http://medford.patch.com/groups/rock-journalist-joe-vig-/p/41-days-to-election-35717-registered-voters-as-of-september-24
http://www.timeanddate.com/countdown/generic?iso=20131105T00&p0=43&msg=Election+Day+2013+McGlynn+Removal
There are 41 days, 11 hours and 38 minutes to election day as of this writing at 1:21 PM, September 24th. And there are 35,717 registered voters in the city of Medford, a number which will fluctuate somewhat daily due to registrations at the Registry of Motor Vehicles (people moving in to Medford, people moving out) as well as death certificates, which can be a daily occurrence, decreasing the potential vote.http://www.timeanddate.com/countdown/generic?iso=20131105T00&p0=43&msg=Election+Day+2013+McGlynn+Removal
According to a Patch article by Jarret Bencks on November 9, 2011, "(Michael J.) McGlynn received 5,721 votes to (Anthony) D'Antonio's 3,174." McGlynn fatigue has definitely set in and the fact that only8,895 votes were counted for Mayor as of that writing is staggering.http://medford.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/mcglynn-wins-13th-term-d-antonio-says-he-will-run-again
McGlynn, "the emperor" according to one council candidate, is miffed that D'Antonio is making his highness go out there and state his case for a ridiculous 14th term. If you are 25 years or younger in the city of Medford you have only known one Mayor all your life, and how can that be good for any young person aspiring to get into politics?
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I liked Mayor McGlynn back in 2000 and 2004 and 2006 ...he seemed affable enough and seemed like he was interested in solving problems. That has turned out to be a bit of sleight of hand by the incumbent and - rather than get out and look like a hero, as so many other politicians have done to their regret, McGlynn has stayed in so long that the skeletons are rattling fast and furious.
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How does the incumbent get away with it? That's simple. Voter apathy, so obvious you can almost touch it. Let's just look at the number of registered voters today, 41 days from the election. 35,717 minus 8,895 that voted in 2011 = approximately 26,822 people not voting. Do you realize how absurd that is? Do you have any idea that the problems in Medford could be corrected if we had a First Amendment in this city like most of America enjoys.
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Some people think the discussion of TV3 is mundane. Shame on them. Along with being ripped off to the tune of 1.7 million dollars between 2010 and 2011 (according to the weekly paper) in cable T V subscriber fees, you are also being denied the very thing you pay for.
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When a board member of TV3 refuses to tell the City Council how many board members there are of a PUBLICLY FUNDED entity, a non profit 501c3, and - instead - tries to distract with a ridiculous lecture about "toxic mold" (the original petition was to talk about an update on TV3; there was no update, it was another lie from the embattled off-the-air tv station), then, Houston, we have a problem.
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When another board member has the audacity to tell the Medford Transcript that he wants to shut down access tv and put all the P/E/G monies into the General Fund and put everything on YouTube (there will be relentless challenges to that statement with him refuting it and saying he wants to keep the government channel or something equally hypocritical), it is an admission that a board member - required by the contract to facilitate local programming - is in violation of that agreement. A public statement about shutting down access when the consumer is paying for a product that some unqualified individual (who slipped in and who stays in against the wishes of the TV subscribers) decides for the many what he wants, not what we wants, then somewhat fictional gangster "Remo Ganggi" from the film Casino has a line that rings true: "It's a problem."
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To have an abusive individual tell me and you that we don't really need access, when that person is enjoying the computers of the access station, allegedly free bus passes, free memberships and other things - potential "Christmas bonuses" should make your blood boil.
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There is one individual allowing this insanity from the TV station to fester and that is candidate Michael J. McGlynn. Close to 36,000 voters are being cheated out of the political conversation. They can't turn on their TV because McGlynn's emissary, the "write-in" candidate bad joke inflicting himself on Medford life, the out-of-work individual who doesn't drive a car, is a public embarrassment dragging a 2-wheel cart through Medford Square and around the community while snickering and making abusive commentary about citizens - verbally and on the internet - is there for one reason: to distract. (There are many potential "write-in" candidates all with the right to drag a 2-wheel shopping cart around the city so no one individual is being singled out. There could be a dozen clones of that entity, and they could all be robots, so this is not a "personal attack," rather, it is a commentary on how the McGlynn Administration plays hardball in an attempt to keep the reigns of power.
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Tonight I will be speaking at the City Council, my theme will be Johann Sebastian Bach's "Sleeper's Awake" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyWOIKCtjiw
Voters awake! You are all asleep. Empty storefronts, unpainted crosswalks, an incumbent taking your money and intentionally stomping on your First Amendment right to be informed on the community television station, harassment, humiliation, retaliation, all for speaking out against "the emperor," Lord Michael J. McGlynn, his highness, his Magnificence, the Emperor's New Clothes...which are, of course, no clothes at all. Michael J. McGlynn would stand naked before you were there access TV. That's why he has allowed his friends to hijack the station, with even the embarrassment of one of McGlynn's lieutenants, the TV3 webmaster, being arrested (according to Patch) on September 4th. Shameless McGlynn doesn't care about the allegations of a "false bomb threat" in the post-911 world. But you should. That fact, that McGlynn's good friend was arrested for a "false bomb threat" after the horror of the Marathon Bombings is all you need to know to vote McGlynn out of office.
Patch Sept. 4http://medford.patch.com/groups/police-and-fire/p/arrests-in-medford-sept-412
35,717 voters are registered as of today. The last day to register to vote for the November 5 election is 20 days prior, October 16.
September 23 at 5 PM was the last date for candidates to pull out.
September 25 at 8 PM is the cutoff date for registering to vote in the October 15 election for Congress (that's tomorrow night.)
December 10 is the General election for the 5th District Congressional seat that Ed Markey held. November 20th is probably the last day to register for that.
And this is why a politician has called this blog "the best political reporting in Medford." You won't find this information in the other publications. Get out the vote. Call your friends, call your neighbors. If every person intending to vote demanded his or her friends and colleagues and relatives all go out and vote, got 10 additional people to vote, we would have a real election. Let's work to get out the vote. We only have 41 days. And the clock is ticking.