We begin today in Iran.  Elections over the weekend gave victory to Hassan Rowhani, whom many viewed as a moderate.  He secured the necessary 50% of the vote to escape a runoff and in contrast to 2009, the results were accepted by the Iranian public.  His election is raising fresh, if cautious hopes that a deal on nuclear weapons can be reached.  This even has Haaretz‘s Chemi Shalev, a stateside columnist for the Israeli paper, saying there is chance for a deal.

Turkey’s crackdown on the protests in Taksim Square have turned violent as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stages pro-government rallies across the country.  Labor unions are striking today in solidarity with the protests.

Speaking of Turkey, Edward Snowden is still blabbing saying both it and South Africa were the targets of British spying.  Instead of merely alerting the American public of its government’s overreaching, he now seems to be just vomiting up state secrets he has collected.  The former could fairly have been called a public service.  Now he just looks like a loose cannon pushing the discussion away from civil liberties v. privacy and toward how this junior intelligence doofus got a hold of so much data. Thanks, Ed.

The Feds:

Still nothing earth-shattering out of the US Supreme Court.  But an opinion of note.  Arizona’s added burdens on voter registration conflict with the Motor Voter Act and therefore cannot stand.  The state can request changes from the Feds and then maybe go back to court, but it cannot unilaterally add burdens on voter registration.

On the domestic front of Snowden-gate, Steve Benen at the Maddow Blog has a good rundown on some of the latest news.

The New York City Mayor’s race is increasingly looking like a contest between flagging frontrunner Christine Quinn and former Congressman Anthony Weiner.  Quinn is in The Times shifting gears to shore up her one-time inevitability.  Meanwhile, due to “scheduling” Weiner brought along his 17 month old son to a Brooklyn street fair while campaigning in tony Park Slope.  In order to win the nomination, the winner of the Democratic primary must get 40% of the vote or there will be a runoff.

An item from last week, but worth a mention.  Connecticut’s junior Senator, Chris Murphy, is speaking out about how much time Congressman and Senators spend fundraising in Washington, distracting them from building relationships and legislative business.  Murphy also penned an Op-Ed in 2008 on the subject in The Hartford Courant.

The State of Things:

The latest bit from the special Senate race.  The Republican’s fouls off the reality of the race with the premise of this article.  While anything could happen, the race is not, in fact tightening.  Indeed, as David Bernstein notes, now is when Gabriel Gomez needs to start gaining on Bernstein in order to have a prayer.  Indeed, Gomez would need the hand of God to beat Cong. Ed Markey at this point.   Another factor disfavoring Gomez? Lots of Dems who want to be Boston’s mayor or replace Markey in Congress get to use the special to test their own ground games.  Rep. Marty Walsh, a Boston mayoral aspirant, is doing just that.

Elsewhere, Masslive reports on the new welfare bill that Senate President Therese Murray has introduced.  Progressives are not fans, but it probably has a good chance of passage.  But enough to override a veto?  Patrick seems noncommittal so far, if approving of the overall effort to reduce fraud.

Former Obama Official, Don Berwick, who served as Director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid under a recess appointment, has thrown his hat into the ring for Governor.  Berwick had been touring the state for several months.  He is probably to closest thing to a high-profile entrant in the race.  Meanwhile, the State House News Service reports that Therese Murray, who must relinquish her Senate Presidency in 2015, may be interested in the job, too.

ICYMI: Mark Gold won reelection to the Longmeadow Select Board.  Alex Grant deposed Mark Barowsky.  Our analysis.

City Slickers:

Time is running out to register to vote for the casino referendum Springfield will hold July 15.

Whatever the wisdom one way or the other on this particular issue, you know it is election season when suddenly every issue they can squeeze into their jurisdiction is causing councilors to seek press attention. While the Pine Point library is in Ward 5 Councilor Clodo Concepcion’s ward, Pine Point is an area that the  the 16 Acres-based councilor has not tended to concentrate on as much.  But voters are voters, after all.

What is the City Council working on tonight?

Twitter Chatter:

One issue is not getting enough attention is the proposed cuts to SNAP benefits, better known as food stamps.  Both the House and Senate have passed not unsubstantial cuts to the nutritional program.  Indeed, a protest was held outside Rep. Richard Neal’s office today to urge him to oppose the cuts (which he does).  His colleague, Rep. James McGovern has been going further, taking the food stamp challenge (eats for one week what the average weekly food stamp benefit provides) and has taken his case to social media.  Today we award Rep. McGovern this week’s tweet prize for not letting this issue go.  Why should citizens of the wealthiest nation in the world ever have to go hungry?

While on the #SNAPChallenge, I'm in Rules Committee fighting for a full & fair debate over #SNAPCuts on the House Floor. #farmbill

— Rep. Jim McGovern (@RepMcGovern) June 17, 2013

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Newly Minted Select Board Member Alex Grant (via Facebook)

Hours after the winners were declared in Longmeadow’s annual town election, the old officials were deposed and their replacements sworn in.  All but the Select Board were largely non-events with no competition for the School Committee seats and Planning Board.

The Select Board race is notable because not only did a new member, Alex Grant, join, he did so by booting Mark Barowsky from his seat.  This resulted from number of things.  It showed that the budget battle in Longmeadow claimed more than merely the pride of Select Board Chair Paul Santaniello and company.  It was also another feather in the cap of School Committee Chair Michael Clark.

Select Board Member Mark Gold (via goldforselectboard.com)

The results were not even close.  Mark Gold topped the ticket with 1000 votes.  Grant scooped up the second seat with 829 votes.  Barowsky was far back with 655 votes.  There were a large number of blanks, which could indicate bullet voting, a voting tactic in races like these where voters only vote for the candidate and no one else in order to game the percentages in their candidate’s favor.  Turnout was 12%.

