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By Scott Zoback • TOOMEY, TOO?: It's clear at this point that the race for Ed Augustus's vacant state Senate seat won't feature any true Worcester candidates. But what could have been? There were the tentative and withdrawn campaigns of John Fresolo and Paul Belsito, and Worcester City Councilor Kate Toomey was close to formally announcing a campaign on several occasions, after being encouraged by local operatives. Still, her name never went beyond rumor and innuendo. "After discussing with my family, we decided that this is not the appropriate time for me to run. I gave it a great deal of thought," says Toomey. Focusing on her education background, and her residence in the center of the district, she says "I think I would have represented the district well. But I think knowing what's involved, and two of my three children asking me not to because they know what's involved, I chose not to run. I'm also very much aware of my responsibility of a city councilor, and grateful for the opportunity to be able to continue to serve." • A POT OF GLOD: It's beginning to sound redundant, but no one in the area is raising money at the same rate as the High Sheriff, Guy Glodis. No one. Since ending 2007 with $539,986.64 in the bank, he has raised $56,085 and spent $7,583.19, leaving him with $588,488.45 in his war chest. That's a ridiculous amount of money for anyone, unless they're contemplating a statewide run. Compare his take to State Auditor Joseph DeNucci, who holds one of the seats Glodis is rumored to be interested in. DeNucci, by his most recent filings, has access to $367,230.99. • EARLY MONEY: On the other side of the elected law enforcement aisle is District Attorney Joe Early Jr., who was sitting on $53,635.37 at the end of March. Since then, he has raised $16,175. And it comes from some notable donors. His most recent filing includes $100 from Frank Carroll; $100 from Joseph D'Andrea, the father of Early's Director of Community and Government Relations Brian D'Andrea; $100 from taxi poobah Antoinette Donovan, and $500 from David "Duddie" Massad. • MURRAY AND PATRICK: Then there's Lt. Gov. Tim Murray, a prodigious fundraiser in his own right. Murray closed out 2007 with $311,853.04 in the bank, and a total of $625,567.84 raised over the course of the year. It wasn't that far off from Gov. Deval Patrick, who had $365,456.03 left in his account after raising $896,998.75. Since then, Murray has brought in $202,895.55 — almost 400% more than Patrick's $52,090.67 over the same time period. • LIFE AFTER THE COUNCIL: Murray has also spent $107,762.04 so far in 2008, not counting a $200,000 certificate of deposit he made earlier this year. Among the most interesting of Murray's recurring expenses? Since January, Murray has been writing $750 checks to former co-councilor Mike Perotto for "consulting" purposes. • TIMES TROUBLES HIT TELEGRAM: Last week's report that The New York Times Company had another rough quarter was just more bad news for the crew over at 50 Franklin St. According to the Times' financial statement, the New England Media Group — comprised mostly of the Boston Globe and the Telegram — was among the worst-performing of the company's news media groups, posting an overall 9.3% reduction in first-quarter revenues versus the same time period in 2007. Advertising revenue at the group fell 16.3% over the quarter versus 2007, with a particularly steep 25.9% decline in March. • CLOSING THE OPEN MEETING LAWS: The proposed bill to strengthen the state's Open Meeting Laws is being attacked for not having enough "teeth," and for its lack of penalties against individuals who violate the statutes. Instead, the bill would fine boards $1,000 when a member is found in violation. As opposed to earlier drafts of the bill, the language also drops awards of lawyers' fees to citizens who bring successful actions against officials. Further, the new bill requires proof of intent of violation in order for a fine to be issued. On the positive side, the law would require "electronic convening" (e-mail, IMs, Web conferencing, etc. by a quorum of members) to be covered under the Open Meeting Laws. • MUCH FASTER THAN WE'LL EVER BE: And congratulations to Worcester's Kim Duclos, who was among the top 5 American women to finish the Boston Marathon on Monday. And Auburn's Mario Fraioli Jr., the Telegram's running-scene writer, was the 56th person overall across the finish line, running a blistering time of 2:30:24. o
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