Published: 12/11/2007 Salem Evening News
By Mike Stucka
Staff writer
MARBLEHEAD - The competition to replace former state Rep. Doug Petersen of Marblehead makes it likely that voters of both parties will have to make substantial decisions in two elections.
Cesar Archilla will challenge Lori Ehrlich and Tanya DeGenova will face John Blaisdell on Feb. 5, the same day as the state presidential primary. The final election for the state representative for Marblehead, Swampscott and part of Lynn will be March 4.
In the Democratic race, Archilla, a lawyer from Swampscott, is facing Ehrlich, an environmental activist from Marblehead. For the Republicans, DeGenova, a security consultant and retired FBI agent from Marblehead, will fight for the party's nomination against Blaisdell, another retired law enforcement officer, who served as a Marblehead cop, court officer and corrections officer.
No other candidates have pulled papers, election officials said yesterday.
DeGenova said her interest in politics was bolstered when she became one of the first FBI agents rushing to Ronald Reagan's hospital after an assassination attempt by John Hinckley. She helped investigate the attempt and, after retiring in Marblehead, was mentored by longtime Republican activist Pat Warnock.
A first-generation immigrant, DeGenova was born in Germany and almost immediately moved to Morocco; English is her fourth language, after Russian, French and German. She said she understands what law-abiding immigrants - and even Americans who move to Marblehead - face in their assimilation. She's also interested in environmental issues and making housing affordable for seniors, veterans and the less fortunate.
"There are a lot of issues, quite frankly. The challenge is trying to prioritize them," she said.
DeGenova, 58, has a master's degree in international relations from Georgetown University. She said her experience as a manager in the FBI taught her how to work effectively with government agencies.
According to his law firm's Web site, Archilla worked for 12 years as a banker with the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. He graduated law school in 1998 and then served as an assistant district attorney for more than six years.
Archilla is now an associate attorney with Andrews & Updegraph in Salem. He received a law degree from Suffolk University. He could not be reached for comment yesterday.
The final composition of the race isn't decided. Any potential candidate has until Dec. 26 to file 150 signatures.
Citizens must register to vote by Jan. 16 to vote in the primary election.
The race has already lost as many candidates as remain. People who have since dropped public discussion of their potential candidacies include Marc Paster, a Swampscott selectman and previous Democratic challenger to Petersen; Sharon Randall, a Marblehead attorney who challenged Petersen as a Republican; Reid Cassidy, a former Swampscott selectman; and his brother, Tim Cassidy, a Swampscott police detective who ran for Swampscott selectman this year.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Swampscott Reporter Dec 5, 2007
Four declare intention to seek state rep’s seat
By Kris Olson / kolson@cnc.com
Wed Dec 05, 2007, 09:31 AM EST
Swampscott -
Doug Petersen’s successor will have to win twice to join the House of Representatives, it would seem.
Two Democrats and two Republicans have each indicated they fully intend to gather the necessary signatures to be on the ballot for the Feb. 5 primary. First to declare on the Democrat side of the aisle was Marblehead resident Lori Ehrlich, a CPA and graduate of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, who is perhaps best known as the co-founder of two environmental non-profit organizations, HealthLink and the Wenham Lake Watershed Association.
First into the Republican race was retired Marblehead police officer John Blaisdell, a Swampscott native and current Marblehead resident. A U.S. Army veteran of Vietnam, Blaisdell has also been a correction officer for Essex County and a court officer in Salem District Court.
In recent days, however, two new candidates have emerged. Vying with Blaisdell for the Republican nomination will be Tanya DeGenova, who planned to make her formal announcement Thursday at the Boston Yacht Club prior to the weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of Marblehead, of which she is a member. Also gathering signatures is Democrat Cesar Archilla of Swampscott, an attorney with the Salem-based firm of Andrews & Updegraph.
About DeGenova.
DeGenova is a retired FBI special agent who is now president and CEO of TSD Security Consulting Group Inc., a Boston-based private security and investigative firm. Over a 20-year career, DeGenova served as an interpreter, as a special agent and as a supervisory special agent both at the bureau’s D.C. headquarters and in its Boston field office. DeGenova is fluent in French and Russian and can also speak and write in German.
From January 2003 to April 2005, DeGenova consulted full-time to the U.S. military in Germany and cared for wounded soldiers at the Landstuhl U.S. Army Hospital as a Red Cross volunteer.
Now back in Marblehead on a full-time basis, DeGenova said she would “like to be a voice for all law-abiding citizens and legal resident aliens,” adding that being multilingual might help her reach out to segments of the population that have traditionally gone under-served.
