Luciforo supports Olver in 2010 but opposes Olver in 2012!

- - United States Representative John Walter Olver (above) - "Luciforo supports Olver in 2010 but opposes Olver in 2012!" - - - LUCIFORO! (above) - - Michael Engel (above) - www.engelforcongress.org - michael@engelforcongress.org - "Educator to run for Congress" The (Springfield) Republican (Online), September 16, 2009 SOUTHAMPTON - Michael Engel, a professor emeritus of political science at Westfield State College and former Easthampton selectman, will run in 2010 as an independent candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 1st Congressional District, currently represented by Rep. John W. Olver, D-Amherst. Engel, who served on the Easthampton Select Board and School Committee in the 1990s, is seeking the 2,000 signatures needed to place his name on the ballot. In a statement, Engel said he believes "the federal government is wasting time and money trying to fix the old, failed economic and financial system, and that working people have gained little or nothing from those efforts." He called on "citizens to start building a new system." Olver, who has held his seat for 18 years, served three terms in the state House of Representatives before serving nine terms in the state Senate. In 1991, he won a special election to replace U.S. Rep. Silvio O. Conte, who died in office. Former state Sen. Andrea Nuciforo, a Democrat, announced in July that he would make a run for Olver's seat in 2012 but supports Olver's bid for re-election in 2010. Olver holds a seat on the powerful House Appropriations Committee. The 1st Congressional District touches the borders of four states - Connecticut, New York, Vermont and New Hampshire - and includes 107 communities. - - LUCIFORO! - - ---------- "2012 race for Congress starts early" By David Pepose, Berkshire Eagle Staff, December 3, 2010 PITTSFIELD -- The 2012 elections are nearly two years away and the sitting congressman hasn't even been sworn into his next term, but the race for 1st Congressional District -- whatever it may look like in two years -- is heating up. While questions of redistricting linger as a result of the 2010 U.S. Census, U.S. Rep. John W. Olver says he intends to run for his seat once more in 2012, which may put him head-to-head against Middle Berkshire Register of Deeds Andrea F. Nuciforo Jr. "I do intend to run for re-election in 2012," Olver, 74, told WAMC Northeast Public Radio. "I'm planning and preparing for that. My experience is that the very best way for me to prepare is to do the very best job I can to promote the interests of the people in my district." A former University of Massachusetts chemistry professor, Olver has been the U.S. representative in the 1st Congressional District since 1991, having been a member of the state House of Representatives and the state Senate. Olver chairs the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and holds a seat on the House Appropriations Committee. Olver's announcement comes early, before he even begins the two-year term he won in last month's midterm elections. It also heralds what may be a primary battle with fellow Democrat Nuciforo, who said in July 2009 that he would be aiming for the seat in 2012. At the time of his initial announcement, Nuciforo wouldn't say what kind of conversation he'd had with the veteran Olver over the positioning of his campaign. "I have had a very friendly and cordial conversation with the congressman," Nuciforo told The Eagle at the time. "I am not at liberty to discuss the details of the conversation with you." With the redistricting of Massachusetts and the impending loss of one House member in Congress, there is a possibility that Olver's home base of Amherst may wind up in a district outside of Pittsfield, avoiding a race between the two candidates. Yet state Sen. Benjamin B. Downing, D-Pittsfield, said that with Rep. Olver running for re-election in the 1st Congressional District and U.S. Rep. Richard Neal of Springfield running once more in the 2nd, the chances were strong that Western Massachusetts could retain two congressional seats. Even with that in mind, Downing said the likelihood of redistricting separating Nuciforo and Olver's races was extremely unlikely. "Theoretically there are ways you could draw up the district that Amherst and Pittsfield are in different districts, but in reality, there is no likelihood of the two being separate," he said. When Olver was asked by WAMC if he felt any resentment over Nuciforo allegedly implying that he would not run again, Olver replied, "I do, a little bit." "But this is not a seat that one owns -- it is a seat you borrow for a period of time as long as your constituents want you to have it," Olver added. "Anybody's free to run -- I have no resentment for the people who ran against me in the last election, and it worked out