Tag Archives: Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray

Green Island Grrrl, Rosalie's Blog, Uncategorized

Tweaked: This St. Patrick’s Day weekend Tim Murray gets amnesia

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By Rosalie Tirella

Cynical people in Worcester knew this would happen. I was a wee bit optimistic. I was hoping former lieutenant governor and now present-day chamber of commerce head Timothy Murray would transcend his 2014 job title and do the right thing, do what he would have done if he were still Massachusetts lieutenant governor: support the call for a hike in the state’s minimum wage. Before he let his ambition run ram shackle over his morals. Oh, well, it was Tim’s political life to lose …

But now our disgraced former lieutenant governor is head of the local chamber of commerce, hauling in an obscene $200,000 a year salary! Wow! How lucky can you get?! You’d think the least the little twerp could do was throw a bone to the working stiff/stiffette and back an increase in the state’s minimum wage, from $8 to $9 an hour (the first year). Half the people in Worcester seem to be making it! 8 bucks an hour. You try raising your family on that chicken scratch, Tim!

But forget empathy! Tim is all about ME! Is he supporting his former friends in the state house? DeLeo and company – the state LEADERS who are saying: Massachusetts is one of the most expensive states in the country in which to live and raise a family. Working people need to make more than $8 an hour! They need to make at least $11. We’ll start them off with $9.

Paltry increase, really. Forget chicken scratch – more like chicken shit. Yet Tim Murray, a guy who could, as chamber head, make a difference in the conversation Woo is having, make a compelling case for the increase, DO THE RIGHT THING, has clammed up. The little mollusk!

Shame on you, Tim! And on St. Patrick’s Day weekend when so many parade marchers or observers were/are maid or housekeepers or factory workers or the sons or grandsons of maids or housekeepers or factory workers. Your people, like my people (Polish and Italian immigrants), had it grindingly hard when they first came to America. Our people know how brutal and exploitative and racist the American economy can be!

Yet this weekend, you get amnesia. You have forgotten your roots! You didn’t forget them on the campaign trail several years ago! When you were running for lieutenant governor of Massachusetts you made it known in every one of your political brochures, push cards, speeches and TV and radio ads: THAT YOUR ROOTS WERE HUMBLE. THAT YOUR GRANDPARENTS WERE WORKING CLASS. THAT YOU WERE REAL. NOT A PHONY.

And voters believed you.

But that was then. This is now.

So embodying the sleaziest aspects of BEING A GOOD POLITICIAN you change your tune, or you shut up all together. You let working families dangle because you’re playing for the other team. You’re representing Worcester business these days, not the working poor, of which Worcester has many. Tons, actually!!!!

Maybe you can come out for the minimum wage increase if you look at it like this, Tim: Worcester’s downtown is a ghost-town. Our inner-city neighborhoods are struggling. By putting more money into the wallets of the very people who live in or near these Worcester neighborhoods, you will help revive the very Worcester businesses you aim to help! More money for the working poor means more money poured into the local economy, often the restaurants or shops RIGHT IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS OR DOWNTOWN.

The money will flow back to Worcester businesses, Tim. An increase in the minimum wage will make Worcester families AND local businesses stronger.

But you don’t get it.

You were never too smart.

Green Island Grrrl, Rosalie's Blog, Uncategorized

Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray

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editor’s note: The car crash/black box/bs episode makes Murray look like a weasel/liar. The voters of Massachusetts need to worry about this stuff:http://articles.boston.com/2011-11-22/bostonglobe/30495270_1_murray-pushed-politics-executive-director

And this:  http://articles.boston.com/2011-11-20/news/30422386_1_phone-number-cellphone-records-lieutenant

InCity Voices, Rosalie's Blog, Uncategorized

Telegram and Gazette ordains their “chosen” political candidates – doesn’t educate voters

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By Rosalie Tirella

How annoying! I opened up the Telegram & Gazette today at a local coffee shop (I’d never actually put down any money to buy the T & G – and I coerced my relatives into ending their subscriptions – “You can read their crap on line for free!”), I was stunned to see a letter to the editor about ICT that was given just an awful headline. It was as if the editor/copy editor who slugged it had his/her own agenda – to trash us.

Then I read other Telegram and Gazette stories and thought: You know what? This awful rag doesn’t even need to be read – just scanned. Here it is, political season and you know: the T & G’s reporters, columnists, editors and copy editors will make Mayor Konnie Lukes look bad and her main opponent, candidate Joe O’Brien, look good. The T & G has never given Lukes the play that L.G. Tim Murray got when he was mayor of Worcester. And Murray – the little fart – Continue reading Telegram and Gazette ordains their “chosen” political candidates – doesn’t educate voters →

Green Island Grrrl, Rosalie's Blog, Uncategorized

Taco is correct!

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I agree with Taco on one important point: the same folks keep getting recyled through Worcester’s political system. Let’s all take a big gulp of Milk of Magnesia and purge ourselves of folks like City Councilor Mike Germain, a guy who knows nothing about pretty much everything. We need to get these guys the hell outa city hall.

Sad but true: Awhile ago I was told that Worcester City Manager Mike O’Brien and L.G. Tim Murray (maybe before he was L.G.) went to someone’s house – together, paid this person a personal visit – to ask this person to run for a seat on the Worcester City Council. How’s that for trying to control the system? When would Tim Murray come to my home and ask me to run for city council or school committee? Like Taco said, these guys want to fill the council with council-bots – people who will rubber stamp their programs/agendas. They, in turn, will support the council-bots with their considerable political muscle ($$, volunteers, endorsements, important contributor lists, etc). I am not saying all their programs are merit-less. I AM saying their way of doing politics sucks.