School Committee Chair Michael Clark (via Longmeadow Schools)

It was no secret that Clark was backing Alex Grant.  He supported Grant on Facebook and social media.  To spread word about his campaign, Grant attended the Town Democratic Committee meetings, where Clark also serves as one the group’s officers.  Clark, a veteran of both Rep. Brian Ashe’s and Senator Elizabeth Warren’s campaigns last year, may have also provided additional support for Grant, particularly in voter outreach and targeting those likeliest to vote in Longmeadow.  Turnout among the town’s 12,000 voters was an anemic twelve percent.

Clark did not totally restrict his backing to Grant, however.  He did give a boost to Gold, the incumbent Select Board member who was reelected and also supported a compromise with the school committee last month.  But that support was light in comparison to Clark’s backing of Grant.

Voters supporting the school funding at Town Meeting (WMassP&I)

Of course it was not just Clark.  Longmeadow sources say that much of  seven-member School Committee mirrored Clark and backed Grant because of the potential value in having an ally on the five-member Select Board.  The Board, increasingly known for its lack of comity and fractured decision-making, with its power to control the Committee’s overall spending, can rock the School Department’s policies.  Other than going to voters at Town Meeting as they did this year, the Committee has little other recourse.

However, the overwhelming support the Committee received at Town Meeting showed that education is no laughing matter to town voters.  Cutting the budget without a damn good reason (the Select Board’s explanation, whether right or wrong, was never sold well), probably proved too toxic for Barowsky to win.  Moreover, other observers say he never really ran a campaign other than the usual ads in the paper and interviews with The Reminder and The Republican.  WMassP&I could find no website. Gold and Grant both had sites.

Mark Barowsky (via LCTV)

Of course, Barowsky was always going to be the likeliest to drop.  He was only filling out the remainder of Christine Swanson’s term.  She resigned in 2011 precipitating a special election in 2012 which Barowsky won.  His pitch appeared to focus on lowering taxes, something this leftward-shuffling town shrugged at (or at least 12% of it did).

But now that Grant is there, will he be the ally that the School Committee hopes?  That remains to be seen.  Observers cool to Grant say that he has used his position as a columnist for the Longmeadow News to snipe at town officials, including Clark, without a full and fair explanation of the issue at hand.  Nevertheless, Grant would be unwise to defy his political patrons and cause undue trouble for the School Committee at this point.

For the moment at least, it looks like the School Committee has a majority at least willing to negotiate in good faith with them.  Whether political opportunism or genuine desire for an agreement, Gold appears to be one vote.  Grant is the next and then there is Marie Angelides, who will be up for reelection next year.  Moreover, her own patron, Mary Rogeness, has roots in the School Committee, which is as good anything when it comes to predicting political outcomes in Longmeadow.

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The view from the Press Room during the debate (WMassP&I)

SPRINGFIELD—It is a rare event in a Massachusetts Senate race between a largely liberal Democrat and a self-styled “New” Republican that Tea Party Kentucky Senator Rand Paul drew praise from both sides.  However, that and a few other moments aside, Democratic Congressman Ed Markey and Republican Gabriel Gomez spent the rest of Western Massachusetts sole Senate debate locking horns over policy and style.

Organized by the Western Massachusetts media consortium and held in WGBY’s studios, moderated by the public television station’s own Jim Madigan, the debate was the second of three between the two candidates and the only one in Western Massachusetts.

Madigan touched a broad array of issues from medical marijuana to the Citizens United decision to economic development in Western Massachusetts.  Markey brought the references to Springfield and Western Massachusetts while Gomez tried to hammer, awkwardly often after his strongest points, about Markey’s lengthy career in Washington.

Edward Snowden (via The Guardian)

Edward Snowden’s revelation as the NSA leaker topped the debate with both candidates appearing to agree that he broke the law.  Gomez did not spend much time on the question and instead segued to a complaint about Markey’s ads.  Markey, ignoring Gomez’s charge to the most part said that it was important we have a discussion about how these anti-terror dragnets are harming out privacy.

The point that offered Markey a chance to show off his knowledge of the area’s needs came when Madigan asked about economic development.  Markey name-dropped numerous important economic drivers like the community colleges and Union Station and the less likely East-West rail links between Springfield and Boston.  In contrast to Scott Brown’s use of landmarks last year, these were relevant to the question, if slightly canned.

Gabriel Gomez (via DailyKos)

Gomez by contrast on this point took the time to reiterate his opposition to the medical device tax (something both candidates wish today).  He said that it would be important for job creation in Western Massachusetts, although the line seemed more prepared for ears in Eastern Mass, which thus far, is home to far more medical device companies than the west.  In the press gaggle later, Gomez, like Markey, said he would “he would be open to both” tax increases or spending cuts to offset ending the medical device tax.

But Gomez may have lost a chance to connect with Lynch voters, largely blue collar folks, by saying “We need more trade agreements so we can actually have manufacturing come back to Western Mass…” Trade agreements have been seen as the source of decline of manufacturing in this area rather than a boost.

Cong. Ed Markey (via wikipedia)

Rand Paul came up in the context of a question about the brokenness of the Senate, although even that question took a (more) bizarre turn.  Markey pointed to Paul’s filibuster some months ago on the nation’s drone program that garnered a lot of attention.  Markey said that is how filibusters should be, rather than simply informing an aide who passes it along to leadership out of sight of C-SPAN’s ever-watching eye.

Gomez agreed with Markey, but then, oddly asserted he could filibuster longer than Paul because of his Navy SEAL training, a line repeated in nearly every context.

Gomez’s negative attacks often distracted from even some strong points.  Although he was painfully unprepared for questions on the Paycheck Fairness Act, he winged it well-enough to not appear misogynistic.  Even on Manchin-Toomey, the expanded background check that failed in the Senate in April, Gomez’s answer was okay, even if he did not explain how he would succeed in convincing his colleagues to vote for it.  But these points were drowned out by his almost flailing attacks on Markey, which too often seemed like a knock on him being over sixty.