fine." Shortly before a reception held in his honor Thursday evening at the ITAM Lodge in Pittsfield, Nuciforo, 46, said his campaign anticipated that Olver would run again. "Congressman Olver is doing exactly what we thought he would do," Nuciforo said. Nuciforo said he could not speculate on how other political figures in the Berkshires might react to Olver's intentions. Nuciforo began his 10-year stint in the state Senate in 1996, and it was a position his father, the late Andrea Sr., also held from 1964 to 1972. The younger Nuciforo, an attorney, stepped aside in 1996 to run for Middle Berkshire Register of Deeds, a post he's held since. When asked about his decision last year to hold off running in 2010 and run in 2012 instead, Nuciforo said his rationale was based on pragmatism, not insider politics. "People that know me well know that I prepare carefully and an undertaking as substantial as this one needs preparation," he said. "I thought it was reasonable that we take the time and prepare." Nuciforo said that the major battles of the 2012 congressional race would "not be between candidates ... [but] about redistricting." "My intentions have been clear for many months: My name will appear on the ballot for the 1st Congressional District in 2012 -- and that's whether that district includes Amherst or not," Nuciforo said. - http://disqus.com/forums/theberkshireeagle/thread_790/trackback/ - ---------- "Local pols throw early support behind Olver" By David Pepose, Berkshire Eagle Staff, December 4, 2010 PITTSFIELD -- Even with two years before the 2012 elections, some political power brokers in the Berkshires have already begun choosing sides in the battle for the 1st Congressional District. U.S. Rep. John W. Olver confirmed his decision to run for re-election in 2012 this week, which is likely to mean a challenge from Middle Berkshire Register of Deeds Andrea F. Nuciforo Jr. of Pittsfield. "It's important for a sitting mayor to support a sitting congressman who has earned that support," said Pittsfield Mayor James M. Ruberto on Friday. "I have a great deal of respect for Andrea Nuciforo ... but [Olver] has earned that position, and the right to continue in that position." Ruberto said he had donated to Nuciforo's congressional campaign last year, believing at the time that Olver was not running again. Following Olver's announcement to run again, however, Ruberto said he would support the incumbent legislator because "[Olver] has been a good friend and very generous in supporting Pittsfield's agenda in Washington." State Sen. Benjamin B. Downing, D-Pittsfield, who worked in Olver's office from 2003 to 2005, said he wasn't surprised about Olver's announcement, and that he stood behind his former employer "110 percent." "Anyone who puts their name up for Congress ought to be able to say why [Olver] shouldn't be our congressman," Downing said. "Anyone who would seek to unseat him shouldn't simply do it out of personal ambition -- they should have a good reason for it." Questions loom about the redistricting of Massachusetts' House districts as a result of the 2010 U.S. Census, which could alter the House membership for Massachusetts. Still, it's likely that Olver and Nuciforo would face off in a primary election in 2012. With that potential showdown still in the air, many well-known political figures in the Berkshires said they would side with Olver. "Andy's been a great supporter of mine and a good friend," North Adams Mayor Richard J. Alcombright said on Friday. "But I've been in Olver's corner for a long time, and if you're asking me if I'd expect that to change, I'd say no." Alcombright said that he didn't see Olver's announcement coming, particularly not before the Amherst Democrat is even sworn in for the two-year term he won last month. "But if all things are equal and there's a primary in two years, you have to look at the big picture," Alcombright said. "If Andy is running against the congressman, you have to look at the big picture." Nuciforo, 46, signaled his intention to run for the 1st Congressional District seat in July 2009. A former state senator of 10 years, Nuciforo stepped down in 1996 to run for his current post, the Middle Berkshire Register of Deeds. Meanwhile, Olver, 72, a former chemistry teacher from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, has served as the U.S. Representative for the 1st Congressional District since 1991. A longtime political veteran, Olver chairs the Appropriations subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and sits on the House Appropriations Committee. Meanwhile, state Rep. William "Smitty" Pignatelli praised the veteran Olver for his intention to run again, which he felt could help protect the 1st Congressional District from redistricting. "I wasn't taken off guard at all. He's a healthy man. He's passionate about his job," Pignatelli