Friday, November 30, 2012
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 …
Monday, November 12, 2012
If appointed, a special election would be held to fill Kerry's seat.
President Obama is considering appointing Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry as the Secretary of Defense, according to the Washington Post. Cabinet changeups are standard fare at the start of a second presidential term. Kerry, who is believed to want the Secretary of State job, would replace current Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, according to the Post. If appointed, Kerry would have to resign from the Senate and a special statewide election would have to be held to fill his seat. However, appointing Kerry to either seat could have political implications — it could mean the risk of losing Kerry's Senate seat in Massachusetts to Republicans, according to the New York Times. Obama not only would have to decide whether to risk Kerry's …
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
U.S. Senator Scott Brown will leave office in January. What should he do next?
U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, a Republican, was defeated Tuesday by first time candidate Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat. Warren will take office as the state's junior senator in January. She'll replace Brown, who was elected in a special election in January 2010 when he defeated Democrat Martha Coakley. In his concession speech on Tuesday night, Brown told his supporters that "defeat is only temporary." As soon as the race was called, analysts began suggesting Brown may run for Massachusetts governor in 2014 or would seek the state's other U.S. Senate seat if Senator John Kerry is named Secretary of State under President Barack Obama in his second term. What should Brown do next? Tell us in the comments.
Updates on the 2012 elections here in Lexington will be posted throughout the day. Connect with us on Twitter at #PatchElections and tell us what you see by tweeting @LexingtonPatch and commenting on facebook.com/LexingtonPatch.
The (unofficial) results are in and, after 83 percent of Lexington's registered voters cast their ballots, it looks like the town, like the state, went with Democrats and "Yes" votes across the board. Scroll down below the votes for dispatches from the field on Election Day. Obama Over Romney: U.S. President With 12,675 votes in Lexington, President Barack Obama tallied more than twice the total of Republican challenger Mitt Romney, who earned 5,287. Lexington's hometown candidate, Green Party nominee Jill Stein, received 159 votes, while Gary Johnson's Libertarian ticket earned only 136 votes. Warren Wins Lexington, State: U.S. Senate Lexington voters went for Democrat Elizabeth Warren almost as steadily as they did for the president. …
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, …
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Voters made decisions on car repairs, assisted suicide and medical marijuana in the statewide election.
Question 1: Right to Repair Voters approved the “Right to Repair” ballot question, which would give consumers more choices when fixing a car in today's election. According to numbers on boston.com, 85 percent of voters approved the question, with 51 percent of the state reporting at 10:15 p.m. The initiative requires automakers to make computer software codes for repairs more accessible to independent repair shops and car owners by 2015. But in July, state legislators devised a compromise that would give carmakers until 2018 to comply with the new law, according to a Boston Globe report. By approving Question 1, voters trumped that compromise and enacted the “Right to Repair” act as written on the ballot. “Voters sent a clear message to …
Marilyn Pettito Devaney won with 75 percent of the vote in the district that covers more than 30 communities.
[Results updated at 9:35 a.m. on Nov. 7] Voters returned Watertown’s Marilyn Pettito Devaney to an eighth term on the Governor’s Council, Tuesday, supporting her by a wide margin in the race against Newton’s Thomas Sheff. With 95 percent of the 270 precincts counted, Pettito Devaney received nearly 74percent of the votes, according to results collected by Patch and Boston.com. Pettito Devaney, a former Watertown Town Councilor, received 230,222 votes, and Sheff, who had run for mayor in Newton in 2005, received 80,891 votes. Pettito Devaney defeated two challengers in the Democratic primary in September before facing Sheff, who ran as an un-enrolled candidate. The Third District of the Governor’s Council includes 32 communities, from …
Democrat Elizabeth Warren beat incumbent candidate Scott Brown in the Massachusetts U.S. Senate race.
Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren has beaten incumbent Republican candidate Scott Brown for a seat on the U.S. Senate, according to the Associated Press. Warren is won by a margin of eight percentage points, 54 percent to 46 percent, making her the first female senator elected in Massachusetts. An estatic Warren addressed a crowd of hundreds of excited supporters at the Copley Fairmont Plaza hotel in Boston on Tuesday night. "We did what everyone thought was impossible," she said. "We taught a scrappy, first-time candidate how to win." "You took on the powerful Wall Street banks and let them know that you want a Senator out there fighting for the middle class all of the time," she said. "And despite the odds, you elected the first …
Election Day is a great opportunity to teach your kids about the importance of the voting process.
I would love to rename Election Day as Freedom Day. I think more people would vote if they could remember or, in some cases, even know what it took and what we lost in order to secure our Democracy. I guess you can tell by my tone that I have always been fascinated by politics. Yes, it can get ugly -- especially in a presidential race -- but cut through all of that nonsense and you get to the core of what Election Day is really about: Our freedom to decide who runs our country. My father was born in Germany and never ever took his right to vote in the United States for granted. He was incredibly proud to be an American citizen and passionate about his right to vote. We all learned at a very young age what a privilege it is to vote. I …
A quick look at what you need to see, do and know today in Lexington.
1. It's Election Day! A sizeable turnout is expected today, as it's a presidential eleciton year with tightly contested races between President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for the White House and between incumbent Republican Scott Brown and Democrat Elizabeth Warren for US Senate. Follow this link to find a few things Town Clerk Donna Hooper thinks Lexington voters should know before hitting the polls today. 2. Local Races: There are contested races for both State Senate seats representing Lexington. In the Third Middlsex District, Lexington Democrat Mike Barrett faces Chelmsford Republican Sandi Martinez for the seat opening up with the retirement of eight-term state Sen. Susan Fargo, D-Lincoln. And in the …
Dinesh
9:42 pm on Friday, November 30, 2012
I think mike by virtue of his experience in business and entrepreuer sector after working in state house is a sign of freshness of ideas from bottom up How to create jobs , how to stimulate buisness , and his knoweldge in heslth care -- connected health will help the district and state . Better help him understand the needs and act and make difference rather than label him of any one Every person… more ›