For what its worth, Markey also gushed a bit on the Paycheck Fairness question, but his definitive, “It should be a right” that women received equal pay for equal work, gave him the win on that.

Map of Keystone Pipeline (via wikipedia)

The environment, which is Markey’s wheelhouse, also became an issue with Markey opposite Gomez on the Keystone XL pipeline that would bring tar sands oil to Gulf Coast oil ports for market.  Markey noted that Massachusetts would get no jobs, but same environmental impact as everybody else if that pipeline opened.  Gomez again brought out his “Green Republican” line, but other than scrutiny for green investments, he did not elaborate what his description meant.

During a follow up with the press, when asked Gomez failed to name any policies his Green Republicanism would bring him to support.  He repeated comments made during the debate about making green investments.

Among the more notable exchange came on Citizens United where Gomez took a friendlier approach to the decision by saying it was about free speech.  Then he turned and attacked Markey over special interest money, naming in particular California environmental activist Tom Steyer who has dropped money into the race.  That point became particularly ironic as a massive outside infusion of cash came into Massachusetts to benefit Gomez.

Again this was Markey’s territory as he turned the tables and said that was exactly the point.  His contributions were public while Citizens United allowed other political spending to remain secret.

The candidates agreed that medical marijuana should be legal, but declined to answer as to whether or not the US government should stop Colorado and Washington’s voter-approved legalization.  Oddly, Gomez answered this question in Spanish, too.

Markey addressing supporters after the debate (WMassP&I)

On the whole the debate was substantive and the candidates’ engaged each other to quite an extent.  However, it could be dry to those not already engaged in the issues.  Markey clearly had a greater command of the issues, while Gomez struggled through most retreating (ad nauseum) to the safety of talking points on the debt and the length of Markey’s time in Congress on many issues.

But if Gomez did commit one irredeemable sin Tuesday night, it was his challenging of Jim Madigan’s question on the filibuster.  Not just because you should not attack the moderator, but for the most part, Madigan’s handling of recent debates has been widely praised.  Not sure that is the way to get the media to buy your side of the story.

It might have less noticeable had Gomez, unlike Markey, also not failed to thank Madigan and the Western Mass Consortium for organizing the debate.  Aside from a reference to “WSU,” apparently Westover (or Westfield State University), Gomez did little to connect to Western Mass.  These oversights (or challenges) to his hosts did not help.

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We will have full report up on the debate either late tonight or tomorrow!

-Matt Szafranski

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We begin today in South Africa, where yet another hospitalization of former President Nelson Mandela has captured media attention again.  The 95 year-old Nobel laureate has suffered from poor health and multiple hospitalizations for the past year.  According to The Mail and Guardian, it has led to accusations that some government officials are being denied access to the ailing former leader.  With public disapproval and stories of corruption on the rise, the governing African National Congress may find its own fortunes tied to Mandela’s life and by extension the moral authority he provides.

Global news on the National Security Agency leaks.  The New York Times says British officials are assuring the public there that they are following British law in this area.  Meanwhile, NPR says that if the United States asks Hong Kong to extradite NSA leaker Edward Snowden, they probably will.  But, Iceland is always an option.

In Turkey, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan agrees to meet with protesters in Instabul’s Taksim Square.

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, believed to be heading into an electoral bloodbath later this year is not backing down from a renewed efforts by her predecessor, Kevin Rudd, to reclaim leadership of the governing Labor Party.

The Feds:

Stateside with the NSA leaks, yesterday Edward Snowden revealed his identity to The Guardian newspaper at his request.  NPR has some follow-up information on Snowden’s past and rise to a well-paying job without any post-high school education.  An investigation has begun and Republicans are already calling for Snowden’s head, while Americans seem unmoved, The Washington Post reports.  Meanwhile, this story shines a light on the rise of contractors in intelligence, including, from The Times, the company Snowden worked for.  This is also a coup for activist Glenn Greenwald (see how he did), who deserves credit for the story and with whom we normally agree.  But statements like these hinder his cause, not help it.  Whatever Snowden’s fate, his actions may yield the review of the Patriot Act we badly need.

Ranking Democrat Elijah Cummings called on House Government Reform and Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa to release the full transcript of interviewed IRS employees.  Why? Because those transcripts appear to exonerate the Obama administration. Cummings says he will release the full transcripts if Issa does not.

Some interesting thoughts from the Maddow Blog’s Steve Benen about the long-game on climate President Obama may be playing in light of the recent Sino-American summit in California.

Finally, the field is set for the special election to replace New Jersey’s US Senator Frank Lautenberg.  Newark mayor Cory Booker announced Saturday and leads in early polling, although anything could change advises Jamelle Bouie.  NBC New York says New Jersey Democrats are suing Gov. Christie over his decision to have the election in October in lieu of New Jersey’s general election in November.

The State of Things:

Former Massachusetts governor Paul Cellucci died over the weekend from complications due to Lou Gehrig’s disease.

New polling from Suffolk University, in the Massachusetts Senate race shows Cong. Ed Markey up 48-41 over Republican Gabriel Gomez.  Media is reporting it as a tightening.  It is, but only in comparison to one poll, Suffolk’s.  Other polls have been in this range for some time.  David Bernstein filters out the noise and gets it right  on what Gomez needs at this point.  And Springfield’s Mayor Domenic Sarno endorses Markey.

Longmeadow voters go to the polls tomorrow.  The most notable race is for Select Board.  The School Committee seats are uncontested.  As election mania continues to sweep the Commonwealth this year, the vacated seat of former Worcester Rep John Fresolo is drawing candidates both Democrat and Republican reports Worcester Magazine.

Chicopee Mayor Michael Bissonnette orders an investigation into the police department.