said. "If we lose that congressional seat, the Berkshires lose." Yet when asked whether he would back Olver or Nuciforo in the coming election, Pignatelli remained noncommittal. "Two years is a lifetime in politics, and I think it's too early to presume anything's going to happen," Pignatelli said. "I'm not even thinking about it. It's too far in advance." - http://disqus.com/forums/theberkshireeagle/thread_759/trackback/ - ---------- December 4, 2010 Re: Nuciforo's run There is no surprise that "Luciforo" plans to challenge Congressman John W. Olver for U.S. Congress. I have written about this event for years. Please review Mary E. Carey's Blog page from 2007 featuring my prediction that "Luciforo" will use his dirty politics to challenge Olver for his seat in Congress. http://ongeicocaveman.blogspot.com/2007/09/classic-jonathan-melle.html "Luciforo" is the most insidious, conspiratorial, vindictive and mean-spirited small-town politician with a misguided big-head that I have ever dealt with. "Luciforo" thinks that he is great because his Father was a state Senator and Judge, his Uncle was a Pittsfield State Representative, and his Aunt was Mayor of Pittsfield, who also ran the office politics at Berkshire Community College. Nuciforo has layered his bullying of me since the Spring of 1996 when I was 20 years old. Nuciforo's network manipulated people to harass me and put me in conspiratorial situations. Nuciforo also tried to get my Dad fired from his courthouse job by filing false "ethics" complaints against him. Please review my Blog page explaining the cruelty Nuciforo's network put me through as a young man. http://jonathanmelleonpolitics.blogspot.com/2008/05/andrea-nuciforo-jonathan-melle-month-of.html Nuciforo got caught double-dipping with both the state government and big banks and insurance companies. Mary E. Carey blogged my reaction to Nuciforo's illegal conflict of interests. http://aboutamherst.blogspot.com/2007/01/melle-vindicated.html Nuciforo wants to go to U.S. Congress to in order to represent big banks and insurance companies (NOT the People) so he may take in many thousands of dollars in special interest dollars. Please review my Blog page chronicalling "Luciforo's" corruption in state government. http://jonathanmelleonpolitics.blogspot.com/2008/01/nuciforos-corruption.html Nuciforo strong-armed 2 women candidates out of the 2006 state government election for Pittsfield Registrar of Deeds. Please review my Blog page that explains how "Luciforo" views himself when it comes to women and democracy. http://jonathanmelleonpolitics.blogspot.com/2008/01/andrea-nuciforo-strong-armed-two-women.html When Nuciforo was a State Senator, "Luciforo" voted against the all felon DNA database. Please review my Blog page that list the criminal offenses "Luciforo" would have allowed to be exempted from the all felon DNA database. http://jonathanmelleonpolitics.blogspot.com/2008/05/andrea-nuciforo-massachusetts-dna.html I have an entire Blog dedicated to criticizing and dissenting against "Luciforo" and his run for U.S. Congress! http://luciforo.blogspot.com/ I hope that Congressman John W. Olver stays strong against "Luciforo" and his dirty politics. Nuciforo went after me and my family when I was a young adult to show his political network's (abuses of) power. Nuciforo represents a small-town politician with a big ego who will do anything for power. I hope people read my Blogs, and Mary E. Carey's Blog pages, too, and see what a fraud "Luciforo" is to decency, democracy and good governance. - Jonathan Melle ---------- "Olver will be part of new majority" The Berkshire Eagle, Letter to the Editor, December 14, 2010 The Williamstown Democratic Town Committee congratulates John Olver on his election victory this Nov. 2. With his long experience serving the 1st Berkshire District since 1991, Congressman Olver has been a tireless and effective advocate for causes and programs important to Western Massachusetts and to the nation, including land conservation, energy efficiency, transportation development, and workers' rights. We wish him continued good health. When he runs again in 2012 we will support him, as we look forward to returning a Democratic majority to the U.S. House of Representatives. JIM MAHON Williamstown, Massachusetts The writer is chair of the WDTC and writes on its behalf. - http://disqus.com/forums/theberkshireeagle/thread_1451/trackback/ - ---------- "Former state senator Andrea Nuciforo Jr. plots a run for Congress" By BEN STORROW, Staff Writer, Gazettenet.com - February 23, 2011 When Andrea Nuciforo Jr. ran his first campaign for elected office in 1996, he had little support from the Berkshire County political establishment. Jane Swift, then a state senator representing Berkshire County, announced that she would not seek re-election that year and would instead challenge