# Guess where SOT will be



## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

*Patrick to host lawmakers at Berkshires retreat*

















BOSTON (AP) - Governor Patrick is throwing a party for the Legislature at his Berkshires retreat. The governor and his wife, Diane, will host Senate and House members and their respective significant others for a picnic at his home in Richmond on August 2. 
After campaigning against Beacon Hill, the Democrat has struck a more conciliatory tone during the past 18 months and has been rewarded with a string of recent legislative accomplishments, including a 10-year, 1 billion dollar Life Sciences initiative. 
A Patrick spokesman said the governor is looking forward to an informal opportunity to personally thank lawmakers "for a very successful and collaborative legislative session." 
The picnic is scheduled for two days after the end of this election year's House and Senate sessions.

http://www.wwlp.com/global/story.asp?s=8638360&srvc=latest


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## Guest (Jul 8, 2008)

SOT went over to the dark side???


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## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

Yup he did 100% Coupe & Obama


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## Guest (Jul 8, 2008)

kwflatbed said:


> Yup he did 100% Coupe & Obama


Supporting the very people who would put him out of business in a nanosecond if given the chance......why??


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## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

I haven't talked to him in a while,but when he droped out of sight on MassCops he had made the switch,he has got a few political jobs out of it.


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## Guest (Jul 8, 2008)

kwflatbed said:


> I haven't talked to him in a while,but when he droped out of sight on MassCops he had made the switch,he has got a few political jobs out of it.


Made a deal with the Devil......I hope he can shave by feel.


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## NewEngland2007 (Dec 31, 2005)

Dammit!


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## KozmoKramer (Apr 25, 2004)

They get SOTSKI and we get Asshoppah.
Not exactly a Neely for Pederson type trade is it.


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## justanotherparatrooper (Aug 27, 2006)

To say Im disappointed iis an understatement. ;(


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## Guest (Jul 9, 2008)

Perhaps it was a Borg-like abduction; "You will be assimilated".


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## WaterPistola (Nov 4, 2007)

I am a little confused, can someone PM me what happened?


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## SinePari (Aug 15, 2004)

kwflatbed said:


> The governor and his wife, Diane, will host Senate and House members and their respective significant others for a picnic at his home in Richmond on August 2.


...and there will be a random sobriety checkpoint somewhere in Berkshire County that weekend...


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## justanotherparatrooper (Aug 27, 2006)

quote=SinePari;303804]...and there will be a random sobriety checkpoint somewhere in Berkshire County that weekend...[/quote]
:L::L::L:


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## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

*Patrick sidesteps fund-raising law with lavish party*

*Invitation to picnic includes $5,500 pitch*










By Frank Phillips

Globe Staff / July 15, 2008

Governor Deval Patrick has scheduled a picnic fund-raiser this month at his vacation estate in the Berkshires, where he will once again exploit a method he pioneered for skirting state campaign contribution limits, a funding system the Legislature so far has declined to shut down.
Guests at the gathering at the 7,500-square-foot mansion situated on 77 acres in Richmond are being asked to contribute up to $5,500 to the governor's Seventy-First Fund. The fund - as the formal invitation to the soiree explains - divides the contributions between Patrick's campaign and the state Democratic Party.
What the invitation does not say is that the Democratic Party, in turn, uses most of its share of the money to pay off Patrick's campaign expenses. That allows Patrick to get around the state's $500 limit on individual contributions to candidates, by giving him most of the benefit of the additional $5,000, the maximum an individual can give to a political party.
Patrick's campaign aides and the Democratic Party defend the use of the Seventy-First Fund as the basis for the July 24 picnic. They said it is an appropriate strategy since campaigns and political parties are increasingly coordinating their activities.
"We will continue to use this permissible and appropriate finance tool," said Steve Crawford, spokesman for Patrick's campaign committee. As an example of how the system works, Crawford's $3,000-a-month consulting fees billed to Patrick's campaign are paid by the Democratic Party.
Patrick's political finance aides declined to release the list of those planning to attend the picnic. But if it is similar to other Seventy-First Fund events held in the past year, the names will include the Democrats' bevy of wealthy activists along with corporate executives of regulated businesses - bankers, utility operators, and healthcare executives - whose financial interests depend on the administration's actions.
Among those who donated to the Seventy-First Fund in the last several months are: casino executive Irwin M. Chafetz, who gave $1,375 and who advocated on Beacon Hill for Patrick's casino legislation; Cleve Killingsworth, chief executive of Blue Cross/Blue Shield, $5,500, whose health insurance firm is heavily regulated by the state; real estate developer Thomas M. Alperin, who gave $5,500; banker Lawrence Fish, chairman of Citizens Financial Group, who donated $1,000; and Joshua Boger, a $5,000 donor who, as chief executive of one of the best-known biotech firms in the state, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, has been a strong supporter of Patrick's life-science initiative.
Killingsworth, through a spokesman, declined to comment. Chafetz, Alperin, Fish, and Boger did not respond to requests for comment.
The Seventy-First Fund system will remain permissible for the foreseeable future. A legislative committee on Beacon Hill that is drafting changes to campaign finance rules has not included provisions to shut down such systems as the Seventy-First Fund. (The fund derives its name from Patrick's status as the 71st governor of Massachusetts.)
A key lawmaker working on the campaign finance bill said the Seventy-First Fund is a low priority, although he did not rule out a later attempt at a crackdown.