City Slickers:

You know it must be election season when at-large Councilors Jimmy Ferrera and Bud Williams are injecting themselves into something over which the City Council has no power to limit.  Pete Goonan reports a Family Dollar has been proposed on Allen Street near the Island Pond Road commercial area, but Ferrera and Williams stand opposed, likely in an effort to appeal to voters in vote-rich Ward 7, which abuts the development.  Ferrera and Williams, incidentally, came in fourth and fifth in the 2011 election and could the likeliest to be offed by a challenger.  Ward 7’s councilor, Tim Allen, said he was waiting for a traffic study before making an opinion.

Timothy “T.J.” Plante, the city’s acting Chief Financial and Administrative Office, received the job permanently last week after former CAFO Lee Erdman departed late last year.  Plante was the Finance Director for the city before he became acting CAFO.

Twitter Chatter:

The Boston Mayor’s race has been focused of late upon the signature certification process, however, as that process begins to wind down, attention will turn to the campaign itself.  That race, beyond the obvious need that our readers know all things political, may not necessary seem all that relevant to Springfield and its neighbors.  That is until today when Boston at-large Councilor and mayor prospect John Connolly announced he had gotten a mayoral endorsement.  No, not from Tom Menino, but from Robert Markel, a former Springfield mayor and now a resident of Boston’s Charlestown, neighborhood.  We award Connolly this week’s tweet prize for stitching east and west together in the Boston’s mayoral race, if in a minor way.

Mayor endorses! Fmr Springfield Mayor Bob Markel that is, now resides CTown Navy Yard. Thx 4 hosting, Mayor Markel. twitter.com/JohnRConnolly/…

— John Connolly (@JohnRConnolly) June 10, 2013

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(WMassP&I)

SPRINGFIELD—Once more the City Council faced another light agenda Monday as it made some final steps for ordinances affecting fees in the city and transferred funds within departments, a typical acts in the waning weeks of the fiscal year.  Also included were a resolve to urge Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform and another resolve tacked onto the end of the agenda.

Ward 3 Councilor Melvin Edwards and Ward 8 Councilor John Lysak were not present at the meeting.  Earlier in the day Edwards’ wife and dogs were attacked by another dog, which prompted Edwards to miss the meeting.  The absence of Lysak, who is friends with Edwards and his family, has been attributed to helping out Edwards after the attack.

The Council kicked off the meeting by confirm Jessica Quinones to the Springfield Housing Authority.  The first financial items consisted of moving money into the Law Department’s Settlement accounts from which the city pays out settlements with those that litigated against it.  It was due to $112,000 infusion from an account the City Comptroller uses to collects leftover funds across city government.

Councilor Zaida Luna (WMassP&I)

Ward 1 Councilor Zaida Luna had asked that the item go to Committee to discuss the matter further, but other Councilors demurred.  Ward 7 Councilor Tim Allen inquired about the size of the city’s settlements in recent years.  John Liebel, Chief of Litigation in the Law Department explained that for several years now transfers to the settlement account had been necessary as the amount budget had come up short.  Although, he did say that part of the excess this year was due to settlement in the Melvin Jones matter.

The motion to committee failed 8-3 with only Luna and at-large Councilors Jimmy Ferrera and Bud Williams voting for it.  The item itself passed unanimously.

Other transfers, for road construction and stabilization reserves, passed unanimously, except that on the latter, Luna was recorded absent as she had stepped out of the chamber.  A later item passed, which did not require a recorded vote, allowed the mayor to increase the demand fee the city charges when sending out warnings to delinquent taxpayers.

SEIU 1199 Activists in Council Chamber Monday (WMassP&I)

Luna, as the lead sponsor, read the item out loud about efforts in Congress to pass reform of the nation’s immigrations, which have suffered from a number of deficiencies over the years.  The system is unable to get the workers it needs for countless jobs, which has stifled creativity and economic growth.  Meanwhile, millions of undocumented immigrants, who work and pay taxes in the United States live in the shadows.

Efforts in Washington have moved along, in part because Republicans fear a repeat of  Mitt Romney’s dismal performance among Latinos for whom the issue is important.  Many conservatives remain opposed arguing that the southern border must be secure first, even though net immigration from Mexico has been around zero for years.  This fact may leave the “secure the border” argument as little more than a fig leaf for less scrupulous opposition.  In Springfield, however, the resolve received unanimous support from Councilors, albeit on the voice vote.

Members of the SEIU 1199 Community Action in Springfield filled the left side of the gallery of the Council and erupted in the applause upon the resolution’s passage.

The Council also passed hikes in fees for marriage, birth and death certificates from the Clerk’s office and for tobacco licenses from the Health Department.  These passed without dissent.

Councilor Tim Allen (WMassP&I)

Another item, a hike in the tag sale license fee, also increased the number of tag sales allowed at an address in any given year to four from two.  Allen proposed an amendment that would limit that number to three.  Williams challenged Allen saying the Clerk proposed it and that it generates revenue.  Allen explained that this was at the request of those in his ward.

Allens amendment failed on a 5-6 vote (seven were needed for passage).  Ferrera, at-large Councilor Tom Ashe, Ward 2 Councilor Mike Fenton and Ward 6 Councilor Ken Shea joined Allen in dissent.  The item went on to pass 8-3 with Allen, Fenton and Ferrera the only no votes.  Notably, Ferrera was also listed as a cosponsor of the ordinance despite voting against it.

Fenton, who chairs the Special Committee on Residency, tabled a final vote on changes to the residency ordinance so that Edwards and Lysak could vote.

The remainder of the original agenda passed with little debate.  Property deeds were transferred for surplus property and gifts were accepted on behalf of the Fire and Parks Departments.  The Fire Department gifts were ATV’s to assist in patrolling the city’s woodland areas for fire while the Park donation was green space meant to make up for parkland given up for a project near Unifirst’s Indian Orchard facility.

