In today’s Herald Rep. Bob DeLeo Speaker of the House for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts tells all the candidates for Governor to “back off the much-maligned Legislature during the cutthroat election year. Vowing to return fire if lawmakers become a convenient campaign target.”

A Convenient Target? Targeting the House is like shooting fish in a barrel Mr. Speaker and you’re one of the wide mouth bass that makes target shooting easy. The House now serves as the poster boy for all candidates to go after. It represents what is wrong with the Government of Massachusetts.

Let’s start with the pay raise, the sales tax increase, the per diem, the tax on alcohol, the fact they voted to keep the hack holidays of Bunker Hill Day and Evacuation Day. The short sessions and informal sessions that last 1-2 hours max and the 7 weeks taken off by the House before taking action on the Education Bill. Less we forget the arm twisting flip-flopping votes on replacing the departed Ted Kennedy.

The fact that most Representatives are at the state house only 150 out of a possible 260 working days a year collecting full-time salaries while working two jobs needs to be highlighted over and over. How many Lawyers who are State Reps making $61,000 made another $75K or more in private practice? Ask someone who was laid off or whose hours were cut what he thinks about that.

Then they can talk about the ethics or lack of in the House of Representatives. Let’s start with allowing a sitting State rep. to represent a union that gets his WIFE a $10,000 raise. Then there’s always the case of wannabe speaker honest John Rogers and Tom Riley’s favorite running mate Marie St. Fleur shining examples of the quality of legislators.

Candidates should ask how rules exist that allow a State Rep to be a Mayor and a State Rep at the same time. You all took a stand against a Latino Mayor /Rep from a distressed city yet no one has voted on a rule to make sure it doesn’t happen again. What is the status of Rep. Golden’s Bill?

They should ask why the House vetoed Gov. Patrick’s attempt at stopping State Colleges and Universities from spending state appropriated money on Lobbyist to get the state school even more money? How do you justify that?

Let’s talk about how members of your own party stalled passage of amendments in December because you don’t want to reveal what the $400,000 legal cost attached to defend the previous Speaker involves. Your pal Sal has cost the taxpayers close to half a million dollars and you refuse to say why. You still haven’t offered up any facts as to what that money went to.

How about the deal that was made to allow Sal to be re-elected Speaker at the beginning of January with the full knowledge he would resign weeks later. Just giving him enough time to hire the law firm that is collecting the $400,000. Then they can mention the cuts to vital services and unions taking furloughs while the house keeps an 18 million dollar slush fund that gets no audit.

DeLeo said. “I’m not gonna sit back idly as they take on the Legislature.” No Mr. Speaker history shows us you will duck with a no comment or state that he/she doesn’t understand the legislative process. Because there is no reasonable explanation for the terrible way this House is run.

There is no debate anymore. Backroom deals out of the public eye are the norms and you lead the way. You stated yourself in December that you would have “private” caucuses to ensure the education bill goes through in time in January instead of staying in session for 7 weeks and having open debates.

The House is a Poster boy for what is wrong with the Legislature in this state. Not only should Charlie Baker and Tim Cahill take on the House but all candidates running against an incumbent for a House seat should use these points and have incumbents try to answer them.

Why have a group of parents, teachers, students and business people involved in a selection committee and then pass on their selection and restart the process?

Today’s Sun has Superintendent Chris Scott stating she “will extend the search to find the next Lowell High School headmaster, reposting the job immediately.” This is a very important position with our organization and we really do need to consider more than one applicant.”

The Public committees put together to interview and recommend a new headmaster selected Robert Fitzgerald Jr the assistant headmaster at Monument High School in South Boston after going through the process of screening 13 applicants.

What was the criteria and selection process set up for use by the Committee? Did the parameters set forth for the committee indicate that the Superintendent wanted more than one person brough forth for her to consider?

Mr. Fitzgerald who according to the Sun didn’t even know about these events when contacted yesterday probably will not be applying again for the job. Not when the Superintendent thinks little enough of you to leave a phone message, then telling the Newspaper of her descion before talking to the candidate live. It says she either has no respect for the candidate or is more unprofessional than I thought. Maybe the rumored relationship between her and the Editor is more fact then fiction. Leaking this story to the press before talking live with a person after interviewing them certainly shows some unproffesional behavior on the Superintendents part. When was the School Committe told and did they know she hadn’t talked to the candidate live?

Was the Lowell Sun correct two Sunday’s ago when the column stated that many on the screening committee were not impressed in general with the candidates and recommended what they considered the best of a bad group? Is Chris Scott now trying to get Brian Martin or another local candidate to apply for the job to try to improve her relationship with the school committee as suggested in the Sun. Does this re-posting verify the Sun column and am I and other bloggers wrong and do we owe the Sun an apology because they were correct all along?

At a time when I and others are calling on the Greater Lowell Technical to include the public in it’s hiring of a new Superintendent is this more proof for the School Committee to say “We know better?” The person selected by the public committee is not selected by the Superintendent so why use a committee at all? What message does that send? Maybe I am wrong and the elected School Committee is correct and they do know better what they need for that position. Maybe Chris Scott should just interview direct or with input from her staff and skip the public involvement.

Chris Scott states “the screening committee will be brought back into service” will they want to give of their time again after having the person they selected passed over? What kind of message are we sending to people we want to hire in the Lowell School System? That even though a screening committee recommends you, it’s all up to the Superintendent alone? Why have a screening committee and go through the process if you don’t like the applicants to begin with. Why not stop the process before wasting people’s time and repost the job from the beginning?

Chris Scott may have the best of intentions in re-posting the Lowell High School Headmaster job but in view of the Sun Column you have to wonder if this will damage her credibility with the teachers, parents and business people who gave of their time and whether there is some truth to the unhappiness of the school committee and this is a way for her to get the job reposted for a local candidate to try to do damage control with the committee.

Whatever the reason it makes the process worth watching.