Republican Jim Keclourse Wins Recount by 12 votes in 1st Essex Rep. Race

Republican Jim Keclourse Wins Recount by 12 votes in 1st Essex Rep. Race

By: Tom Duggan – December 2, 2014 PREVIOUS STORY UPDATED 6;20 pm 12/4/14 James Kelcourse has held on to his razor thin lead in the 1st Essex State Rep. race recount that wrapped up on Thursday, showing Keclourse defeated Newburyport Democrat Ed Cameron on election day by 12 votes in a three way race that included […]

Devers, Rivera Teamed Up in 2nd Miracle Win Against Willie Lantigua: How Republicans Got a Democrat Elected

Devers, Rivera Teamed Up in 2nd Miracle Win Against Willie Lantigua: How Republicans Got a Democrat Elected

By: Tom Duggan – November, 2014 For the second year in a row, the alliance between Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera and State Representative Marcos Devers resulted in what Rivera calls “miracle wins” against the once thought unbeatable former Lawrence Mayor, Willie Lantigua. “Nobody thought we could beat Lantigua last year and we did. Nobody thought […]

Paying Attention Podcast – State Rep. Jim Lyons on Corruption and Job Selling at the State House (November 15, 2014 )

Paying Attention Podcast – State Rep. Jim Lyons on Corruption and Job Selling at the State House (November 15, 2014 )

CLICK TO LISTEN TO HOUR 1 CLICK TO LISTEN TO  HOUR 2 Today Tom and Paul talked with Andover State Rep. Jim Lyons about the corruption in state government. Lyons and Rep. Lombardo are demanding accountability for all those involved in the Massachusetts Department of Probation scandal including Speaker DeLeo and other Reps. (Story to […]

Devers, Rivera Team Up in Second Miracle Win Against Lantigua

Devers, Rivera Team Up in Second Miracle Win Against Lantigua

  By: Tom Duggan – November 4, 2014 For the second year in a row the alliance between Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera and State Representative Marcos Devers resulted in what Rivera calls “miracle wins” against the once thought unbeatable former Lawrence Mayor Willie Lantigua.  “Nobody thought we could beat Lantigua last year and we did. […]

PAYING ATTENTION! ~ My Pics for the 2014 Election

PAYING ATTENTION! ~ My Pics for the 2014 Election

  By: Tom Duggan, November 3, 2014 While The Valley Patriot newspaper has a policy against endorsing candidates, each member of our editorial board is free to endorse or make public who we are voting for. Here are my personal picks for the 2014 election season and why.  Governor Charlie Baker, Republican As a right […]

14th Essex District State Rep. Race Candidate Profile: North Andover Selectman Rosemary Smedile

14th Essex District State Rep. Race Candidate Profile: North Andover Selectman Rosemary Smedile

By: Ralph Wilbur – October, 2014 Rosemary Smedile is running for state representative from the 14th District including parts of North Andover, Lawrence, Methuen and Bradford. Rosemary graduated from Boston College with honors. Married 33 years with three children, she is a small business owner and has served the North Andover community for 5 years […]

HEEE’S BAAACK! Lantigua Primed to Return to Power as Lawrence State Rep.

HEEE’S BAAACK! Lantigua Primed to Return to Power as Lawrence State Rep.

  By: Tom Duggan – October, 2014 While many believe former Lawrence Mayor Willie Lantigua is now a bad memory never to return, the fact is the man who ruled Lawrence with an iron fist is now positioned as the front-runner in a three way race for his old seat in the Massachusetts House of […]

Primary State Rep Debate Between Diana DiZoglio, Oscar Camargo and Phil DeCologero

Primary State Rep Debate Between Diana DiZoglio, Oscar Camargo and Phil DeCologero

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD OR LISTEN TO HOUR 1 CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD OR LISTEN TO HOUR 2 Paying Attention is hosted by Valley Patriot Publisher Tom Duggan. Tom’s, Co-host is Paul Murano was off today. Paying Attention with Tom Duggan is produced by Chris Poublon of Dracut. Paying Attention airs on 980WCAP in Lowell,Massachusetts on Saturday’s from 10am to […]

State Rep. Candidate Roger Twomey Posts Photo Misleading Supporters to Think Other GOP Candidates Supported him at a “Fundraiser for Me”

State Rep. Candidate Roger Twomey Posts Photo Misleading Supporters to Think Other GOP Candidates Supported him at a “Fundraiser for Me”

By Tom Duggan – August 31, 2014 A social media post by Republican Lawrence City Councilor Roger Twomey is causing controversy after Twomey mislead his supporters to believe that the photo he posted on a social media site Twitter was at a fundraiser for himself.   Twomey (R)  is in a three-way race with former Lawrence Mayor William […]

Dominican Rep. Marcos Devers Says Voter ID Ensures Transparency, Other Latino Officials in Lawrence Agree

Dominican Rep. Marcos Devers Says Voter ID Ensures Transparency, Other Latino Officials in Lawrence Agree

By: Tom Duggan – August 8, 2014 LAWRENCE, MA – Lawrence State Representative Marcos Devers (D-Lawrence) says he favors Voter ID and says that as a Dominican he is “offended” when he hears people say that those who support voter ID are “racist”. “I am for Voter ID, it’s a matter of transparency”, Devers says. […]

Lantigua Targets Dizoglio, Supports Phil DeCologero in State Rep. Race ~ Paying Attention with Tom Duggan

Lantigua Targets Dizoglio, Supports Phil DeCologero in State Rep. Race ~ Paying Attention with Tom Duggan

      By: Tom Duggan – July, 2014 You have to hand it to former Lawrence Mayor Willie Lantigua. Even as a private citizen, he continues to conspire for revenge against his so-called enemies and everyone he believes has ever slighted him, real or imaginary. Not only has Lantigua been targeting Rep. Marcos Devers […]

Phil DeCologero: Rep. Dizoglio Betrayed our Trust on Transparency

Phil DeCologero: Rep. Dizoglio Betrayed our Trust on Transparency

Twenty-seven year old North Andover resident Phil DeCologero is running for the Democrat nomination for the 14th Essex District State Representative’s race. In September, DeCologero will face off against incumbent State Rep. Diana DiZoglio, and North Andover veteran, Oscar Camargo. DeCologero appeared on the Paying Attention radio program with Tom Duggan last month. Duggan asked […]

With Friends Like Roger Twomey Who Needs Mortal Enemies?

With Friends Like Roger Twomey Who Needs Mortal Enemies?

  By Tom Duggan – June, 2014 Lawrence City Councilor Roger Twomey is running for state representative as a Republican making this a three way race among himself, incumbent Marcos Devers (Democrat) and embattled former Mayor, Willie Lantigua (Independent). Some say Twomey is only in the race to divide the anti-Lantigua vote and help the […]

Ethics Commission Concludes the Adjudicatory Proceeding Involving Former State Representative Demetrius Atsalis

Ethics Commission Concludes the Adjudicatory Proceeding Involving Former State Representative Demetrius Atsalis

The State Ethics Commission approved a Final Order and Disposition Agreement  involving former State Representative Demetrius Atsalis. According to the Agreement, Atsalis admitted to violating M.G.L. c. 268B, the financial disclosure law, by failing to timely file his 2012 Statement of Financial Interests (“SFI”), and paid a $100 civil penalty. On March 6, 2014, the […]