Cape Politics

Christy Mihos addresses small business leaders in Waltham

"Entrepreneur With A Political Vision" discusses ways to improve climate for Massachusetts small businesses

   Businessman, entrepreneur and candidate for governor Christy Mihos of West Yarmouth (right) greets Ed Ostrowski, Chairman of the Smaller Business Association of New England (SBANE) and CEO of GoldStar Advisory Services of Hingham, at SBANE’s Massachusetts Breakfast Series. 

Recently, Christy Mihos, owner of Christy’s of Cape Cod Corp., was featured speaker at the  Smaller Business Association of New England (SBANE)'s Massachusetts Breakfast Series event held at the Westin Hotel in Waltham.  Speaking before a large crowd of Massachusetts small business owners and managers, Mihos addressed the extraordinary challenges facing small business during this economic downturn, and discussed ways the government could help create a climate that is more favorable to small business.  

Mihos is running for governor in 2010, and is vowing to use his business experience to implement policies that would help small businesses grow and prosper in the Bay State.  SBANE, headquartered in Waltham, hosts monthly breakfast meetings throughout the six New England states.  The events provide attendees an opportunity to network with peers and gain insights and sound advice on current topics of concern for small business owners, entrepreneurs and their advisors.

Release courtesy of SBANE. 

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What I Learned in Springfield

I was a delegate to the Democratic State Convention this weekend
The Cape Cod delegation was noticeable by its absence

Treasurer Tim Cahill will not be running for Governor in 2010. I deduced this from the fact that he was not at the convention! Anyone running for Governor next year absolutely positively had to be at this year's convention. Waiting until next year's nominating convention would be too late and risk not even getting the 15% minimum to get on the ballot.

AG Martha Coakley is running for US Senate.  She was at the Convention big time, with the biggest and best visibility. Realistically she's staking out the "somebody other than a Kennedy" territory despite her claims that she's waiting for John Kerry to retire.

Senate President Therese Murray was not there. Neither was State Senator Rob O'Leary. In fact, no member of the Cape Cod delegation was there. My guess is that they've gone into hiding until next year.

Lt. Gov. Tim Murray is running scared. He too was at the Convention in a big way, hosting a pre-convention party. He's raised alot of money this year and he's spending it. But for what? Getting re-elected Lt. Governor? He correctly assumes that he is vulnerable.

Anyone who thinks that Deval Patrick will not finish out his second term would be smart to run for Lt. Governor next year.

Congressman Mike Capuano will be running for Governor.  Maybe not in 2010, but someday. So he is making the most of his early endorsement of Deval Patrick while he still can. The Governor made only one stop before the Convention Saturday morning; a breakfast hosted by Capuano.

President Barack Obama loomed large at this convention. Everyone was wearing their Obama '08 buttons.  They played the Wil.i.am music video. David Plouf gave the keynote address. We Democrats still can't believe our luck.

This was Governor Deval Patrick's convention. He gave another memorable speech. 2000 delegates are already committed to his re-election. And for the most part, the legislature was invisible. Except for House Speaker Robert DeLeo, there was only a smattering of State Reps. He did commit to ethics reform in his speech. That might one day look good in his pre-trial hearing.

Senate President Therese Murray was not there. Neither was State Senator Rob O'Leary. In fact, no member of the Cape Cod delegation was in the Mass Mutual Center, or in Springfield. My guess is that they've gone into hiding until next year.

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Obama wows the White House Correspondents

Perhaps the best comic performance of any sitting president (Part 1 and 2)
Wanda Sykes follows Barack below Part 2 of his skit - Vote in our Poll                                       Below is Part 2 - Vote on our poll here.

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Vote for the Quiet Guy

Local elections are just like high school. 

Do you remember sitting next to the "quiet kid"? The one who didn't say much, got good grades, but wasn't a geek. He had friends but wasn't in a clique.  He worked after school, while the rest of us played.  Became the "millionare next door".  I don't think he's quite that rich, but Curtis Sears is a Master Plumber today, which in my book is more valuable.  And he's running for Selectmen.

Then there was the tall good looking "jock".  Everyone's friend. Even the teachers. An OK student. He had fun in school. Went to college. Got serious. Earned a degree. Chose a profession. Then returned to his hometown to start a family. Erik Tolley reminds me of that guy.

We all knew the "prom queen" or the head cheerleader. The popular girl. She had nice hair and talked alot. Not about much. Went to college. Got a nursing degree. Married a doctor. Had lots of free time. Started volunteering. She went back to being popular. I think her name is now Suzanne McAuliffe.

