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Back in town today for the third time in just over a week, Lt. Governor Tim Murray started his morning by taking calls on WCAP, Lowell’s local talk radio show. He then traveled to city hall where he met with City Manager Bernie Lynch, Mayor Bill Martin, City Councilor Jim Milinazzo, Supt. Karla Brooks Baehr, Assistant Supt. Jay Lang, school committee member Connie Martin and me, as well as other members of Lynch’s staff. It was an informal meeting over coffee and donuts where discussion focused on the Hamilton Canal project, state support for housing initiatives, the proposed school building projects in Lowell, and the governor’s municipal aid proposal.

It was, however, at the Lt. Governor’s next stop that his skills were really put to the test when he had to answer questions from fifth graders at the Rogers middle school. After about 20 minutes of questions from these future voters, he read the children a book about the American Revolution. As an observer who happens to live with a fifth grader, I was impressed by the students’ thoughtful questions and polite attention to his answers. They were also an excellent audience as the Lt. Governor read the lengthy book, interjecting some questions of his own. The students and their teacher, Mrs. Erin Rourke, are a shining example of the quality and caliber of people of all ages in the Lowell Public Schools. Below are some of the students’ questions and his answers: 

What made you want to be lieutenant governor?  As mayor of Worcester, the second biggest city in the state and similar in a lot of ways to Lowell, I was frustrated with the executive branch of state government not doing everything they could to have better relations between local, state, and federal governments, and not doing more to help cities and towns. 

What was the hardest obstacle you had to overcome to be Lt. Governor? I am the first person from Worcester to get elected to a statewide office in more than 50 years, so I needed to convince people that I could do the job, and I needed to raise one million dollars. Do you know how much a 30-second television ad costs? It costs about $1,500. As much as I travelled all over the state and met people, I was not able to meet six million people—I had to use TV and radio.

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