Is it now safe to write the political epitaph of former 2nd Franklin District State Rep. Denise Andrews?
The smart money says “No.” I have a feeling she will be back, but her future electability might be severely diminished given her decision to eject from her 2nd Franklin rematch with Republican incumbent Susannah Whipps Lee just days after securing the Democratic nomination in an uncontested Sept. 8th primary.
Andrews’ decision to drop out leaves the Democrats without a standard-bearer in a race I think many believe was winnable. Since realignment, the 2nd Franklin has become a mostly center-right district, chock full of the largest plurality of unenrolled voters in the commonwealth, and Lee has proven to be tough to beat in non-presidential elections.
But that’s not the case this year, and its likely that Hillary, like Barack Obama and Liz Warren four years ago, will have huge coattails for Democrats to ride.
It won’t matter in the 2nd Franklin, though, and I’m a Democrat, so I’m a little ticked off about that. Andrews said she only got in after it became apparent that no one else was going to run, but I don’t buy it. I think she wanted that rematch as Lee did. But then she was supposedly lured away by a private sector opportunity too good to pass up.
But why pass it up at all? She’s done both before, as evidenced a few years back when I caught up with Andrews while she was working in corporate human resources in New Jersey while simultaneously representing the 2nd Franklin.
That didn’t end well for her, in retrospect, as it gave Lee fodder to advance the narrative that Andrews wasn’t as focused on representing her constituents as she should be.
I also question how much actual Democratic support Andrews had in her own backyard. In her goodbye letter, she thanked a long list of supporters, including her “friends in the Legislature,” which maybe is not all that surprisingly, did not include one member of the House delegation from Franklin and Hampshire counties. The only Franklin name belonged to Senate President Stan Rosenberg, who, as far as I know, did not publicly endorse her this time around.
For her part, Lee chose to take the high road when reacting to Andrews’ decision.
“It’s a personal decision to run for elected office, and I respect her decision to put the needs of her family first,” Lee said. “I wish her well.”
As we all do. I have to wonder if that sentiment will still hold among that party faithful when Andrews eventually returns to the arena.
I’m not usually in the habit of dispensing political advice, but I’m going to make an exception by suggesting that my fellow Turners Falls denizens start accepting the reality that the days of the “Indian” as the Turners Falls High School mascot are numbered.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t let the powers-that-be know how you feel. By all means, call, write, put together petitions. Make your voices heard. Just don’t harbor the illusion that it will make any difference, because as much as they may say they want feedback, the Gill-Montague School Committee seems to be in a bit of a “mode” here, just like their counterparts in the Frontier district were when they abandoned the “Redskin” in favor of the “Red Hawk” a few years back.
Rather than engaging in a long and divisive fight, I suggest energies might be better directed toward searching for a mascot that still pays homage to the region’s heritage but doesn’t offend certain people, which, in today’s “PC” society, might be a tall task indeed.
The strange, awful weather of this spring and summer has resulted in a happy accident for cider lovers.
The spring cold snap that robbed the region of its summer peach crop means we get an earlier yield of what I believe is Franklin County’s best farm crop, Clarkedale apple cider.
Owner Ben Clark says they are usually so busy with peaches, they can’t begin pressing cider until October, but no such problem exists this year — allowing us to enjoy the “fruits” of Clark’s labor a month earlier than usual.
I guess every cloud does have a silver lining, even the exceedingly dry ones.
Chris Collins, who worked in local radio in a number of capacities, has observed political life in Franklin County for years. He also is a former staff reporter for The Recorder and a Greenfield native.