U.S. Rep. John W. Olver, D-Amherst, for a seat in the U.S. Congress. Six candidates jumped in the race to succeed Swift: one independent, two Republicans and three Democrats. Among them was Ed Reilly, the sitting Democratic mayor of Pittsfield and the favorite of many in the political establishment. However, that did not deter the then 31-year-old Nuciforo - a member of a family long active in Berkshire County politics - from leaving his job at a Boston law firm to run for the senate seat. "It was a race where all the inside players were not with us," Nuciforo said in an interview at the Gazette last month. "The sheriff, the state rep, the city council president, everybody who was anybody was not with us. I remember people crossing the street when they saw me coming. And we worked real hard and we won that primary." Reilly eventually withdrew from the primary race, citing a bad back and the need to care for his elderly relatives, according to reports in the Berkshire Eagle at the time. Nuciforo went on to win the general election that year and represented Berkshire County in the state senate for the following decade. In 2007, he resigned from his seat to run for Berkshire Middle District Register of Deeds. He won that race and still holds the position today. Now running for Congress Yet it is that first 1996 race that is perhaps most important in understanding Nuciforo today. Now 46, the Pittsfield native is crisscrossing western and central Massachusetts to lay the groundwork for a 2012 congressional bid. And much like the 1996 contest, the region's political establishment is lining up behind his likely opponent, Olver, the 11-term Democratic congressman from Amherst who announced in December his intention to seek reelection in 2012. "I am supporting John Olver," said state Sen. Stanley Rosenberg, D-Amherst. "He said he is running and I am supporting him." Asked to describe Nuciforo to area residents who may not be familiar with him, Rosenberg said, "He's energetic and ambitious." State Sen. Benjamin Downing, D-Pittsfield, now occupies the seat on Beacon Hill that Nuciforo once held. And like Nuciforo, he admits to holding Congressional ambitions. But Downing, a former Olver staffer, is adamant that he will not consider such a bid until his former boss announces his retirement. "So long as John Olver is running for re-election I will support him," Downing said. "If he decided he didn't want to run, I'd take a look at it." Downing argued that Olver's 20 years in Congress make him an effective advocate for the 107 western and central Massachusetts communities now in the 1st District, saying "the experience and seniority that he has accumulated should not easily be dismissed." Olver is a member of the Appropriations Committee and the ranking minority member on its Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee. Nuciforo is not discouraged, saying, "We'll take our support from wherever we can find it ... What we are going to do for the next year is build an organization, raise money and meet voters." As of Dec. 31, he had raised $130,000 and had $101,537 in his campaign bank account, according to the Federal Elections Commission. Points to Obama, Patrick Nuciforo also pointed to the examples of Barack Obama and Deval Patrick, arguing that each represented an example of candidates who won office despite not being the initial choice of the Democratic Party's establishment. "These races have a certain commonality where you have a favorite inside candidate and then you have someone running from the outside," Nuciforo said. "The Barack Obama example is a perfect one, if you take a look at who is primary opponent was, Hillary Clinton. "You can take Deval Patrick who had the sitting attorney general (Thomas Reilly) who had run successfully statewide in the previous election cycle," he added. "... You see these races happening all over the country and what you find is that voters want voice." Nuciforo won't discuss Olver or the possibility of running against him, noting that redistricting, in which the state Legislature will reconfigure the congressional boundaries, has yet to start. Because Massachusetts will lose one of its 10 congressional seats, that could radically alter the shape of each district. The 1st Congressional District now includes all of Berkshire and Franklin counties and parts of Hampden, Hampshire, Middlesex and Worcester counties. "There are two big events that have to occur here - first we have to understand what the district is and number two we have to know who the candidates are yet," Nuciforo said when asked about Olver. "It's very premature to say what the race is going to look like." Sitting congressman Still, Nuciforo would likely have to defeat a sitting Democratic congressman if he is to win the seat. The other obvious candidate to represent all or part of western Massachusetts