It’s a cliche to say that 2010 is shaping up to be an anti-incumbent year.
In Massachusetts politics, however, this is true for a very simple reason- more incumbents than ever before in recent memory are not standing for reelection.
One of the political veterans stepping aside this year is State Auditor Joe DeNucci, the 24-year liberal Democratic incumbent. In the race to succeed him, we see a divided three-way Democratic primary between Governor Deval Patrick’s labor secretary, Suzanne Bump, former Clinton administration aide Mike Lake, and Worcester county Sheriff Guy Glodis.
The republicans have a primary of their own between the establishment pick, former Mass Turnpike board member (and Romney appointee) Mary Z. Connaughton, and insurgent candidate Kamal Jain.
The state Auditor’s office is a vital elected post in Massachusetts, basically being responsible for making sure that waste, fraud and abuse are kept out of state programs and spending.
Unfortunately, the present frontrunner for the position, Sheriff Glodis, has a long history of deeply disturbing statements about women, muslims and LGBT individuals. In 2003, when he was a state senator, Glodis caught flack for using his state email account to forward a story to his 39 senate colleagues about U.S. soldiers during the Phillippine insurrection using bullets soaked in pig’s blood to fight Muslim insurgents, and suggesting that such an approach might be useful against Al-Queda. News coverage in the Boston Phoenix of the incident at the time is available here:
http://www.bostonphoenix.com/b…
The Phoenix, Boston’s independent alternative weekly, recently wrote about Glodis’ bid for Auditor and the reaction he has been getting from the party faithful. They also list some of Glodis’ ‘greatest hits’ from his time in the legislature, where he was one of the most conservative voices and a steadfast opponent of equal marriage.
http://thephoenix.com/Boston/n…
Unfortunately, Glodis may be tough to beat in the Democratic primary, considering that is $830,000 warchest, stockpiled high over years of running unopposed, far exceeds the less than $100,000 takes of both of his Democratic opponents.
Hopefully, though, MA Democrats will rally and reject Glodis at their upcoming convention on Saturday, June 5th, and than defeat him again in the September primary. This “Guy” would truly be an embarrassment to our party if he manages to secure the nomination for a major statewide post.
More coverage here from local MA blog Blue Mass Group:
The recruitment can not fail for offices like this in states like Massachusetts.
Ugh, why do people in my hometown keep putting this clown in office?! He’s not really a Democrat, and is fact worse in just about every way than what usually passes for Republican in those parts.
It surprises me not one bit that he sent around that bogus “Gen. Pershing used pig blood to fight radical Islam in the Phillippines” chain email.
I’d rather see a Republican auditor than Glodis.
That was my position already, before these latest revelations. He represents the worst aspects of the Massachusetts Democratic Party and should be kept as far away from any position of public trust as possible.
…if he get’s the Republican nod. He’s campaigning to put every MA expenditure (and tax break) online. The Massachusetts Dems like to talk about Gov 2.0, but they never seem to get past the talk phase.