State Sen-Elect Mike Barrett Talks Legislative Priorities

Appearing before Bedford's Board of Selectmen recently, Mike Barrett, state Senator-elect in the Third Middlsex District, discussed his legislative priorities.

  During a recent meeting of the Bedford Board of Selecmten, incoming state Sen. Mike Barrett, D-Lexington, was one of two incoming lawmakers to present his legislative priorities to the local officials. During the Dec. 4 meeting in Bedford, that town's newest advocates on Beacon Hill -- Barrett and state Representative-elect Ken Gordon -- spoke with the Bedford Selectmen during their Dec. 4 meeting about Bedford's legislative priorities. Barrett, representing the 3rd Middlesex District, said one of his first priorities after being sworn into office would be securing state funding for the costs Bedford incurs in educating students from Hanscom Air Force Base at Bedford High School. The base, which is situated in the middle of Bedford, …

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What are Your Expectations for Barrett as the 3rd Middlesex's State Senator?

A Boston Phoenix blog post casts the Lexington Democrat as ‘an unapologetic liberal’ committed to environmental gains. But what are your expectations from the Third Middlesex District's incoming state Senator?

In Lexington and the surrounding suburbs, quite a bit of attention was paid to the race for the Third Middlesex state Senate seat claimed by Mike Barrett. So much so in fact that, in the lead up to Election Day, incumbent state Sen. Ken Donnelly, an Arlington Democrat, joked he was Lexington's other candidate for state Senate, despite the fact that his Fourth Middlesex District includes six Lexington precincts compared to the three in the Third. But for those looking at the bigger picture, it seems the Third Middlesex race—with its densely populated Democratic primary and polar opposites facing off in the general—may have been lost in the shuffle of higher profile races, like former Gov. Mitt Romney’s run for the presidency and the hotly …

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Barrett Bests Martinez for 3rd Middlesex State Senate Seat

Lexington Democrat Mike Barrett defeats Chelmsford Republican Sandi Martinez to claim seat long held by retiring state Sen. Susan Fargo.

While they’re saying goodbye to Susan Fargo, the Democrats aren’t ready to let go of her seat in the state Senate. Lexington Democrat Mike Barrett, after outlasting four challengers from his own party in the primary, has defeated Sandi Martinez, a Republican from Chelmsford, to claim the Third Middlesex District seat Fargo, a Lincoln Democrat, held tightly for eight terms before deciding to retire. “I’m excited about returning to the Senate,” said Barrett, who was a state Senator from Cambridge from 1987 until a failed bid for governor in 1994. “Eighteen years older, probably not 18 years wiser, but I think smarter and I’m looking forward to it.” The Third Middlesex District represents Bedford, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Concord, Lincoln, …

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Patch Facts

Five Things: William Diamond Jr. Open House, Selectmen and More

A quick look at what you need to see, do and know today in Lexington.

1. Fife & Drum Corps - New Member Open House: From 7 to 8 p.m. tonight at Hancock United Church of Christ, the William Diamond Jr. Fife and Drum Corps. Young people between ages 8 and 18 are welcome to join, and the experiences include learning to play the fife or drum, marking in parades and participating in unique events.  2. BOS Meeting: The Board of Selectmen are scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. tonight at the Town Office Building, and its agenda includes voting the fiscal 2013 water/sewer rates, a Child Safety Zone presentation, an update on the Estabrook School budget and a review of fiscal 2014 capital projects. 3. Third Middlesex Candidates at LWV Forum: Lexington Democrat Mike Barrett and Sandi Martinez, a Chelmsford Republican, the …

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LETTER: Howes Thanks Voters of Third Middlesex, Encourages Balance

Concord Republican Greg Howes, who sought the 3rd Middlesex state senate but lost to Chelmsford's Sandi Martinez in the primary, said his defeat was disappointing because "a dangerous approach to governing and our public discourse continues to win."

  Dear Third Middlesex District: Thank you to all the volunteers and donors during the campaign and for your kind words in defeat. I appreciate that you heard and supported my message of balance. We need balance of political power to support freedom. It was my hope that the voters, tired of the same empty rhetoric and failed policies would embrace my mission to temper our politics and build an inclusive two-party political system that respects the political, social & economic diversity of the Commonwealth. We cannot productively and effectively address our challenges until we improve and repair our decision making framework. Our right to choose and create alternatives for ourselves is limited and restricted when too much power is …

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See How Lexington Voted in the Sept. 6 Primary

Primary winners Barrett and Martinez carried Lexington precincts in the Third Middlesex state senate district. Wrestling legend Ric Flair received votes in several categories on a Republican ballot.