Councilor Michael Fenton (WMassP&I)

The final item was a resolve urging the Commonwealth’s Department of Youth Services to reconsider the placement of a group home on Green Lane in the city’s Atwater Park Neighborhood in a single family dwelling.  Introduced by Fenton and Ferrera, the resolve noted that the facility did not fit with the character of the neighborhood.

Fenton, after introducing the resolve, noted that the Dover Amendment, allows the operators of the facility, which are not technically the commonwealth, to avoid seeking a special permit from the Council, which would normally be the case.  It is able to do this by using the law’s “educational” language.  Fenton said that a well-attended community meeting looked to statutory changes as well especially given Springfield’s disproportionately high number of similar facilities.

At-large Councilor Tim Rooke, whom Fenton and others said had railed against the use of the Dover Amendment in this way before, praised the resolve and the work of its sponsors.  Ward 4 Councilor E. Henry Twiggs echoed those comments and recalled a similar problem in his ward recently.  Ashe suggested the Council hold follow-up committee meetings on the subject.

The Atwater Park Neighborhood is along the Chicopee Border near Bay State Hospital east of I-91 (via atwaterpark.org)

A Department of Youth Services spokesperson, in a statement to WMassP&I, declined to respond to the accusations that Springfield already has more than its share of such facilities per capita.  It did not confirm that such a facility was definitely going to Green Lane, but DYS, “issued a Request For Response for a staff-secure boys detention unit that will provide services to our youth in Hampden County.” was An RFR is a bid for services.

The statement said it was “possible that a provider may have submitted a proposal in response to this RFR that included property at 100 Green Lane in Springfield.”  It went on to assert its respectfulness of “community concerns” and the need for “communication with community stake holders related to the siting of residential programs.”

In a follow-up email, DYS spokesperson Daisy Gomez-Hugenberger, did say a provider cannot open a facility unless it has received an RFR.  The proposal the provider submits must include an appropriate site for the proposed facility called for in the RFR.  As to the use of the Dover Amendment, Gomez-Hungenberg emailed, “Ultimately, this is up to the Provider to pursue and support their own siting process.”

Melinda Phelps, a resident of Atwater Park and speaking on behalf of its civic association said in an email that Atwater Park is a geographically compact, yet diverse middle class neighborhood.  She noted that the neighborhood already had given up some of its space for community institutions including I-91, a women’s correctional facility and an elementary school have already had an impact.  “In order to maintain the residential nature of this community, the residents are opposed to one more encroachment on the neighborhood,” Phelps emailed.

Phelps also noted that the original petition included the signatures of 107 residents and praised the Council’s action on Monday.

Sources familiar with the issue say that the facility is far from a done deal, but it could prove to be an impetus for change after years of similar such proposals sailing through with little push back.  Springfield community leaders have long complained that the city has become the site for many such facilities while its neighbors bear disproportionately less of a burden.

(WMassP&I)

Atwater Park’s resistance may present some dicey, but not insurmountable, charges including both NIMBYism and exercise of pull that other neighborhoods lack.  Many of the city’s most influential residents, including Congressman Richard Neal, live in Atwater Park.  Still, the point remains that there is a problem if disproportionately too many of Hampden County’s societal ills end up in Springfield (and Holyoke) and nowhere else.

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Attorney General Martha Coakley (image via wikipedia)

As can be expected, the national media and to a far lesser extent the Massachusetts media, have made the special Senate election to replace John Kerry a horse race or even Martha II.  Despite history and solid evidence that the factors which elected Scott Brown in 2010 are absent, media commentators describe the race as if history is repeating.  This happens even as the national media had a feeding frenzy over bad press for the Republican.

Rather unfairly, the press and pundits, both national and some state, have called Markey’s campaign uninspired or downright bad drawing Martha Coakley comparisons.  The campaign has not been Elizabeth Warren 2.0, either.  However, after Gabriel Gomez became the opponent, there is a sense, that they have not fought this battle like they fought the primary because Gomez was, and remains, such a mess of a candidate.

That does not mean that Markey is pulling a Coakley.  To the contrary, the time he is spending fundraising, and more critically, repairing bonds with unions, is exactly the opposite of what Attorney General Martha Coakley did after she won the Democratic primary three and a half years ago.  Coakley went on vacation, and then got caught up in a national political narrative in a race against a skilled, if not particularly relevant, longtime Beacon Hill pol.

Cong. Ed Markey (via wikipedia)

The problem may be the atmospherics, a term of art for political flacks, that describes how things appear to be going from 35,000 feet.  But just like you cannot read a car’s license with the naked eye looking out the window of a 737, this type of analysis has a number of obvious problems.

It is true that the Markey campaign is mostly targeting voters who will vote all the time as opposed to targeting voters who only vote in presidential years, if ever, as Warren did.  Moreover, the compressed timeline makes a number of organizing strategies that Warren employed almost impossible.  Gomez is almost certainly doing the same.

That has been dispiriting to some, but in fact the mechanics are working and continue to work nonetheless.  Many of the on the ground activists have been working hard, turning out voters even in the relatively foregone-conclusion primary at the end of April.

SEIU 1199 Backed Markey in the Primary and, like many unions, will be part of the General Election ground game. (via Twitter)

In the lead up to that primary, Rep. Cheryl Coakley-Rivera, whose district includes many of Springfield’s Latinos, endorsed Lynch.  This set up a schism between her and SEIU 1199, whose Community Action group is also influential within the city’s Latino quarters.  In the end, however, it was a never really much of a contest, as Lynch lost every precinct in Ward 1, the heart of the city’s Hispanic community, some badly.  No doubt SEIU can claim credit for that.

That particular anecdote may be as much about Coakley-Rivera’s true political influence as it is about SEIU’s work.  However, it underscores one important difference between now and the Coakely-Brown race.  Nobody is napping.

