Snark-Infested Waters by Mike Bailey

Snark-Infested Waters by Mike Bailey

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Posts Tagged ‘Brian Mannal’


The Week In Politics – August 31, 2012

Friday, August 31st, 2012

Primary Election Day is almost upon us! Where does the time go?

First and foremost, folks, remember that the primary election this year is two weeks earlier than normal and on a Thursday — September 6, to be precise. Get out and vote! Voting gets things done; whining on news website comments sections about how bad the country is does not.

The primary ballot is not terribly busy but there are a few key races to consider, starting with two contests for the Ninth Congressional District. On the GOP side we have Christopher Sheldon of Plymouth and Adam G. Chaprales of Sandwich vying for the party nomination.

In terms of positions on the major issues, these men are largely interchangeable and their respective experiences in public service I would call comparable, so this might be a very close race.

On the Democratic side, I am not anticipating good news for C. Samuel Sutter, the Bristol County DA challenging Congressman William R. Keating (D). Mr. Sutter’s campaign strategy has been to aggressively criticize Rep. Keating rather than sell his own qualities, which is never a good sign.

Add to that the fact Mr. Sutter has issues he wants to address, but in most cases no game plans for doing so — and has made addressing traffic at the bridges one of his three big issues. Having been stuck at the bridges myself on many an occasion I appreciate the sentiment, but really: bigger fish to fry.

More locally we have a primary contest for State Representative of the Second Barnstable District between incumbent Demetrius J. Atsalis (D – Barnstable) and Brian R. Mannal, or as I’m calling it, The Race of Lost Opportunity.

See, Rep. Atsalis I consider one of the more vulnerable incumbents in the region. I think a very solid challenger could defeat him, but no such challenger has come along in several years and Mr. Mannal, in my opinion, has failed to buck the trend.

As a fellow Democrat, Mr. Mannal needed to decisively illustrate where Rep. Atsalis has failed as a legislator on critical issues and show voters how he would be markedly different. On his campaign website, Mr. Mannal compares and contrasts himself with the incumbent on three issues of significance: the increase in the sales tax, an expedited approval process for wind turbines, and whether to amend the state constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman.

The other three topics he mentions are rather trivial: proposals on a term length increase, posting roll call votes on the state website, and a campaign spending disclosure measure…not the kind of issues voters are all that concerned with nowadays. His positions on other priority issues are unsurprising and fail to educate voters how he’d be a change from the status quo.

Mr. Mannal’s most aggressive push against Rep. Atsalis has also been on relative non-issues: Marie Parente’s endorsement of the incumbent and Rep. Atsalis’s attendance record. I’ve written about both previously and won’t rehash them now, I’ll simply say Mr. Mannal could have (and I dare say should have) put his time and effort toward something more substantial.

Still, Mr. Mannal has put significantly more effort into his campaign than Stephen M. Palmer, the Plymouth man challenging Senate President Therese M. Murray (D – Plymouth) — and by “challenging” I mean “His name is on the ballot but he has a snowball’s chance of actually winning.”

I recently listened to WATD’s online candidate forum hosting Sen. Murray and Mr. Palmer and…uh, yeah. Wow. Mr. Palmer was semi-coherent, confused, angry, occasionally condescending — in other words, he sounded like yet another person running for office not to serve the public but to have a large stage upon which to grind his anti-government axe.

Finally we have the three Democrats running for governor’s council of the first district: Nicholas D. Bernier, Oliver P. Cipollini, and Walter D. Moniz. This is another toss-up because the candidates’ positions are virtually identical: more public outreach, more diligence in appointing judges, no rubber-stamping whatever comes to them.

One thing voters should be aware of is the potential for another non-contest should Mr. Cipollini win. The Republican incumbent, Mr. Cipollini’s brother Charles, won the 2010 race against Oliver despite his continued insistence that he didn’t even want to win. He actively encouraged people not to vote for him. Voters deserve better than that.

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

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The Week In Politics – August 10, 2012

Friday, August 10th, 2012

It’s August, and that means it’s the start of debate season!

