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Worcesteria

AND ONE MORE …

Add Gina DiBaro’s name to the lengthening list of possible candidates for Bob Spellane’s 13^th Worcester District seat in the State House.  The assistant district attorney has expressed “strong consideration” in running and said that she would “be a good attribute to the race.”  Her 16 years at the District Attorney’s office gives DiBaro a couple of strong allies in District Attorney Joseph Early Jr., and current sheriff and State Auditor candidate Guy Glodis.  Glodis, whose fundraising machine picked up considerably in mid-November, now has $480,577 in his campaign’s account, which means $600 he spent this month on a holiday party shouldn’t be too much of a strain. 

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NOBODY PUTS PALMIERI IN A CORNER: In last week’s Worcesteria we mentioned that state Rep. Vincent Pedone’s, possible ditching of his campaign for sheriff could freeze out City Councilor Phil Palmieri, from a run at Pedone’s 15^th Worcester seat.  But apparently Palmieri doesn’t want to keep playing the waiting game.  In some circles there’s speculation that he could now go after wither Pedone’s House seat or make a run for sheriff himself.  The sheriff’s office isn’t an odd place for him to end up, considering he spent 33 years as a probation officer in Worcester and north counties and has had multiple stints on City Council’s Public Safety subcommittee.  When asked for comment, Palmieri replied, “You always keep our options open in politics.”      

HOLIDAY JEER: The holiday season is a time for spreading joy and goodwill toward men, but the Asian longhorned beetle is only spreading itself.  After a couple relatively quiet months, USDA tree climbers and found surveyors have found the beetle out in Boylston, a previously unaffected area.  The good news though is that the infestation is relatively light and the bugs have only been found in seen trees, says Rhonda Santos, the USDA’s public affairs person.  She added that this small-regulated area shouldn’t be expanding.       

THE GARY ROSEN RADIO HOUR:  Since Gary Rosen’s last City Council meeting for the foreseeable future ended fittingly (he mentioned to adjourn his final meeting), he’s jumped right into a post-politics career in media.  From Monday through Friday this week, he could b heard filling in for vacationing morning talk show hosts Peter Blute and Hank Stolz, on WCRN 830.  To help fil the airways from the 6 to 9 a.m. slot the first part of the week, and 11 a.m.-12 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, Rosen recruited his (former) council cronies as co-hosts: Paul Clancy, Mike Germain, Rick Rushton, Joff Smith, and Kate Toomey, all took turns in the studio, with guests like incoming School Committee member Tracy Novick and Assistant City Manager Julie Jacobson, as well as a sparring between Bill Clark, the owner of Yellow Cab, and Juan Gomez, the Director of Centro Las Americas and a defender of the city’s livery companies. 

DO YOU NOTICE ANYTHING DIFFERENT?: The Brookings Institute, a non-profit public policy think tank in Washington DC has just released its list of the 11 major US metropolitan areas that saw positive job growth” in the last quarter.  Finishing at number six was Worcester, with a .2 percent increase between quarters 2 and of 2009.  The McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas metro area was number one with a 1.3% jump, and Syracuse, N.Y. rounded out the 11 with a .1% rise in employment.  A few other metro areas that made the cut were New York-Northern New Jersey, New Orleans, Washington, DC and Madison, Wisconsin. 

OUR OWN GANSETT GIRL: Since it’s New Year’s Eve, it seems appropriate to talk booze.  We concluded the final Worcesteria column of 2009 with a shout-out to Worcester’s own Niki Luparelli, the Nick’s chanteuse who recently earned the title of Gansett Girl of the Week as awarded by Narragansett Beer.  Poring over her resume, it’s clear how Niki got involved with Gansett- she attended the University of Rhode Island, the state responsible for originating the tall bottles of brew that homeowners affectionately call “Nasties.”  Niki’s pics and profile are at narragansettbeer.com, which includes a “Support the Cause” button urging folks to buy 7.5 million cases of Narragansett a year to fund construction of a brewery in New England.

Jeremy Shulkin may be reached at 508-749-3166 x. 243 or jshulkin@worcestermag.com