Is there anything to talk about except the election tomorrow? Is there anything left to say? Really the only thing left to do now is the voting. Still, here are a few final thoughts on the campaign:
- No matter how it turns out, at least the campaign wasn't the snoozer everyone predicted it would be. For sheer entertainment value political junkies have to harken back to the Weld/Kerry 1996 battle of the titans to find any race with similar excitement in Massachusetts politics.
- But this is even more interesting because Scott Brown is no Bill Weld. Brown is a nobody who came from nowhere to come within grasping range of the prize. Whether you support Brown or not, it is always a thrill to see the longshot underdog come from behind.
- Martha Coakley ran an arrogant campaign in which she acted like she was entitled to the seat. I remember years ago in Springfield when Frankie Keough ran for State Senate against Brian Lees. I attended a meet the candidates forum at the Pine Point Library, and Keough spent the whole time ignoring Lees and talking as if he were already elected. On the way out after the forum I heard an elderly man walking ahead of me tell his wife, "I don't know anything about Brian Lees, but I wouldn't vote for that arrogant bastard Keough if he was the only person on the ballot!" On Election Day, Lees won an upset victory. Nothing angers the electorate quicker than a candidate that behaves like they take the voters for granted.
- Today on the bus I overheard a guy tell his friend that Martha Coakley "seems just like the type of female boss I would hate to work for." Kind of an irrational reason to vote against her, but such personal impressions often carry far more weight than the most detailed policy position paper.
- On the other hand, I won't believe that Scott Brown is the next senator until I see it in the vote totals. Despite final polls showing Brown comfortably in the lead, this is still Massachusetts.
Fresh Snow
Newly fallen snow on the woodland way this morning.
The snowplow knocked these paper boxes every which way.
Strange chalk being.
Jimi in the window of Faces.
Happy Valley Song
Here's a delightfully strange video that's sorta kinda like a tribute to our region. How many Pioneer Valley landmarks can you identify?
Here's the psychedelic version of the same song that was aired recently on Amherst Cable TV.
I have to laugh over the details of the arrest last weekend of Springfield political villain Frankie Keough. He got busted for breaking into his former second home in Rhode Island (odd how so many "public servants" in Springfield can afford second homes) to reclaim furniture he said belonged to him. Actually the house and all of its contents had been sold to a buyer weeks earlier. As you would expect from anything involving Keough, there was a bizarre twist to the crime, as reported in the Springfield Republican:
A Charlestown police report states a U.S. Fish and Wildlife investigator spotted a pickup truck in front of the house with two men inside. When the official approached, one took off into the woods and never reappeared.
The police report states Keough offered a curious story: a black male whom he had never met appeared at the remotely located property and offered to help. However, Kelly said Keough told police the good Samaritan was a Narragansett Indian who lives in the woods nearby, an associate of another local named “Thunderbolt,” with whom police are acquainted
So was the lightfooted accomplice "a black male" or a Narragansett Indian? And why run for the woods in a panic if he was just a helpful stranger? Hmmm, how much do you wanna bet, were it ever to become known (which I doubt) that we would recognize the name of Keough's accomplice?
Funny how these former Springfield power players keep surfacing near the scenes of their crimes. Anthony Ardolino sightings have become commonplace around Springfield, and flower fans have been repeatedly startled to encounter Gerry Phillips. You would think considering how publicly humiliated they were, that they would relocate to an area where they are unknown. Yet it seems they are unable to avoid revisiting the scenes of their crimes. Once upon a time, none rode higher than Frankie Keough. In fact, people in a position to know have told me that what is commonly called "The Albano Era" would more accurately be called "The Keough Era" because it was really Keough who was calling most of the shots when Mike Albano was mayor. I'm told that hardly a morning went by when Keough did not stop into the mayor's office on his way to the homeless shelter he ran, according to the Feds, as a combination personal slush fund, free furniture store and slave labor pool. From what I've been told, Keough was not stopping in to see Albano for friendship's sake (although Frankie was the good friend of everyone who mattered in Springfield, from Richie Neal on down). Keough was there to set policy.