is U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, who also has announced his plan to seek re-election. The 2nd Congressional District, which Neal represents, currently includes parts of Hampshire and Hampden counties. When pressed on why he would run against a sitting member of Congress from his own party, Nuciforo responded, "I certainly am not going to contrast myself or compare myself to any other candidates ... Certainly at this stage when we don't know what the district looks like much less who the other candidates are, I am not going to go down the road of criticizing or comparing other candidates." Olver, 74, is equally reluctant to discuss a possible challenge by Nuciforo. "We don't own this district, we rent it," the Amherst congressman said in a recent interview at the Gazette. "Andy is someone who wants to run for Congress." What Nuciforo does talk about is how the changes he's seen in Pittsfield since he grew up there in the 1960s and 1970s has motivated him to run for Congress. "I am running to protect and stick up for middle- and working-class people in western Massachusetts," Nuciforo said. Nuciforo describes the Pittsfield of his youth as a "working-class" town, where most people were employed at General Electric or in manufacturing. The loss of manufacturing jobs in recent years has takena heavy toll on the city's economy, he said. "Think what Pittsfield looked like in the 1950s, '60s, '70s and '80s, even into the '90s, and you look at the impact this economy has had on small cities and towns today. It's been brutal," Nuciforo said. "For middle-class families living in places like Westfield, Pittsfield, Holyoke, Fitchburg, these trends have been devastating," he added. "I see it with my own eyes and in my own family." One of five children, Nuciforo graduated from Taconic High School in Pittsfield in 1982 and the University of Massachusetts in Amherst where he received a bachelor's degree in English in 1986. He has a law degree from Boston University and a master of business administration from New York University. In the state Senate, Nuciforo served as chair of the Joint Committee on Financial Services and Joint Committee on Banks and Banking. He also served as a member of the Senate Ways and Means Committee. Political family Nuciforo comes from a long line of Berkshire County politicians. His father Andrea Nuciforo Sr. served as a state senator there between 1964 and 1973 before being appointed First Justice of the Berkshire Probate and Family Court by former Gov. Francis Sargent. His uncle Thomas C. Wojtkowski was a state representative from Pittsfield for 18 years, and his aunt Anne E. Wojtkowski served as mayor of Pittsfield between 1988 and 1992. Nuciforo's plan to run for Congress does not come as a surprise to many who know him. Matt Barron, a Democratic political consultant and former Olver staffer, said it has long been known that Nuciforo wanted to run for higher office. Barron, who lives in Chesterfield, recalled how the pair used to attend ribbon-cutting ceremonies together when Nuciforo was a state senator. Olver would joke with the young legislator, Barron said, by taking Nuciforo's hand and placing it on his wrist, as if Nuciforo was taking Olver's pulse. "In those days John would laugh and Andy's face would turn beet red," Barron said. Ben Storrow can be reached at bstorrow@gazettenet.com. ---------- "Berkshire County Officials Stress Maintenance of Congressional Lines at Redistricting Hearing" publicbroadcasting.net/wamc - Patrick Donges (2011-06-14) PITTSFIELD, MA (WAMC) - More than 80,000; that's how many more residents officials say must be added to the state's first congressional district to maintain its current borders. It is already the largest district in the state containing all of Berkshire and Franklin counties and parts of Hampden, Hampshire, Middlesex, and Worcester counties. That number was stated Saturday during a hearing in Pittsfield held by the Massachusetts Special Joint Committee on Redistricting, the eighth of 13 hearings being held across the state by the panel of state legislators charged with re-drawing the district lines in advance of the November 2012 elections. Based on population figures taken from the 2010 census, Massachusetts is slated to lose one of its ten congressional districts in this year's process. From 2000 to 2010, Berkshire County lost nearly 3 percent of its population, from almost 135,000 residents to just more than 131,200. State Senator Stanley Rosenberg, senate co-chair of the redistricting committee, broke down the number of residents that would need to be drawn into in the state's three most western congressional districts to maintain their current boundaries. "On the first congressional district we have to pick up 82,558, the second congressional district is 66,469, and the third is 62,595." Those figures