SNBlogs Full Nelson - Latest Comments

Re: “Losing the News”

GeezLouise2 — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:46:30 -0000

“There is a great deal that powerful people and institutions seek to keep hidden, and far more that would be hidden were it not for the vigilance of a watchdog press corps. Indeed, far too much goes unwatched and unreported as it is; the act of saving the news should, in fact, include a goad and prod to news organizations to be more rigorous.”

It would be interesting for the Salem news to do an on line poll of its readers and ask them if they believe the Salem News is a vigilant news group who investigates, prods, and gets the story behind the story?

Re: Gloucester odd city out

my2centsuser2 — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:44:24 -0000

It's a shame that she has no insight in the needs of the Gloucester kids. Both of my girls went to NST, one in the 90's and the other just a couple of years ago. In the 90's there were 27 students from Gloucester, 2 years ago, 38. And that's not counting the students that go to the Aggie.

Re: Berry’s back

frank5678 — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:03:39 -0000

Berry wouldn't know economic development if it hit him in the face. The only thing he knows is how to tax and spend and people are too dumb to realize it and vote him out of office.

Re: Bad blood in Beverly

allseeingeye — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:03:02 -0000

Hitman i don't see anybody from the SNEWS endorsing burke. Like benton doe's for scanlon. And we all no that's true !!!! As far as bias goes i think you HIT YOUR HEAD.

Re: Another Ogonowski run

billytops46 — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 07:06:32 -0000

Nice one. I have stumbled and twittered this for my friends. Others no doubt will like it like I did.

Re: 6th District fundraising numbers a surprise

Think Before You Write — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:26:11 -0000

Nelson: by my math, Hudak raised $45,527 and Tierney $153,470 in the period. That's better than three to one. How can you count Hudak's own out of pocket spending on his own campaign as evidence of fundraising prowess? This reads like you just copied and pasted a Hudak propaganda release.

Re: 6th District fundraising numbers a surprise

David_Pelletier — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:45:39 -0000

We deserve our empty suit to be re-elected

Re: Bad blood in Beverly

Name — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 10:09:39 -0000

THEN, RUN FOR OFFICE

Re: Bad blood in Beverly

mattpaul — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:29:59 -0000

Mr Benton - The last time Scanlon lost an election in an upset, it was to Crean largely because of the bid rigging scandal at the Beverly Golf Club. It is now late October, and we do not have a committed operator for Beverly Golf for next year. Maybe, Mr Benton, you could inquire what is really happening at the Beverly Golf Club ----- and ask some probing questions, like Is the City being paid? Why isn't there an extension yet? Is the City preparing to put it out to bid again? Why? The City approved $1,600,000 for the Club over a year ago because the Mayor was in breach of his contract. Why hasn't any of this money (except a pittance) been spent yet - a year after the fact despite the fact that the City's Finance Director said in October 2008 that the City HAD to invest this long overdue money in the city's most valuable revenue producing asset? If the City does not have an operator next year, could it cost the City $1,000,000 in annual cash flow?With all your investigative resources, I am sure one could find out what is happening with the City's most important asset ..... just a thought in case you wanted to actualy get your hands dirty and do some reporting on issues facing the City

Re: Bad blood in Beverly

Fed up in the Cove — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:47:11 -0000

As I look at all the political signage littering our neighborhoods, I am disappointed to see all the same names as in past elections. This "good old boy" network is so entrenched in Beverly government that we have no right to expect any new ideas or any changes from the status quo. What we need is a mayor and city council who will stand up to the unions who have gotten more or less everything they have demanded and are costing the city way more money than they are worth. What we need is an outsider who isn't cozy with the city council and the unions and who is the smartest person in the room. That's not what we will be getting with Burke or Scanlon.

Re: Bad blood in Beverly

baileyadams — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:09:34 -0000

I wondered about that myself.....

Re: Bad blood in Beverly

Hitman_01915 — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:16:42 -0000

Out of curiosity, did Burke receive permission from the SNEWS or Paul Leighton for using their name and his picture on his web site? It is used in a way that seems to imply that Leighton supports Burke...in which case I hope the SNEWS limits his ability to cover the campaign due to bias.

Re: Bad blood in Beverly

mackerelcove — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:11:48 -0000

Frankly, neither candidate has that much going for them. Burke has a history of ugly anonymous letters that he only admited to after he stupidly left the evidence of his authorship in city hall! Scanlon has certainly not been the great manager that he would have us all believe he is. Just look at the golf course fiasco, he has cost the city a bundle on that one alone, and he has a reputation for vindictiveness. So frankly neither of them is the best candidate for the position of mayor. I don't know who would be, but the qualifications I'm looking for are; 1)honesty, personal and professional, 2) Business experience, expecially in this economy this is essential, 3) the ability to work well with the city council and the school board.

