Meeting With Gerry Leone

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to sit down with Middlesex County District Attorney candidate Gerry Leone, along with David from Blue Mass. Group and Bill from Under the Golden Dome. It looks like the others have not yet posted their impressions from the meeting yet, but I'll be sure to link to their thoughts once they put them up.

This was the second time that I heard Leone in his own words, and the first time I heard him explain why he wanted to leave the US Attorney's office and run for DA. He said that he's been the number two prosecutor in the District Attorney's office, the Attorney General's office, and then as the First Assistant US Attorney. "It's time for me to coach the team," he said, adding that he wanted to make his mark on the office.

Leone emphasized his ability to bring different groups together, starting with his work with the Community Based Justice Program when he was in the Middlesex County DA's office, to his work as an anti-terrorism coordinator in the US Attorney's office. He claims to be uniquely suited to continue to do this as DA, since he has experience as a prosecutor at the county, state and federal levels, particularly dealing with the egos and turf battles that come with the territory.

I asked his opinion on the new Boston gun court. He said the gun court was a good fit for Boston because it would provide immediate consequences for violence, whereas the old system's backlog of cases meant that defendants might be out on bail for years before going to trial. Leone indicated that once the backlog was cleared out, they might not need to continue the program. It's more important for the DA's office to be flexible than to commit themselves to prioritizing at this level.

Leone expressed frustration that he's been characterized as a conservative and a "Bush Lawyer," saying that many of his former associates at the US Attorney's office would bristle at that description, despite the fact that they are in the Department of Justice. He pointed to the progressive programs he's implemented or helped expand in the past, particularly the Community Based Justice program and the Diversity Hiring program. This is the danger of running for office without a public record. If you're not careful, your opponent can define you before you get a chance to define yourself.

Leone is behind on fundraising right now, but has been keeping pace with his main opponent, state Senator Jarrett Barrios. His challenge will be getting his side of the story out despite having lower name recognition and less money. I'm glad he's reaching out to the blogs as a part of that strategy.

Friday Link Dump

Once again, I find that it's Friday and I have a big list of things that I want to post about before the weekend. Here are a few of them:

• Romney Still Off National Radar Screen: There was a new WNBC/Marist Poll out this week that showed Governor Mitt Romney getting a whopping 4% of the Republican primary vote. This is up from less than 1% in October. At this rate, he might be able to break double-digits by the end of the year. Good thing he doesn't have a pesky re-election campaign to worry about. (Via Political Wire)


• Leone Under Fire: Middlesex DA candidate Gerry Leone is now getting criticism for raising his profile by talking about the Entwhistle murder case to anyone who'll ask. Why? Because he'd end up prosecuting that very case should he win the DA's seat.


• Astroturf LNG Blog: According to today's Globe, the Coalition for LNG Solutions is not the grassroots effort it claims to be, but is the product of a big PR firm trying to push the proposed terminal on Outer Brewster Island. I had added their blog to my blogroll, but I did wonder who was behind that effort. I still agree with their basic premise -- better Outer Brewster than Everett or New Bedford -- but I don't appreciate the trickery.


• Must Read Articles: First, read Adam Reilly's piece in the Phoenix about how Christy Mihos must distance himself from the state GOP if he wants to win the governorship as an independent. Then read Laura Kiritsy's piece in Bay Windows about, in part, how the state GOP must distance itself from the national GOP if it hopes to win elections. In particular, Kiritsy argues, the state Republicans have been unsuccessful lately as they replace the Weld model (socially liberal/fiscally conservative) in favor of a more socially conservative model -- particularly one that alienates the LGBT community.


• Ban on GOP Adoption: An Ohio state senator introduced legislation to ban Republicans from adopting, and is currently 'looking for cosponsors.' The bill was filed as a tongue-in-cheek retaliation for the ban on gay adoption that is currently being discussed in that state's legislature. (via DailyKos)

Also, I'm not ashamed to admit that I've been completely transfixed by the Olympic curling games. I'd never watched curling at all in my life, or even really knew anything about the game, but NBC has been televising most of the matches over on CNBC and I've found the them completely fascinating. The US men play for bronze today, so here's wishing them good luck.

What else is going on out there?

Friday Desk Clearing

Another Friday, another chance for me to clear my desk of all the things I didn't get a chance to talk about. This was a big Gabrieli week, so most everything else fell by the wayside. Here are a couple things that I came across but never posted until now.

