Election roundup: Signs are getting ripped down; education examined
![Kid dressed as water fountain](https://www.universalhub.com/files/styles/main_image/public/images/photos/waterfountain.jpg?itok=mY0V72BW)
At Matt O'Malley's annual Halloween party, one kid came as the tri-level water fountain O'Malley got for Jamaica Pond.
You always know an election's getting nasty when campaign signs start getting torn down.
The final televised debate is tonight, 7-8 p.m.
The Globe gets to sit in on a Connolly-campaign finance meeting and learns Connolly's internal polling shows the race is now tied. Connolly jabbed Walsh on arbitration.
Eye on Early Education reports on a forum with the two candidates on, well, early education - and the achievement gap. The Globe examines their proposals for overhauling BPS.
In the least surprising editorial ever, the Herald, which earlier had advised voters to pick a sea cucumber before voting for Marty Walsh, today endorsed Connolly. Almost as unsurprisingly, the Globe endorsed Suzanne Lee in the District 2 council race.
Farah Stockman likes proposals by Ayanna Pressley and Michelle Wu to make it easier to open a restaurant in this provincial town.
Ad:
Comments
water fountain
You mean a bubbler?
I'm sure this young
girl was thrilled to dress up as a fountain.
Does this bother anyone else?
First, I love the girl in the bubbler costume. But on the other topic in this post, am I the only one bothered by the kinds of statements coming out of the Walsh campaign like the one below (from the Globe)? When the Walsh/Connolly race started off I kind of figured we were talking about two shades of grey so that, although I'm a Connolly guy, if Walsh won it wouldn't be the end of the world. But this stuff just reduces this campaign to an "us verses them," which makes me think, frankly that is how Walsh would be as Mayor. Didn't we have enough of that in the last century? It makes me think I should be really worried about a Walsh City Hall if I'm not one of Walsh's "us." I happen to think Connolly is on the side of working class families too. The difference is he's also on the side of everyone else too. Way to divide the City on class lines Marty.
In a statement, the Walsh campaign said it had the support “of working men and women in every neighborhood of Boston.”
“As has recently been reported, John Connolly is getting tremendous political and financial support from Republicans, hedge fund managers, and outside groups like [Democrats for Education Reform] bankrolled by Wall Street financiers,” spokeswoman Kate Norton said in a statement. “Marty is going to win this race because people know he’s on the side of working class families.”
I totally agree
they are shades of gray. If it were Marty vs Dan Conley, for example, I'd be with Marty easily.
All of this hyperbole... nonsense... the "corporate lawyer" made $3500 last year from legal fees and "laborer" Walsh was only an actual laborer for 2 years before working for the union...thus, neither stereotype or image are accurate. Both went to Catholic schools and then prep schools, with Connolly going to the better one... Walsh didn't finish college in his youth - however it was over the objections of his father... Connolly grew up in a 2-fam and Walsh in a 3-fam... the "Connolly was an eviction lawyer" is meant to play on people's mistrust of landlords, but Marty revealed he has a tenant... perhaps more than one. I could go on and on...
No it doesn't bother me because it's true
It's important to point out that John Connolly really does want to privatize Boston Public Schools. He is endorsed by Stand on Children and DFER, and he is heavily funded by DFER, which gets its money from WalMart and the good folks in the Wall St and the hedge fund community who stand to make big bucks investing in charter schools. Marty is not endorsed by Stand or DFER nor do they fund his campaign. DFER has hired PAID CANVASSERS for John Connolly and funds a huge tv ad buy. DFER has been sued in California for misusing Democrat in the their name.
The big financial returns come from new market tax credits and a steady stream of taxpayer funds calculated at a per student per year formula. This compensation uses an average cost formula that robs our public schools of resources - about $3000 per year per student attending charters is the amount Charters get in excess of actual cost given that charters don't serve ELL or Sped to any extent. Our public schools take whoever walks in the door including the 38% of kids who are ELL and the entire special ed group of kids. Millions can be on in district charters by expanding standardized testing and hiring education consultants.
These folks target inner cities to expand charter schools. The false narrative is that the teachers are at fault. That is false. Poverty drives the achievement gap. Over half of the kids in BPS come from families that live at or near poverty.
DFER and Stand and hedge fund managers who want to expand Charter schools are poverty pimps. John Connolly got in bed with the folks who exploit our commitment to education for their own profit.
Read Why teachers and education activists criticize John Connolly..
Read John Connolly and the L-word, "Problem is, education and ed reform haven't been Connolly's 'life's work'"
Does Connolly really believe this?
A Connolly campaign email this week said, "We can’t afford to sacrifice our schools and our libraries and our communities to skyrocketing labor costs.”
This isn't hyperbole, it's a direct quote. Does he really think carpenters, plumber, electricians, etc. our causing us to sacrifice schools, libraries and our entire communities? Does Connolly think people with paintbrushes are more dangerous than Bank of America's mortgage swindlers that caused so many to lose their homes? Does he think hammers and saws wreck our communities more than developers that wipe out our green space and pollute our air? Are those plumbers worse than criminals with guns who ruin neighborhoods with violence?
And isn't Connolly the guy who has said he does no negative campaigning?
Is this the guy who stole Walsh's and Connolly's signs?
Hey Doug
I'll personally take down ALL of your hand painted signs. THEY LOOK LIKE SHIT!
the signs do look like crap...
but that makes them very memorable... just like when the TV station "accidentally" runs the same ad twice in a row but you the viewer notice it and remember it. Candidates who spend too much energy on appearance (signs, endorsements, Ward Committees, etc) and don't devote 85% of their effort to identifying supporters and getting out the vote... will lose.
and, I would argue that...
...more everyday voters know who Doug is at this point than Tompkins.
Ooo I Agree, But Still....
http://www.capecodtoday.com/sites/capecodtoday.com/files/imagecache/400x...
You mean the real Sheriff and not the guy who thinks people are
stupid enough to believe that's he's the real Sheriff? Not Steve "The Animal" Tompkins.
I believe this black voter summed Doug up perfectly, from the Roslindale Patch:
Well, Doug? Obviously you feel comfortable calling black people animals,the same way you felt comfortable assaulting a 71 year old man, right?
Here, Here
Moreover, anyone could hire a printing company to make signs, but Doug's are a labor of love. They are personally hand crafted. No one is the same as the others. There is effort behind them.
That said, I won't vote for Doug, but I admire his spunk.