott W. Nickerson.

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

The Week In Politics – March 30, 2012

Friday, March 30th, 2012

After suspending his candidacy for Barnstable County Board of County Commissioners earlier this month, citing a health scare, Ronald R. Beaty Jr. of Barnstable is back in the running – and, perhaps, then some.

Last Friday Mr. Beaty issued a press release announcing that he was back in the race. A day later, in a highly unorthodox move, he issued a second release formally endorsing fellow candidate Eric R. Steinhilber – one of his potential opponents in the November primary.

But the oddest turn came a few days before Mr. Beaty re-entered the race, when he sent out a copy of an e-mail from Norah K. Mallam, staff attorney with the Massachusetts Ethics Commission, saying, basically, that there is nothing in the state’s conflict of interests law that would prevent him from simultaneously holding seats on both the board of county commissioners and the assembly.

“The conflict of interest law will not prohibit you from running for and holding two elected positions in the same county,” Ms. Mallam said, but she added that were Mr. Beaty to achieve this feat, he would have to exercise extreme diligence in avoiding instances when a vote as a member of one body has a direct impact on his role with the other.

“For example, if a matter comes before you as the Barnstable County Commissioner involving the amount of compensation that members of the County Assembly of Delegates should receive,” she wrote, “then you would be prohibited from participating in that matter as a Commissioner.”

Mr. Beaty has not made any public statements indicating he does indeed plan to run for both seats, and my advice is to keep it that way. Pick one race and commit to running it.

***

Which is exactly what Andrew Putnam plans to do — if he runs at all, that is.

The Falmouth resident announced this week that he is “strongly considering a run for both the Assembly of Delegates and (for) County Commissioner at this time. I will be announcing on Wednesday, April 11th whether I will run for one of the offices or none at all.”

Here’s hoping that he does run for something. I’m a big fan of giving voters choices and making incumbents work for their re-election.

***

On a related note, the aforementioned Mr. Steinhilber has formally launched his campaign for county commissioner. He held his kick-off event last Saturday in Hyannis.

Notably, both Mr. Steinhilber and Mr. Beaty are going after one of the same targets: the regional wastewater authority proposed by the Special Commission on County Governance – and both men are jumping the gun quite a bit by acting like this authority is a done deal, which it is not.

“Is it the proper role of the County or its newly created authority to have taxation powers to potentially impose billions in new taxes and fees on the already overtaxed, over worked people of Cape Cod?” Mr. Steinhilber remarked at his event, while Mr. Beaty warned that “an autonomous authority would unilaterally seize specific decision-making, fee imposition and taxation powers from the 15 municipalities of Cape Cod regarding wastewater infrastructure issues and/or services. Wastewater/sewer rates and relevant taxes would incessantly go up year after year.”

Readers, be clear on an important point here: no authority has actually been created and none of the details, from its administrative structure to its method of raising revenue, have been sketched out. The special commission made a recommendation, and the county commissioners voted to explore the concept – not to create an authority, not even to endorse the proposal, simply to look into it.

Mr. Beaty and Mr. Steinhilber are straying into the realm of fearmongering, which might make for good campaign sound bites but it also hampers a serious, honest discussion about what is undeniably a thorny issue for all of Cape Cod. They need to dial down the rhetoric and stick to the facts.

For a more in-depth analysis of this issue, check out this installation of Fact-Check Theater.

***

Finally, another Democrat has entered the race for US Senate: Eno Mondésir, a public health practitioner, self-published author, and ordained minister from Randolph.

Learn more about the candidate at his official website, and don’t be surprised if that’s the only place you can learn more about him. Mr. Mondésir is one of three Democrats who isn’t Elizabeth Warren, and if you’re not Elizabeth Warren, you’re as good as invisible to the big city media.

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

Fact-Check Theater: The Cape Cod Wastewater Authority

Wednesday, March 28th, 2012

It’s looking like we have our first hot-button issue of the year for the county-level campaigns: the Cape Cod Regional Wastewater Authority.

Various parties have emerged to roundly curse this proposal, and two candidates for the Barnstable County Board of County Commissioners — Ronald R. Beaty Jr. and Eric R. Steinhilber, both of Barnstable — have voiced their staunch opposition to the concept.

