About Tuesday Night

OK, OK, it's a day later, but whatever.

Brian Knuuttila was smart enough to know early on that Fitchburg would be a key community for him. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't able to come through with the performance he needed to win.

Not that this was very clear back in February, when Knuuttila and Jen Flanagan jumped into the Senate race, but the map was stacked again Knuuttila from the beginning.

Under Knuuttila's best case, Flanagan dominated Leominster and the southern 'burbs, while he cleaned up in Gardner and the northern burbs, while stealing Lunenburg and trouncing in Fitchburg. The only thing he got was the Gardner part.

Part of it was what was going on down the ballot. Flanagan earned more support in her key communities because there were other elections grabbing attention -- and voters. Leominster had a House race, as did Clinton and Sterling. It was particularly helpful in Clinton, where Flanagan rolled up a 644-vote victory.

For Knuuttila was cursed with a smaller base in Gardner, which is half the size of Leominster. With no House race there, he was immediately playing big catchup.

From the beginning, Knuuttila thought Fitchburg would be where he won the election. He started the race with tons of support from city councilors and others, and his growing up in the city and being a rep for part of it for years were considered benefits. However, Fitchburg didn't have the votes available that Knuutila needed.

A few weeks ago, I was talking to a Knuuttila supporter who though maybe a 60-40 victory for Knuuttila would be enough to win. But that didn't consider the low turnout. And the Fitchburg turnout was dreadful by any measure -- and for Knuuttila it was beyond fatal. Consider: Flanagan earned more votes in Leominster (4,234) than the total votes cast in Fitchburg (3,567) by almost 700. Yikes.

All that said, Knuuttila failed in a number of areas. He split northern town Ashby, and lost in Townsend. He needed a win in Lunenburg, and lost by 273 votes, winning only 35 percent of the vote. In Fitchburg, he won by only 267 votes, winning only 53 percent. His supporters were hoping for 60 percent, and he fell well short of that standard.

It was, in the end, a weird campaign. Where were the standouts? I didn't see one, and I drive through the intersection of Electric Ave. and South St. -- a popular standout spot -- almost every day. Where were the sign-holders on election day? While the candidates had a fiery distaste for each other, it didn't carry over to the campaign, which was dull, listless, and boring.

One Flanagan supporter said there was so much concentration on likely voters -- which might have explained the ridiculous amount of mailers -- that there was no effort to reach unlikely voters who weren't coming out. That might have been a sound strategy for Flanagan, but Knuuttila needed to get voters out in Fitchburg and Gardner to win, and he didn't do it.

Flanagan Wins Senate Seat

All the results aren't in, but Flanagan has a lead of over 3,000 with Gardner done, and most of Fitchburg in. She dominated in Leominster, Clinton, Sterling et al, and played it semi-close in Fitchburg.

For more, go to the Pride website. We'll be updating throughout the evening.

Election Day Roundup

It's primary election day, although there's not much else on the ballot but the state Senate race. That should be enough to motivate people to get out and vote, but I'd be surprised if 5,000 voted. Heck, 4,000 might be a good number. Seems like people are snoozing through this one.

Anyway, I won't be in Fitchburg all day, and will be voting tonight. When you hit your local polling place, note what number your machine is at, and give any other details from what you see at the polls.

Who's Sending You Mail?

You might have gotten this in your mail today. Notice, in the small print, that it's paid for by MassAlliance. Who is MassAlliance? Good question.

According to its website, "Mass Alliance is a powerful, united voice for the broad progressive movement in Massachusetts politics. We are a coalition of twenty-two progressive organizations committed to collaboration, education, advocacy, and electoral work to advance the progressive agenda."

Who's in the coalition? The Boston Teachers Union, Clean Water Action, the Democratic Socialists of America, Mass Teachers Association, Massachusetts Peace Action, Planned Parenthood, the Sierra Club, and more.

It's worth noting in its campaign finance report, MassAlliance had raised and spent roughly $600, and the expenses went to consultants. No word of printing or mailing costs. It's also worth nothing that MassAlliance raised $2,000 in 2007, and spent it all on consulting. 2006 was more of the same.