have stoked strong speculation of consolidation of the state's first and second districts, a move which would force a primary battle between first district Representative John Olver, the eldest member of the delegation, and second district Representative Richard Neal, who has held that seat since 1989. Olver was the first to speak at Saturday's hearing; his remarks set the stage for most of the testimony that followed. "The first congressional district encompasses 107 of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts. It has a substantially rural character." "With a multitude of these small towns, they have shared interests which come from their relatively rural nature. I urge you to reject any plan that might come before you that would split Berkshire County in any way whatsoever." Berkshire Middle District Register of Deeds Andrea Nuciforo, who has announced he will challenge Olver in a Democratic primary next year, agreed that the county should remain whole. "It's very important that Berkshire County not be split. I think that would be dreadful. All of Berkshire County together are, as a whole, one community of common interest." Nuciforo also cited maps drawn by FairDistrictsMass.org, a non-profit proposing a consolidation of the first and second districts. "One of the proponents of this thing said, there is frankly no reason to keep two seats headquartered in Western Massachusetts.' That is incorrect." "There are many, many billions of dollars that are allocated by the federal government every year that go to small towns and small cities. The small towns and small cities, including my hometown of Pittsfield, deserve and need a congressman that will be speaking exclusively for them." Nuciforo said he believed the committee could maintain the rural nature of the first district by adding Northampton, Hadley, South Hadley and other communities in Middlesex and Worcester counties. Jack Robinson, CEO of FairDistrictsMass.org, agrees that the consolidation would be "unfortunate" for Berkshire County residents, however "It's really unavoidable given the math. The western part of the state has lost population. It's really just an unfortunate consequence that (we) go back to kind of what the maps were in the late 1800's and early 1900's." As for Nuciforo's suggested changes, again Robinson said they don't add up. "We looked at that; looking at Northampton, Holyoke, West Springfield, even Longmeadow, some of the larger communities out west. You just can't get enough of them to get to the additional people that you need to create a legal district." ---------- "District lines looking shaky" By Ned Oliver, Berkshire Eagle Staff, July 24, 2011 As the work of redrawing Massachusetts’ federal and state legislative districts begins, county leaders say it’s still unlikely that Berkshire County will escape the process unscathed. The redistricting committee recently wrapped up a series of 13 public hearings held in communities throughout Massachusetts, including one in Pittsfield last month. State Sen. Stanley Rosenberg, D-Amherst, the co-chairman of the committee, said he heard essentially the same thing from residents across the state: Don’t touch my district. "Very few people pointed fingers, but the few times fingers were pointed, they were pointed west," said Rosenberg. "They argue that there’s been a consistent loss in population in Western Massachusetts, you should reduce the number of seats there." Rosenberg said the committee’s staff is completing its analysis of census data. Soon, he said, committee leaders will begin the process of drawing maps. The state’s legislative districts are redrawn every 10 years to reflect population changes recorded in the decennial census. Berkshire County’s population shrank from 135,000 residents in 2000 to 131,000 in 2010, while populations grew in eastern parts of the state. And because of sluggish population growth across the commonwealth, Massachusetts is being forced to merge 10 congressional districts into nine. According to area politicians, the Berkshires is facing the loss of one state representative, while Western Massachusetts as a whole stands to have its two congressional district merged into one. At the very least, state Sen. Benjamin B. Downing’s district, already the geographically largest in the state, will be getting even bigger. The Pittsfield Democrat said he’ll have to add another 12,000 constituents to his district by picking up between three and five communities to the east. Likewise, if one of the county’s four seats in the state House of Representatives isn’t eliminated, those districts will also have to grow by adding more out-of-county communities. Downing said he’s less concerned about his district growing than he is about the prospect of losing a congressional representative. "Obviously we know these districts have to change and it’s up