Glass House Mass. Gov. Candidate Shouldn’t Lob Bombs
SPECIAL COMMENTARY
by Lonnie Brennan
I wanted to give candidates Geoff Diehl and Chris Doughty a good “leave-it-alone” and let them run their campaigns, get through the upcoming state party convention, and then try my best to let each candidate showcase what he seeks to do if elected governor.
Too many e-mails changed all that.
It wasn’t enough that Chris Doughty voted for Hillary Clinton over Donald J. Trump, and that he quickly distanced himself from the 2020 election, saying Biden won it fair and square (from his basement bunker), nor that a Boston-based publication exposed him for not voting in a Republican primary for about a decade and a half, but now Hillary Doughty, I mean Chris Doughty is lobbing bombs. I guess it was expected.
Yes, it’s expected that Doughty knows he has two ways to win the governorship of the commonwealth: 1. Attack and destroy his opponent politically (naturally), and 2. cozy up to current liberal Democrat-enabling governor Charlie Baker (his voters, his money connections.)
But Doughty has a problem: he voted for Hillary Clinton. Hard for Trump nation to get over that.
Luckily for Doughty, he should easily make his way through the upcoming MassGOP State Convention. Fortunately for him, he only has to garner 15% of the vote to advance to the Sept. primary election, and he’s noted for his charm and polish, so the 15% bar should be a walk-in-the-park. After the convention, he can then focus seemingly unlimited money (his own and the Baker crowd’s) to shape the election and drive out the vote.
But the e-mails, the e-mails.
A recent volley last week of e-mails gives voters a glimpse at what to expect from Hillary Doughty and his running mate Kate Baker (aka Kate Campanale – a Baker cozy). Kate has taken bomber lead, firing off some missiles at the Geoff Diehl campaign.
In an e-mail blast, Kate felt it important to showcase an obscure vote, accusing Geoff Diehl of attempting to raise taxes. The vote, to change the way boats are given excise tax based on their length, was apparently a point that Diehl sought to showcase. He was the only rep. to vote in favor. It was a discussion starter, nothing more.
But bomber Kate and team Baker, I mean Doughty are just getting warmed up.
The problem for Hillary Doughty and Kate Baker is that they live in glass houses, so, if you attack, you best be prepared for the return volley. Diehl is not one to sit idle. And the press is not going to sit on the sidelines and give either candidate a free pass. (Just wait Diehl, your time is coming – you’ll get hammered too – even if they can’t find any truth to print.)
The Attleboro Sun Chronicle put out a story about how Capstan Atlantic, the company lead by Doughty ran afoul of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
The paper reported that a couple of months ago, an agreement to correct issues and pay fines was entered into – citations ranged from seemingly minor items such as open oil containers, lack of safety signs, etc., to “The company was also in violation of air pollution control rules, the DEP said.”
Doughty misfired when he and Kate went on their current line of attack. Diehl is a fighter, and his campaign did not sit on their hands, they shared the Attleboro Sun Chronicle story, and more:
“According to the Sun Chronicle story, the violations occurred while Doughty was still President of the company last year, and he personally signed an Administrative Consent Order in which the company promised to correct issues and pay a fine.
You can read the full story at the following link: https://www.thesunchronicle.com/news/local_news/state-cites-wrentham-company-led-by-gop-gubernatorial-candidate-chris-doughty/article_62d9c61b-520c-5bf3-9905-87bfce94aa3c.html
And then there’s the retort regarding other fines: “The MassDEP fine is reportedly not the first time Doughty’s Capstan Atlantic has run afoul of state law. According to data from the Office of the Attorney General, Capstan Atlantic reportedly paid a fine in 2015 for failing to pay wages to 18 employees as required by law. Click here for more information:
https://www.mass.gov/doc/ags-fair-labor-division-enforcement/download”
But, things in the Hillary/Baker/Doughty/Campanale glass house includes so much more, again, for brevity, a listing has emerged from many sources, including, yes the Diehl camp which provided the above links to the full Sun Chronicle article:
- Why did Doughty’s company take almost $3 million in COVID dollars, but now Doughty is able to put $800K of his “own” money (so far) into his campaign account?
- His company took in big money in local and state dollars – including nearly $400K in tax credits, this is on top of the COVID dollars – deals made to expand one of his production plants (Wrentham, Mass.). Deals with facilities in California – the home-base of the corporation, and Mexico have not been disclosed.
- If Doughty has so much money, why didn’t he support his company, instead of taking government dollars? Did he pay back any COVID/taxpayer money?
- Why would Republicans vote in a primary for a guy who has blanked the primary for the past 15 years?
The glass panes in the Doughty campaign are apparently bountiful. His opponent, Diehl, will have many opportunities to return fire. What will be interesting is if Diehl decides to do a look-back at Kate’s few years as a state rep. Now that would be interesting.
