Like most of the country he was elected to lead, President Barack Obama finds himself in purgatory, expiating his sins while reckoning with the sins of others—the sins of a cynical, short-sighted political and industrial culture dominated by an increasingly small but powerful elite, including many in his own party; the sins of his predecessor, who turned long-standing sensible foreign and domestic policy on its head, bringing the most powerful economy on earth to the brink of bankruptcy; the sins of a nation of voracious consumers who had become comfortable living on credit and buying low-priced goods imported from anti-labor, anti-environmental manufacturers abroad, just to name a few.
While Obama clearly has plenty of fanatical loyalists—as well as enemies who veer perilously close to treason in their willingness to tank the country if that’s what it takes to defeat him—most voters have mixed feelings about the president. For many, he has been most frustrating in his lack of boldness, particularly in redressing some of the sins of the previous administration. While his yet unfulfilled promises to close Guantanamo stick in the craw of many who enthusiastically backed his nomination and election, he has equally galled voters who expected deeper economic reform, including the repeal of Bush-era tax cuts for the rich.
Given how Obama’s presidency has been shaped by all he inherited in January, 2009, however, his unspectacular but persistent effort to rectify many past sins—passing a healthcare bill mandating coverage of patients with pre-existing conditions, increasing Pell grants to make education possible for those who couldn’t otherwise afford it, increasing fuel efficiency for vehicles—makes up in part for his tendency to employ half-measures, frequently appearing to capitulate to foes many of his supporters expect him to confront directly on their behalf.
While impatient supporters have every right to their frustrations, we are wise to hold our anger in check, not only in appreciation for the fact that Obama so far has managed to hold together a troubled nation in perilous times, but in acknowledgment of the lessons we should have learned from the imperial presidency of Bush and Cheney, when ideological radicals imposed their will on an unwilling country.
*
Halo — New Hampden County District Attorney Mark Mastroianni ran on a pledge to keep political considerations out of the office, and after a year on the job, he appears to be sticking to that promise. From pursuing criminal charges against former Holyoke interim fire chief William Moran for calling in a false report; to prosecuting Springfield cop Jeffrey Asher for allegedly beating a suspect during a 2009 traffic stop; to dropping criminal charges against Melvin Jones III, the man Asher is accused of beating, for lack of sufficient evidence, Mastroianni looks like the kind of professional we need in law enforcement: one who’s willing to make politically risky decisions because he feels it’s the right thing to do.
Halo — Cheers to Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley for filing suit against five major lenders for fraudulent foreclosure practices and illegal property seizures that have resulted in countless families losing their homes. Coakley’s sweeping action is the first of its kind; we can’t wait to see what the AG uncovers in the case.
Halo — A halo to Holyoke’s new mayor, Alex Morse, for running an engaged, high-energy and positive campaign—just the kind of boost needed to maintain the positive momentum his city has enjoyed in recent years.
Halo — May Bernie Sanders, U.S. Senator from Vermont, shine as the stars forever and ever for one timeless virtue: telling the truth without being swayed by all the money and influence and perks that make Washington a Screwtape picnic. He tells the truth about the big banks (and why people should move their money out of them). He tells the truth about the Federal Reserve (and how it helps the banks and ignores Main Street). He tells the truth about how defense firms that defraud the government go on getting huge contracts. A halo, harp and wings to the congressman who thinks straight, talks straight, votes straight.
Halo — Springfield No One Leaves/Nadie Se Mude has only been around for about a year, but in that time the anti-foreclosure/anti-eviction group has proven itself a strong voice for struggling families and against corporate/bank greed. Cheers to Malcolm Chu, the group’s organizer; to Heisler, Feldman, McCormick & Garrow, the progressive Springfield law firm that provides a home and funding for Springfield No One Leaves/Nadie Se Mude; and, most of all, to the affected homeowners and tenants who’ve stepped up to fight not just for themselves, but for each other as well.
Horns — Boo, hiss, to the UMass officials who decided that the best way to celebrate the football team’s division upgrade was by moving its “home” stadium to Foxboro “for the foreseeable future.” Nothing says “Go, home team!” like a 95-mile commute.
Halo — In this year of exciting changes in Holyoke, there were some unhappy developments: namely, the decisions by city councilors Diosdado Lopez, of Ward 2, and Tim Purington, of Ward 4, not to seek re-election. Halos to these top-notch councilors, who did their jobs with intelligence, guts and good humor
Horns — Horns to Springfield City Councilor Kateri Walsh for delaying her colleagues’ vote to appeal the building permit issued to Palmer Renewable Energy for the controversial wood-burning power plant it proposes to build in the city. Walsh’s move was particularly questionable in light of the fact that she has accepted $2,500 in campaign contributions from the developers, their family members and their attorney this year alone.
Halo — To look at the pitiful voter turnout and lopsided final tallies, you might think there wasn’t much of a mayor’s race in Springfield this year. But voters who were paying attention saw incumbent Domenic Sarno face spirited, if ultimately unsuccessful, campaigns from his two challengers: fearless, outspoken School Committee member Antonette Pepe, who ran on a message of transparency and accountability, and City Council president Jose Tosado, who put together a thoughtful platform that called for systemic changes to fix systemic problems in the city.