And then there was the "know it all".  The kid who always had an answer, always raised his hand, who the teachers got tired of calling on, and everyone else groaned when he started talking.  He joined lots of after school clubs, the ones with three or four members. Became President of a couple.  Years later he became a doctor, sort of.  But I don't think he got the girl. Isn't that Bill Marasco?

It almost doesn't matter what the issues are in town elections, because the issues are always the same.  The only thing that changes are the men and women that get to sit at the head table.  And when we go to the polls we're not really voting for the gal who supports the schools or the guy who's trying to keep the lid on the fire department.  It's more about who we like and who is more like us.

Were you popular in school? Active in sports or school plays? Were you smart or at least did your homework? Did you sit next to the kid who talked too much or the one who never said a word? Did you trust him with your lunch money, or were you afraid he would take it away from you?

I couldn't stand the ones that talked too much.  I always liked the kids who you could tell were listening, even if they didn't talk alot. I still like those guys. Next week I get to vote for one of them. Curt Sears. The quiet guy. He can also fix a leaky faucet.

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Christy responds to Mass. Pike resignation

Mass. Turnpike chief quits under criticism

Boston Globe; Massachusetts Turnpike Director Alan LeBovidge resigned on Wednesday, a month after he was widely criticized for a pair of cost-cutting moves he nonetheless felt were necessary for the financially ailing authority. In a tart resignation letter, he recounted being hired by Gov. Deval Patrick to institute "reform before revenue."  LeBovidge wrote, "However, the last two months have made it clear to me that the basic operating premise has shifted."

The director was criticized for shutting off the blue lights on the Zakim Bridge, one of the Boston's signature spans, to save the $5,000 monthly electricity bill. He also sparked motorist outrage for massive Easter Sunday traffic backups after deciding not to use overtime to replace tolltakers who called in sick for the holiday.

In the aftermath of the moves, the famously blunt-speaking LeBovidge was unapologetic. "Sometimes you have to grin and bear it," he told reporters amid the public outcry over the Easter backups. "You know, if you don't have money, you can't buy food, and you have to go hungry sometimes"... The Turnpike faces $2.2 billion in long-term debts from inheriting the Big Dig construction project. It also has an operating deficit this year...

WCVB: In a letter to state transportation chief James Aloisi, LeBovidge said that his original mission of streamlining the turnpike authority had been changed in recent months, and he said a call to institute reforms was no longer the priority of the administration.

"My charge, from the Board and the Governor, was to right the ship operationally and to do everything possible to institute reforms and to focus on cost reductions," said LeBovidge in the resignation letter. "I've devoted the last seventeen months to following this charge. However, the last two months have made it clear to me that the basic operating premise has shifted"...

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The Massachusetts GOP old guard's false hope for 2010

Republican old guard pushing a health insurance tycoon
Romney redux will finish off what's left of once great party

By Walter Brooks

It's beginning to look like Democrat Governor Deval Patrick may be the covert consultant for the Massachusetts Republican Party.

Why else would the GOP old guard be pushing a heath insurance company C.E.O. as their choice as a candidate for Governor in 2010?

Only a former boss of the Big Dig would be a less popular choice with the independent voters they need to win in 2010 --- do you know anyone who thinks health insurance companies are popular during the worse recession in a half century?

Charlie's their gone-guy for Guv

The few elected Republicans left in the state are making the rounds these days touting Charlie Baker of Harvard Pilgrim as their guy for Guv.

Apparently their criteria is his wealth, which of course voters will resent as they pay their ever increasing health insurance premiums.

A daunting 59% revealed that say they've never even heard of Charlie Baker in a statewide poll published last month, while in a poll here Christy was the choice over Deval Patrick 6 to 1.

The old guard's efforts are apparent in the recent visits by State Senator Scott Brown with the help of Cape Cod's only statewide pol State Rep. Jeff Perry and the puff piece in the current issue of Boston magazine below.

And all this is happening as one of Massachusetts' most popular Republicans, Christy Mihos, is eager to carry the "Grand Old Party" to victory next November.

Back when everyone loved Republican Governors

The last Massachussetts Governor who called Cape Cod his home was Francis Sargent, 1969-1975 on right, who founded the Goose Hummock Shop in Orleans and lived at the tip of Barley Neck in East Orleans.  He achieved renown among conservationists and advocates of a multi-modal urban transportaion system by canceling most highway construction inside Route 128, with the exception of the Northeast Expressway in 1970.

Sargent became a strong advocate for changing the federal laws governing aide to states for highway construction so that more funds were available for mass transit projects such as subways and light-rail vehicles.