Now, I don't know the details of the law, but I think there's a possibility that a member group can pay for the mailer, and slap the MassAlliance name on it. Put the flyer clearly says "Paid for by MassAlliance." Maybe they're going to pay it off later, and the expense and revenue don't show up in the last report. If true, this is a new practice for an organization that has not done mailers in the past.

Also in the mail today was a pro-Flanagan mailer from the Mass Teachers Association. That's twice in a week from them. Mass Nurses also had a mailer this week. Honestly, I didn't notice if past mailers from Flanagan were from her campaign or interest groups. I couldn't find a campaign finance report for Mass Teachers. Sorry about that. I'm not sure why, but it has me frustrated.

So, in adding up what was spent on this campaign, it's worth throwing thousands of dollars more on the Flanagan side. She's not spending it, but she's certainly reaping the benefits of special-interest groups spending on her behalf. It still falls waaaay short of the $200,000 Knuuttila claims he heard she'd raise, but all the same, worth noting.

About Last Night

OK, sorry this is almost 24 later, but it's been busy lately, if you haven't heard.

Anyway, thoughts about last night's hoedown between Jen Flanagan and Brian Knuuttila...

First, I wasn't there, and I get the feeling that I'd think a little differently if I did, and I think I probably wanted to be there in the end. So, remember, I watched this on TV (like most folks) and missed some stuff if I was there, I think.

For starters, neither one blew me out of the water, but I was less impressed with Knuuttila. But I'm not sure it's entirely his fault. His opening statement (how much longer was he planning on going, by the way) sounded mysteriously similar to another opening statement/message we heard on the same stage a year ago. He seemed to be picking up the "career achievement" mantle from Tom Donnelly. Wasn't inspiring then, isn't now. Yes, Knuuttila has had an impressive life as a police officer, lawyer, et al. (By the way, that special attorney general stuff is a designation given by the AG's office to allow lawyers to work on stuff. It is almost meaningless, but Knuuttila brings it up constantly). But he never tied pulling people over on Route 2 to being an effective senator. Yes, it gives him a background in public safety that Flanagan can't match, but he didn't say how he was going to use it.

That said, Knuuttila got off the line of the night with the "but you need my help" line when Flanagan asked why he was coming back. Flanagan had a point: Knuuttila did a lot of Legislature bashing (House bashing, really), even though he was a House member until just a few years ago. But Knuuttila used it to his advantage with that tasty.

I'll admit, I forget the exact thing that sent Flanagan off, but she was clearly steamed. I told Mrs. Save Fitchburg, as Knuuttila was still asking the question, that she looked steamed. She didn't hide it in her answer. Folks who were there said she never calmed down -- and she did look ticked the rest of the night -- and said she stomped out after the debate quickly. Not good times. Not really sure what it means, but I don't think it's very good.

In the end, they played pretty close to type. Knuuttila played to his career history and almost positioned Flanagan as the incumbent. For those and question whether Flanagan is Senate material, her performance didn't make them feel much better about that.

Senate Fun and Games Tonight

The long state Senate campaign (remember, this started in February) limps home on Tuesday, but before that the two candidates, Jennifer Flanagan and Brian Knuuttila, meet for one last debate tonight.

The Pride's Karen Mann will be on the scene, and will be posting live here as the night goes on. Game time is 7 p.m., but I'd expect Karen will be setting the scene before that. So, make sure you have plenty of chips, dips and beers as Karen brings it home in style.

Senate Cash

When you get a second, go to the Fitchburg Pride website, and check out a story on campaign fundraising, eight days before the primary election. It's a little lacking, in that Brian Knuuttila's campaign did not file an electronic report today. But others did. It includes links to local candidates' reports, so have some fun on this delightful Monday evening. I'm going to go watch the Raiders now.

Restoring Radio Contact

Sorry for not posting much lately. Between vacation and the unbelievable chaos at work since returning, I've had little time to even think about what's going on, forget come up with decent thoughts about it. And considering the unending litany of comments, I figure I'm at least the stupidest asshole in Fitchburg, if not all of New England, and it's a fight I don't have the energy, time or patience for.

Anyway, here's a couple of random thoughts from the stupidest asshole in New England:

I was looking for a reason not to vote for Barack Obama. As much as I was sort of resigned to pulling the trigger for him, I didn't really want to, and was hoping John McCain would give me a reason to vote for him.