Seventeen percent of Lexington's 21,710 registered voters cast ballots in Thursday's state primary, but participation wasn't exactly consistent all around town. In precincts 3, 8 and 9, which are in the Third Middlesex State Senate District, turnout was consistently higher than in the town's other six districts, which did not have a seven-candidate race for an open seat.  Voters in those districts overwhelmingly supported Lexington Democrat Mike Barrett and, by a slimmer margin, backed Chelmsford Republican Sandi Martinez, the two candidates who will face off in November for the right to replace retiring state Sen. Susan Fargo, D-Lincoln, who has decided not to seek a ninth term. Carrying his hometown but losing his race was Lexington …

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Barrett and Martinez Take Third Middlesex Primaries

The Lexington Democrat and Chelmsford Republican will face off in the general election after emerging from a field of seven candidates seeking the seat retiring state Sen. Susan Fargo, D-Lincoln, will leave behind after eight terms.

Looks like it’ll be Mike Barrett vs. Sandi Martinez for the right to replace retiring state Sen. Susan Fargo as the Third Middlesex District’s next state senator.  According to the unofficial numbers Thursday night, Barrett, a Lexington resident, bested a field of four other Democrats, while Martinez, of Chelmsford, defeated Republican opponent Greg Howes. Interest is almost always high around an open seat, and true to form, the Third Middlesex race heated up early and the field and plots thickened over the winter, spring and summer.  Martinez has challenged Fargo in the past and was a presumed opponent. But the first new candidates to emerge were Howes, a Concord resident, and Lexington's Barrett, both of whom announced their intentions …

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In Third Middlesex, Fargo Supports Joe Kearns Goodwin as Her Successor

Retiring state Sen. Susan Fargo has endorsed Concord Democrat Joe Kearns Goodwin in the race to replace her as the Third Middlesex District's state senator.

With one week before the Sept. 6 primary, retiring state Sen. Susan Fargo has weighed in on the Democrat she’d like to see fill the seat she has held for the past 16 years. In an Aug. 30 press release, Fargo, a Lincoln Democrat, named Concord’s Joe Kearns Goodwin as her pick to succeed her as the Third Middlesex District’s state Senator. “To be effective, a Senator must listen, learn and lead and that is what I have done throughout my time in the Legislature,” Fargo, who announced her retirement plans earlier this year, said in a statement. “I have listened to each of the candidates in this race, I've learned how they evaluate the responsibilities of this office and how they treat voters, and that is why I am proud to offer my support and …

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Tom Christiano

8:21 am on Friday, August 31, 2012

All five Democratic State Senate candidates participated in a debate this week, on the Politically Incorrect TV show. Here is a link to the YouTube video of this one hour debate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_e4mo5Yaao   more ›

Democratic Candidates Share Similar Views During Chelmsford Debate

The five candidates in next week's Democratic Primary for the Third Middlesex State Senate District shared very similar views with slight differences during their debate hosted by Carmen Christiano on Tuesday.

  For any undecided voters left in the Democratic Third Middlesex State Senate Primary watching the final debate before Primary Day, one thing jumped out above all else: all the candidates share nearly identical views in varying ways. Hosted by Carmen Christiano in the studios of Chelmsford Telemedia, the candidates shared similar views on nearly every question, varying slightly on what they would emphasize over their opponents. “I’ve never hosted a debate where people didn’t have a lot to discuss and argue about, but that’s great,” said Christiano during the program. The broadest difference of opinions among the candidates came in a question on the recently passed “Melissa’s Law,” which would provide mandatory minimum sentencing for …

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Reverend E. Raleigh Pimperton III

8:48 pm on Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Heaven help us... nearly all the candidates attended Harvard. No wonder they think alike. Variations in behavior among Harvard-trained Democrats are very small, "How much more can we tax them, plus or minus? How much more can we spend, plus or minus?" Any Harvard members of Indian tribes that we have not heard about? Reverend E. Raleigh PImperton III   more ›