Gabriel Gomez (via wikipedia)

(Indeed if the Coakley-Rivera situation is any indication, Gomez’s own Latino heritage is just as unlikely to sway those of Latin American extraction to himself.  The decision of the Republican party to coalesce around Gomez is more evidence of its patronizing view toward minorities.   It is an insult to the intelligence of any Latino voter will vote just because Gomez is a Hispanophone.  Certainly black Republicans, like Herman Cain and Tim Scott have not won the GOP any meaningful African-American support.)

Elsewhere the campaign has actively sought to pickup the pieces from the primary, something Coakley did not do.  Stephen Lynch, whom Markey defeated in the primary, has fully backed his colleague in the general.  Indeed, some Lynch staffers, including one in Western Massachusetts, have joined Markey’s campaign.

Nevertheless, the noise from the punditocracy and commentariat have been sufficient that any slipup of Markey’s campaign will be treated as the death knell.  That could be changing as The Washington Post’s The Fix blog switched to speculating whether a narrow Markey win may entice Brown to mount a comeback next year.  New polling may bury the neck-and-neck narrative further.

The Debates during the Primary were not a high point for Gomez, left, with Michael Sullivan and Dan Winslow (via WBUR)

To that end, it still leaves the debates as crucial.  Gomez, armed with a fresh round of dissembling, has expectations so pathetically low that he will meet them unless he lights the building on fire.  Markey, by comparison could have an awesome night and still be seen by the chattering classes as delivering a middling performance.  Add to that, Markey has to avoid appearing to coast through debates in light of whatever polling advantage he has.

Markey’s campaign could afford to step it up a bit, especially since the commonwealth could be deluged with conservative attack ads at a moment’s notice.  His team should know better, too.  A few of the principals are alums of Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown’s campaign last year.  His grossly substandard opponent was kept alive, if not brought to victory, by an endless influx of money.  The same could reanimate Gomez, too.

At the same time, it may be that the Markey campaign’s internal polling is the source of their decision to leave the race in a holding pattern.  Still, if there is one thing Markey can do to pull away it is to talk more about what is troubling so many: jobs.  Nothing Gomez can say on this front can be taken seriously without Romney comparisons.  Markey does not have this handicap.

Lynch, left, and Markey have apparently mended fences better, or at a minimum sooner than Coakley did in 2009-10 (via Facebook)

President Obama’s stability in polling is tied to an improving economy and Massachusetts has led the pack in job creation.  However, this has been uneven in the commonwealth and a particular emphasis on this front in Western, Central and Southeastern Massachusetts could be critical for Markey, especially in terms of turning out the vote.

The temptation to step out in front of these issues, however, may be very small and with good reason.  As David Bernstein noted today, Gomez’s problems run fairly deep.  Aside from the back and forth on whether or not he is a Republican, Gomez has only offered a paucity of solutions for the toughest problems we face as a nation.  More often than not, he has only offered his beliefs, but nothing he would act on.  Indeed, Gomez has been such a disaster that some on Blue Mass Group have practically become nostalgic for Scott Brown’s political skills.

On the other hand, as long as the race continues to be about nonsense, that only benefit Markey who has, to Gomez’s dismay, been talking substantively about the issues.  As WGBH reporter Adam Reilly tweeted yesterday, any day spent arguing about whether Gomez is a Republican is a win for Ed Markey.

If Markey needs any more evidence, today’s poll from New England College shows Markey ahead by twelve.  The Markey campaign is probably where they want to be right now, given the national media noise and relatively even-handed state press coverage.  But the time to rest will be the day after the election and not a minute before.

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We begin today in Turkey, where protests that started over an environmental issue have mushroomed into those questioning the rule of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.  The first deaths have also been reported.  The protests have shone a light on the Near East nation, which has a functioning democracy, but whose ruling party has seemingly slid toward Islamic law and authoritarianism.  For a bit on the issue that started the protests, The New York Times has some perspective.  Not helping his case, according to The Guardian, Erdogan has placed the blame on social media.  The Turkish president for his part, defends the right to protest.

Left of center parties in Australia and the United Kingdom are at a crossroads.  Bleak polling suggests a rout of the Labor Party come September elections and the return of the Coalition to power, the name used for the bloc of conservative parties that run in Australia.  Meanwhile, in the UK, Labour Party Leader Ed Miliband and Shadow Treasury Secretary Ed Balls are trying to get ahead of their political liabilities on spending and welfare.

Trouble continues in South Africa’s mining industry where a union leader was shot and killed even though workers returned to work last month.

The Feds:

The Senior Senator from New Jersey, Democrat Frank Lautenberg, has died from viral pneumonia.  He was 89.  The New York Times, the Star-Leger of Newark, and NPR have remembrances of the man, who championed Amtrak and banned smoking on planes. He had already announced his intent to not run for reelection next year after Newark mayor Cory Booker began making plans to run on his own.  The decision to fill the seat falls to Republican Governor Chris Christie although the timeline for a special election for replacement is far from clear and the more latitude Christie has the tougher the decision gets.  Secretary of State John Kerry remembered Lautenberg and thanked the late senator for his spirited defense of Kerry as the swift boat attacks began.

The US Supreme Court ruled today that taking of DNA samples by swabbing the inside of a person’s mouth even if only after an arrest, is constitutional if done without a warrant.  Liberal justice Stephen Breyer joined with three of the court’s conservatives and swing justice Anthony Kennedy, who wrote the opinion for the 5-4 decision.  Notable the dissent lined up noted Conservative justice Antonin Scalia with liberals Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor.

In a related judicial note, President Barack Obama has nominated a full slate of individuals to fill vacant seats on the DC Circuit Court of Appeals.  This comes as the White House and Senate Democrats seek to break GOP obstruction on virtually all nominees that need Senate confirmation.