Instead, McCain pretty much pushed fulling to Obama with the Sarah Palin pick. It has nothing to do with the whole teen pregnancy business, and everything to do with the fact that McCain would be putting one heartbeat away someone who was essentially the mayor of Ashby two years ago. So unprepared, so not ready. Such a bad pick. It makes me seriously question McCain's judgement, and I really question how well this pick was vetted. If you can't get this right, what can you get right?

The state Senate election is 13 days from now. What a snorefest. Why? Is it just assumed Flanagan has it in the bag? What am I missing? For a race that last winter seemed rock-em-sock-em robots, it's been dullsville.

On the other hand, it seems like the Red Sox are putting together at just the right time. Five series wins in a row, and getting good ball over the place. Dustin Pedroia is ridiculous right now. Imagine if they could get fully healthy. They're not catching the Rays (although the throw-away tix for next Tuesday's game that is part of my package is looking very good right now), but they're likely making the playoffs. If they can beat the Angels in the first round, I like their chances against Tampa/Chicago/Minny/all of the NL. Hopefully they play this well the rest of the way.

Football season starts tomorrow night. I'd be psyched if the Raiders finished 8-8. Sad, I know, but that's the way it is. I am excited to see Darren McFadden, and worried to see JaMarcus Russel. They're on MNF (late game) next Monday. I guess the Pats will be good, too.

Eh, that's it. It's quiet on the city side, no?

A Couple of Things

Getting back from vacation and still sort through the rubble, but here's a handful of things.

First, two days later, the lead story from Sunday's Globe continues to bug me. If you missed it, the story basically says that while property assessments are going down, property taxes are going up.

It's a nice showoff for computer-assisted reporting, and shows that the DOR stuffs a lot of interesting information on its website. Honestly, if I had the time, I'd dig around there more often, but too often just go to find something specific. But the problem with the Globe story is that it relates two things that don't really have anything to do with each other.

This has been discussed here before, but it bears repeating: Property values are only part of the equation when it comes to property taxes. The real focus needs to be on the tax levy.

The levy is the total amount a city or town can collect. As you may have heard, that amount can increase 2.5 percent plus new growth each year. As you may also have heard, most communities increase that full amount each year.

From there, the tax man calculates the total property value, and sets the tax rate. Then the tax rate is assessed on your property value. If you property value holds steady (as seems to be the case pretty much in some areas of Fitchburg lately), you're likely to pay more in taxes if the tax rate goes up (which, I belive, it did).

Simply, communities are taxing more under the provisions of 2 1/2, and with assessments declining, the tax rate gets bumped higher, which creates a higher tax bill. The tax levy is created without assessments in mind, and tying the two together is disingenuous. Sure, it sucks to see your property devalued while shelling out more in taxes, but the two really don't have anything to do with each other.

End of that particular rant.

*****

While the Save Fitchburg Family was away, Brian Knuuttila lawn signs sprouted up all over the place it seems like. Shockingly, this race is less than a month away. It's stealthy crept up, it seems like.

I honestly am not excited about Knuuttila's chances in this one. The Memorial Day Disaster sticks out in my mind, not just in the bizarre circumstances, but also his admittance that he's going to get horribly outspent. So there's that. I also see better visibility from Flanagan at big events. Despite all that, I wonder if Knuuttila can pull off the upset, although it will be very difficult.

You'd have to think Knuuttila is going to easily carry Gardner and the towns between there and here. He has to. Absolutely has to. You'd have to think Flanagan is going to destroy Leominster and carry the towns to east and south. That leaves Fitchburg.

Knuuttila, however, can't just win Fitchburg. He has to win by huge numbers. Maybe 3-1. Maybe more.

Consider: Flanagan's chief core community is Leominster, which is twice the size of Gardner, Knuuttila's home community. Also, the only other contest race around the area is in ... Leominster, where there's a House seat (Flanagan's) being contested. So you have to think there will be more turnout there than there will be in any other community. And you's have to think that's good news for Flanagan.

So, Knuuttila is depending on a huge win in Fitchburg, where turnout could be a problem in that there's nothing else on the ballot worth noting. I would think he'll need to make up thousands of votes in Fitchburg. I wouldn't be surprised if it's 2,000 or 3,000.