In a speech delivered at his recent campaign kick-off, Mr. Steinhilber said this:

“Is it the proper role of the County to create a massive new government authority, an MWRA for the Cape, to take over all aspects of our water and sewer systems when other environmentally sound, cost-effective solutions exist? Is it the proper role of the County or its newly created authority to have taxation powers to potentially impose billions in new taxes and fees on the already overtaxed, over worked people of Cape Cod?”

And Mr. Beaty has made several unfavorable public comments about the authority, most recently in an op-ed piece entitled “A Cape Cod regional sewer authority…or an idea that stinks of a power grab?”:

When considering the creation of an independent, taxpayer funded, unaccountable & bureaucratic Cape Cod Regional Wastewater Authority, along with its hugely expensive large scale centralized wastewater processing facilities, Cape Codders need to be honestly informed that these are not the only choices available to them and their respective municipalities.

So, just how badly is the Cape Cod Wastewater Authority going to screw taxpayers? How much of a bureaucratic nightmare is it going to be?

That’s a tough question to answer considering that the authority, despite Mr. Steinhilber’s claim, does not exist — and might never exist.

The “Cape Cod Wastewater Authority” entered the region’s consciousness during a series of meetings held between October 2011 and February 2012 by the Special Commission on County Governance, a 26-member group formed through a directive by the county commissioners. The group’s charge was to examine the current state of county government, in all aspects, and submit recommendations for how to improve county functions.

The final report, released last week and available online, lists wastewater as its second topic, and the formal recommendation is, in full:

Recommendation: We strongly and unanimously recommend that the Barnstable County Commissioners, working with the Cape Cod legislative delegation through an open and public process, seek special legislation establishing the Cape Cod Wastewater District. The Commissioners should charge the Executive Director of the Cape Cod Commission and the Executive Director of the Cape Cod Water Protection Collaborative with developing recommendations on the structure, powers, and funding mechanisms of the District.

The recommendation also comes with five additional points of recommended consideration. Among them: whether the district (not “authority”) should be separate, independent entity and not part of county government proper; and the development of “fair, broad-based funding mechanisms that take into account funds already invested by towns on infrastructure that could assist regional solutions.”

The county commissioners, at their February 29, well in advance of the official submission of the final report, heeded one part of the recommendation and charged Andrew Gottlieb and Paul J. Niedzwiecki, executive directors of, respectively, the Cape Cod Water Protection Collaborative and the Cape Cod Commission, with conducting a formal exploration of the concept.

To repeat: the commissioners approved exploring the concept; they did not approve the creation of a regional wastewater authority, and by extension, did not approve a formal administrative structure, a funding mechanism, or a plan to address wastewater needs on a regional basis — nor did they express support for any of these things.

Mary L. (Pat) Flynn, chairman of the county commissioners, very clearly said that any new entity would not be created with the snap of the commissioners’ collective fingers, stating:

“To make a decision to move forward, without any public discussion or without any public input on voting to recommend a regional plan that includes a taxing authority, at this time would not be very wise and I don’t think would show good leadership on our part.”

Mr. Gottlieb and Mr. Niedzwiecki told the commissioners that they would conduct a lengthy public process that would, maybe, yield a final recommendation from them by the end of 2012 — about the same time the two agencies expect to wrap up their work on a regional wastewater plan the two bodies have been working on “for a couple years now,” according to Mr. Niedzwiecki.

Many of the more controversial talking points being thrown about by opponents stem from elements of the debate within the special commission. At the special commission’s February 8 meeting, according to official meeting minutes, Mr. Gottlieb opined that:

A separate regional entity is needed to address wastewater issues, as individual town solutions would be less efficient, since estuaries are shared, and artificial town boundaries interfere and increase costs of addressing nitrogen‐loading. While inter‐municipal agreements could be possible, Mr. Gottlieb said they are seldom initiated, and the 15 towns have difference issues and funding resources that are not all equivalent. Elsewhere, he noted, wastewater facilities are regional, and the County role is needed here beyond the existing County structure.