And right out of the gate we have Republican Thomas F. Keyes challenging Senate President Therese M. Murray (D – Plymouth) to a series of eight hour-long debates over the next three months. Mr. Keyes sent a letter formally requesting the debate series and, as of this writing, is awaiting a response.

Of course, he’s now set the stage for a classic political “Gotcha!” trap: if Sen. Murray declines to participate in every single debate, Mr. Keyes can claim she’s dodging him, is running scared, doesn’t want people to know where she really stands, et cetera.

Now, if Sen. Murray declines to debate at all? Okay, that doesn’t look good, but if she says, “Hey, let’s cut that number in half” and Mr. Keyes pounces? Well, it’s the same kind of absurd set-up as the “I challenge my opponent to refuse special interest donations!” and “My opponent won’t sign this pledge!”: it dupes people into thinking there’s a larger issue at play when really, there isn’t.

That all said, I’d like to see at least a few debates — well-moderated, preferably, to keep things civil and on-topic.

***

State Representative Randy Hunt’s (R – Sandwich) next fundraiser is coming up soon. Saturday, August 25 is a Texas BBQ and trap shoot event at the Monument Beach Sportsman’s Club in Bourne from 4 to 8 PM. It’s $35 per person for admission and dinner, plus $10 to shoot ($5 if you bring your own shells).

Meat and guns! How can you refuse? Well, unless you’re a pacifist vegetarian…

Rep. Hunt also has a golf outing fundraiser scheduled for next month and a jazz concert in October. Go to his website for details on those and other campaign events.

***

Endorsement lightning round! State Representative Demetrius J. Atsalis (D – Barnstable) recently received endorsements from NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, the Service Employees International Union, the Massachusetts Teachers Association, and Mass Equality.

***

Now for some other Atsalis-related news, which I’ll file under the heading, “Girls! Girls! You’re BOTH petty!”

Less than a week after we put “Marie ParenteGate” to bed, Rep. Atsalis issued a response to claims by his primary election opponent Brian R. Mannal that the incumbent has — and this is taken directly from Mr. Mannal’s website — “one of the worst attendance records in the Massachusetts State House.”

Mr. Mannal specifically cites a December 2011 Beacon Hill Roll Call Report that lists Rep. Atsalis as having one of the worst attendance records for that session, missing 23 roll call votes (12.8 percent of all roll call votes taken).

One of the worst attendance records ever? Let’s take a look.

Rep. Atsalis’s attendance throughout his legislative career, thoughtfully provided by Bob Katzen, who prepares the BHRC, reads like this: 2011, 87.2 percent; 2010, 66.1 percent; 2009, 85.7 percent; 2008, 94.5 percent; 2007, 95.8 percent; 2006, 96.3 percent; 2005, 96.4 percent; 2004, 100 percent; 2003, 97.8 percent; 2002, 96.6 percent; 2001, 99.5 percent; 2000 99.6 percent; 1999, 99.3 percent.

That gives us a lifetime average of 93.45 percent, and that does not count the as-yet unannounced 2012 attendance rate.

In 2009 and 2010, Rep. Atsalis missed votes due to the deaths of, respectively, his father and father-in-law, and both those circumstances were made public by the candidate. Mr. Katzen pointed out that any absences during budget season or near the end of the formal session can be particularly damaging to one’s record since so many votes are taken in such a condensed timeframe, and that was the case in 2010.

Here’s where things get tricky. Following his 2009 attendance report, Rep. Atsalis’s camp stated in a letter to the Enterprise that the BHRC data was inaccurate as it considered two types of roll call votes: votes on legislative matters and “quorum roll calls,” which are taken for the express purpose of determining if enough people to constitute a quorum are present in the House chamber.

Rep. Atsalis claimed that his voting record on legislative matters was in the high 90 percent range, and his average was skewed because he missed quorum roll call votes, which don’t matter as much because they aren’t votes on legislation.

(Mr. Mannal in a subsequent press release called this explanation “a desperate effort to discredit” his previous accusation of excessive absenteeism.)

