The Lowell Sun
Thursday, September 19, 2002
Did Dedham voters launch a revolution?
By Jim Campanini
Soon enough, taxpayers will find out if Beacon Hill's really
serious about a state hiring freeze. That's because Maryanne Lewis, one of Tom Finneran's four capo regime in the House, is
looking for a job.
Lewis was iced by Dedham voters in Tuesday's Democratic
primary. By a mere 250 votes, she was transformed from being the House Speaker's powerful lieutenant to checking the
Legislature's gravy-train want ads as a former state representative.
Tough break.
I have a feeling though that Lewis, a four-term incumbent,
will rise from the ashes of defeat to find glorious triumph at the public trough.
One of Finneran's more lucrative burial grounds for
loyalists is the court system, and Lewis should find rich succor there. The courts are packed heavy with those who've
given their time, energy and votes to Finneran's agenda. Their qualifications have little to do with justice,
but all to do with political juice. It's a reason why court officials complain silently about the
extra $50 million in useless payroll patronage costs they've been saddled with since 1996.
But that's another story. Today's is Lewis'.
You've got to give credit to Dedham voters. And to Robert K.
Coughlin, a popular selectman who stepped forward to take on Lewis' formidable Finneran-backed campaign
machine. Coughlin, incensed by Lewis' voting record, which mirrored the Speaker's
interests instead of Dedham's, made the Lewis-Finneran connection the race's major issue.
Coughlin went so far to assert that if Lewis won the primary
battle, he wouldn't support her in the general election. That's tough talk from a Democrat.
The first-time legislative candidate had plenty of ammunition to fire at Lewis. Dedham voters
had overwhelmingly supported Clean Elections, the income tax rollback and the
income tax deduction to encourage charitable giving, but Lewis rejected her constituents in a series of
Beacon Hill votes. She also voted for the $1.2 billion tax increase, the largest in
the state's history.
It also helped that the Citizens for Limited
Taxation, a nonprofit watchdog group, targeted Lewis in a series of ads
published in Dedham-area newspapers. "Does your representative represent you?" was the bold headline over one of the missives,
which carried a Boston Globe story reporting how Finneran had rewarded Lewis with a $15,000 bonus of our
money as one of his four "division chairman."
Some observers called Lewis' defeat the beginning of the
revolution on Beacon Hill.
"Every sheep in the flock is an endangered species one
election away from becoming lamb stew," crowed Chip Ford, the director of operations for CLT.
Ford says CLT will be targeting other November rep races
where Finneran allies are facing stout competition.
I don't agree with Ford that the Speaker's kingdom is in
dire trouble. Finneran remains the most powerful man in the Legislature and could get a megaton boost (it's hard to believe
he needs one) if Democrat Shannon O'Brien is elected governor. Regardless, the Speaker will
just finger another lackey for promotion. There are plenty of them in the 160-member House.
Where I do agree with Ford is that Massachusetts citizens
are getting upset with the status quo on Beacon Hill. I saw it back in the spring when voters in eight Greater Lowell towns
ousted a total of three incumbent selectmen while electing five newcomers to board positions.
Back then, I wrote a column about the local trend and how it may carry forward into the
local rep races.
Already, some reps, seeing Lewis' demise, are running from
Finneran like the devil runs from holy water. They don't want the Speaker with them on the campaign trail. Yet these are
some of the same lawmakers whose names can be found on Finneran's Victory Fund
campaign donation list.
Ah, they'll take the Speaker's money but they won't take his
picture.
To me, real political courage is a Democratic incumbent who
stands with the Speaker in a photo and has it published in a campaign ad in the local newspaper.
You think there'll be any takers in Billerica, Lowell,
Dracut, and Concord where Finneran allies face November challengers?
Dedham voters say there won't.
Jim Campanini is The Sun's editorial page editor.
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