Mr. Niedzwiecki chimed in on the funding issue, saying a “broad‐based funding source that would be fair to all” would be necessary to fund the operation of a regional entity, and that “in reviewing funding options, Mr. Niedzwiecki called betterments an inequitable and irresponsible approach, preferring the general tax levy as a better approach.”

In other words, instead of placing the burden on property owners through betterments, the cost would be spread across the region’s tax base so, in effect, all taxpayers would chip in.

At no point in the conversation was a recommendation made to have the entire region’s wastewater infrastructure tied into, as Mr. Beaty put it, “hugely expensive large scale centralized wastewater processing facilities.”

CONCLUSIONS

One fact is irrefutable: the Cape Cod Wastewater Authority/District does not exist. It has not been created, and based on the comments and plans outlined by various county officials, it will not exist at any point in 2012.

What form it will take in the end is at present a mystery. While it has been suggested — officially and on the record — that the authority be an independent entity run by an appointed board and funded by taxpayer money, all these are are suggestions — suggestions that are already being thoroughly scrutinized by skeptics, and will continue to be scrutinized as the county proceeds with its exploration of the concept. Nothing is a done deal.

Even if the “nightmare scenario” as presented by Mr. Beaty and Mr. Steinhilber of an autonomous, tax-funded entity that rules the Cape’s wastewater systems with an iron fist  is presented to residents, it will likely need legislation to become reality, possibly even a binding referendum question on the ballot, providing the public with additional opportunities to oppose the project if the final product is not to their liking.

Mr. Beaty and Mr. Steinhilber are turning the wastewater authority concept into their personal campaign boogeyman to scare voters, plying fears of costly taxpayer-funded government takeovers with no accountability in order to rally support. This may serve their respective immediate personal needs, but does Cape Codders no favors in the long run if they befuddle any attempts at honest debate.

Water quality management is perhaps one of the Cape’s most pressing issues, one that impacts individual towns and the region as a whole, and tackling this particular 800-pound gorilla requires thorough exploration, a healthy sense of skepticism from all parties, perhaps a few hard decisions, and most importantly, information based in fact, not fear.

The Week In Politics – March 16, 2012

Friday, March 16th, 2012

Looks like we have our first big controversy of the year.

Several news outlets last week picked up on allegations of misconduct against Bristol County District Attorney C. Samuel Sutter, Democratic candidate for the Ninth Congressional District. Mr. Sutter allegedly released confidential records of phone conversations between murder suspect Jonathan Niemic and his attorney, Robert M. Griffin, and now Mr. Griffin is asking for the indictment against his client to be overturned.

This is the second such instance of alleged misconduct by Mr. Sutter. In 2003 murder charges against two suspects were dropped after a Massachusetts Superior Court judge found Mr. Sutter had displayed “a reckless disregard for the truth” by knowingly presenting an eyewitness who lied to a grand jury about the case.

Between this and the fact that incumbent Congressman William R. Keating (D) already has the backing of the state party, Mr. Sutter is facing a serious uphill battle in the primary.

***

In other Ninth District news, Plymouth Republican Christopher Sheldon will officially launch his Congressional campaign on Tuesday. He’ll make the announcement at the John Carver Inn and Spa on Summer Street in Plymouth.

Mr. Sheldon will hold a private reception at 6 PM, a public reception at 6:45 PM, and full festivities begin at 7:15 PM. If you want in on this, shoot an e-mail to Allan Knowles at sheldon.congress@gmail.com or call 508-591-0195.

***

Ronald K. Beaty Jr. of Barnstable, who all year has been making much ado about his candidacy for the Barnstable County Board of County Commissioners, on Saturday very suddenly suspended his campaign.

Mr. Beaty said in a follow-up to his e-mail announcement that a medical crisis was behind the decision. He said the suspension was indefinite and gave no hint whether he would return to the race once his medical issues are addressed.

***

I normally don’t pay much attention when people say, “Oh, I hear so-and-so is going to run for such-and-such this fall,” but this one has piqued my interest.

