MA: Congressman resigns to take UMass job (Rep. Martin Meehan accepts Chancellor role)

AP on Yahoo ^ | 5/9/07 | Andrew Miga - ap

[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.

[Hemingway's Ghost]

Marty Meehan was a money-grabbing a-hole---good riddance to bad rubbish.

On the GOP side, I heard Fred Smerlas might run for the seat---Dear God, I hope so!

[MassachusettsGOP]

Martin T. (As in Taliban) Meehan

[MassachusettsGOP]

I heard Fred Smerlas might run for the seat

He bowed out to Jim Ogonowski.

[MassachusettsGOP]

Na Na Na Na Hey Hey Hey Hey GOODBYE!!

[DaiHuy]

any bets on whether or not his district replaces him with someone exactly like him.

[California Patriot]

Garbage in, garbage out. I think we’ll see Meehan 2.0.

[California Patriot]

Being a university chancellor today is probably pretty similar to being a hard-left Rat congressman. Meehan should find it an easy transition.

[Princip. Conservative]

I know this may sound silly, but is there any chance that a Republican could take this seat??

[MassachusettsGOP]

There is a chance Republicans could take this seat, the people are rather Conservative, but they are Democrats. Its actually a pretty unusual district. It voted for Romney over Kennedy in 1994, Weld over Kerry in 1996, and Republicans run ahead of the other non-Boston Congressional Districts in each Gubernatorial election. For example last year Deval Patrick who took 56% statewide, only got 51% back in the 5th.

That being said, you need a good, connected, articulate candidate to win this race, and a favorable environment to Republicans nationwide. I think Ogonowski is good and connected (mb a little lacking on speaking ability), but the Republicans arn't out of the woods yet, and for that reason I think though they might have had a shot in 2002 or 2004, I think its unlikely we can pull my district to the R-Column.