Posted on 05/09/2007 10:26:28 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - Democratic Rep. Martin Meehan, known for his work on campaign finance reform, formally submitted his resignation from Congress on Wednesday, paving the way for him to become chancellor of the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.
Meehan, 50, said his resignation letter was delivered to House officials Wednesday morning. His resignation is effective July 1.
University of Massachusetts trustees in March had approved Meehan as head of the Lowell campus, his alma mater. Meehan, who was elected to Congress in 1992, graduated cum laude from UMass-Lowell in 1978.
"I have a strong attachment to the school," said Meehan in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "I feel a strong debt to Lowell public schools and UMass Lowell. This is an opportunity to repay that debt with interest."
Meehan carved a national profile advocating campaign finance legislation, accusing the tobacco industry of collusion to promote smoking and pushing to repeal the military's current "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gay soldiers.
His departure has sparked an intense race to fill his highly coveted seat, one of 10 U.S. House seats in Massachusetts.
Gov. Deval Patrick, a Democrat, has set a Sept. 4 primary and an Oct. 16 general election to replace him.
A crowd of potential successors already has lined up, including Democrats Niki Tsongas of Lowell, wife of the late U.S. Sen. Paul Tsongas; Lowell City Councilor Eileen M. Donoghue; state Reps. Barry Finegold of Andover, James Eldridge of Acton, and James Miceli of Wilmington.
On the Republican side, Air Force Lt. Col. James Ogonowski, whose brother, John, was the pilot of one of the planes that was hijacked and crashed into the World Trade Center in the Sept. 11 attacks, is the only announced candidate.
Marty is a perfect fit for UMass - a university that awarded an honorary doctorate to Marxist mass murderer, Robert Mugabe.
Good riddance! What a disgraceful lying SOB that guy was! But then he is just like most of the other natives of this hellhole known as Massghanistan.
Ante up everyone. The new Mass Gov is taking bids now.
Meehan - an obnoxious cowardly punk.
Perfect choice for UMass: Another leftie pol who’s made a career out of slurping at the public trough.
Congrats, Marty!
Meehan was the very first congressman to start criticizing President Bush about his actions on 9/11, only two days after the attack.
AKA = the GAYstate!
“”I have a strong attachment to the school,” said Meehan in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. “I feel a strong debt to Lowell public schools and UMass Lowell. This is an opportunity to repay that debt with interest.” “
Repay debt? I would like to see his new salary : )
Meehan gets to join Bulger as another vastly overpaid dishonest vampire sucking on the blood of the Mass. higher ed system!
And, as Billy Bulger has shown, these UMASS pensions are very good indeed - for some!
But what about the two highly qualified candidates that UMASS interviewed. Oh that’s right, they don’t have Season Tickets for the New England Patriots. Hey, Marty, how will this affect your Pension? What do you have now? Four? YOU TAX FATTENED HYENA!
His name is Marty Meathead.
So now he'll get a nice little state pension ($100K a year,perhaps) to add to his nice little Congressional pension ($150K a year,perhaps).
Yep. And just to show how bad things are in Mass., Meehan was the best we have to offer in our Congressional delegation. {:-[
Way to promote from within! No Dems wailing over cronyism here.
That seems a bit unusual. He could not accept the job with the intent to begin following his current term in congress? I would think that for a "high profile" candidate they would fill the position with an interim chancellor until he was available. I wonder if there is more to this story.
Dems vote 2-1 for Dems in his District. It’s unlikely the seat will go to the GOP.
I never voted for Marty and I will cast a vote for anyone who doesn’t a D next to it. I wish Howie Carr would run I have voted for him as a senator for years.
Good Luck Lt Col.
LMAO! Tell us how you REALLY feel mass guy!!! LOL! ya gutta luv this $hit!
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