Advocates for reducing the influence of money on politics decried Patrick's system.
A fund under fire

"It is not on the table because other more contentious and pertinent issues have to be cleared up," said Representative Garrett J. Bradley, a Democrat from Hingham and House chairman of the Joint Committee on Election Laws.
Among those issues are moves to raise the individual contribution limit to $750, to create stiffer penalties for legislators who fail to file reports on time, and to require more frequent reporting periods.
Bradley said he has not been pressured by the governor's operatives or party officials to allow the Seventy-First Fund to continue operating. John Walsh, Patrick's hand-picked chairman of the Democratic Party, acknowledged speaking with Bradley about how the fund worked. He said he did not urge him to back off any proposals to close the loopholes.
"I have known him a long time, but I have no interest in advocating for any of the legislative decisions he and his colleagues are making," Walsh said. Walsh and Bradley worked together in South Shore political circles.
Democratic lawmakers have been quick to make changes in the campaign finance law when previous political figures found creative ways to raise funds. For example, when Republican William F. Weld loaned $1.2 million to his campaign in the 1990 election and then paid himself back through aggressive fund-raising after he got elected, the Legislature passed a law in the early 1990s that limited what a campaign committee can repay the candidate to $200,000.
Advocates for reducing the influence of money on politics decried Patrick's system as a circumvention of state campaign finance laws. "It is a questionable practice to pour unlimited amounts, even through a party, into any race or to any individual candidate," said Pamela Wilmot, executive director of Common Cause Massachusetts.
Common Cause initially did not join other advocates in opposition to the practice when a Globe story first described it in January, but the influential group has since changed its position and wants the practice curtailed. It has proposed a $3,000 limit on what a party can receive from any donor, whether directly or through a pass-through fund such as the Seventy-First. Advocates said the practice is also troubling because Patrick based his 2006 campaign on his status as an outsider, running against special-influence politics.
The Globe story in January said that, using proceeds from the Seventy-First Fund, the Democratic Party in 2007 paid $339,000 of the governor's campaign-related expenses, including bills for a media consultant and banquet halls.
The governor has raised $237,710 in the first six months of this year for the Seventy-First Fund. Almost one-third was distributed to his own campaign in $500 increments from donors. The rest went to the Democratic Party. The amount the party is spending on his behalf does not have to be disclosed until the end of the year, according to Walsh.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/ma...sidesteps_fund_raising_law_with_lavish_party/


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## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