In the world Keough once occupied, all that mattered was who you knew, or as Frankie himself once put it, "it's all about the relationships." Now as a disgraced ex-con, he doesn't know anybody anymore, at least no one who will risk helping him publicly. In the old days, Keough could get away with just about anything, since those who were supposed to be serving as watchdogs either looked the other way or else wanted to get in on the action themselves. Keough must have thought it would never end, but thanks to the FBI, it did. Unfortunately, too many of his cohorts in city government made out like Thunderbolt the black Indian and never got caught.
But there is a rough kind of justice to the world, and a tendency for people to get what they deserve in the end. Someday everyone who destroyed Springfield will be exposed for what they are, and may that day come soon. But in Keough's case, it already has, since having lost his fake respectability, all that now remains of Frankie Keough is the essence of what he always was - a common thief.
Last Chance
Today was the last day to register to vote in the primary phase of the special election to replace Ted Kennedy, as seen on this UMass billboard.
Too bad there are no good candidates to vote for on the Democrat side.
Jack Frost Comes Calling
Oh no, time to get out the scraper!
Jack Frost works only in white, but always creates a delicate beauty.
For the few remaining green plants, Jack Frost's art brings the kiss of death.
Jack Frost by Gabriel Setoun
The door was shut, as doors should be, Before you went to bed last night; Yet Jack Frost has got in, you see, And left your window silver white.
He must have waited till you slept; And not a single word he spoke, But pencilled o'er the panes and crept Away again before you woke.
And now you cannot see the hills Nor fields that stretch beyond the lane; But there are fairer things than these His fingers traced on every pane.
Rocks and castles towering high; Hills and dales, and streams and fields; And knights in armor riding by, With nodding plumes and shining shields.
For, creeping softly underneath The door when all the lights are out, Jack Frost takes every breath you breathe, And knows the things you think about.
He paints them on the window-pane In fairy lines with frozen steam; And when you wake you see again The lovely things you saw in dream.
When I heard last week that former Mayor Michael Albano had given an interview on WHYN radio to Morning Show co-host Bo Sullivan, I was only mildly sorry that I missed it. For one thing I knew that Albano and Sullivan are friends, so I figured it was probably a softball session. Besides, I couldn't imagine Albano being forthcoming on any subject of real interest. Therefore I assumed it was an interview that would be more annoying than enlightening to listen to.
But when I actually got the chance to listen to it online, the interview had much more substance to it than I expected. For one thing, despite their friendship Sullivan asked Albano all of the major questions one would have expected him to in the time allowed. True, the questions were not asked in the sarcastic, accusing manner that some listeners would have liked, but the fact remains that the harsh criticism of Sullivan that I've heard for being too soft on Albano was mostly unfair. The only glaring omission was any mention of the person many critics consider to have been Albano's co-mayor: Francis Keough.
Despite the fact that it was Albano's first general interview in nearly four years, the former mayor didn't have a chance to talk for very long. Technically he was on for an hour, but with all the advertisements, weather and sports breaks, plus introductory and closing banter, there probably wasn't even a half hour of real conversation. Yet, there were genuine tidbits of news and insight that surfaced in the interview that I had been unaware of. For example:
Albano claimed that when he was elected in 1996 there was pressure put on him by the state to accept a Control Board, but Albano flatly refused. If so, that demand and his refusal were not made public at the time.
Contrary to rampant rumors that Albano has in some way co-operated with the FBI investigations into his administration, he vehemently denied that he had offered any information to the feds, claiming never to have been interviewed by a single FBI agent at any time.
Albano claimed that over twenty million dollars was spent to convict his chief of staff Anthony Ardolino, which is the first time I've heard that number.
Albano stated that in his entire eight years in office he had held only one conversation with Raymond "Papa Ray" Asselin, implying he hardly knew him. Albano also appeared to agree that the Asselins had been involved in criminal activities before his administration, which is the first time I've heard a public figure concede that the Asselins were guilty of crimes for which they were never charged.
Albano disputed that criticism by Councilors Danny Kelly and Kateri Walsh were responsible for the loss of a twenty million dollar grant from the state to help in the fiscal crisis, insisting the offer was never a serious one. He sited the Boston Globe as quoting then House Speaker Tommy Finneran as saying that under no circumstances would Springfield receive any free money from the state. In making this charge, Albano was implying that the matter was incompletely reported by the local media for political reasons.