Mr. Katzen stated that his attendance data calculates all roll call votes and does not separate out quorum roll call votes. He added that all a legislator has to do is indicate that he or she is present in the House chamber, and failing to do so counts as a missed vote (although this does not necessarily indicate that the lawmaker in question was not in the State House at the time, only that he was not in the chamber when the quorum roll call vote was called for).

However, it should be noted that Rep. Atsalis’s Cape colleagues consistently recorded perfect or near-perfect (above 96 percent) attendance between 2009 through 2011, and as the aforementioned numbers show, Rep. Atsalis himself had much better, often near-perfect attendance prior to that period, so the “quorum roll call vote” argument is a little flat.

Nevertheless, 2009 and 2010 are the worst examples to draw from if anyone wants to push the “poor attendance” angle.

In the final analysis, Mr. Mannal’s claim that Rep. Atsalis has “one of the worst attendance records” is off because it considers only three years out of a 14-year tenure, two of which are marked by well-documented extenuating circumstances.

Conversely, Rep. Atsalis’s counter-claim that his record is not really that bad is undermined by his own past superior attendance record, as well as the records of his Upper Cape contemporaries, and relies on a very specific context in which to present his argument — a context that stymies an apples-to-apples comparison.

“To compare apples to apples, one would have to remove all quorum calls from the equation and calculate the attendance record without using any quorum calls,” Mr. Katzen said, and that means “one would have to recalculate all the other 159 representatives’ records without counting quorum calls.”

My judgment: both of you, stop nit-picking each other to death and try talking about some real issues.

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

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The Week In Politics – August 3, 2012

Friday, August 3rd, 2012

First of all and most importantly, I must issue a correction to last week’s column. I said that Brian R. Mannal, who is challenging State Representatives Demetrius J. Atsalis (D – Barnstable) for the Democratic nomination, had requested — and was denied — an endorsement by his former boss, former state representative Marie J. Parente.

That was a goof on my part, plain and simple. Ms. Parente called me last week and spoke at some length about her shared history with Mr. Mannal, and I misunderstood her account of how her endorsement for Rep. Atsalis came about, so I offer an apology and a mea culpa on that aspect of the story.

That part was all me, but other parts? Not so much.

The match that lit this particular fuse was Ms. Parente’s endorsement last month of Rep. Atsalis. Mr. Mannal responded by pointing out various dark spots on Ms. Parente’s professional record — allegations of pension-fudging and ties to the probation department scandal — as if to say, “Well, she’s a bad person so her endorsement is worthless.”

Ms. Parente took offense at these accusations, and in a letter to the Enterprise that ran last week she made some accusations of her own against Mr. Mannal, detailing a four-month tenure in her office allegedly marked by excessive absences based on untruths — the classic, “Yeah, well, you’re not so great yourself” defense.

Mr. Mannal this week issued a brief response to the response, in which he flatly denies that he was fired by Ms. Parente or resigned under threat of termination, and reiterates that he never solicited an endorsement from Ms. Parente. “I choose not to dignify the remainder of Marie Parente’s statements with a lengthy response,” he wrote.

Both Ms. Parente and Mr. Mannal have indicated that they just want to move on from this issue, much of which happened behind closed doors and is within the realm of “he said/she said.” Good call. This sort of public spitting contest is doing only one person any good: Rep. Atsalis, who has wisely remained quiet throughout this brouhaha.

And, if I might be so bold: maybe Ms. Parente and Mr. Mannal should talk to each other, directly and privately, rather than bicker via press releases and letters to the editor. It sounds like there is a lot of lingering hostility and unresolved conflict between them that needs to be addressed, if not laid to rest.

***

In other Second Barnstable District news, which will, hopefully, not generate even more unnecessary drama, Congressman William R. Keating (D) has formally endorsed Rep. Atsalis for re-election. In a one-page statement issued last week, Rep. Keating praised Rep. Atsalis’s dedication to his constituents and work in helping the small business community.

Rep. Atsalis also received endorsements from legislative colleagues State Representatives Timothy R. Madden (D – Nantucket) and Sarah K. Peake (D – Provincetown).