Re: Olympian disappointment

grosalynjohnson — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:27:59 -0000

I don't care if it was worth the try, Obama expects the slick tone of his voice to rule the day. How else could he have persuaded 53% of the voters to elect him to the highest and most powerful position in the world. The voters wanted a change, but since he never set forth what that change was, he was elected solely on his rhetorical skills. Like that woman at his victory venue in Chicago said: I can get gas in my car and my mortgage will be paid. I think she thought the change was free money without having to work for it. I wonder how that woman is doing now and if she has lost her house. I think Obama watched too many episodes of West Wing. If Obama did not having the backing of the south side of Chicago to get him into the Illinois Senate, he probably would have become a great salesman or perhaps a lobbyist for ACORN. Remember it was Biden who said of Obama that the presidency doesn't lend itself to on the job training. I knew we were really in trouble when Obama selected Biden as his running mate. Biden knows less about foreign policy than Palin. But if selecting Biden wasn't bad enough, turning to him for advice on the Afghan war bordered on recklessness. I cannot wait to see the end of these four years.

Re: Lots of excitement in Salem

mikeblatty — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 07:03:52 -0000

Is that some sort of masonic greeting Patrick and Keenan are giving one another?

Re: Rep. race in Beverly

David_Pelletier — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:42:01 -0000

I don't think anyone knows you are here.

Re: Gloucester attorney mulls Senate bid

JohnAdelman — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 03:16:29 -0000

I like Ed as a Lawyer, but he's too much of a snob for politics. Martha Coakley is the Queen of the GLBT group who comprises about .04% of the population. She hasn't been doing her Job as AG, she's been to busy moving State Election Funds to Federal Election Funds with secret agreements.

Should the Law Suite get passed to have same sex couple qualify for Federal Benefits, parents will marry their children to have survivor benefits continue to the next generation; not the traditional spouse. I asked my dad to marry me so I could qualify for his VA and SSA benefits as his survivor, yes, I was joking.

He said we couldn't get married, we were related. I said, why, do they think we will have children with two heads? He laughed.

Re: And so’s Joe (out)

JohnAdelman — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 03:07:34 -0000

I like Lynch. He's the only candidate who has worked in the trades risking his life to feed his family as an IRON WORKER. This is not an easy job and not only does he have academic intellect, he has what is often referred to as Mechanical Intellect, thinking on his feet to solve problems independently. I don't think that Patrick would appoint him, but he's real appealing as a moderate Dem with conservative leanings.

Re: And so’s Joe (out)

JohnAdelman — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 03:03:39 -0000

Nelson, I think Joe is in. I believe the Legislature will change the Law and Patrick will appoint Joseph Kennedy as the temp Senator from Massachusetts.

Re: It’s all about ‘tectonics’

JohnAdelman — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 03:01:45 -0000

Chip is correct and the issue which can be and is not addressed at the Municipal level is comparing employees to their written job descriptions. Usually, the job description is no more than the posting for the job. Dig in and define the Vision, Policy, Procedures and Practices of the Municipal Operation. Evaluate the appropriate use of RAAT (readily available affordable technology) and there will be opportunities to cut payrolls by up to 66% in administrative functions.

One option for the additional staff which is under utilized would be to bring in house outside purchases of services and do it efficiently. BEGLS are the local leaders of Business, Education, Government, Labor, and the Spiritual contingencies to be a steering group for developing VISION.

Chip is a real smart guy. I've seen him play HARDBALL at a Governors Counsel meeting, he tried to keep some citizens who were to testify against a Judicial Appointment he was supporting.

With my charm, wit, intellect, and good looks, I went nose to nose with him which distracted the State Police long enough for my friends to get into the Public Hearing. I think he respected that as I had been a contributor of his and we shook hands after my friends made it into the room.

Since then I found a side door which isn't guarded, and don't have to play that game anymore. I don't approach Chip without either a benefit for him or substantial distractions from his focus.

Chip is a go getter and gets things done. I respect him and even with the adverse testimony, the Judge was confirmed by the Governors Counsel. As it happens, she's a fair Judge and my friends were off base. Still they had the right to voice their concerns.

I have always had better results with the Superior Court Judges than District Court Judges on the whole. Now retired Justice Healy and Justice Livingstone act like Superior Court Judges at the District Court level.

Re: Waiting for Tierney

JohnAdelman — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 02:40:38 -0000

Jason Silva would be perfect for John Tierney. They both say one thing and do another, it's a perfect fit.

Re: And so’s Joe (out)

skepticwithcommonsense — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 09:07:20 -0000

You nailed it on the head saying that “Do it for Ted” is no reason to pass Health Care Reform as it currently stands. The memory of one person can never build enough consensus to enact trillion-dollar legislation for all Americans without a debate. Well put, Mr. Benton!
It’s too bad Ted isn’t here to debate it (but he had forty + years in the Senate to do it and was not successful on his own) and it’s also regrettable that John Tierney woulnd’t find the time during recess to debate issues and hear out his constituents and his challenger, Bill Hudak.
Karma works… so no wonder Tierney is “having trouble getting people to take him seriously.”

Re: Gloucester attorney mulls Senate bid

1tickedtaxpayer — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:50:23 -0000

YEAH ED! Welcome Back! Boy do we ever need you! Help! Please! Let us know when you start taking donations... my check will be in the mail!

Re: Tsongas out

Name — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 01:02:12 -0000

can't believe Tierney really has no interest. you think he just knows he wouldn't win? its tough to be a Democrat in Mass., this is probably as high as Tierney will ever get.

Re: Ted Kennedy relished visits to N. Shore

theartist — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 23:05:13 -0000

He was at my niece's Salem High School graduation giving a speech in 1981 and was in two of the Heritage days parades we used to have, once with his first wife Joan, probably in 1969 and the other time probably in the eighties.