Here we are, the final column before Primary Election Day!
As is often the case, the turnout for the primaries will probably be on the light side, but if you’re reading this then you better bloody well get off your cans and go out to vote on Tuesday.
There are four Republicans and two Democrats vying for their respective party nomination for US Representative of the 10th Congressional District, perhaps the Cape’s most crucial race of the season. Congressman William D. Delahunt (D) was a strong voice for the Cape for many years, and the region can’t afford to be without a staunch advocate in Washington.
Although this paper is not going to offer any endorsements for the primaries, I’ll exercise some editorial privilege and urge voters to support State Senator Robert A. O’Leary (D – Barnstable) and State Representative Jeffrey D. Perry (R – Sandwich) for the very reason I just cited. As Cape residents themselves, either man would immediately be a superior spokesman for the region’s needs in federal government.
You might think their general credentials pale when compared to those of, respectively, William R. Keating and Joseph D. Malone, and I’d argue that point, but there’s a greater concern here: considering the state of the economy, Cape voters need to be more than a little self-serving and stick with the hometown boys.
PS: If you don’t go out to vote and the guy you wanted to win doesn’t, you waive your right to gripe about it later.
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By the way, Gatehouse Media’s poll on the Congressional race augers good news for Rep. Perry, bad news for everyone else. As of Tuesday Rep. Perry was winning with 48 percent of 652 voters supporting him, 36 percent backing Malone, eight percent for Republican Raymond Kasperowicz, and Sen. O’Leary and Mr. Keating each receiving two percent support.
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Regular readers know that, while I list noteworthy endorsements in this column, I find them generally useless. They’re more reflective of a candidate’s political allegiances than a true measure of his or her value to the masses as an elected official.
And yet, sometimes endorsements are very telling. I look to Mr. Malone, whose endorsements have been largely from people like him: guys who used to big kind of big wheels in politics and haven’t done anything worthwhile in that arena for years. That always said to me this was a guy set in old and perhaps outdated ways of thinking.
Last week Mr. Malone got an endorsement from Christy P. Mihos, former (and spectacularly failed) gubernatorial candidate. In his endorsement, Mr. Mihos harkens back to a golden time when state government was flawless and effective and everyone was a establishment-defying reformer, and applauded Malone for being part of a glorious time that I’m sure was not at all quite that spiffy in reality.
Let’s be honest: as the saying goes, the past was never as perfect as we remember, just as the future is not always as bleak as we dread. Sometimes old ways fade into the mists of history for a good reason, and in an election cycle when – according to the national media narrative, at least – voters are crying out for fresh ideas, why should voters turn to someone whose heyday was 20 years ago?
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Remember what I said about endorsements being about political allegiances? Well then, make of these what you will: State Representative Susan D. William Gifford (R – Wareham) is endorsing Rep. Perry’s Congressional campaign, and State Representative Demetrius J. Atsalis (D – Barnstable) is endorsing Daniel A. Wolf for State Senator of the Cape & Islands District.
And yet more: Sen. O’Leary and Mr. Malone got the nod from the Boston Globe last week.
Sheila R. Lyons, Democratic candidate for State Senator of the Cape & Islands District, received the endorsement of the National Association of Social Workers Massachusetts Chapter – Political Action for Candidate Election.
Patricia L. Mosca, Democratic candidate for governor’s councilor of the first district, received the formal endorsement of Carole A. Fiola, the current and departing councilor.
Rep. Perry got the endorsement of the National Rifle Association’s Political Victory Fund.
James M. Cummings, Barnstable County sheriff, has endorsed Democrat – yes, a Republican has endorsed a Democrat! – Walter Moniz in the race for governor’s councilor of the first district.
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Now that we have all the praise out of the way, let’s move on to the obligatory last-minute controversies.
Last week the Boston Globe discovered that Timothy P. Cahill, Guy W. Glodis, and Timothy P. Murray – candidates for governor, state auditor, and lieutenant governor, respectively – all had some tax issues in their backgrounds.
The campaign committee for Mr. Cahill, the sitting state treasurer, had failed to pay about $15,000 in state taxes over the past decade. Mr. Glodis, Worcester County sheriff, had neglected to pay $2,568 in taxes on interest collected by his campaign committee between 2007 and 2009. Lt. Gov. Murray’s campaign committee failed to make tax payments on campaign fund interest in 2007 and 2008.
Mr. Cahill and Lt. Gov. Murray acted on the delinquencies right away and offered the perfunctory “This was just a simple mistake” explanations.
Sheriff Glodis, however, is being a bit more obstinate and is insisting that his campaign does not also owe federal tax payments on his accrued interest, which runs contrary to federal tax code. Not a wise position to take in light of recent revelations that he once received a questionable loan from a hedge fund manager now doing hard time in federal prison for bilking investors.
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The gap between Governor Deval L. Patrick and Charles D. Baker Jr. continues to shrink. That latest Rasmussen poll showed that 44 percent of voters surveyed currently support Gov. Patrick, and 42 percent support Mr. Baker. Mr. Cahill trails waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay behind at 8 percent (Green-Rainbow Party Dr. Jill E. Stein was not named in the poll).
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It’s not too late to plan to hit the Daily Brew in Cataumet this evening, for a fundraiser for State Representative Matthew C. Patrick (D – Falmouth). He’ll be there starting at 5:30 PM for a casual meet-and-greet with voters. His special guest is Cape Cod RTA director Thomas S. Cahir, who previously held the Third Barnstable District state rep seat.
Call 508-540-6308 to RSVP.
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This week’s event reminders:
William Zammer is hosting at his Flying Bridge restaurant a fundraiser for David T. Vieira, Republican candidate for State Representative of the Third Barnstable District. That is scheduled for Sunday from 4 to 6 PM. Donations will be accepted at the door.
James F. Munafo Jr., Republican candidate for State Representative of the Second Barnstable District, invites supporters to a “FUNdraiser” in support of his campaign. Join Mr. Munafo at Sandwich Mini-Golf on Route 6A in Sandwich for the “Vote Munafo Mini-Golf Tournament” on Sunday. The tourney runs from 4 to 7 PM. E-mail votemunafo@integrity.com to reserve a spot in the tournament. Cost is $10.
F. Randal Hunt, Republican candidate for State Representative of the Fifth Barnstable District, is holding a pasta supper fundraiser at the American Legion Hall in Sandwich on Saturday, September 25 starting at 6 PM; a golf tourney fundraiser at Holly Ridge on Sunday, October 3 starting at 8:20 AM; and “Pizza & Politics with Pizzazz” at Two Brothers Pizza & Mexican in Sandwich on Monday, October 11 at 5:30 PM.
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Finally, a quick correction of sorts. In the ongoing verbal girly slap-fight between Sen. O’Leary and Mr. Keating, the former recently chided the latter for collecting a pension from his State House days while also serving as Norfolk County DA and running for Congress.
According to an official statement from the Keating campaign, “Bill Keating is not colleting [sic] a pension at this time. If he is elected to the serve in the Congress, he will donate the state pension he has contributed to for 33 years to the Norfolk Advocates for Children. Bill founded the Norfolk Advocates for victims of sexual abuse with money obtained in drug seizures.”
So there.
Political news and announcements may be sent to Michael Bailey, Region editor and senior political reporter, at bailey@capenews.net