She said her government service has made her “sensitive to civil-rights issues.” Other issues of interest for the self-professed “compassionate conservative” include affordable housing, education and the environment.
Though the Hatch Act limited her political activity while she was in the FBI, DeGenova noted that she was close to former president Ronald Reagan and was part of the team that investigated his would-be assassin, John Hinckley Jr. In her retirement, she worked on George W. Bush’s presidential campaign locally as well as Mitt Romney’s successful gubernatorial bid.
In addition to contributing to the good deeds done by her Rotary Club, DeGenova has volunteered in recent years at the Pine Street Inn and the Women’s Lunch Place in Boston, each of which work with the homeless. She has also served on the Boston Yacht Club’s Race Committee.
The 58-year-old widow has two grown children, the younger of whom graduated with the Marblehead High School Class of 2002. DeGenova holds a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University and a master’s in international relations from Georgetown.
About Archilla
Archilla embarked on his legal career after working for 12 years with the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. A graduate of Atlantic Union College in South Lancaster, Mass., and the Suffolk University School of Law, Archilla was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in June 1999. For six and a half years, Archilla worked in the Essex County District Attorney’s Office, first under Kevin Burke, then current DA Jonathan Blodgett. He has more than 100 jury trials to his credit, according to his firm’s Web site.
For Andrews & Updegraph, Archilla practices in the areas of criminal defense, civil litigation and domestic relations. During his run, Archilla may be able to seek the advice of Newburyport state Rep. Michael Costello, who is “of counsel” at the firm, meaning he is not active in the day-to-day business of the firm but nonetheless serves as a resource.
Archilla has lived in Swampscott for more than 10 years, is married and has two children in the Swampscott Public Schools.
By Kris Olson / kolson@cnc.com
Wed Dec 05, 2007, 09:31 AM EST
Swampscott -
Doug Petersen’s successor will have to win twice to join the House of Representatives, it would seem.
Two Democrats and two Republicans have each indicated they fully intend to gather the necessary signatures to be on the ballot for the Feb. 5 primary. First to declare on the Democrat side of the aisle was Marblehead resident Lori Ehrlich, a CPA and graduate of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, who is perhaps best known as the co-founder of two environmental non-profit organizations, HealthLink and the Wenham Lake Watershed Association.
First into the Republican race was retired Marblehead police officer John Blaisdell, a Swampscott native and current Marblehead resident. A U.S. Army veteran of Vietnam, Blaisdell has also been a correction officer for Essex County and a court officer in Salem District Court.
In recent days, however, two new candidates have emerged. Vying with Blaisdell for the Republican nomination will be Tanya DeGenova, who planned to make her formal announcement Thursday at the Boston Yacht Club prior to the weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of Marblehead, of which she is a member. Also gathering signatures is Democrat Cesar Archilla of Swampscott, an attorney with the Salem-based firm of Andrews & Updegraph.
About DeGenova.
DeGenova is a retired FBI special agent who is now president and CEO of TSD Security Consulting Group Inc., a Boston-based private security and investigative firm. Over a 20-year career, DeGenova served as an interpreter, as a special agent and as a supervisory special agent both at the bureau’s D.C. headquarters and in its Boston field office. DeGenova is fluent in French and Russian and can also speak and write in German.
From January 2003 to April 2005, DeGenova consulted full-time to the U.S. military in Germany and cared for wounded soldiers at the Landstuhl U.S. Army Hospital as a Red Cross volunteer.
Now back in Marblehead on a full-time basis, DeGenova said she would “like to be a voice for all law-abiding citizens and legal resident aliens,” adding that being multilingual might help her reach out to segments of the population that have traditionally gone under-served.
She said her government service has made her “sensitive to civil-rights issues.” Other issues of interest for the self-professed “compassionate conservative” include affordable housing, education and the environment.
Though the Hatch Act limited her political activity while she was in the FBI, DeGenova noted that she was close to former president Ronald Reagan and was part of the team that investigated his would-be assassin, John Hinckley Jr. In her retirement, she worked on George W. Bush’s presidential campaign locally as well as Mitt Romney’s successful gubernatorial bid.
In addition to contributing to the good deeds done by her Rotary Club, DeGenova has volunteered in recent years at the Pine Street Inn and the Women’s Lunch Place in Boston, each of which work with the homeless. She has also served on the Boston Yacht Club’s Race Committee.
The 58-year-old widow has two grown children, the younger of whom graduated with the Marblehead High School Class of 2002. DeGenova holds a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University and a master’s in international relations from Georgetown.