The State of Things:

The last day to register to vote for the Special US Senate Election is this Wednesday!

Massachusetts voters could get whiplash from the nonsense flying out of Team Gomez these days.  Republican nominee Gabriel Gomez faced fresh question about his “independence” from Washington Republicans after Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell penned a fundraising letter on Gomez’s behalf.  Then today, Gomez says that he does not care about McConnell’s help.  Then immediately thereafter, Politico reported that a huge expenditure in ads on Gomez’s behalf is being paid for, in all likelihood, by national Republicans!  Meanwhile, in substance, Markey went after Gomez on Social Security while campaigning with Caroline Kennedy.

David Bernstein at his new home at Boston Magazine breaks down the newest hysteria the Auditor Suazanne Bump has dropped on the commonwealth.  Read the whole thing, but the short version: Gov. Patrick is going to far by calling BS on the report, but Bump failed to apply much or any much needed context in her report.

Two worthwhile headlines out of Worcester.  The Telegram & Gazette reports that now former Lt. Governor Tim Murray has begun his job at the city’s regional Chamber of Commerce.  Meanwhile, Worcester Magazine says plans to bring a slot parlor in the Commonwealth’s Second City are dead.

City Slickers:

Tonight the Springfield City Council passed final step of the first of several expected reforms to the city’s residency ordinance.  The new rules will restrict the use of waivers from the residency ordinance.  Here is a primer written before tonight by The Republican’s Pete Goonan.

Paul Tuthill at Northeastern Public Radio reports on Pride Celebrations in Springfield.  Last Thursday, Mayor Sarno raised a rainbow flag at City Hall in honor of the city’s LGBT community.  June is when many Pride celebrations across the nation are held as that was the month of the 1969 Stonewall riots that touched off the gay rights movement.

Maureen Turner updates us on Housing issues in Springfield, including the efforts of No One Leaves, which has opposed foreclosures.

Twitter Chatter:

The relationship between Governor Christie and Senator Lautenberg was probably best described as chilly.  Lautenberg was, politically, probably the most visible anti-Christie in New Jersey.  Nevertheless, as Christie ponders the many political consequences of any decision he makes in filling Lautenberg’s seat, he gave tribute to the man who gave twenty-eight of the last thirty years of his life in service to the Garden State and the United States of America.  Today, Governor Christie receives this week’s tweet prize for his tribute that quoted from his remembrance of Lautenberg today.

The best way to describe Sen. Frank Lautenberg, in the way he would probably want to be described, is as a fighter. vimeo.com/67574998

— Governor Christie (@GovChristie) June 3, 2013

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(WMassP&I)

SPRINGFIELD—After years in the making, the City of Homes finally adopted a citywide revision of its four decade old zoning ordinance, which one activist described as so old it lacked the word “condo.”  In stark contrast the tepid to frosty reception many councilors and developers gave the ordinance last year, it passed unanimously last night.

Originally drafted by a committee of citizens and developers, the changes overall modernized the city’s zoning rules to reflect a national trend back toward urbanism.  Springfield, however, is a city of contrasts and so any revision would have to be mindful of its suburban characteristics, particularly its post-WWII developments like Eastfield and Five Town Plaza.

Since September, city officials, residents and developers returned to the drawing board to find a compromise to the complaints the last group had with the proposal.  Sticking points included the design of site review and perceived subjectivity in the parts of the zoning language.  Tuesday’s passage was the culmination of that compromise effort

Ward 7 Councilor Tim Allen, who as Chair of Planning and Economic Development in 2010 and 2011 said passage feels great.  However, he noted that part of the two years of delays since he had the P&ED chairmanship were out of the Council’s hands.  Planned meetings were to advance the revision in 2011 never happened having been scheduled on days after the June 2011 tornado and then the October snowstorm.

Deputy Director of Planning Phil Dromey (WMassP&I)

The passage was hailed as a victory for countless citizen activists, many from neighborhood groups, as well as the city’s Deputy Director of Planning Phil Dromey, who spearheaded the movement from within the city’s bureaucracy.  Of course its passage also carried with it political significance as well.

Prior to Tuesday, there had been frustration that the process had dragged for nearly seven years and fears that some parties were suddenly using their clout to stymie the process entirely.  Developers, including Colvest’s Frank Colaccino, were involved in the revision from the beginning.  And yet there was a sense that some developers, long accustomed to the current rules, had little incentive to change the rules.  It is worth noting, however, that although Colaccino was not present Tuesday, he did said a letter of support for the compromise zoning revision.

Watergate had not even happened yet when Springfield adopted its current ordinance. (via wikipedia)

Broadly speaking, the goals of the revisions was to update the 40 year old ordinance and establish a site review process.  Site review ensures developments fit the character of the host neighborhoods, but the review is not a license to deny projects.

A tiered system would assign that review to levels within the Planning Department and the largest projects would go before the Council.  Since September, the tiered system was scaled back to three instead of four levels.  The largest developments would still require Council approval.

The revisions empower the otherwise advisory Planning Board with real power for the first time.  Dromey told WMassP&I that although review does not empower the reviewing bodies like the Planning Board to deny a project, they can attach conditions.

Other changes from September, Dromey explained, affected parking and historic structures, however most of those change consisted of minimizing developers concerns that the language was too subjective.

A rendering of MGM Springfield’s proposal (via mgmspringfield.com)

In September, when Councilors put off a decision, it drew an angry response from activists who had worked on the revisions.  However, it is unclear whether or not that political pressure forced the Council to act.  Rather the casino process may have helped the revision along.

One of the additions to the revision was a casino overlay zone, which will need to be filled in by MGM and then approved by the Council at a later date.  The recent approval of the casino agreement made hitching the zoning revision to MGM’s wagon much more easy.  Approving the former without approving the latter would have been ridiculous, even if absurdity is hardly foreign to the Springfield City Council.