Now, over on Mr. Mannal’s side, this Sunday is (and this is his name, not mine) “Mannal-Palooza” in Osterville. The Fred Clayton Band, Alicia Mathewson, and Mr. Mannal himself will be among the musical acts performing at the Veterans Hall (a.k.a. The Fox Hole) at 753 Main Street from 6 PM to 10 PM. The event is a campaign fundraiser for the candidate.

Go to Mr. Mannal’s website (linked above) for more information.

***

Let’s spread the controversial love elsewhere, shall we?

It was brought to my attention that Stephen M. Palmer, who is challenging Senate President Therese M. Murray (D – Plymouth) for the Democratic nomination, once dropped out of a political race amidst allegations of signature fraud on his nomination papers.

According to a Boston Globe article dated July 23, 1989, Mr. Palmer, at the time a South Boston resident, withdrew his candidacy for an at-large seat on the Boston City Council after city officials accused him of forging voter signatures on his papers – which is, legally speaking, perjury.

A key paragraph in the story reads, “Palmer, who did not deny that some signatures may have been forged, said yesterday: ‘I’m going to pull out, and I hope it doesn’t go to a grand jury. It just doesn’t look good. I’m taking full blame. I don’t want to see it go to court’.”

To reiterate: Mr. Palmer did not explicitly deny committing fraud and was clearly worried he’d be prosecuted – which he was not, nor was he ever charged with anything. Added note: I can find no similar allegations raised in connection with Mr. Palmer’s unsuccessful attempt to unseat former Senate President William M. Bulger in 1990.

While this casts some doubt on the candidate’s integrity, I don’t think Sen. Murray’s camp has anything to worry about. As I’ve noted here previously, the man is running a campaign so under-the-radar it’s practically subterranean. Sen. Murray is better off saving her energy for Republican Thomas F. Keyes, who will undoubtedly pose a much stiffer challenge.

***

Finally, US Senator Scott P. Brown (R) will be on the Cape next week to attend a Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce luncheon in Hyannis. That event, at the Hyannis Golf Course, is scheduled to being at 11:30 AM on Wednesday, August 8.

Admission is $28 per person, and you can make reservations by registering via the chamber’s website at www.capecodchamber.org, by calling 508-362-3225 extension 532, or sending an e-mail to priscilla@capecodchamber.org.

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

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The Week In Politics – July 27, 2012

Friday, July 27th, 2012

Well! Things just took an interesting turn in the race between State Representative Demetrius J. Atsalis (D – Barnstable) and his primary opponent Brian R. Mannal – courtesy of Mr. Mannal’s former boss, former state representative Marie Parente.

Last week I mentioned that Ms. Parente formally endorsed Rep. Atsalis, and Mr. Mannal tried to take out that endorsement out at the knees by pointing out some issues that arose following her departure from office – trying to goose her pension by factoring in standard perks for legislators, ties to the probation department scandal, etc.

For your reference, here is that release: Mannal Press Release Re Parente Endorses Atsalis and Brown.

On Tuesday Ms. Parente called me to rebut Mr. Mannal’s rebuttal, and summed it all up by calling his accusations an “unforgivable lie” and portrayed his condemnation of her endorsement as “the act of a bitter, disgruntled ex-employee.”

According to Ms. Parente, Mr. Mannal worked for her for all of four months, took a great deal of time off, and was terminated when she caught him in a lie about why he took some time off (a dentist’s visit that allegedly was not as lengthy as Mr. Mannal claimed). She also said that prior to her endorsement of Rep. Atsalis, Mr. Mannal contacted her repeatedly to request her endorsement, which she refused to give due to his work history issues.

Here, complete and unedited and uncorrected, is Ms. Parente’s response, a letter to the editor submitted to the Enterprise on Wednesday:

The recent remarks by candidate Attorney Brian Mannal about my public service and values are alarming indeed. However, they can serve as insight to his character.  I write to the voters of the 2nd Barnstable district not only to set the record straight but to inform them of the untruths contained in Mannal’s public statements  that are nothing more than a, “say anything about anybody to get elected.”

When I composed my endorsement of Rep. Demetrius Atsalis (D) of Barnstable, I, intentionally,  did not include any negative remarks about his opponent Atty. Brian Mannal.