Over the past week I’ve received two calls from folks saying the word on the street is that Andrew V. Putnam of Falmouth is contemplating a run for the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates. Mr. Putnam is a Town Meeting member for precinct nine, chairman of the town’s equity/affirmative action committee, and son of Falmouth Selectman Brent Putnam.

When contacted this week, Mr. (Andrew) Putnam confirmed he is considering a run for the assembly. “My reason for considering running is simple,” he wrote in a brief statement. “I believe that I could give a new perspective on many of the issues that face Falmouth and the Cape and help those that have been ignored be brought to light (such as the importance of the Assembly of Delegates).”

Mr. Putnam is referring to a proposal to merge the assembly with the Barnstable County Board of County Commissioners – an idea that his possible opponent Julia C. Taylor, a 22-year member of the assembly, is open to exploring.

Still, I’m curious about the buzz that seems to be building over this tentative campaign. For starters: over a race for the assembly? The county body that few know about and fewer care about? Nothing personal against the delegates, but let’s call a spade a spade: I’ve been covering the assembly for 13-plus years now and people STILL ask me, “What’s the assembly of delegates?”

This occurs, I must note, despite the assembly’s traditional annual rallying cry of, “We need to increase the visibility of county government!” Which stands in contrast to the fact that many delegates show up to maybe one board of selectmen’s meeting per year to talk about what’s happening at the county level. But I digress…

It’s not unprecedented for candidates to start a “whisper campaign” in advance of a formal declaration of candidacy to build some name recognition, but my advice to Mr. Putnam is this: don’t whisper, dude. Shout. Loud. And a lot.

***

Finally, I present a slightly paraphrased version of one of Senate President Therese M. Murray’s (D – Plymouth) jokes from last weekend’s Barnstable Democratic Town Committee St. Patrick’s Day Brunch: a conservative, a moderate, and a liberal walk into a bar. The bartender says, “Hey, Mitt.”

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

The Week In Politics – March 9, 2012

Friday, March 9th, 2012

The field of candidates for Barnstable County Board of County Commissioners continues to grow.

Republican Eric R. Steinhilber of Barnstable is apparently going to formally announce his candidacy later this month, bringing the current tally up to four: incumbents Mary L. (Pat) Flynn of Falmouth and Sheila R. Lyons of Wellfleet, and Ronald K. Beaty Jr. of Barnstable.

If the name sounds familiar, it’s because in 2010 Mr. Steinhilber ran for State Senator of the Cape and Islands District — and lost the primary, to my mind inexplicably, to James H. Crocker Jr.

(Nothing personal, Crocker fans, but I really thought Eric was the better candidate.)

Before I move on, let me take a minute to clear up some misconceptions as to how this particular race is going to go…

Once the field of candidates has been established, all the Democrats appear on the Democratic primary ballot, all the Republicans on the Republican ballot, and non-party candidates get to cool their heels for a while because they don’t get primaries.

The top two candidates from each primary race then moves on to the general election ballot, at which point the race becomes totally non-partisan and something of a free-for-all — which is to say, for example, Mr. Steinhilber would not run directly against Ms. Flynn. Everyone runs against everyone, and the top two vote-getters in the general election each win one of the available seats.

***

Dover attorney James King has gotten his US Senate campaign underway. Mr. King is running as a Democrat, which pits him in a David-versus-Goliath fight against Elizabeth Warren, and while choice is always good for voters, I have a hard time imagining Mr. King making any real headway in the primary.

Mr. King is actually not alone in challenging Ms. Warren. Marisa DeFranco, an immigration lawyer from Middleton, is also running, although she’s further along in her campaign: she’s already reached the point where she’s accusing Ms. Warren of ducking debate challenges.

***

It’s official! Thomas F. Keyes is running for State Senate!

Okay, it’s not, you know, 100 percent straight-from-the-horse’s-mouth official, but it might as well be. In addition to issuing position papers for the past several months, holding fundraisers, and teasing announcements, the Sandwich Republican’s supporters planted some campaign signs at polling locations on Super Tuesday.

…even though he’s not an official candidate and he appeared nowhere on Tuesday’s ballot so what was the point?

