jackiedoherty.org

I was having a conversation with a few people recently about the At-Large vs Ward voting system. Lowell, of course, has At-Large Voting, which means that every candidate is elected by the whole city.  Ward voting allows representation from each Ward.  Some places have a combination of the two systems.  In the 2003 election, Candidate Paulette Renault-Caragianes (from the Centralville section of the city – Ward 9), made this one of her platform issues, saying that many sections of the city are underepresented in city government, but it never seemed to get any traction.  One councillor dismissed the idea of changing systems by saying that ‘if they don’t vote, they don’t deserve representation,’ which seems to be the prevailing mentality.  Maybe it’s the other way around though – if people can’t get anyone elected who really represents them, understands them, returns their phone calls or visits their neighborhood, then why bother voting at all?

Dick Howe has created a map for the current election that shows what neighborhood each candidate comes from - with Pawtucketville surpassing Belvidere and the Highlands.  The Wards represented are Ward 1 (6 candidates), Ward 3 (2 candidates), Ward 4 (1 candidate), Ward 6 (7 candidates), Ward 8 (3 candidates), Ward 10 (1 candidate) and Ward 11 (1 candidate).  There are no candidates from Centralville (Wards 5 and 9), or from Wards 2 and 7, which include the Downtown Area and the Acre.

In Lowell, rumors fly like dandelion seeds on a windy day, spreading weeds wherever they land. A long-standing rumor that’s been reborn lately has to do with the hiring practices of the Lowell schools. There are actually two sides to the rumor: One is that Lowell residents are not being hired for school jobs; the other is that administrators do not promote from within. I’m not writing today to disprove or give credence to any of these complaints—yet. I did, however, at last Wednesday’s school committee meeting, request a report that analyzes the district’s hiring practices over the last five years. The facts from this public document will show if there is any merit to the rumors. Until then, ponder this: Few would dispute the importance of hiring the absolute best, most qualified candidate possible—regardless of geography. Most would also agree that if two qualified candidates present equally well, the local candidate should get the job. But how important should residency be? What happens if the chosen candidate moves here? (Off the top of my head, I know of four principals who have done this, as well as a recently hired teacher who bought a condo downtown.) What about the Lowell resident who worked in another district and took a position here to replace a non-resident who was promoted to principal? (Does the internal promotion of a non-resident negate the resident hire?) The report may show we need more professional development—more than the administrative apprentice and housemaster assistant programs; the reimbursable courses for credit and to prepare for licensing exams; and the paraprofessional-to-teacher program etc. It may also show, especially with principal positions, that veteran Lowell teachers don’t want these jobs because the added hours and responsibility are not worth the nominal pay increase. Or perhaps, as Mayor Martin alluded to at the meeting, the rumors may be more about sour grapes than reality. Either way, the report will give us facts we can work with, instead of baseless accusations spreading weeds across our city. 

Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can. I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the human mnid, aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? Yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

(My brother sent this to me in an email and I thought I’d share it with you.)

As a political candidate myself and someone into communication, I’ve been watching with great interest (and admiration) the snappy mailings and slogans of some of the congressional candidates for the fifth district seat. In today’s mail, I received a particularly good one from the Tsongas campaign: It featured three multiple choice answers done in child-like drawing and printing: a=drawing of a school and a tree; b=rough drawing of map with word Iraq; and c=scrawled words: Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthy. This was followed by the question: “Where would you rather send more of our money?” When you opened the brochure, the adult-typed text read: “On Sept. 4, give our kids the right answer” (the school drawing). “Vote Niki…” etc. It was cute and creative, and it reminded me of another powerful piece I received from the Donoghue campaign about a month ago, which if I recall correctly, had a photo of a young man about to be deployed and the words: “When the Iraq War started five years ago, he was 13 years old.” (As the mother of a 14-year-old son, this one really resonated with me.) I also liked Donoghue’s “no spin, just experience” frisbees and Tsongas’ cardboard “Niki Tsongas fan” fans that were distributed at the Folk Festival. Obviously, there’s an edgy polish and professionalism to these campaigns that surpasses the political fare we get from councilor and school committee races where limited funding prohibits hiring expensive outside firms to write and design your political communication (including radio and newspaper ads).  I like to think the Committee to Elect Jackie Doherty has done well in this area, and as firm believers that quality doesn’t always mean expensive, we will be raising our own bar on campaign communication to come.