Perhaps it is better this way. Now, the voters of the 2nd Barnstable District will realize, in my opinion, they have a professional storyteller seeking their votes.

Brian Mannal was employed in my state house office from February 7th, 2000 to June 27, 2000, a total of four months and 20 days including week-ends and his excessive absences from work.  I fired him mid-June 2000 for the following reasons.

The first day of his state house employment he asked for approximately three weeks off to attend a friend’s wedding in India.  The second request for time off was made a few weeks later when Brian came into my office crying real tears, literally, and again asked for a week or two week leave to assist a friend who had been assaulted in Ohio. The third request for leave was bizarre.  A few weeks after returning from Ohio,  Brian came in the office on a Friday morning and complained about a painful tooth ache. Further, he informed my chief of staff he had scheduled an appointment with a Beacon Hill dentist and would be gone about an hour or so.  As the day progressed, it became obvious  Brian Mannal was not going to return to work.

My chief of staff, concerned about his “condition.”  called the dentist She was told by the dentist that Brian Mannal canceled the appointment and told the dentist he had to meet his lady friend at Logan airport and they were going to spend the day on the Cape.

This is when I decided to test Mannal’s inner value system.  Already obvious was his  constant need to roam the hallways of the State House compounded by his penchant for  taking time off from his tax-payer funded job.

On the Monday morning following Mannal’s cancelled dental appointment, I invited him into my office and asked him to describe his Friday dental visit.

He described the dental procedure as a tortuous one. According to Brian the tooth extraction involved pulling and twisting the target tooth and cause severe injury to his gums. He described his bloody clothes as being in need of change ergo he needed to return to the Cape whereupon he was so ill from the painful extraction he decided to recover at home. I expressed my disappointment that Brian concocted such a deceptive story  I  told him his fallacious story cast doubt on all his previous requests for his absences from the work place. An untruth is wrong for many reasons, but mostly because one can never trust the perpetrator again. I asked him for his resignation.

I heard through the grapevine  Mannal gained employment in Washington and obtained a job using my name for reference. Chutzpah indeed.

I question his prowess as an attorney. He slandered my name without  researching  the truth of his statements. Most important, he never called me for a statement.

I have never been charged or spoken with by any official source about recent probation issues. A disgruntled constituent who had contacted me six times for herself and members of her family, was told that I could not help her with her seventh request for political intervention. I hesitate to discuss this issue in minute detail as the case is ongoing for the participants involved.

As for the “pension” increase accusation made by Mannal, my request for a pension adjustment was based on the request made by UMass President William Bulger who was allowed to  include the value of a university campus home that he never lived in as a non-salary benefit to enhance his $300,000 salary. . It was granted and later confirmed by the Supreme Court as falling within the statute i.e. “salary includes compensation in any form.”  The statute was changed shortly after my request. I know of no employee who would not want the same benefits fellow employees receive.

I am sorry that the voters of the 2nd Barnstable District have to endure negative talk during this election season, However, Attorney Brain Mannal chose to bring  his despicable campaign methods to their doorsteps. I strongly advise Atty. Mannal to review the state’s slander laws and at the same time revisit his sporadic employment record at the Massachusetts State House where he is seen  as an example of insincerety and undependability.  He owes all of us a public apology.

I anticipate a response from Mr. Mannal rather quickly. That too will be posted here in its entirety.

***

This week’s column offers some friendly advice on how to deal with LaRouchies.

LaRouchies, for the unfamiliar, are followers — disciples, if you will — of Lyndon LaRouche, an eight-time failed candidate for president who served six years of a 15-year prison sentence for credit card fraud, and an all-around nutjob (in my humble opinion).

They have been seen in significant numbers across the Cape lately and appear more active than in past election cycles. LaRouchies are easily recognized as they like to set up small tables in public spaces and display a poster-sized photo of President Barack Obama sporting a Hitler mustache. They’re very proud of their complete lack of historical perspective and their surplus of hyperbole.

They are also notoriously shy around media-types and do not like to be interviewed or photographed.