Anyway, Mr. Keyes has announced an event at the Radisson in Plymouth for Sunday, March 18, where he will make an “announcement for State Senate or (the) return of donations” to his campaign. Considering the event comes with a $35-per-person admission fee, I think it safe to say that he’ll confirm his candidacy. Finally.

(This may be twisted of me, but I kind of hope this sort of false, manufactured non-drama becomes the motif for his campaign, because this column THRIVES on that stuff.)

If you’re interested to see whether Mr. Keyes announces his candidacy (wink) or returns his donations (wink wink), call 774-208-3480 to make reservations for the March 18 event or buy your tickets at the door.

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

The Week In Politics – February 10, 2012

Friday, February 10th, 2012

After several weeks of will-he-or-won’t-he-tinged press releases, Ronald R. Beaty Jr. of West Barnstable announced this week he will – run for the Barnstable County Board of County Commissioners, that is.

In a press release Mr. Beaty said he has pulled nomination papers and is now out and about collecting signatures. The self-described “fiscal conservative/social progressive” is running as a non-party candidate, meaning he skips over the primary race phase and, assuming he collects enough signatures, will be on the November general election ballot.

The two seats currently held by Mary L. (Pat) Flynn of Falmouth and Sheila R. Lyons of Wellfleet are up for grabs this year. There have been no official announcements from either commissioner whether they will run for re-election.

Mr. Beaty in his announcement made much ado about the fact he had signed a Citizens for Limited Taxation “Taxpayer Protection Pledge,” but those things are worthless as far as I’m concerned. Pledges, like campaign promises, have a habit of falling by the wayside when certain cold realities hit a lawmaker square in the face.

The real key here will be if Mr. Beaty, who has turned himself into something of a scholar of county government, can parlay that knowledge into a viable campaign platform that overcomes his lack of political experience. According to the man himself, his only forays into the world of elected office are two unsuccessful runs for the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates.

The other issue for Mr. Beaty – and I’ve broached this topic before – is his criminal background. In 1991, Mr. Beaty spent time in prison after he was convicted of sending threatening letters to President George H.W. Bush, US Senator Edward M. Kennedy, and then-State Senator Lois Pines.

Mr. Beaty, who is seeking a presidential pardon for those offenses, called that episode in his life “mainly a terrible lapse in judgment” brought about by an alcohol problem he has since overcome.

Whether this truly matters will be, and should be, up to the voters, but I’ll give credit where it’s due: the man has been very open and forthright about this skeleton in his closet, which is a whole hell of a lot more than what we’ve seen from some of our politicians.

Anyone who would like to read up on Mr. Beaty and his background, head on over to my blog and look up the Week in Politics columns for December 16 and 23, 2011.

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

The Week In Politics – Dec. 16, 2012

Friday, December 16th, 2011

You heard it here first: Daniel A. Wolf (D – Harwich), state senator of the Cape & Islands district, will run for re-election in 2012.

Sen. Wolf made that official this week during a phone interview with the Enterprise (by which I mean me). He’s had a good first year in office, and if he can keep it up through 2012 he will be a tough man to beat.

***

Who is Ronald Beaty Jr. and why is he so interested in county government all of a sudden?

We might find out more as the local election cycle powers up, but for now Beaty is a good reason to scratch your head and say “Huh?”

The West Barnstable man has become a man of letters, so to speak, over the past month, speaking out about Barnstable County government issues. Earlier this month he wrote to the Enterprise exhorting a special commission charged with studying and, if appropriate, submitting recommendations for changes to the county governmental structure to leave things as they were.

Okay, so far, so benign. Then Beaty wrote a second letter berating the same county officials he had previously praised for failing to fill the very minor position of county clerk. The post has been vacant since Scott Nickerson, who is also the county clerk of courts, resigned to focus on his court duties (and, perhaps, in response to a noteworthy bungle in his office regarding five candidates for the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates, whose nomination paperwork was not processed properly).

The county clerk has few responsibilities, but Beaty called the vacancy a “major problem” and the need to fill it an “urgent matter.” Okay, maybe overstating things here, but nothing controversial.