Sound s little like our own Christy Mihos, doesn't it?

Yes, there was a time when Massachusetts Independents and Democrats elected what were called Progressive Republicans to state office in the Bay State, before the dogmatic, partisan right wing took over the party of Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower. But you have to be pretty "long in the tooth" to remember Elliot Richardson, Ed Brooke and Frank Sargent.

Charlie Baker - Harvard Pilgrim CEO, healthcare reform pot-stirrer,
Great Massachusetts Republican Hope, 52

"The question I've always struggled with is, Can I bring something to the table? Before you even get to could you actually win, you gotta start with whether you think you could actually get anything done. It's not clear."
                         - Charlie Baker.

Will he or won't he? We've been here with Charlie Baker before: when Baker, at the time a highly regarded Weld aide, mighta-shoulda-wasn't Paul Cellucci's running mate in 1998; when he flirted with a gubernatorial bid in 2006.

Now Baker is again weighing a campaign for governor, and it looks as if it could be a go-unless he opts to pass, again.

Meanwhile, he's contending with the crossfire from the state's warring hospitals, as well as the simmering federal healthcare debate, which could dramatically shift the terrain for insurance companies like his.

It's all a lot to mull, and Baker says he'll reveal his 2010 plans soon... Boston magazine.

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Deval Patrick's politically clueless performance

Dan Kennedy on Deval Patrick's status:
Pundits on Patrick: Not a pretty picture

By Dan Kennedy, MediaNation.

Gov. Deval Patrick's politically clueless performance of recent days has brought out some sharp commentary from local pundits. A quick round-up - not meant to be comprehensive, just stuff that caught my eye:

We are now past the half-way point of Patrick's four-year term. It's pretty sobering - and discouraging - to realize that, without a major turnaround, we're looking at yet another disappointment in the governor's office... Call it the "broken windows" theory of politics... Patrick has reached the point of no return... Patrick's 'trivial' comment is perhaps the single most stupid political remark I've heard muttered by a state or national pol in the face of genuine public outrage.

• Joan Vennochi, Boston Globe: "The Massachusetts governor is presiding over a local version of the larger, national disaster that is chipping away at confidence in government and the economy. But Patrick's instincts for the symbols that enrage taxpayers are poor, and so, apparently, are the instincts of those who report to him." Comment: Vennochi pretty much nails it. But it's not just Patrick's inept handling of political symbolism - it's the lack of substance, too.
• Jon Keller, WBZ: "It's been a dismaying, demoralizing turn of events, coming at the worst possible time for the only thing that really matters, the ability of our state to deal with our crises in a way that protects and provides opportunity to the working classes. Things are bad out here, and no one wants to hear Deval Patrick whining about what a drag his chosen profession has turned out to be." Comment: Keller's pretty rough on everyone. Nevertheless, there's a difference in tone here that suggests Keller thinks the governor has reached the point of no return.
• The Outraged Liberal: "Patrick came to this job from the world of business, where executives got what they wanted by the sheer force of their will and personality. Some learn that politics is not the same environment and that accommodation is required.... But the biggest loser will be Patrick, who tried to strong arm the process and failed. In spectacular fashion." Comment: Outside of Blue Mass. Group, Patrick has had no better friend in the local blogosphere than Mr. O.L. Very ominous.
• Jay Fitzgerald, Hub Blog and Boston Herald: "Gov. Patrick's 'trivial' comment is perhaps the single most stupid political remark I've heard muttered by a state or national pol in the face of genuine public outrage. It will stick with him for the rest of his years in the corner office." Comment: I think Jay's right.
  
• David Kravitz, Blue Mass. Group: "It's more than passing strange for this particular crowd to be so clueless about why stuff like this matters. No, the money at issue in the AIG bonuses, or Carol Aloisi's job, or Marian Walsh's special election, will not make or break the state or the country. But the damage these kinds of things do is, while less tangible, no less real." Comment: If Patrick is losing one of the BMG co-editors, then he's pretty much down to family and childhood friends.
• Paul Flannery, Boston Daily: "Patrick has never bothered to take care of the little things - the car, the drapes, the chopper, the book deal while the casino bill went down in flames - and now the big things are slipping out of his grasp." Comment: Call it the "broken windows" theory of politics.

We are now past the half-way point of Patrick's four-year term. It's pretty sobering - and discouraging - to realize that, without a major turnaround, we're looking at yet another disappointment in the governor's office.

Dan Kennedy is an assistant professor at the Northeastern University School of Journalism. He writes for the Guardian (U.K.), CommonWealth Magazine and the Boston Phoenix, and is a regular panelist on WGBH-TV's "Beat the Press," hosted by Emily Rooney.