Some of the more outrageous things LaRouche and his minions are responsible for include – and believe me, I had a HUGE list to choose from:

  • The dissemination of fraudulent and often racist and homophobic materials to discredit critics;
  • Frequent “discoveries” of alleged assassination plots against him, often by Manchurian Candidate-style brainwashed assassins;
  • Telling supporters to make any and all personal financial resources available to the movement, and take out bank loans for LaRouche if so requested;
  • During his 1976 presidential campaign predicting the extinction of the human race by 1995;
  • Accusing Ronald Reagan’s campaign staff of conspiring with Iran to delay the release of 52 hostages in order to leverage Reagan’s 1980 election win;
  • Declaring AIDS an invention of the Soviet Union, having far greater communicability that it actually did, equating HIV-positive individuals to “a person with a machine gun running around”, and in his 1988 campaign vowing to quarantine HIV-positive citizens as a public health measure;
  • Calling the attacks of September 11 an “inside job.”

The man also has an inexplicable hatred/fear of Great Britain, which he adamantly believes the U.S. is still beholden to financially and politically.

Recommended techniques for dealing with LaRouchies: giving them a dollar and, when they look at you funny, saying, “Oh, I thought this was some sort of weird performance art”; shaking your head in pity and tsk-ing audibly as you pass; declaring, “Hey, why is Obama made up to look like Charlie Chaplin?”; and having a normal conversation with them while affecting a pronounced British accent.

This last one is most effective if you end by saying “I have confirmation on the targets. The game is afoot – repeat, the game is afoot. Tally-ho!” into your phone as you walk away.

The best approach, however, is to ignore them completely. They thrive on attention just as a misbehaving 5-year-old would, so don’t play into their game. Besides, it’s only a phase. They’ll grow out of it.

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

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The Week In Politics – July 20, 2012

Friday, July 20th, 2012

All right, we have some more progress in the quote-unquote campaign of Stephen M. Palmer.

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.

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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.

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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.

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The Week In Politics – March 2, 2012

Friday, March 2nd, 2012

It looks like State Representative Randy Hunt (R – Sandwich) may have his first potential challenger, and his name is R. Patrick Ellis.

Mr. Ellis, who last week filed his paperwork with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF) as a Democrat, has served as a selectman in Sandwich, well as the town’s superintendent of public works and tree warden.

Democrat Brian R. Mannal of Centerville also filed his paperwork with the OCPF, bringing him one step closer to his primary challenge to State Representative Demetrius J. Atsalis (D – Barnstable).

So far no formal challengers have popped up for State Senator Daniel A. Wolf (D – Harwich) or State Representatives David T. Vieira (R – Falmouth), Timothy R. Madden (D – Nantucket), or Cleon H. Turner (D – Dennis).

***

Beware the ides of March! Because that’s when Rep. Hunt will hold his official campaign kickoff event.

Join Rep. Hunt at the Dan’l Webster Inn in Sandwich on Thursday, March 15 at 5:30 PM as he launches his first re-election campaign. This is an “open donation” gig with no set minimum donation to the re-election campaign.

Contributions will be accepted at the event, or make an early donation online.

***

C. Samuel Sutter, Bristol County DA, this week formally announced his candidacy for the Ninth Congressional District. Mr. Sutter had what you might call a “rolling campaign kick-off” that started Monday morning in Provincetown and ended in Westport, with a stop in Falmouth along the way.

Backed mostly by supporters from off-Cape, Mr. Sutter stopped at Peg Noonan Park in Falmouth, where he chided Congress in general and Congressman William R. Keating (D) in particular for their ineffectiveness in addressing major national issues such as the federal deficit.

Mr. Sutter also made a couple of mistakes in his speech when he berated Rep. Keating for his votes on two bills, one for aid for firefighters and one calling for funding cuts to Planned Parenthood. Mr. Sutter said Rep. Keating voted against the first and refrained from voting on the latter, neither of which proved true.

The Sutter campaign brushed it off as a minor faux pas, but those are the kinds of faux pases (faux pi?) that can earn a fellow a reputation as uninformed at best, a liar at worst. Better get on the ball, Sam.

***

Walter Moniz, Democratic candidate for governor’s councilor of the first district, has picked up an early endorsement from the retiring Congressman Barney Frank (D). Rep. Frank will formally issue the endorsement at an upcoming campaign event in Acushnet (also known as the thinking man’s New Bedford).