Then I got a copy of an e-mail that I present in its entirety:

It seems a bit “ironic” that County Commissioner Bill Doherty should advise and encourage a man with “my background” to run for election next year for one of the Barnstable County Commissioner seats.  After all, a little over 20 years ago (1991) I was arrested, convicted and sentenced by federal authorities for threatening various elected public officials, including the President of the United States. I will have to reflect long and hard about Bill Doherty’s proposal. I shall seek advice, feedback and counsel from family, friends, and the public at large before any firm decision can be made.  Perhaps after twenty years, it is also about time that I finally ask for formal “forgiveness” from the federal government as well. With that in mind, I will be seeking a Presidential pardon from President Barack Obama relative to the previously mentioned legal issues…

HubbaWHAH?!

First of all, what’s up with all the unnecessary quotation marks?

Second, here’s the deal: Beaty filed a letter of interest for a vacancy on the Barnstable County Human Rights Commission. Bill Doherty, sitting chairman of the county commissioners, saw it and (according to copies of e-mails Beaty received from Doherty and sent to me for some reason) remarked:

Now that I read your resume I must tell you that I have a greater reason to support the possibility of your candidacy for public office…The fact that you have a background in civil rights issues and want to continue that by joining the HRC says to me you already have two of the qualifications for public office (in my opinion) Intelligence and a good heart. The third is an ability to work hard. Think about it if not the county the town there is so much need for new and younger people at all levels.

There’s no indication that Doherty was aware of Beaty’s criminal background, which is this: according to several stories I found online (including two Beaty himself provided links to), in 1991 Beaty was convicted of sending threatening letters to President George H. W. Bush, Ted Kennedy, and then-State Senator Lois Pines (he also made threats against his then-wife, but he doesn’t mention those in his e-mail) and spent time in prison for it. As you can see, Beaty is not hiding this fact.

In Beaty we have, in a microcosm, a lot of the challenges that have become so commonplace in politics. Here is a man who was convicted of some pretty serious crimes, but did his time and has by all accounts stayed out of trouble for a considerable period of time. What has greater weight: the severity of his acts, or the life he has led since? Is 20 years enough time to erase what is either a terrible lapse in judgment or a sign of an unstable and violence-prone personality?

As is too often the case, partisan politics could play a role. To use the late Ted Kennedy as a somewhat ironic example, his foes never forgave him for Chappaquiddick, while his supporters were quick to dismiss that dark chapter in Kennedy’s life as ancient history. Right now, Newt Gingrich’s boosters are turning a blind eye to his infidelity, but a lot of those same people would wag a damning finger at Bill Clinton for his sexual shenanigans.

One thing’s for sure: if this guy runs, I’m going to have some interesting things to write about next year.

***

Tom Conroy, we hardly knew ye.

The Democratic candidate for US Senate has withdrawn from the race, citing (and boy, have we seen a lot of this lately) his inability to compete against front-runner and candidate apparent Elizabeth Warren, who has a ton of money and the party’s blessing.

Those same factors have previously shoved Setti Warren and Alan Khazei out of the race prematurely — by which I mean LONG before any of us pesky voters get our say on the matter.

***

Speaking of early dropouts, Thomas Hodgson, Bristol County sheriff, announced this week he is not going to run for Congress after all. Sheriff Hodgson had been toying with the idea of running in the Fourth or Ninth District, also known as, respectively, Barney Frank’s (D) soon-to-be-former district and William R. Keating’s (D) soon-to-be-new district, but decided to stay put.

The Week In Politics – November 4, 2011

Friday, November 4th, 2011

Just a brief entry this week. It looks like Sheila R. Lyons is already planning to run for re-election to the Barnstable County Board of County Commissioners. Ms. Lyons is hosting a campaign fundraiser today at the Crown & Anchor in P-town beginning at 5:30 PM.

When it comes to the county commissioner race, the question here is who among the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates, if anyone, will attempt to jump over to the executive branch of county government? Two of the county commissioners’ three members — Lyons and Bill Doherty — are themselves former Assembly members, and it’s not unusual for someone from the Assembly to throw their hat into the county commissioner ring.

Of course, on the opposite end of the interest spectrum, Lyons could run utterly unopposed this year. Remember that Doherty had no opponent when he ran for re-election last year.

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