About Archilla
Archilla embarked on his legal career after working for 12 years with the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. A graduate of Atlantic Union College in South Lancaster, Mass., and the Suffolk University School of Law, Archilla was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in June 1999. For six and a half years, Archilla worked in the Essex County District Attorney’s Office, first under Kevin Burke, then current DA Jonathan Blodgett. He has more than 100 jury trials to his credit, according to his firm’s Web site.
For Andrews & Updegraph, Archilla practices in the areas of criminal defense, civil litigation and domestic relations. During his run, Archilla may be able to seek the advice of Newburyport state Rep. Michael Costello, who is “of counsel” at the firm, meaning he is not active in the day-to-day business of the firm but nonetheless serves as a resource.
Archilla has lived in Swampscott for more than 10 years, is married and has two children in the Swampscott Public Schools.
Lynn Daily Item Newspaper
Daily Item, The (Lynn, MA)
State rep's vacant seat generating interest DEBRA GLIDDEN THE DAILY ITEM Published: November 29, 2007
MARBLEHEAD
Two Republicans and two Democrats have already taken out papers to run for former State Rep. Douglas Petersen's seat. Pe t e r s e n , who had been in office for 16 years, stepped down when he started his new job as state ag r i c u l t u re commissioner on Monday. The 8th Essex District is comprised of Swampscott, Marblehead, and Ward 3 precinct 4 and Ward 4 Precinct 4 in Lynn. Democrats Cesar A. Archilla of Swampscott and Lori Ehrlich of Marblehead have already taken out their nomination papers. Archilla, an attorney, said he is in the process of obtaining signatures and is almost ready to officially announce his candidacy. " This is an opportunity that can't be passed up," he said. " It's an open seat and those don't come along too often." Archilla, who has lived in Swampscott for more than a decade, is married and has two children in the Swampscott Public Schools. Archilla is an attorney in private practice and was a district attorney in Essex County for seven years. " I want to get more involved," he said. " I share the same concerns as my neighbors in Marblehead, Swampscott and Lynn. I want to work to maximize state aid to the district, secure proper funding for education, tax relief for residents, housing and the environment."
Ehrlich has been a CPA for 22 years and also has a master's degree in public administration from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. " The good news is I'm not afraid of numbers," she said. " I also have a very strong policy background."
Ehrlich is best known as an environmental activist and a founding member of Health- Link, an environmental group based in Salem. She is married and her two children attend Marblehead schools. " I've been doing a lot of listening to people to find out
See SEAT PAGE A7
SEAT, FROM PAGE A5
what their issues are," she said. "I've heard about things I wasn't previously aware of and I know one hot button in all three communities is increasing state aid."
Two Marblehead Republicans, John Blaisdell and Tanya DeGenova, have also taken out papers. Blaisdell, a retired Marblehead police officer, is currently self-employed in the mortgage industry. "I've had an interest in running for some time," he said. "As a police officer I couldn't run and the timing is right now with Doug (Petersen) stepping down."
Blaisdell, who was born in Lynn and schooled in Swampscott, said there are a number of issues he would like to tackle including public safety, state aid, education and 40B (affordable housing).
DeGenova, who moved to Marblehead in 1996, is a retired FBI agent and owns her own security consulting business. She is a widow with two adult children who described herself as a "compassionate conservative," who is tough on crime. "Our world is changing and I want to be a voice for everyone - all law abiding citizens and legal resident aliens in our district," she said. "I am sensitive to all issues, am multi-lingual and have worked overseas and with many different cultures."
DeGenova said she worked on former Gov. Mitt Romney's campaign and President George W. Bush's campaign. "I have long standing involvement with the Republican Party," she said.
Other potential candidates include Democrat Reid Cassidy, a Lynn District Court probation officer and former Swampscott selectman. Cassidy said he is still considering running for the seat, but he has not taken out papers yet.
Two other individuals who had previously expressed interest in running have officially announced they are not candidates. Swampscott Selectman Marc Paster and Marblehead resident Sharon Randall, both of whom ran unsuccessfully against Petersen in 2004, said they would not run. Paster said he is convinced he could not win a Democratic primary when there are twice as many voters in Marblehead as there are in Lynn and Swampscott combined. Randall, a Republican, said she cannot run at this time due to time constraints.
Nomination papers are available at the Elections Division of the Secretary's Office, Room 1705 of the McCormack State Office Building, One Ashburton Place, Boston, at Lynn City Hall and at the Swampscott and Marblehead town halls.
Nomination papers for state representative require 150 certified signatures. The deadline for submitting signatures to local registrars of voters for certification is Dec. 26. The deadline for filing certified signatures with the Secretary of the Commonwealth is Jan. 2.
The special election is scheduled for March 4.
