Posted on 02/04/2007 2:36:37 PM PST by MassachusettsGOP
THE REAL story always wins out.
After weeks of denying that he was interested in the UMass Lowell chancellor's job, Rep. Marty Meehan finally fessed up last week, and was interviewed by the 21-member Search Committee on Friday.
The 50-year-old congressman handles the sharp focus of the press better than many pols, but in recent days he delivered his denials with atypical vehemence.
Bending over backwards to prove his point, Meehan asked:
How can I leave with the Democrats now in control of the House?
How can I leave when I'm now chairman of a high-profile subcommittee of the Armed Services Committee?
How can I leave when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked me to serve on a special ethics panel?
Legitimate questions.
But UMass Lowell seems pretty irresistible. The pay is better, $165,200 as congressman to at least $230,000 as chancellor. And his 90-minute commute by plane would be replaced by a 10-minute ride across the city.
NOW IS as good as time as ever to revisit "Meehan 101," the non-Wikipedia version.
He was initially elected in 1992 under a pledge to stay for four, two-year terms.
In 2000, with no strong challenger on the horizon, Meehan ditched his promise, noting his seniority in Congress was way too important to give up.
Now he has that well-earned seniority, and he might bolt, which has bloggers roughing up Meehan a bit. Meehan also has $5 million in a campaign war chest, the richest of all House members. What's he gonna' do with that? Most politicos in Greater Lowell agree Meehan has the chancellor's job just about wrapped up if he really wants it.
MEEHAN'S RUMINATIONS has Democrats across the Valley salivating.
An open special election is like a free spin at the roulette wheel -- you can win big, and it won't cost you anything.
Here's a very early skinny on the race should the seat open:
* Nicola Tsongas, Middlesex Community College dean of external affairs and the wife of the late Paul Tsongas, who held the same seat for two terms in the mid-1970s: She's in.
* Lowell City Councilor Eileen Donoghue: She's in. But what's even more interesting is that she's running regardless of what Tsongas does, at least that's what the street talk is.
If both women run, many Lowell pols are beginning to line up behind Donoghue.
* Methuen state Sen. Steve Baddour, who is a former Meehan aide: He's in.
* Andover state Rep. Barry Finegold: He's in.
* Chris Doherty of Lowell, a former Meehan aide now working as an assistant DA for Middlesex DA Gerard Leone. He's up in the air.
* Andover state Sen. Susan Tucker: Stronger than Finegold, she's running, but only in a perfect world without competitors Donoghue or Tsongas.
State Rep. Cory Atkins, former wife of the man Meehan defeated to get to Congress, Chester Atkins, said she isn't running.
She did say there's a full-court press from Haverhill to Sudbury to get women on the ballot.
Besides the aforementioned Tsongas, Donoghue and Tucker, the names of state Sen. Pam Resor and state Rep. Patricia Walrath, are being mentioned. Resor's Middlesex Worcester District includes many towns in the Fifth. Walrath's 3rd Middlesex District includes Hudson, Maynard and Stow. So is Sharon Pollard, former Methuen mayor and state senator.
WHAT ABOUT Republicans? A few names to ponder:
* Paul Cellucci. The former state representative, senator, lieutenant governor, governor, U.S. ambassador. Born and raised in the 5th District town of Hudson. He's never lost an election. His personal finances were an issue while in office, but he has tremendous positives. As a former governor he will be able to raise large sums, and galvanize a party that is now licking its wounds. But will he run?
* Chris Egan. Active in Republican circles. Loaded. Last known residence was Hopkinton. That community is just outside the 5th, but candidates do not have to live in the district to run. Egan knows the 5th well. He recently produced the documentary Eclipsed By The Sun, which followed the 1972 congressional race in which John Kerry, battered by hard-hitting editorials and news stories in The Sun, lost to the late Andover Republican Paul Cronin. Cronin was the last Republican to hold the seat.
* Peter Torkildsen. The former 6th District congressman is now head of the state Republican Party. He recently moved to Chelmsford.
* Christopher Anderson of Westford, who was recently appointed to head the state Board of Higher Education by former Gov. Mitt Romney. He's also president of the Massachusetts High Technology Council.
* John Thibeault of Chelmsford, who launched an unsuccessful run against Democrat state Sen. Susan Fargo.
* Lawrence Mayor Michael Sullivan, who has strong ties in the area.
**Note: No Republicans have actually mentioned interest in the race, the Sun was just throwing out a couple of names.(Whereas the Democrats rumors are pretty much true.)
I would hope the moribund state party would at least TRY to put up one of those individuals. I can't see Torkildsen jumping in right after he was elected the new party chair (and he'd also be accused of carpetbagging, no doubt).
A Dog Fight to Break Out in 5th Massachusetts Congressional District as Meehan vacates seat for Chancellor Job at UMASS-Lowell. It could get ugly.
It's a temporary job, After the next census Ma. will be losing a house seat and Marty's job will be redistricted out. He knows this and that's why he is jumping ship.
Michael Sullivan is the logical choice. Mayor of the largest city in the district, record of winning crossover voters. Also, special elections can be unpredictable, so a pickup is not impossible should the vacancy happen.
MA ping
bump!
Plus, each election in Lawrence isnt exactly a lock for Sullivan (and it gets tougher and tougher each time), he may need to seek a new office soon.
How did Lawrence ever elect a Republican as mayor?
Also, Lawrence has only about 10% of the voters in the district, and Lowell is half again as big (105,000 vs. 72,000).
I agree with CF that Mayor Sullivan is the logical choice. While HT is correct that Lawrence (and Lowell, for that matter) don't have that many voters (they have a lot of Hispanics and many of them don't vote), it will be very difficult for us to pull off the upset without making some inroads among blue-collar voters (who tend not to be as liberal on social issues as the Democrat nominee, whoever he or she may be). Sullivan would still have an uphill battle, but he'd be a far better choice than freaking Cellucci. Former MA-06 Congressman Torkildsen would probably be viewed as a carpet-bagger, especially since I don't believe that he represented any of the the towns currently in the MA-05.
BTW, the sheriff of Essex County (which includes Lawrence and some other towns in the district) is black Republican Frank Cousins. However, Cousins's home area of Newburyport is in the MA-06, so I don't know if he would be interested.
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