He's been keeping such a low profile these past years that I'd forgotten just how charming Albano can be. Hardly penitent or sounding like a disgraced politician, Albano instead seemed full of his old confidence and good humor. As politically maddening as he can be, it has always been difficult to dislike Albano on a personal level. He sounds like a fun guy to have a drink with, and by all accounts he is.
The charm fades however when you consider what he's saying. Albano downplayed the conviction of Ardolino, dismissing it as "a tax case" while insisting Ardolino was "a stand-up guy." But of course stand-up guys don't avoid taxes in transactions that represent a grotesque misuse of political influence and huge conflicts of interest. Convicted Police Commissioner Gerry Phillips he described as his "best friend" and someone from "a wonderful family." Then again, perhaps the Puerto Rican welfare mother who was chased around a hotel room by a wiffle bat wielding Phillips might have characterized him differently. And does Albano's glowing praise of these individuals have anything to do with the fact that both Ardolino and Phillips refused to offer any testify against others?
To his credit, Sullivan asked Albano flat out the question the whole Valley has been asking for years, "How could you sit there in the corner office and not know anything that was going on?" Amazingly, Albano not only claimed ignorance, but declared himself a victim! It's a complicated story, but in essence Albano claims that his administration was unfairly attacked by the FBI because he worked as a parole officer on behalf of defendants who were unjustly accused of murder by the FBI.
Albano didn't offer a shred of proof to support this, but even if it were true, so what? The subsequent wrong doing that the FBI uncovered does not suddenly become irrelevant or okay because of it. That is not a valid excuse for his administration's corruption, but it is a distraction he hopes will confuse the public into forgiving him.
Indeed something strange is afoot. Is it possible that the political rehabilitation of Albano is underway? This interview is not the only recent surfacing of the former mayor. In a recent article in the daily paper Albano is quoted about what he was doing when he heard that Elvis Presley had died. What? After telling them "no comment" for years the paper finally gets him on the line and all that they ask him is where he was when freakin' Elvis died? This casual inclusion of his name, as if he were a beloved statesman whose every thought is of interest to the public, is something new.
It may be that it has dawned on people in some quarters that it is inconvenient for Albano to be a political pariah. The Control Board has one foot out the door, and there are those who want to rush back into the game once the money spending power is handed back to the local politicians and their friends. Many of these ambitious people are closely identified with Albano, and they don't want former close ties to Albano to be considered a political disadvantage. Albano has to appear at least semi-respectable for his old cronies to prosper, especially if Dom Sarno is elected mayor and allows the old Albano crowd to return to City Hall.
At the end of the interview Albano claimed to be writing a book about his political career, but I don't believe it. That would require a level of introspection that I don't think he's capable of. But an attempt certainly appears to be underway to rewrite history, and in that quest Albano may find that he has many self-serving co-authors.
When I spotted Northampton Mayor M. Clare Higgins in the Haymarket Cafe I used my telephoto lens to snap her picture.
However, the flash was accidentally on and in the always darkish cafe it alerted her to the fact that someone was taking her photo, but she merely waved and smiled at me.
Finally, here is an informative and fun video about history.
Going through some of my photo archives recently, I came across these pictures showing presidential candidate Sen. John McCain addressing supporters in Copley Square in Boston on Mar. 4, 2000.
Former Councilor Mitch Ogulewicz and I were in the very front row, located so that we were in the direct path of CSPAN, which was filming the rally for national broadcast. As it turned out, the only person whose face was on the program more than Mitch and I was McCain himself! I heard from friends and relatives all over the country that they had seen me on national television. Here's a picture I took standing right beneath the Senator.
The head of the Western Mass John McCain for President campaign was a local lawyer and former mayor named Charles V. Ryan. Here is a picture of (L to R) Mitch, Joan Ryan, and Charlie after the rally.
McCain's 2008 campaign got off to a rocky start, but he seems to be finding his footing, helped by rhetoric such as denouncing the Congress for spending money like drunken sailors. Unfortunately, he said he had to drop that line after a Navy veteran wrote in complaining that being a former drunken sailor himself, he resented being compared to a politician.
Recently I came across some political artifacts that I forgot I had. I've already shown you a ruler from an old Frankie Keough State Senate campaign, but I also came across this picture of Keough that I cut out from the May 20, 1993 edition of The Valley Advocate.