Another whisper of politics was the mountains of praised heaped upon Ward 6 Councilor Ken Shea.  A consistent supporter of the zoning revision, many councilors and Dromey himself credited Shea with pushing the ordinance despite the opposition in September.

Councilor Ken Shea (WMassP&I)

That Shea supported the ordinance is not particular remarkable.  The Forest Park Civic Association, widely seen as a force behind his 2011 candidacy, fiercely supported the new ordinance and they are a key part of whatever base Shea has in Ward 6.

While Shea’s support the revision was never shaken, a failure to get the new ordinance through the legislature could have become a liability as Shea entered the Fall elections.  No  challengers have filed for Ward 6, and the only rumored candidate is Shea’s predecessor Amaad Rivera.  However, a stronger showing of impotence on an issue important to FPCA and other activists in Ward 6 could easily have persuaded Shea’s backers to go candidate shopping.

(WMassP&I)

It remains to be seen whether that can be enough to ensure Shea‘s victory, but for the city, there is little doubt replacing it Nixon-era zoning ordinance is a win.  Additional technical steps may remain before final effective passage, but otherwise the ordinance will take effect after 90 days.

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We begin today in Syria, where both sides of the conflict appear to be getting reinforcements from abroad.  The European Union has decided to not renew the arms embargo on the country, ostensibly to provide more support to the opposition, a move Russia has criticized.  For its part, Russia is sending new missiles to the Assad regime.

Israel has introduced its long awaited conscription reforms which will change the nation’s ultra-Orthodox Jews long-time exception from the nation’s mandatory military service.

The Feds:

The New York Times looks at President Obama’s attempt to shift the nation’s counterterrorism and national security strategies.  This comes after the president’s big national security speech last week.  Elsewhere in national security issues, The Daily Beast has an exclusive on Attorney General Eric Holder’s apparent, albeit belated, remorse on what happened when the Department of Justice’s zeal to investigate leaks led to potential abuses of the Freedom of the Press.  Meanwhile, The Washington Post profiles the White House’s lawyer.  And maybe the Tea Party groups that cried foul over the IRS were actually guilty of doing exactly what should raise questions, even if the agency bungled the execution of its duties.

Arizona’s Republican Governor Jan Brewer is breaking out of the asylum once again by demanding her party approve an expansion of Medicaid as part of Obamacare.  She is refusing to sign any bill unless the legislature approves the expansion.  The same woman who stuck her finger in the president’s face and facilitated the war on immigrants has had flashes of sanity before, but this is probably the largest from a policy perspective.

The Los Angeles Times has a deep dive into what went wrong for L.A. City Controller Wendy Greuel in her bid to become the city’s first female mayor.  Last week, Greuel was defeated by her one-time colleagues, Councilman Eric Garcetti.  Meanwhile, the alternative LA Weekly takes a look at the extravagant lifestyle and impending unemployment of Antonio Villaraigosa, the outgoing mayor.

In 2016 watch, The New York Times takes a look at an Ontario-New York dispute over a bridge that connects Canada and the US—and the province and state.

The State of Things:

Of course the biggest news last week was the resignation of Lt. Gov. Tim Murray who will go on to lead the Worcester Chamber of Commerce.   Paul Tuthill at Northeastern Public Radio reports.  There is no provision in the state constitution for his replacement.

The Boston Globe looks at how Elizabeth Warren is using her national liberal star power carefully.  She appears well aware of the fact that her low seniority has limits, but this in-depth look at her first five months on the job shows somebody who is engendering the respect of even her conservative colleagues even as she picks her battles.

More special elections!  Last week Worcester Rep John Fresolo resigned amidst an ethics investigation.  Worcester Magazine has some early details on who might run in the special election.  Another special election is wrapping up in Boston to replace Rep. Martah Walz who resigned earlier this year.  The Democratic primary today, which is likely to be the real election, pits Democratic hand ostensible moderate Joshua Dawson against Jay Livingtone, who has the support of the state’s progressive community.  Jay Livingstone was declared the winner this evening.

Closer to the Valley, Marie LaFlamme has declared for Chicopee Treasurer.  The long-time Treasurer, Ernest LaFlamme, her father, is retiring at the end of the year.

City Slickers:

New England Public Radio has a look at the emerging campaign for which both opponents and proponents of a casino are preparing.

In a rather bizarre piece of news, Pete Goonan at the Republican writes up the default approval of a permit for a billboard in downtown Springfield.  What makes it bizarre is, of course, the comments of Council President Jimmy Ferrera who impliedly suggested the Council broke the law by not voting on sooner on the permit.  Of course that simply is not true.  Maureen Turner has the skinny  on the stink that hung over this permit.

Finally, Ward 8 Councilor John Lysak got called out by OCPF for late fines.

Twitter Chatter:

When we originally wrote today’s Takedown, we did not have a winner in today’s special election in Boston.  But posting delays left us with a winner as we post now.  Today we award this week’s tweet to Jay Livingstone, the victor in Boston’s special election.  His gracious recognition of his opponent is a sign of the good sportsmanship that politicis is certainly capable.

A big thank you to @joshualdawson – it was an honor to share this experience with someone who cares so much about this community #mapoli

— Jay Livingstone (@jaylivingstone) May 29, 2013

We also award this week’s tweet prize to Joshua Dawson, whose equally gracious concession tweet is not merely a recognition of a hard fought race.  Rather, Dawson added that he looks forward to Livingstone representing him in Beacon Hill.  As a response tweet to the concession suggested, we may not have seen the last of Dawson either.  Congrats gentleman!

Congrats to my friend @jaylivingstone for running one hell of a campaign. I look forward to him representing me in #BeaconHill!

— Joshua L. Dawson (@JoshuaLDawson) May 29, 2013

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