MOORECOL. no.12 10-22-2004 HED : When Reform looks like Joe McCarthy By BOB MOORE Pardon me, if I'm ticked off today. I'm steamed about the [Jim] Coffey sneak punch so reminiscent of Joe McCarthy that the Hopkinton Republican threw at Rep. Karen Spilka in the state Senate seat up for grabs on Nov. 2. In an area where coverage of politics and government is apt to be a mass of generalities, I thought charging Spilka's voting record showed she left schools open to sexual predators was too broad to stick. I was wrong. Not once but in public and in three eye-blasting postcards he repeated it. Not his fault, he said. Cooked up by supporters in the GOP State Committee's effort to Reform the deal-making, Democratic-dominated Legislature. Pretty tricky. Just the effort to bring honest tactics and good government to Beacon Not the author, but he'd accept it, in the name of . . . . Reform. I thought Sen. Joe McCarthy died 50 years ago. Incumbent Democrats had to expect attacks on their voting records, a local editorial pointed out. Part of the game. And hadn't they voted lock-step on the Hill? A generality that was not supported by Globe columnist Eileen McNamara who devoted an entire column Wednesday on Coffey's attack on Spilka, calling it "the oldest political trick in the book." To be specific : On a "procedural" vote calling for local police to lend a hand in the state law that already keeps tabs on those with a criminal record, especially when it comes to prospective employees or aides in the school system. The amendment failed to get out of the House. There is another generality in these political contests. Only the incumbent has a record. Whoops - think this over. We're talking about representing MetroWest. There have been votes and Romney vetoes on subjects vital to this area. Repeatedly, Coffey's hearing fails when he's asked how he would vote on Romney vetoes of measures with area interests. Sorry, I'm on this and I'll continue. When I took over at The Framingham News in 1970, I groaned at the idea that the phone book was filled with Gateway Cleaners, Gateway Liquors. Gateway to what? I wanted to see the area be recognized and soon one of our reporters came up with the idea of MetroWest. We loved it. The 26 cities and towns reached by The News was MetroWest. It has grown since then and it includes the Rte. 495 Arc [still News territory] that has mutual interests - schools, roads, careful commercial and residential growth. I see nothing in Coffey's campaign that relates to our mutual interest. To me it sounds the same as it did when he sat down with me two months ago - "The governor's going to pour plenty of money in here to help my campaign." We welcome money, programs, whatever that carry out Spilka's efforts, already begun, to unite this MetroWest. TOWN MEETING - That was a swift meeting, well regulated by Moderator Ed Noonan who's warming to that key post, and I can't help mentioning that it was thoughtful. Take the ban of those hornets, the mini-wheels that threatened to cause unneeded injury and death in small hands operating below drivers' eye level. But members heard Dawn Harkness's plea for scooters. A scooter operator. Dawn pointed out, is fully visible. HOUSING WHAT? - TM was remarkably deft in moving past another whatsis problem - that of doing something about a Housing Plan. Nothing settled yet on this slippery question. But steady debating of Article 3 helped. This article is about more than housing but establishing the meaning of "official" brings terms like Master Plan and Official Housing Plan out of the vague void of relationship. Backed by 30 TMM, the debate was full and not divisional. CAPITAL CONSEQUENCES -Delving into the mixup about housing only reminds us that we have many major questions we must confront. The $90 million capital budget plan offered by George King, for one, has a long way to go. Clearance by the FinCom and some enlightening hearings about the need for so many changes at once will help. So many - and there are more to be considered - immediately. That plays well to the publish yen to get things now. When we think of them. Well, think of the debt exclusion override and another expense not yet on radar - the FY 06 operating budget. That comes up in April but should be coming out of the earth about now. VICTORY & DEATH - Can't help mentioning it. We're all talking about - the horrible post-game, raise hell, mob scene death of an Emerson student. Victoria Snelgrove, who wanted so much to be a significant news-gatherer, was an item of news herself when a police projectile fired into crowd of rowdies off Kenmore Square killed her. Only a week after her twenty-first birthday and moving to Emerson for the finishing touches on her education. Only six months ago a similar "uprising" had killed a young man. Is it Boston? Is it "those" students? Is the slopover TV easy-death shows and war games into real life? It happens in Detroit, in Los Angeles, wherever. An emotional victory in sports - and so, let you feelings run riot? A new "right" that says "to hell; who's looking?" Normal? Everyone's "normal" except when they throw over the traces. Months ago well-bred youths in a neighboring town punished nor malcy in a major attack on their school. It starts from "nothing" and those in the Red Sox victory smash undoubtedly feel Victoria's passing and wish they could take it back. Boston Police Commissioner Kathleen O'Toole worked to make sure "it wouldn't happen again." Back to work and wonder why. _______________________________________________ You can reach Bob Moore at edmoore4@aol.com or at 1-508-620-1449. To unsubscribe, send email to majordomo@syslang.net with body unsubscribe frambors (the subject is ignored). 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