This week I received two mailings attacking Steve Murphy for considering other jobs while serving as a Boston City Councilor. While I pretty much agree with these mailings I don’t like the fact that they’re being sent anonymously. The return address is 31 Milk St. which is an office building downtown. A quick Google search didn’t turn up any obvious candidates.
Anyone know who’s sending this?
Please share widely!
Connolly. The pieces are the same size as Connolly’s pieces (a non standard size, not 8.5 x 11 and not a standard postcard size like 6×9 or 5.5 x 8.5) The inkjetting for the address is the same exact as the inkjetting on Connolly’s pieces and finally the Union bug is exactly the same.
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What’s interesting is that there is no paid for on the attack pieces, because the SJC said there does not need to be.
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My gut tells me it’s Connolly because as a challenger he needs a current member to falter, in addition to the other more concrete evidence.
i’ll admit that if enough unique elements of the print jobs are too similar, it is suspicious. however, that doesn;t mean that the person paying for the thing has anything to do with Connolly. that only means that they used the same printer, who might be lazy and reusing templates at hand.
When you do a political mailing, you specify the size and format of your mailings and usually have a printer that you trust to do the work. Considering how much of each campaign’s budget goes into mailings and how hard each campaign works to differentiate itself from the others, I’d bet that the details of each mailing aren’t simply up to the printer’s “laziness.”
I was not aware of that and would like to learn more…seems like it is a dream ruling for sleazy tactics.
So, I have zero first-hand information here, but I did run into a comment elsewhere linking these mailings to Connolly:
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Here’s the link.
I’m curious to see them.
If the Facts are True and it effects your opinion then why shoot the messenger?
John Connolly has released a statement on the mailings.
Clumsy and immature or clever? Old time operatives and progressive activists have been speculating all day and wondering alike why a) he did it and b)why he admitted it. At least got some extra publicity and a little buzz about town.
I live in Roslindale. In addition to the flyer attacking Murphy, I received another flyer from “the Parkway Coalition” reminding residents of “the Parkway” (West Roxbury and Roslindale) that it’s been years and years since a neighborhood candidate has won an at large seat on the Council and tacitly suggesting that voters “bullet vote.” The flyer didn’t have Connolly’s name on it, and I wasn’t able to track down the Parkway Coalition. I assumed that this is tied to Connolly’s campaign, but has anyone confirmed this?
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TedF
…I don’t live in Bahston, so I can’t vote anyway. But it strikes me that there are 4 at large seats on the council, and 9 (or so) district seats. Apparently Connolly and Murphy are vying for one of the at large seats. Is there only one seat in contest at this election?
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It strikes me as being a bit juvenile to attach an opponent without naming the attacker, but that’s another issue.
(but am not sure) that all the at-large seats are up. Murphy is apparently considered the low-hanging fruit in terms of incumbents most likely to be vulnerable.
There are only a couple of competitive district seats, the open Allston-Brighton seat, and the Roxbury seat. The other 7 seats are incumbents running without a challenge.
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The four At-Large seats are up, with all four incumbents still in the race, and one legitimate challenger to break the top four. That’s Connelley
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Anyway, the good news for John is even if he loses, Murphy will eventually get some job, because he clearly has interest in doing just about anything but be a city councillor, and then Connolley automatically moves up to take the seat.
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..but I apologize for having glossed over this This week I received two mailings attacking Steve Murphy for considering other jobs while serving as a Boston City Councilor from the post. Has anyone really suggested that being a city counsilor is a full time job, that should preclude them from having outside employment? That strikes me as being absurd.
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Certainly a councilor should recuse him- or herself if a conflict of interest arises in connection with a specific issue, but that would not suggest that they should not be able to seek outside employment in general. Maybe Boston should do what we have in Wellesley: a completely unpaid board of selectmen (pc: selectpersons) all of whom have outside jobs. Oh, that doesn’t work, either, as I’ve noted here before.
The postings regarding the race are correct in that the four seats are open, there are five candidates that have a chance and that prevailing wisdom is that Murphy is on the bubble.
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Murphy has been an active and involved Councilor. Murphy was an early Deval Patrick supporter and it is interesting that his support for Deval is being used by some to suggest he is leaving for a state job. Governor Patrick headlined a re-election fundraiser for Steve Murphy just a few nights ago. Steve Murphy is a serious candidate for re-election and has stated for the record while he has been offered jobs, he is not interested in leaving the Council.
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So, I am curious. Jim Marzilli is runing for another office right now. Does that mean he isn’t worhty of support for re-election as State Rep next year if he isn’t successful on Nov. 13th. Or does that only apply to Steve Murphy (double standard that it is)according to the cowardly John Connolly mail?
John Connolly did nothing wrong. In fact, he did the voters a favor by pointing out Murphy’s lack of interest in being a City Councilor. The only active interest Steve Murphy has shown in being a City Councilor in recent memory was when he suggested that bartenders put sippy-cup covers on martinis. Thanks, Murph. Helluva’ plan. If he doesn’t want his job, he doesn’t have to have it, John Connolly will work harder and do a better job for the people of Boston.
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Vote for change, vote for progress, vote for a step forward for the City of Boston…VOTE FOR JOHN CONNOLLY THIS TUESDAY!!!!!!!!!!
Then why did he have to do it anonymously? And with make-believe community groups?