Then, consider that 8,000 came out last year for the gigantic mayoral election. Will that many people come out for a state Senate race they've been paying no attention to -- and one without a local candidate (yes, Knuuttila fans, begin outburst here)? Let's say 6,000 people come out, a fairly ambitious number. Knuuttila would need to win, 4,500-1,500. Is that even possible?

Knuuttila has shown some strength in Fitchburg, and it's not silly to think he's going to win the city. But for him to win this race he's going to have to absolutely dominate in Fitchburg. If you like him, you'd better get out and vote for him.

*****

Finally, while away, I read the RFP for North and Main has been extended. If you're a conspiracy theorist on that particular situation, you're beside yourself. I wonder what exactly is going on here (part of coming back from vacation means you can't track stuff down immediately, only wonder what's up). If you want a CVS in there tomorrow, this is not good news in that you'd have to think that bid proposal was pretty easy to write. In theory, this delay keeps the door open for some other kind of development. I don't know what the deal is, but sometimes even though there are good intentions, appearances make things look a sketchy. I think this might be one of those times where appearances look bad. Who knows, maybe in a month there will some private developer making a bid that blows everyone way. But if there's a low-ball, non-pharmacy developer who ends up winning this process, let the howling begin.

Knuuttila ... In

The Brian Knuuttila for Senate campaign sent out a press release this afternoon saying not only is Knuuttila in the race for Senate, but he's taking a leave of absence from his job in the Worcester Sheriff's Office "to prove his dedication and commitment to winning the Worcester and Middlesex State Senate seat."

In the release, Knuuttila also calls on his opponent, Rep. Jennifer Flanagan (D-Leominster) to forego her salary during the campaign.

"During these tough economic times, I believe candidates should not be campaigning on the backs of the taxpayers," Knuuttila said in the release. "I understand that both candidates wil be spending a lot of time campaigning during the day, and since the Legislature will be in summer recess, my opponent should hold herself the same standard."

So, there you go. Knuuttila is in the race. On we go.

The Senate Race Gets Weird

There's a story in today's dailies about the state Senate that is bizarre, a little, tiny bit cutthroat, and really, well, just head-scratching.

Apparently, former Gardner Rep. Brian Knuuttila met with Rep. Jennifer Flanagan (D-Leominster) -- Knuuttila's opponent -- and Sen. Robert Antonioni (D-Leominster), who is leaving the seat. Flanagan and Antonioni say Knuuttila told them last Friday he was getting out. Knuuttila says he was only talking about the giant fundraising gap he faces, and expressed concerns about how he was going to be able to keep up, and maybe -- just maybe -- he might get out.

How strange.

Make no mistake, this story came from the Flanagan camp. That's not weird. What is weird is that they were so blatant about it. This wasn't a whisper/back channel kind of thing. This was a "get on the phone and make some calls" deal. I wonder if there was any kind of last-minute "are you sure you're not getting out" calls made to Knuuttia, or if Flanagan just moved ahead without, well, warning. I'm not saying what the Flanagan camp did was wrong by any stretch, but I wonder if this could have been settled behind the scenes, or at least hashed out a bit more. It's an aggressive move, but not an unfair one.

All that said, this is a tremendous embarrassment to Knuuttila, who in both stories also apparently said he may move to Florida in the fall. His handling of it -- he apparently tried at first to deny the meeting, and then started hedging his comments on whether he was getting out or not -- was not super-smooth, to say the least. So now his credibility takes a hit, his desire is somewhat questionable, and clearly money is an issue.

Who knows what will happen over the next four months, but clearly at this point Flanagan is in a great position. Knuuttila worried that he would be outspent 7 to 1. I know some big Senate races have candidates raising $100,000 in places like Cambridge, a high total. If I were a serious candidate or part of a serious campaing, I'd set $50,000 as a basement level, while thinking $75K was a possibility. Let's say Knuuttila banked on even $30,000 -- a subpar number more fit for a competitive House race (see DiNatale, 2006). That would mean he's expecting Flanagan to raise over $200,000. And that's at a short $30G. Does he expect she'll clear a quarter-million if she had to? Good lord. No wonder he's nervous.