Beneath the picture it reads: Springfield City Councilor Francis Keough still has a felony tax charge hanging over his head "for eighteen months upon the specific condition that he supply complete and truthful answers to any and all questions put to him by investigators."
This refers to the plea bargain Keough made on the first round of charges he was indicted on in the 1990's, as opposed to the second round in this century that has recently sent him to prison. Keough escaped prison the first time by promising that he would help investigators for then Attorney General Scott Harshbarger in their attempts to expose other corrupt Springfield politicians. The words in quotation are directly from that agreement.
What is interesting about that agreement is what didn't happen. For one thing, there were no further indictments based upon Keough's testimony or anyone else's. The whole investigation just sorta petered out. Part of the reason was that Harshbarger got ambitious. He decided he wanted to be Governor of Massachusetts, and Harshbarger received a very strong message that his candidacy would have no support from the Westrn Mass political machine unless he backed off fast from his corruption probe.
Harshbarger was alleged to have been taken back by the reception his probe had received in Springfield. Normally, when corruption is suspected, the official attitude is that the investigators are fighting for good against the evil politicians. Instead, Harshbarger found that in Springfield the government and the media were portraying the investigators as evil and the crooked politicians as victims! Instead of, "Hurray, they're cleaning up Springfield!" the response was, "Stop picking on the good people of Western Mass!"
Doing great work for the Valley Advocate at that time was a guy named Al Giordano. A former Yippie who had been mentored by 60's radical Abbie Hoffman, Giordano is best remembered around here for being the local reporter most responsible for forcing the retirement of former District Attorney Matthew Ryan. He was also the host of a popular radio show on WNNZ, where he played the role of an all around rabble rouser who was always up to some kind of mischievous political crusade. Here's a picture of Al taken just after he left Massachusetts for an undisclosed location in South America.
The reason he went to South America, and the reason his exact location was undisclosed, is because he began publishing NarcoNews, which tracks the international trade in illegal drugs. That is one of the most dangerous beats in all of journalism, since drug lords are notoriously only too eager to kill those who try to expose their secrets. Equally as dangerous, and sometimes more so, are the law enforcement types, who are sometimes corrupted by the drug trade and who therefore have an equal stake with the pusher in insuring that no light is shined on the drug trade.
In recent years, Al has been protected by a shield of publicity. Rolling Stone magazine gave him national exposure when it named him its Hot Muckraker of the year and his NarcoNews is now available in seven languages. He also has a band called Zapa-Sutra, with which he is shown on the right in a recent photograph.
But before he was appearing in national magazines and battling the world's most dangerous businessmen he was on the Frank Keough beat for the Valley Advocate. The article accompanying the Keough photo has Giordano's typically colorful writing, as he denounces Mike Albano as "the biggest, dumbest dupe of all" in his passionate defense of Keough, then declares the editorial staff of the Springfield Newspapers as Keough's "partners in crime."
It's interesting to speculate what might have been different had Keough not had the last laugh in the Harshbarger corruption investigation. It was the failure of that investigation to bear fruit that helped set the stage for the wholesale looting of Springfield that would occur over the next ten years. Eventually Keough's "biggest, dumbest dupe" Mike Albano took over as Springfield's mayor. After the Harshbarger investigation flopped, the crooked pols thought they were invincible. It's a shame the public didn't listen to people like Al, Stephanie Kraft and others at the Advocate, or people like Dan Yorke and activists like Bob and Karen Powell. Or people like me. We've all since had the experience of being totally vindicated, but there's no satisfaction in being proven correct when what you are predicting is disaster. Jordan Williams is best known in the Pioneer Valley as the former publisher of the now defunct Springfield based magazine City Limits, which lasted about a year from 1992 to 1993. I worked there as a reporter and copy editor, so no wonder it failed. In any case that's a picture of Jordan below taken on Cape Cod.
Lately, when he's not working as a computer wizard for Bechtel, he is a world traveler with his faithful companion Micheline. Recently they were in Argentina, and sent these pictures. The one below shows a billboard advertising nude tango dancing.
One day they came across drum-beating protesters denouncing the United States.
Here is an icon from the protest, a U.S. bomber with a crucified Jesus nailed on it.
Well, that's typical of our friends south of the border. Glad to take our money, but offering only insults in return.