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Make Them an Offer They Can't Refuse.

And now for the rest of the story...

The Barnstable School Committee finally figured out how they could get rid of the Horace Mann Charter School. They just made them an offer they couldn't refuse. They gave them an ultimatum. Move or lose your charter.

That's what this whole crisis in the Barnstable Schools is about. Fewer kids, too many schools?  No. Control over the budget? Yes.

They're not actually going to cut spending, even though they can't afford to keep the all the teachers, adminstrators and schools. The school committee is trying to get back to some basic principles; traditional Elementary Schools, a Middle School and High School.  But the Horace Mann Charter School keeps getting in the way of the efficient distribution of kids to schools.

Run by a parent Board of Trustees, the Horace Mann Charter School operates out of the Marstons Mills East with public school district funds. It is one of the bright spots in an otherwise mediocre school system. (The Sturgis School being the other one.)

What the School Committee is angling for is the opportunity to kill off the Horace Mann Charter by making them move to Hyannis East Elementary building. Moving it would require busing kids from every side of town to the least desirable part of town. Remember busing?   They're betting that the Horace Mann Trustees will balk.

Back to the drawing board?

The Horace Mann Charter School in Marstons Mills.

There's a plan to put the school system back on traditional footing.  Without Horace Mann moving to Hyannis East, there can be four or five traditional K-5 elementary schools; Marston Mills East, Centerville, Hyannis West and Hyannis East and of course the Barstable West Barnstable.

Then the Middle school can go back to hosting Grades 6-8; what it was designed to do in the first place. And the High School can concentrate on corrupting just 9th graders without the distraction of 8th graders.  They sell drugs at that school.

Kudos to the School Committee for figuring out how to stop the Charter Schools from sucking the financial life out of the system. Watch out Sturgis. Don't to lose your lease. You may be next.

Read the previous story:
Fallout just may be starting in Barnstable school shuffle

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Representative Perry Adds "Help is Available" Section to Website

Representative Perry Announces Help Information on Website

SANDWICH – Tuesday, Representative Jeffrey Davis Perry (R-Sandwich) announced the “Help is Available” addition to his website.  This addition includes Cape Cod emergency assistance agencies that are available to help those in Sandwich, Barnstable, Mashpee and Bourne during times of crisis.

“I am always looking for ways to reach out and help those constituents who require assistance, especially during this time of year,” the Representative said in a statement.  “I would encourage all those who are undergoing times of hardship to reach out for help.  My office is always available to do what we can.”

The information on the website includes assistance agencies for general help, emergency financial assistance, fuel assistance, food assistance and foreclosure prevention as well as other resources and programs.  These include state, federal and private programs and organizations.

Those seeking assistance are encouraged to visit Rep. Perry’s website at www.electjeffperry.com or call Representative Perry’s District Office at (508) 888-2158.

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Perry joins House Republicans in saying no to local aid cuts

Perry, six other House Republicans call for cost-cutting reforms in the state budget

BOSTON – State Representative Jeffrey Davis Perry (R – Sandwich) announced Wednesday that he and several House Republican colleagues joined together to send a letter to House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi strongly opposing local aid cuts.

"We also believe the Legislature should show a better sense of priorities than to cut local aid and education funding while working families in our state are hurting and when there is so much wasteful spending in our budget."

In the letter, Perry and six other House Republicans call for cost-cutting reforms in the state budget and say that cutting local aid before making such reforms would be "an insult to taxpayers."

"As Republicans, we believe first and foremost that our state has an obligation to support our communities and the essential services that they deliver to our citizens on the local level," said the GOP members in the letter. "We also believe the Legislature should show a better sense of priorities than to cut local aid and education funding while working families in our state are hurting and when there is so much wasteful spending in our budget."

The letter is the first direct appeal that Republicans have made to support local aid in fiscal year 2010, and is in response to comments DiMasi made to the press last week suggesting that local aid will be cut between five and ten percent next year.

Representative Perry said, "Many towns are struggling to make ends meet with the current amount of local aid they receive, never mind a further reduction. We want our town officials to know that we are in their corner, protecting their interest and not the special interests of Beacon Hill."

State Representatives Susan Williams Gifford (R – Wareham), Donald F. Humason, Jr. (R – Westfield), Karyn Polito (R – Shrewsbury), Lewis Evangelidis (R – Holden), Todd Smola (R – Palmer) and Daniel Webster (R – Hanson) all joined Representative Perry in signing the letter to the Speaker.

Release courtesy of Perry's office.

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