Give Flanagan this: When this race started less than three months ago, she was lumped in with Knuuttila, Hank Naughton, and a few others as potential winners. Hell, folks were just waiting for Dean Mazzarella to jump in and kill her chances. In those three months, she's gone from what might have been a free-for-all to being the clear monster candidate in this race.

So, now what? The good news for Knuuttila is that it's May 28. He has nearly four months to get over this. Most people will forget about this little dustup by next Tuesday, forget the third Tuesday in September. But Knuuttila probably needs to reassess where he's at (reassess again, apparently). He also might be getting a few phone calls from supporters and advisors. He might need to make a decision, and if he stays in, almost kind of reannounce his campaign and start over.

Finally, what a downer politically. When Antonioni announced he was stepping down, you had to hope this was going to be a three- or four-way, knock-down-drag-out preliminary. Now we're left with this. A lot can happen in four months, but Knuuttila needs to do some things in the next three or four days to get things back on track.

10 or So Enter, 2 Leave

It looks like the state Senate race is down to Brian Knuuttila and Jen Flanagan after Dean Mazzarella said today he's out (as first reported at the Fitchburg Pride/Leominster Champion websites this morning). There are still a few folks out there -- namely Dean Tran and Gregg Lisciotti, but this might just about be the field.

In some ways, it's not surprising that what was once a consideration field of about 10 is down to two. I'm only surprised it's not three or four. Some folks, like Steve DiNatale, would obviously have been sticking their necks waaaay out there, and did the smart thing. Others, like Mazz and maybe Hank Naughton, were really torn.

It will be interesting to see what happens in the next few months before nomination papers are due. She won't talk about it, and shouldn't, but Flanagan has to at least consider backing out at some point if things are rolling her way early. Knuuttila has nothing to lose. Flanagan loses this, she's out her House seat, to boot, unless she can pull off some kind of unlikely sticker/write-in campaign.

Flanagan has showed some intestinal fortitude in all this. She was the first one absolutely in, and she pulled the Antonioni endorsement card as a way to get the inside rail out of the gate. It probably led to some candidates having second thoughts. While others were thinking about it, she acted, swift and certain. You have to like that.

But there's going to be days soon when Flanagan at least has that passing thought ... "should I, or shouldn't I." It's so easy to take the easy way out. But Knuuttila is no dinosaur. If it doesn't happen for her now, when will it?

I hate to speculate on Flanagan bailing (yes, I know, I just spent three paragraphs on it), because she has given no indication she's going to. But now that the field is just about set, it's worth mentioning. And really, who hasn't thought it?

Here's hoping she stays in. I think Knuuttila and Flanagan are pretty even. They have good bases, good experience, and will likely run good, energized campaigns. It's going to be fun to watch.

Dean Tran Better Get a Move On

If City Councilor Dean Tran -- or anyone else for that matter -- wants to run for state Senate out of Fitchburg, they better get moving, pronto.

Former Gardner Rep. Brian Knuuttila announced today he's running, and at Fitchburg City Hall for the announcement were five city councilors and a former state rep who are backing Knuuttila, with another councilor and a former mayor leaning his way (to find out here, click here).

Knuuttila was born and raised in Fitchburg, so he has deep roots in the city. An open Fitchburg is a good Fitchburg for Knuuttila. He appears to be quickly gathering support in the city, so if Tran or someone else wants to battle him for Fitchburg supremacy, they'd better step in soon, or there won't be much left to fight over -- at least in term of endorsements and support.

Knuuttila for Senate

Absolutely no surprise: Brian Knuuttila is running for state Senate. Official announcement comes Monday. Reset the field, and find out when Knuuttila is in Fitchburg, by going here. You know where it is.

Of Senate and Congress

First, the senate seat.

The field is starting to firm a little bit. Your contender list probably looks something like this: Brian Knuuttila, Dean Mazzarella, Jennifer Flanagan, and Harold Naughton. Will all four get in? Maybe. Flanagan is in. Knuuttila is all but there. Most folks expect Mazzarella to jump in, but I wouldn't put his name in ink. Naughton needs watching, but why wouldn't he jump in at least for a little while? There will be some more names, and maybe, somewhere, somehow, a Lisa Wong surprise (not Wong herself, but a candidate similar to Wong).