• If you wouldn't vote for Frist...: What are the national Republicans offering Peter Blute to run against Ted Kennedy? It's not money; their goal is to force Kennedy to spend it, not to drain their own resources tilting at windmills. What's in it for Blute? Redemption?


• Three children orphaned after Nonantum Rd. crash: Three Waltham children are trying to get to Korea to be with what remains of their family after their mother was killed in an accident on Nonantum Road last week. The end of the article has a suggestion if you're willing to help them. Just as a reminder, the Romney administration didn't think that road was worth a traffic study.


• Leone rasing his profile: Middlesex DA candidate Gerry Leone was on Greater Boston last night as part of a panel talking about the Entwhistle case. I wonder if the Hopkington prosecutor will use the case as an opportunity to raise his profile or if that was just a one-time appearance.


• Candidates Side by Side: Marry in Massachusetts has a nifty three column chart comparing the positions of gubernatorial candidates Deval Patrick, Kerry Healey and Tom Reilly. If nothing else, it certainly proves that only one candidate has cared enough to put out detailed position papers this early in the game.


• Who Got Shot By Dick Cheney?: Now you too can get shot by Dick Cheney, or at least create a fake CNN.com page that says you did.


• You spent how much?: According to Ad Week, the Bush administration spent $1.4 billion taxpayer dollars on advertising agencies in just the past two-and-a-half years. They're spending our money to sell us their crappy programs. (via Political Wire)

Anything else?

Middlesex County DA Forum

I just got back from the Middlesex County DA candidates forum at Suffolk University Law School in Boston. Andy from Mass. Revolution Now was also there, and hopefully he'll share his thoughts as well. The event featured all three candidates for Middlesex County DA, state Senator Jarrett Barrios (D-Cambridge), state Representative Mike Festa (D-Melrose) and former First Assistant US Attorney Gerry Leone.

The format of the event was a question and answer session, where each candidate was asked a different question. I think it would have helped draw a contrast between the candidates if they each had to answer the same questions. That would have made it more like a debate rather than a panel discussion.

First, a couple of impressions. I was impressed by all three candidates, and I think any of them would make a great District Attorney. This was the first time I'd heard Gerry Leone at all, and he certainly stressed his prosecutorial experience. He stressed the role of the DA to speak for those who can no longer do so, and rattled off a list of murder victims whose killers he brought to justice. The implication was that if such a crime ever happened to your family, you'd be glad he was the DA. He also touted his record in increasing diversity during the time he was responsible for hiring at the Attorney General's office and the US Attorney's office.

Leone also said something I didn't expect from him. He was asked about a shortcoming of the current DA's office, and he suggested that if he were DA, he'd have a post 9/11 summit. The problem, he said, was that resources were not being allocated in a smart way since the 2001 attacks, and that there needed to be multi-agency collaboration to improve this. As an example, he pointed out that 2/3 of the FBI agents in Boston are dedicated to anti-terror efforts, and since the total number of agents has stayed the same, there are fewer resources available to investigate other types of crime.

Barrios had to leave early, but he touted his work with the Senate Public Safety and Homeland Security committee. He also stressed that the job cannot be limited to just prosecution, but also needs to address the root causes of crime. That is, it's not just enough to be the DA in the courtroom, but you had to use your influence to reduce the causes of crime. He also spoke out against mandatory minimums for first time nonviolent drug offenders, since if an addict has no opportunity for parole, he has no incentive to enter treatment programs, and is therefore more likely to re-offend.

Festa again mentioned how the DA's job is one that's both professional and political, and he has experience in both worlds. Festa was asked about Criminal Offender Record (CORI) checks, and stressed that law enforcement should have access to those records, but others are not necessarily trained to read them. This can be a problem for non-violent offenders trying to reintegrate into society after they've paid their debt. Festa also was asked about how he would prevent gang violence. He talked briefly about his time in Somerville combatting the Winter Hill gang, and mentioned the importance of community involvement in anti-gang activities. In addition, Festa came out against mandatory minimum sentences, largely for similar reasons as Senator Barrios.

Thanks to the Suffolk Law Dems and the Mass. Democratic future for setting this event up. Hopefully there will be more of these in the coming months. Maybe even some of them in Middlesex County.