– Rosalie Tirella

Green Island Grrrl, Rosalie's Blog, Uncategorized

Joe blows!

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By Rosalie Tirella

We hope Mayor Konstantina Lukes blows “Joe-Blow” O’Brien right outa the freakin’ water!

Amazing! Every election cycle the old Murray/Rushton/Donahue/Eddy brigade farts out yet another political wannabe. This time around the farted (oops! we mean annointed!) is Joe O’Brien, a guy with nothing to offer but his connections – and searing political ambitions.

Yes, yes, I know he has done some work on behalf of the schools, and he lives in Main South, etc, etc. But it seems to me O’Brien’s political work has always been in service to HIS POLITICAL CAREER – as if the ambitious O’Brien were just biding time until … the President came calling!

But President Obama hasn’t given O’Brien a ring-a-ding-ding. So O’Brien decides he wants to be mayor of Worcester -an idea that apparently popped into his head after spending a few years as Congressman Jim McGovern’s regional director. O’Brien’s job as McGovern’s top banana was a political plum thrown to him after helping run (so they say) L.G.’s Tim Murray campaign. (Talk about connections! Can’t the rest of us be connected too so we can get high-paying jobs for giving half-assed speeches on behalf of our pals?) Continue reading Joe blows! →

Green Island Grrrl

And don’t forget … Pondering the pools

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By Rosalie Tirella

My Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray patronage post (see “Hush! Hush!” post below) is missing the following important factoid: the Republican fundraiser who raised thousands of dollars for Murray – and whom Murray had to dump after grousings from the gov, his boss, and after a critical Boston Globe story – was “rewarded” by Murray, after he gave Murray the big bundle of bucks. Murray appointed the guy – a nursing home developer type  – to a board somewhere (I think) in Brockton. Murray gave the guy the position as (and let’s not be coy) as a reward because it was a position that would have enabled Murray’s fundraiser pal to do good by his biz interests. Talk about quid pro quo! Which, of course, doesn’t get talked about in Worcester, when it comes to Murray or any of our politicians, really. Which is why we get the shenanigans of a Bob Spellane (see post below).

And how coincidental is this? The $100,000 + UMass Medical School job that Murray got for his best pal Leary – after a few phone calls, no doubt – is a NEWLY CREATED JOB at UMass (just for Leary??) and IT PAYS the exact same salary  Leary is now making as Murray’s #1 aide in the State House.

The pools

What a tragedy! After all the neighborhood meetings, after all the heart-wrenching testimonials from neighborhood folks, after all the PROMISES from city officials, City Manager Mike O’Brien, with the blessings of the City Council, has closed our nine city pools for the summer. Most of the pools will most likely never have a kid cannonball into them again. How tragic!

Last year, they were fine – 8 of the 9 were opened to the public. The public being lots of minority, poor inner-city folks with not a lot of money/options for summer fun. This year, according to city officials, the pools are lethal! With killer drains, according to DPW and Parks head Robert Moylan! Killer drains that could reach up and grab a flutter-kicking leg and … Gak! It’s the attack of the Killer Drain!! Call the Ghost Busters! Or the Worcester Police Department!

Stop demonizing the drains! Fix them! And with the $200,000 set aside so far for private, non-progfit pool openings in the city, O’Brien could do just that. We do not warm to O’Brien’s contingency plan for summer 2009. Lots of the nonprofits that have offered help have just (so far) opted to expand pool hours for their members (or kids who want to join their organizations). The Boys Club, Girls Inc, YWCA, Main South YMCA have not – so far – opened their pools up to non-member inner-city kids. They must do this if they want to help …

But even if they do step up to the plate, we fear kids will not: take the city sponsored buses to the sites, have enough time to really have fun before they are pushed out to make room for Syncromaid practice or family “dip” for Y members. Our kids will just be squeezed in and made to feel second best. 

So let’s take the money that O’Brien has set aside for lifeguards, buses, support staff, etc at the nonprofit pools and call on a few fantastic blue collar guys (contractors/plumbers) to fix/spackle three or four of the city pools. The rest of the money can be used to hire lifeguards, etc.

What we think happened was this: O’Brien and Moylan (even while they were hearing the pleas/testimonials from inner-city kids!) were planning to close all the city pools – many in poor neighborhoods. Which is why they didn’t even begin to hire/train life guards, hire support staff, etc this year.  And of course they could cover their butts with: “We’re in a national, state and city recession! We have no money! We are laying city workers off left and right! Pools are an extravagance at this time!”

Bull shit. Their city-leased SUV’s are an extravagance! (and the dozen or so big wig in City Hall who have them, complete with free gas, don’t want to geive them up!) Worcester cops making more than $150,000 a year are an extravagance! (just regular ol’ patrol men/women!) Neither cops nor fire dept will join the real world and pay 25% of their helath insurance premiums. This is where the city budget fat is. This is where we could get the money to fix and open ALL OUR CITY POOLS!

Let’s be real – honest. 

 

Green Island Grrrl

Search committee, smearch committee

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Jeff B. sent me a comment about my last post (see below). To this, I say: Jeff, you are tres naive! To think that an official “search committtee,” made up of “board members” (8!) and all the other bells and whistles that go along with announcements/pronouncements from the state make the Leary sinecure legit/without political strings is … plain goofy. I stand by my post. Shame on the Telegram and Gazette for not attacking the story the way the Boston TV stations did. Worcester Telegram reporters John M. and Nick K. are often nothing more than personal stenographers for the powers that be (especially where Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray is concerned). They should both get a box of melted chocolates for National Secretaries’ Day. (So should you!)

– Rosalie Tirella