Notice something? No one from Fitchburg. Dean Tran is kicking the tires, and he's trying out a "conservative Democrat" message. But Tran has two little kids and has said in the past he feels a little time-strapped (remember the mayor rumors?). He might not have the desire to give up a year of his life to campaign. But he might. I'm not banking on a run out of Tran. Who's left? There's a "Draft Jody" effort that has popped up here, but he's not making any (public) noises about a run. Former Mayor Dan Mylott took a pass, and someone else who was looking at it -- but never publicly staked a claim -- also took a pass.

So that leaves Fitchburg kind of the outside looking in, which is fine, but not great. It would be nice to have a strong candidate from the city, who could win the race and represent the city at the State House. Instead, as it has been for ages, someone else will likely represent Fitchburg in the Senate. It worked fine with Antonioni, but there would be a nice shot of civic pride if a Fitchburg resident could win the seat.

But the good news is that Fitchburg will be some decidedly fought-over territory. Candidates will need to run hard in an open Fitchburg, which is voter heavy (and recent history points to some active voters). Knuuttila can claim strong ties, and Naughton will try to stake a claim. Flanagan, her critics say, has been running for this Senate seat for four years, and will point to her successes at FSC, the commuter rail project, and elsewhere. Everyone and their mother knows Mazzarella (and has mayoral envy of Fitchburg's southern neighbor), but he'll need to make some self-introductions to what he is all about.

Now, on to Congress.

I missed Watergate, so the three best Congressional hearings I've seen were the Bulger hearings in Boston a few years back, the Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings, and yesterday's Roger Clemens hearing. Yesterday's to-do was gripping, entertaining, and laughable all at once. We heard about Clemens bleeding through his pants (ew), his butt abcesses (double ew), and way too much about lunch at Jose Canseco's house.

I'm not gonna lie (which is rare for the rest of the players in this little play), I want to see Clemens ruined by this, and I think he's lying his pants off. I don't believe him, and part of it is because I don't want to believe him. And Brian McNamee is nobody's hero. Rep. Elijah Cummings? I love that guy. And locally, John Tierney was excellent yesterday, and Steve Lynch was good, too.

But Andy Pettitte, whooo-weee. The worst part of yesterday for Clemens was Pettitte's deposition, which details conversations that were particularly bad for Clemens. Pettitte is Clemens' downfall in the end. Additionally, you can't think Mrs. Clemens was particularly happy with the last few days. And how did McNamee get hooked up with old Debbie without Roger knowing?

In the end, Clemens didn't answer the one question he has faced more than once, and knew would be coming: Why would McNamee lie about Clemens, but tell (some of) the truth about Pettitte? Why? Clemens has hemmed, hawed, stammered and blown that answer every single time he's given it. He also now has to answer Pettitte's deposition about HGH conversations, and he finally, something as seemingly as trivial as who was and wasn't at Canseco's house is a problem. What was Team Clemens thinking going after the nanny before giving her to Congress? Stupid.

Anyway, you went into yesterday's hearing on one side or the other, and nothing yesterday changed your mind. Today, you're either cheering Tierney and Cummings, or applauding Dan Burton (who, it should be noted, totally booted the Bulger hearings). But yesterday, the best (enhanced) pitcher of a generation -- one of the greats of all time -- was forced to sit before Congress and (likely) lie in an effort to save his reputation, his ticket to the Hall of Fame, and whatever goodwill he has remaining. It was a sight to see, all right.

No DiNatale for Senate

State Rep. Steve DiNatale said today he won't be running for state Senate this fall. You can read about it a little bit at the Fitchburg Pride website.

Who's going to run from Fitchburg?

Add Another Name to the List

Here's a bit of an interesting name that's being sort of kicked around in the Senate race: developer Gregg Lisciotti.

While Lisciotti has plenty of dough in his bank account, he is a major, major fundraiser on the state and national levels, and probably wouldn't have to dip into his piggy bank to make a run. He could raise it bundles with minimal effort. He also has pretty good name recognition all over through his business, which has also allow him to grow deep connections throughout the region.

Lisciotti is also a Republican, and they are few and far between in this race so far. Would Lisciotti run? Seems sort of unlikely. He's a pretty big behind-the-scenes player already and lawmaking can be a tiresome gig. But he could be a formidable candidate for a Democrat if he's waiting for them after the primary, and as you try to put together a Big List of potential candidates, it's silly not to at least listen to the rumor mill.

