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.

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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.

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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 Since I file the columns on Wednesdays, by the time it saw print on Fridays (in most editions), “soon” was out-of-date by one day.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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thomas K. Lynch, who has served on the county’s legislative body for 11 years, is as I write this on his way to becoming Barnstable’s new town manager, which means he will have to resign from the assembly since the town charter bans its town manager from holding an elected position at the same time.

At present, the only confirmed candidate for the seat is Ronald R. Beaty Jr. If there are any readers out there considering a run for the assembly, I’d encourage you to do so, first and foremost so voters will have a choice in the coming election. Choice and competition are necessary to a healthy political process.

This is especially true here, because Mr. Beaty has yet to show himself to be something more than a one-trick pony; based on the content of his blog and his press releases, his sole purpose in running is to throw up a roadblock in front of the Special Commission on County Governance.

The special commission has filed two recommendations that Mr. Beaty has actively railed against: a proposal to merge the assembly with the Barnstable County Board of County Commissioners (or, as some put it, eliminate the assembly and expand the board), and a proposal to create a regional wastewater management entity that could possess taxation powers.

Are these trivial non-issues? No, but the scope of the assembly’s duties stretches well beyond ensuring its own continued existence and wastewater. It helps craft annual operating and supplemental budgets. It reviews and approves Districts of Critical Planning Concern, changes to the county charter, and changes to the Regional Policy Plan. It creates new entities to help the county deal with pressing issues.

I know I often knock the assembly as a somewhat vestigial organ in the county government organism, and while I maintain that there may well be better ways to accomplish the functions it serves, it does have its fingers in a number of not unimportant pies — and I question whether Mr. Beaty would be an effective delegate when he’s up to his elbows in one very specific pie.

One-issue candidates generally make poor elected officials, and having to run an actual race would tell voters whether he had a vision for county government beyond his pet projects…and if not, would give voters another option.

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A brief bookmark update: Peter A. White of Mashpee has updated his campaign website address to reflect the fact he is now a candidate for Congress rather than the US Senate. The URL is www.peterwhiteforcongress.org, and as an added note, it’s a much nicer-looking site than his past efforts.

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Senate President Therese M. Murray (D – Plymouth), who last week held her on-Cape re-election campaign kick-off event, picked up one of her first endorsements of the season, from the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus Political Action Committee.

The PAC called Sen. Murray “a devoted advocate for women throughout the Commonwealth. From her support of education reform to expanded access to affordable, quality healthcare to her efforts on behalf of victims of domestic violence, she has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of women and their families.”

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