*Camp David - or is it Camp Deval? - in the Berkshires*

*Patrick mixes politics with pleasure at his vacation manse*

By Matt Viser

Globe Staff / July 27, 2008

RICHMOND - Sweet P Farm is nestled at the top of a winding driveway, hidden from view by 77 acres of gentle woods and meadows, a retreat in the Berkshires where Governor Deval Patrick can swat a few tennis balls on his private court, work on a chapter of his memoir, or stroll through the wildflowers in his backyard.
But during this year's high summer season, Patrick is opening his rural getaway to the Massachusetts political world, transforming it into something like the state's own version of Camp David.
The governor hosted a big ticket fund-raiser at the home last week that drew 150 wealthy Democratic donors from across the state. That gala will be followed on Aug. 3 by a picnic for the Massachusetts Legislature, an event designed to build good will for the governor among lawmakers who have sometimes viewed Patrick with distrust.
"A lot of successful politics, just like a lot of successful professional lives, are about relationships," Patrick said in an interview. "You open your home. That's what you do. It's a very human thing. We intend it to be a very warm thing, and let people put some of their formalities aside and get to know them."
Burnishing one's political fortunes by entertaining in the countryside has a long tradition in US politics.
George H.W. Bush escaped to Walker's Point in Kennebunkport, Maine, and President Bush has his ranch in Crawford, Texas. Bill Clinton vacationed in Martha's Vineyard, and the Kennedys have held legendary parties at the family compound in Hyannis Port.
But when it comes to recent governors of Massachusetts, Patrick's use of his 7,500-square-foot Berkshires home, which he built in 2006, is something new, and his weekend address is bringing rare political cachet to a region of Massachusetts that has long felt ignored by most governors.
William Weld vacationed at an exclusive fishing camp in New York's Adirondacks, and Paul Cellucci spent downtime in Florida or at his in-laws' home on Cape Cod. Michael Dukakis would retreat to a humble, one-story cottage in Tyringham that was actually owned by his in-laws; he also invited lawmakers to his Brookline home - in more intimate groups because of its size.
Mitt Romney owned two vacation homes, one in ski country, Park City, Utah, and the other on Lake Winnipesaukee in Wolfeboro, N.H. He used the Lake Winnipesaukee home to foster his Republican presidential ambitions, busing in several hundred Republicans for a New Hampshire state party fund-raiser in 2005. But the Massachusetts Legislature? No.
It remained unclear last week just how many of the state's 199 lawmakers will actually RSVP with a yes to Patrick's Aug. 3 picnic invitation.
To get there, most will have to drive to the last exit on the Massachusetts Turnpike before the New York border, head up a rural blacktop road, down a gravel lane, past a pond, and through the woods. At least to some, the journey to Richmond may seem daunting.
"That's in Virginia, right?" Senator Michael Morrissey, Democrat of Quincy, joked when asked if he planned to attend. "I haven't decided. I'm a boater, and you don't get too many good weekends on the water, to be honest with you. It depends on who's going."
Patrick and his wife, Diane, bought the Richmond land in 2002 for $472,500 and started making plans for their home, which includes eight bedrooms, nine full bathrooms, four fireplaces, and a pool. It is assessed by the town at about $2.2 million, according to tax assessor Craig Swinson. During the Democratic primary, one of Patrick's chief rivals, then-Attorney General Thomas Reilly, derisively called it the "Taj Deval." Even Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. Murray, a close Patrick ally, has joked about the house: "The gift shop was awesome."
The house reflects elements of Patrick's life that are deeply private, such as his devotion to family, and very public, such as his willingness to open his home up to entertain. He said he uses either campaign money or his personal funds when he entertains there.
"Welcome," the governor, dressed in jeans, a T-shirt, and barefoot, said on Friday before giving a Globe reporter and photographer a tour of the home and property.
Most of the house is on one floor, designed so that the Patricks can retire there in their old age, although there are guest rooms on a second floor.
In his study, which has a view of the woods, the governor is planning to work on his book, which is scheduled to be published in 2010 and for which, when he signed his deal with a division of Random House, he received an advance of $1.35 million. There are numerous photos of his wife and family on a small wooden desk, framed pictures of him with Clinton, and a sign engraved with a saying from his grandfather, "Always remember who you are and what you represent."
In the basement is a ping-pong table, a pool table, a weight room, and a movie room that contains a large screen, a sound system, and plush couches.
"It is first and last a private family retreat. It's very much for our whole family," Patrick said. "We conceived it with that in mind, we built it that way, and we use it that way."
Sweet P Farm - a name that the Patricks have embroidered on hats - is derived from a term of endearment Patrick uses for Diane and their two daughters, Katherine and Sarah.
Patrick and his wife have had a wide variety of guests, including singer James Taylor and his family for a potluck dinner. Patrick had Senator Edward M. Kennedy over for dinner last year before they went to a concert at nearby Tanglewood, and US Representative John W. Olver, Democrat of Amherst, has been to the home for cocktails.
The driveway is blocked by a chained gate, warning passersby that the property is patrolled by State Police - and when the governor is there, an officer stands guard halfway up the half-mile driveway. But neighbors say the Patricks have been extraordinarily accessible, even inviting them over for drinks and hors d'oeuvres.