There's Still Good TV

No, this isn't another pitch to watch "Friday Night Lights" (although it probably should be), or a manifesto on the greatness of "Lost" (although that would be acceptible, too).

Instead, it's a head's up that I'm on TV tonight, making electronic greatness on "Politically Speaking," with new host Donna DesChaines. The game plan was to discuss the presidential primaries and what happens next, but I would think maybe the term "state Senate" might come up.

Now that you mentioned it, a few words on the Senate situation:

This, of course, is the time when everyone "takes a look" at the seat. Some of them are serious, and aren't going to bail. Some will take a look, consider the situation, and take a pass. How can not look at it, though? The seat hasn't been open in 16 years, and chances are the winner will lock it up for fairly long time. So if you're interested at some point in the next, say, 10 years, it's now or never.

Jen Flanagan is in, in, in. She has Antonioni's support, which is no small thing. She was viable before Antonioni took the rather rare step of endorsing someone from the get-go, but his help will be invaluable to her. She'll lose some (much?) of that edge if Dean Mazzarella jumps in. He's one of those considering. And Mazz doesn't have a re-election campaign this year, so he has nothing to lose. It will be an interesting situation if Mazz gets in.

Steve DiNatale is considering, but has a one-year House member and one without Antonioni's blessing, he could be facing an uphill climb. But if no other Democrats from Fitchburg run, and both Mazz and Flanagan are in and split their Leominster base, there might be room for DiNatale. But he'll have to be pretty sure. He'd hate to lose that House seat after one term. It'll be interesting to see what he does. The conservative move -- and maybe the smart move -- is to take a pass. But there's no shame in going for it if it's a crowded field with two big names in Leominster.

Hank Naughton, the Clinton rep, sure sounded like a guy who was in the other night. Will the Flanagan/Antonioni situation scare him off? He's been in the House for a while, and it's no secret he's been doing some fairly seriously job hunting of late, so it might be an up-or-out reason to move on from the House for him. He has the southern end of the district perhaps to himself, and Gardner Rep. Robert Rice has said he supports Naughton, so he might be strong on the western flank. He has a decision to make, though.

Steve Kerrigan of Lancaster is considering, but he might have some options if Naughton stays in. Kerrigan's smart, knows how the building works, and is a good guy and very hard worker. He doesn't have the base of the others, but shouldn't be ignored. Former Gardner Rep. Brian Knuuttila is considering, and he has nothing to lose, so he might stay it out for one shot at glory. He's currently counsel to Worcester Sheriff Guy Glodis, who might be the most powerful politician in the (former) county. If he has the Glodis machine working for him, he is a very good candidate.

Finally, there's former Mayor Dan Mylott. His tenure as mayor is currently not well-received. Can he overcome that? Here's the thing: He might get a pretty free pass to the general election. What other Republicans are out there? Mazz is unenrolled, would he run as a Republican? The GOP roster is short, so Mylott might by default be the best R-candidate out there. Suddenly, he's raising a ton of dough, maybe getting some state party support (for whatever that's worth), and if it's not DiNatale on the other side, he's the only Fitchburg candidate on the ballot (barring as surprise candidate from here on the Democrat side, of course). He has nothing to lose, and if the Republican field is pretty much non-existent, why wouldn't he take a stab at it?

More to come, that's for sure.

More Suspects

Go to the Fitchburg Pride website, and see who is considering running for Bob Antonioni's Senate seat. And say hello to an old friend who is on the list of potentials.

UPDATE, 7:12 P.M.: The names keep trickling in. You can add Dean Mazzarella and former Rep. Brian Knuuttila to the mix. They'll continue to trickle in, too, one would imagine.

It Really Is a Busy Day

OK, on top of everything else, Sen. Robert Antonioni said today he's not running for re-election this fall. Holy crap, what a day.

So, who's running this fall? It's going to be a crowded field, for sure. It's been 16 years since the seat was open. Put on your best "Casablanca" voice, and round up the usual suspects. To get some names, go to the Fitchburg Pride website (which includes quotes from at least two of the potential suspects, and we're working on more this evening, so look again later. And yes, this is a tease to get you over there).

More on this tomorrow, but for now, we're wicked busy. Again.