Meanwhile, another gent has entered that race: Nicholas D. Bernier of Swansea, who is also running as a Democrat. He doesn’t have an official website or Facebook page, just a page on WePay.com where people can make campaign donations.

There’s been no word from the incumbent, Charles O. Cippolini of Fall River, whether he plans to run for a second term.

***

Finally, a quick correction: last week I mentioned that Rep. Atsalis’s closest re-election race ever was in 2002, and he won by only 101 votes. That number was wrong due to a math error — hey, I became a writer so I wouldn’t have to do math — and the actual figure was 1,101.

(An aside: while presenting accurate information is always important, I find it amusing how quick politicians are to correct inaccurate vote tallies from past elections. It’s like they’re worried they could retroactively lose the race or something.)

Anyway, with this correct tally in mind, it reaffirms my earlier comment that Rep. Atsalis has never had a solid Republican challenger. Any Republicans out there care to step up and try their luck?

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

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The Week In Politics – February 24, 2012

Friday, February 24th, 2012

 

Busy week this week, so let’s get to it!

Robert A. O’Leary has put an end to weeks of speculation and announced that he will not take another shot at Congress.

Mr. O’Leary, a former Barnstable County commissioner and State Senator of the Cape and Islands District, ruled out a re-match against Congressman William R. Keating (D) because of the heavy financial cost of running a Congressional campaign.

“It was painful to make this decision,” Mr. O’Leary said in a statement released last week.

Rep. Keating and Mr. O’Leary faced off in 2010 for the Democratic nomination, and Rep. Keating eked out a win with 51 percent of the vote.

With Mr. O’Leary officially out, the field of candidate for the Ninth Congressional District remains at four confirmed candidates: Rep. Keating; Democrat C. Samuel Sutter, Bristol County’s district attorney; Plymouth Republican Christopher Sheldon; and non-party candidate Peter A. White of Mashpee.

***

On another Keating-centric note, Rep. Keating last week picked up another early union endorsement, and it’s a big ‘un: the Massachusetts AFL-CIO has not only given the freshman Congressman its official thumb’s up, AFL-CIO President Steven A. Tolman said returning Rep. Keating to office was “one of our top priorities.”

***

Looking more locally, County Commissioners Mary L. (Pat) Flynn of Falmouth and Sheila R. Lyons of Wellfleet last week informed me personally that they would both be running for re-election this year.

That brings us to a field of three candidates for two spots on the board, the third being non-party candidate Ronald K. Beaty Jr. of Barnstable. I’ve heard chatter about a potential Republican candidate, who has taken out papers but has not made any formal announcements, so that’s not yet a done deal.

***

Also not a done deal, but close to it: Hyannis attorney Brian Mannal has announced plans to challenge seven-term State Representative Demetrius J. Atsalis (D – Barnstable) — in the primary!

Mr. Mannal was born in Centerville, moved to New Mexico with his family as a child, and returned to his hometown to raise his family. He briefly worked for former Milford state rep Marie J. Parente and for George H.W. Bush’s campaign in 2000.

This could be a very interesting contest. Rep. Atsalis has had only one serious challenge during his time in the Legislature: his 2002 race against Ann B. Canedy, which he won by a mere 101 votes. Could a fellow Democrat succeed where many Republicans have failed?

***

I’m going to change Thomas F. Keyes’ name to Thomas F. Tease.

The Sandwich Republican has, since losing his 2010 race against Senate President Therese M. Murray (D – Plymouth), suggested through occasional e-mails that read very much like campaign position papers and a couple of fundraisers that he would mount a second challenge this year.

This week Mr. Keyes sent out to supporters a link to this video:

http://youtu.be/Db-1IkeIWpw

Please note that he doesn’t specify whether he means he plans to run again or refund the donations…although — and here’s your free grammar lesson for the day, Tom — the way he phrases his announcement makes it sound like he’ll be returning everyone’s money.

I somehow think that isn’t what he’ll announce next month, but we’ll all find out together, won’t we?

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

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