*Graphic **Location of Patrick's house*

"I keep waiting for them to borrow a cup of sugar," said Sarah Novak, who as a welcome gift brought the Patricks homemade dandelion wine and cookies baked by her 10-year-old daughter. "That hasn't happened."
By political design or not, the house has clearly paid dividends for Patrick in a part of Massachusetts that has long felt ignored by Beacon Hill and often feels more culturally connected to New York.
"For the first time in my entire life, I feel like the Berkshires are being noticed," said Audrey Vandervoort, a 49-year-old registered nurse from West Stockbridge. "Politicians don't usually come out here."
Patrick's schedule on summer Fridays is often packed with events in Worcester and Springfield, turnpike stops on the way out west. Last year, after the governor marched in a July Fourth parade in Pittsfield, the Berkshire Eagle proudly noted that Patrick had logged more visits to the Berkshires in six months than Romney did in entire his four-year term.
Patrick also reopened a western branch of the governor's office in Springfield, the first time since 2003 residents could reach the governor in their 413 area code. He's talked of fostering a "creative economy" that would leverage communities like North Adams or the musical haven that surrounds Tanglewood. The governor also filed legislation to expand broadband Internet access in Western Massachusetts.
In Richmond, population 1,497, there's a post office, school, and volunteer fire station, but no stoplight (though one blinking light). It's the type of town where residents put "Hay For Sale" signs in their front yards. So seeing the governor and his one- or two-member security detail, which even follows him to farm stands and small markets, can be jarring.
"It's so out of context," said Lea Persing, a 44-year-old West Stockbridge resident who runs a housecleaning business and works at the Public Market where the Patricks come for morning coffee. "We're country bumpkins here. When he comes in the store, you feel the presence - even I feel awkward."
But it's also not uncommon for residents to see the governor walking his dogs or to spot one of his daughters jogging or to bump into his wife in the store down the road picking up morning coffee. The governor has been known to ride his bike around the area and tells a story of looking back in embarrassment as he realized a State Police cruiser was trailing him, preventing a long line of cars from passing (Now, a police officer follows on a bike, rather than driving alongside).
He's been spotted buying corn at a roadside stand, attending an annual zucchini festival, and obtaining his fishing license at town hall. At night, he likes going to Rouge, a restaurant and bistro in West Stockbridge that serves braised free range duck and artisanal cheeses.
In local town gossip, the governor has been eclipsed only by a rampant rumor in recent weeks that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were looking to buy. No one knows where the rumor started - town officials suspect it began at the local school - but it was debunked earlier this month when the home was purchased by Gordon M. Binder, the retired chief executive of pharmaceutical company Amgen, for $7 million.
"When I tell people I live in Richmond, they ask me if I live next door to the governor," said John Hanson, a 64-year-old retired engineer. "I say no. He lives next to me. I was here first."

http://www.boston.com/news/local/ar...id___or_is_it_camp_deval___in_the_berkshires/


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## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

I hope that you all take note of the name of the tax assessor of the property and neighbor, none other than our missing member SOT


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## Guest (Jul 27, 2008)

kwflatbed said:


> Michael Dukakis would retreat to a humble, one-story cottage in Tyringham


Yet another town in Massachusetts I had never heard of.


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## Michele (Aug 30, 2007)

[Tyringham: Yet another town in Massachusetts I had never heard of.]

It's out by Lee and Lenox


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## dcs2244 (Jan 29, 2004)

Cheek-by-jowl with Monterey...


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## mpd61 (Aug 7, 2002)

If you folks sponsor me...I'll go on a mission and rescue SOT from the "Cult"


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## justanotherparatrooper (Aug 27, 2006)

mpd61 said:


> If you folks sponsor me...I'll go on a mission and rescue SOT from the "Cult"


I think its too late


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## NewEngland2007 (Dec 31, 2005)

*Yi*-*yi*-*yi*-*yi*-*yi! Grabbing my chakram and heading to the Berkshires...*


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## Andy0921 (Jan 12, 2006)

How the hell did he get involved with the dems?


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## Guest (Jul 31, 2008)

andy0921 said:


> How the hell did he get involved with the dems?


Money and power will do strange things to some people.


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## Andy0921 (Jan 12, 2006)

Delta784 said:


> Money and power will do strange things to some people.


You can say that once more.


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## Nuke_TRT (Feb 10, 2008)

Money and power will do strange things to some people.


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## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

Delta784 said:


> Money and power will do strange things to some people.


And it has with our missing SOT


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## dcs2244 (Jan 29, 2004)

andy0921 said:


> How the hell did he get involved with the dems?


SOT was always a "big fish in a small pond"; power residing that close is his chance at the "brass ring" (in some small, inconsequential way). Given his trade, that he has chosen to sleep with the enemy shows that he has not considered the long term goals/effects of the democrats and other totalitarians.

Or maybe he hopes to expand his market through the Deval/Barrack connection. Regardless of future political realities, any anti-communist should remember his perfidy when purchasing goods and services like SOT vends.


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