Horns — We always thought Danny Kelly ran with the wrong crowd, going back to his days as a Springfield city councilor and best bud to Anthony Ardolino, the one-time chief of staff to Mayor Mike Albano who ended up in federal prison for conspiracy and tax fraud. Then there was the list of infamous clients Kelly took on in his law practice, including former state rep Chris Asselin and former city councilor/Friends of the Homeless head Frankie Keough, both of whom served time on corruption charges. But can any of those associations top this year’s, which saw Kelly named, in testimony in federal court, as an alleged bag man for Anthony Arillotta, the onetime local mob leader who was extorting money from Springfield strip club owner James Santaniello? Then there was the letter produced in court written by Kelly to Frankie Roche, who admitted to murdering another mob boss, Al Bruno, in 2003, in which Kelly offered favorable testimony on Roche’s behalf from Frank DePergola, the sole witness to Bruno’s shooting, shortly before Roche opted to cooperate with prosecutors. While Kelly has yet to face any criminal charges, his alleged actions caused one federal prosecutor to call him, in court, “corrupt.”
Halo — For almost 40 years, the Springfield Preservation Trust has been a champion for the city’s rich architectural history, fighting to save important properties from the wrecking ball and protect neighborhoods along the way. This year, that meant working to protect historic properties in the South End and Maple High Six Corners after the devastating June 1 tornadoes, and taking on an ambitious project rehabbing the former Springfield Female Seminary at 77 Maple St., which was on the verge of being razed to make way for a parking lot before the SPT stepped in.
Horns — Horns to the Springfield school administrators who either failed to see—or, worse, were actively engaged in—the rampant abuses revealed in a long-delayed financial audit of Putnam High. Four employees were fired as a result of the findings, which included employees stealing from school funds and running private businesses out of the building; former principal Kevin McCaskill told the Springfield Republican that he had “no recollection of doing anything illegal while at the school.” The audit has since been forwarded to the Attorney General, who, we hope, will dig deeply into how that level of fraud went on for so long.
Halo — Among the many disheartening aspects of Massachusetts’ wrongheaded rush to embrace casinos: the number of usually right-minded Valley legislators who supported the idea rather than buck leadership. That makes the decision by state rep Brian Ashe (D-Longmeadow) to vote against the plan even more remarkable. A halo to Ashe for having the courage to stand up against the pressure—a vote, by the way, that just may have caused him to lose an important part of his political base during the recent redistricting process. (We’ll also give a cheer for the “No” vote by Republican Todd Smola of Palmer, although his stated objections apparently had more to do with the boundaries of the three casino zones created by the legislation.)
Horns — Holyoke City Councilor Patti Devine has done much to earn her horns, like pandering to the lowest common denominator who complained that allowing Holyoke residents to keep a few chickens in their back yards would give the city a “third world” feel, and bullying the civic group CRUSH to remove from its website an unflattering bit of political satire posted about her by James Bickford. (To see the image and other uncensored work by Bickford, check out hush.fluxmass.org.) As it turns out, Devine’s performance also earned her a loss in her re-election bid this year.
Horns — A red-hot horn for the National Rifle Association, which responded to the shooting of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and 19 other people in Tucson by warning Congress not to “mess with” the right to carry firearms and working to make it legal to pack heat in bars and other public places.
Halo — A dazzling white halo to John O’Brien, register of deeds for the Southern Essex District, for refusing to record robo-signed property transfer documents and rescuing Registry clients from the smouldering gehenna of fraudulent foreclosure.
Horns — Horns, for the second year in a row, to the South Hadley School Committee, which this spring was slammed by Hampshire Superior Court Judge C. Brian McDonald for misleading the public and violating open-meeting laws to secretly vote in a pay raise and contract extension for Superintendent Gus Sayer just weeks after the death of Phoebe Prince, the 15-year-old South Hadley High student who committed suicide after being tormented by bullying classmates. So what did the School Committee do? Turn around and vote again to grant the raise to Sayer—who, mercifully, later announced plans to retire.
Halo and Horns — New state auditor Suzanne Bump got off to a good start by housecleaning the office, which an independent review found was woefully lacking in basic professional standards (and that was before her predecessor, Joe DeNucci, received an ethics fine for hiring his unqualified elderly cousin as a fraud examiner). So what the heck was Bump thinking when she allowed one of her campaign committee members to send a fundraising letter to the heads of non-profit agencies under the auditor’s watch? The letter, which requested $100 donations, noted, somewhat ominously, “The State Auditor is one of the organizations that is responsible for regulatory compliance of your organization. You should know the Auditor and you should know her agenda.” No pressure, though…
Halo — Let Jed Rakoff, presiding justice of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (Manhattan), exchange his black robe for a shining white one for not letting the Securities and Exchange Commission get away with offering misbehaving banks slap-on-the-wrist settlements with relatively small fines and no admission of wrongdoing.
Horns — A horn to Verizon for moving to reduce 45,000 workers’ health benefits and eliminate pensions for new hires when the company has turned $22.5 billion in profits over the last four years and paid zero in taxes to the government in 2010. That year Verizon’s CEO was paid $18 million, nearly 300 times as much as the company’s average working stiff.
Halo — A halo with a dusting of gold to Kristen Christian of Los Angeles, who caught on that Americans don’t have to wait for the government to downsize socially irresponsible banks. Angry at the banksters’ exorbitant fees, Christian spearheaded Bank Transfer Day November 5. Thanks to her idea, this fall $4.5 billion was moved out of Bank of America, Citibank, Chase Bank and other institutions with $10 billion and more in assets, much of it into credit unions.
Halo — Loud Hallelujahs to former Northampton city councilor Maria Tymoczko, who stood her ground with a request for city correspondence relating to the Three County Fairgrounds development project, and to Judge Cornelius Moriarty, who just days ago ruled in favor of Tymoczko’s claim that the e-mails are indeed public records.
Horns — A hard bed in Hell for Michael Armitage, recently sentenced to 66 months in jail for ripping off the Federal Transit Administration through an electric bus and battery company that never produced anything. Not just for fraud, but for wasting taxpayer money that could have gone for green public transit and giving vital progressive programs a bad name, Armitage deserves a prod a minute with the devil’s pitchfork.