DeGenova
Blaisdell
Ehrlich
Copyright, 2007, The Daily Item, All Rights Reserved.
State rep's vacant seat generating interest DEBRA GLIDDEN THE DAILY ITEM Published: November 29, 2007
MARBLEHEAD
Two Republicans and two Democrats have already taken out papers to run for former State Rep. Douglas Petersen's seat. Pe t e r s e n , who had been in office for 16 years, stepped down when he started his new job as state ag r i c u l t u re commissioner on Monday. The 8th Essex District is comprised of Swampscott, Marblehead, and Ward 3 precinct 4 and Ward 4 Precinct 4 in Lynn. Democrats Cesar A. Archilla of Swampscott and Lori Ehrlich of Marblehead have already taken out their nomination papers. Archilla, an attorney, said he is in the process of obtaining signatures and is almost ready to officially announce his candidacy. " This is an opportunity that can't be passed up," he said. " It's an open seat and those don't come along too often." Archilla, who has lived in Swampscott for more than a decade, is married and has two children in the Swampscott Public Schools. Archilla is an attorney in private practice and was a district attorney in Essex County for seven years. " I want to get more involved," he said. " I share the same concerns as my neighbors in Marblehead, Swampscott and Lynn. I want to work to maximize state aid to the district, secure proper funding for education, tax relief for residents, housing and the environment."
Ehrlich has been a CPA for 22 years and also has a master's degree in public administration from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. " The good news is I'm not afraid of numbers," she said. " I also have a very strong policy background."
Ehrlich is best known as an environmental activist and a founding member of Health- Link, an environmental group based in Salem. She is married and her two children attend Marblehead schools. " I've been doing a lot of listening to people to find out
See SEAT PAGE A7
SEAT, FROM PAGE A5
what their issues are," she said. "I've heard about things I wasn't previously aware of and I know one hot button in all three communities is increasing state aid."
Two Marblehead Republicans, John Blaisdell and Tanya DeGenova, have also taken out papers. Blaisdell, a retired Marblehead police officer, is currently self-employed in the mortgage industry. "I've had an interest in running for some time," he said. "As a police officer I couldn't run and the timing is right now with Doug (Petersen) stepping down."
Blaisdell, who was born in Lynn and schooled in Swampscott, said there are a number of issues he would like to tackle including public safety, state aid, education and 40B (affordable housing).
DeGenova, who moved to Marblehead in 1996, is a retired FBI agent and owns her own security consulting business. She is a widow with two adult children who described herself as a "compassionate conservative," who is tough on crime. "Our world is changing and I want to be a voice for everyone - all law abiding citizens and legal resident aliens in our district," she said. "I am sensitive to all issues, am multi-lingual and have worked overseas and with many different cultures."
DeGenova said she worked on former Gov. Mitt Romney's campaign and President George W. Bush's campaign. "I have long standing involvement with the Republican Party," she said.
Other potential candidates include Democrat Reid Cassidy, a Lynn District Court probation officer and former Swampscott selectman. Cassidy said he is still considering running for the seat, but he has not taken out papers yet.
Two other individuals who had previously expressed interest in running have officially announced they are not candidates. Swampscott Selectman Marc Paster and Marblehead resident Sharon Randall, both of whom ran unsuccessfully against Petersen in 2004, said they would not run. Paster said he is convinced he could not win a Democratic primary when there are twice as many voters in Marblehead as there are in Lynn and Swampscott combined. Randall, a Republican, said she cannot run at this time due to time constraints.
Nomination papers are available at the Elections Division of the Secretary's Office, Room 1705 of the McCormack State Office Building, One Ashburton Place, Boston, at Lynn City Hall and at the Swampscott and Marblehead town halls.
Nomination papers for state representative require 150 certified signatures. The deadline for submitting signatures to local registrars of voters for certification is Dec. 26. The deadline for filing certified signatures with the Secretary of the Commonwealth is Jan. 2.
The special election is scheduled for March 4.
DeGenova
Blaisdell
Ehrlich
Copyright, 2007, The Daily Item, All Rights Reserved.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Developing my platform
Since I moved to Marblehead, MA in 1996 the world has changed and as I see it--we are facing many growing challenges in our District, (i.e. providing affordable housing for the elderly,first time home owners, municipal workers, shelter for our veterans and other less fortunate residents, improving education for our children, providing continuing education to those changing careers, bi-lingual education and job skills to newcomers, ensuring public safety and a healthy environment and easing taxes are just a start.... I would like to hear your comments to further identify issues specific to each of the communities comprising our District, prioritize them and set realistic goals and expectations to solve them...
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