With only one item on the agenda, last night’s Lowell High School subcommittee meeting was unusual from the start. The fact that members from the Lowell Plan, a group of local business leaders; and Adam Baacke, from the city’s Division of Planning and Development; also attended the meeting added to its unique tenor. The focus was to discuss DPD’s facilities assessment of the high school, a comprehensive, objective report that surveyed the current physical plant and compared it to state standards. This action is a result of a partnership between the Lowell Plan, the city, and the school department to meet the needs of LHS students in the 21^st century. As Jim Cook, executive director for the Lowell Plan, explains, “It’s really about getting to excellence. How can we make our high school better?” Although the plant deficiencies noted in the report were worse than I expected, it also showed there isn’t a direct correlation between top-notch facilities and student performance. Our facility is lacking in some key areas, yet our students are holding their own in terms of MCAS scores when compared to other schools with similar demographics—even those with much better facilities. Clearly, it’s not just about bricks and mortar; high quality instruction and programming are the true foundation of a good learning environment. That said, the physical space deficiencies in key areas need immediate attention: For instance, our library media center should be three times larger than it is given the student population, the space for special education services is also about one third the size it should be, and the science labs do not come close to serving student needs. (We currently have eight small labs—none meeting the recommended size—and with the state’s new science requirements, we will need 20.) The good news is we’re working together to develop a plan for not only our next step regarding the facility, but also where the school should be in the next 5-10 years. The next step is for the school department to develop its programmatic goals for the high school. From there, we will work together because partnerships are the only way to make that vision a reality. By joining with the business community and government leaders, as well as exploring options with groups such as the Revolving Museum, UMass Lowell, and Middlesex CC, there is definitive, sustainable motion toward excellence—both in terms of educational programming and the facility at Lowell High School. Stay tuned.

Did the lilies go by awfully fast this year? With our summer seeming shorter and cooler than usual, everything seems to have burst into bloom at once before quickly fading away. Now with August half gone, there’s a coolness in the morning, the need for sweatshirts at night. Here’s a July memory:

With only 20 days left, today is the last day to register to vote if you plan to participate in the primary on Sept. 4 that will whittle down the candidates for the fifth congressional seat. (Click here for information on how to register to vote.)  With a crowded field of exceptional folks vying for the job, the primary is the first make or break moment for all of them, so don’t miss your opportunity to be one of the decision makers. Still undecided? The last debate before the primary will be held at UMass Lowell on Monday evening, August 27, hosted by Chancellor Marty Meehan and moderated by WBZ radio personality Gary LaPierre, with questions posed by a panel of journalists, including reporter Matt Murphy from The Lowell Sun. For more information on this debate, click here.

Talk about multi-tasking: If you didn’t catch it, The Boston Globe had a feature in its Northwest Section on working moms that included a nice write-up on Lowell mother and artist Emily Stewart. The article, however, did not tell the complete story. Stewart, in addition to painting extraordinary murals, is a founding member of the Highlands Chapter of Stand for Children, a fierce triathlon competitor, an involved parent at the Bailey School, and an avid gardener. It just goes to show that not all Lowell notables who get covered by the Boston media are politicians, congressional candidates, or crime-involved folks. For a link to the series click here, and scroll down to the article, titled “Painter credits mother–in-law with making it work.”

It’s hard to believe that school will be starting up in a couple of weeks, but here’s an event to help kids ease into the new year. It’s a Back to School Party on Saturday, August 25, 12-2 pm in the Lowell High Cafeteria.  It is sponsored by Gear Up, the Lowell Police Department and the Lowell Alliance for Families and Neighborhoods and students of all ages and from all schools are welcome to attend. There will be music, food, karaoke, face-painting, games, raffles and information on how to have a successful school year.  (The raffle prizes look great, including gift certificates and backpacks loaded with school supplies.)  For more information, call 978-454-5405, ext. 137.

Gee, I go away for a few days and miss everything. I recently returned home and discovered WCAP was sold, Lou Stylos (a decent guy with a great voice) joined the city council race, and Guatemala won the One Lowell World Cup soccer championship. (For a detailed report on the soccer event, held last week at Cawley Stadium, see yesterday’s Globe.) This reminds me of coming home from a trip to California in April 2006. After traveling for 12 hours by plane and car, we finally reached city limits and saw signs saying I’m for Cox posted everywhere. In my exhausted state, it was surreal—almost like we’d entered the Twilight Zone—because when we left, he was simply the manager. I realize now that as a kid, I hated going to bed while adults were up because I was afraid I’d miss something. (Apparently, I’m still like that.) I already have issues about when I absolutely cannot leave Lowell—such as when school is in session, and during the City Lights Parade, WinterFest, and the Folk Festival. Now apparently, I may not be able to leave at all, for fear of missing something important. On that note, a comment about the above-mentioned news: First, I’m thrilled WCAP was purchased by a local owner and anticipate improvements that will increase the station’s listeners, professionalism, and level of engagement with citizens. Second, Lou Stylos is a great addition to the council race. As an intelligent professional, LHS alumnus, and former singer with the SRO Players, Lou will add to the campaign’s thoughtfulness and level of discourse. As for the soccer championship, kudos to One Lowell, the Fahlbergs in particular, and this great city for once again standing out as uniquely American: a truly diverse place to live, learn, and play.