to the committee to figure out the best way to do that, but I think that when you have five members of Congress from the state’s 10-member delegation living within 15 minutes of Boston, that part of the state wouldn’t suffer from a lack of voice the way we would if we went from two representatives to one," said Downing. Rosenberg said special-interest groups in Boston have been pushing plans that call for Western Massachusetts’ 1st and 2nd Congressional districts to be combined. Among those groups is Fair Districts Mass, which contends that because the West’s population is shrinking and the East’s is growing, it’s only fair to redraw congressional districts accordingly. State Rep. William "Smitty" Pignatelli, D-Lenox, is worried that concerns about the western half of the state’s congressional representation may be overshadowing what he described as a very real threat to the Berkshire’s representation in the state House of Representatives. Pignatelli said it’s already a challenge for the county’s four-member delegation in the House to advocate for the region in a body that totals 160 members. "It’s still not too late for the public to weigh in, and I think people should," he said. Rosenberg said he hopes to have a preliminary plan before the entire redistricting committee by Thanksgiving. ---------- "Olver's exit averts intraparty fight" By ALEX ISENSTADT - POLITICO - 10/26/2011 Massachusetts Rep. John Olver has announced that he won’t seek reelection in 2012 – a decision that saves Democrats from an ugly post-redistricting fight that would eliminate one of their members. With the state losing one of its 10 seats – all held by Democrats – Olver, whose congressional career spanned more than two decades, faced the prospect of being forced into the same district as his western Massachusetts colleague, Democratic Rep. Richard Neal. His announcement came just weeks before state lawmakers are expected to release a draft congressional map. With Olver’s retirement, line-drawers will have the easy choice of erasing his seat and creating one western Massachusetts seat. Olver’s decision will come as a relief to other members as well: Line-drawers also had the option of combining the neighboring districts held by Democratic Reps. Stephen Lynch and Bill Keating, on the eastern side of the state. In his retirement statement, Olver alluded to his wife’s cancer diagnosis, which was recently made public, as a key factor in his decision to forego another race. “Last December, I announced that I intended to seek to continue my congressional service beyond 2012. Over the past six months, circumstances within my family have substantially changed, and I now find I must reconsider my earlier decision,” he said. “Therefore, I will retire from the House of Representatives at the conclusion of the current (112th) Congress.” Democratic officials had been concerned about a potential Olver-Neal clash, which would pit two of the party’s most senior lawmakers against each other. Olver is a longtime member of the House Appropriations Committee; Neal is a senior member on the tax-writing Ways & Means Committee. Eliminating a seat from the state’s western region was an easy option for state lawmakers because its population has dropped at a faster rate than other parts of the state over the last decade. Olver’s sprawling district is regarded as oversized –a reality he acknowledged to in his statement. “Since 1991, I have had the privilege and great honor of representing the people of the First District of Massachusetts in the U.S. House of Representatives,” he said. “The district has grown much larger from the district as it was in 1991, and these twenty years have been tumultuous years for America.” Neal’s path to reelection is not entirely clear. Democrat Andrea Nuciforo, a former state senator, has said he will run for a western Massachusetts-based seat no matter who is on the ballot. ----------

February 24, 2023

In the early-1990s, my brother and I were both students at Pittsfield High School and we walked all around Pittsfield passing out campaign materials supporting John Olver for U.S. Congress. My brother texted me today after we learned the news today of Olver's very recent passing away at 86 years old yesterday on 23-February-2023. My brother reminded me of that time in our then-teenage lives growing up in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. When my dad, Bob, had his inauguration in early-1997 as an elected Berkshire County Commissioner, Congressman John W. Olver gave the keynote address in the chamber of the Pittsfield Superior Court a little over 26 years ago now. My dad, who is now 78 years old, said to me tonight that he always thought that John Olver was an honorable man. I said to my mom, who is now 76 years old, and my dad tonight that John Olver must have been an honorable man because "Luciforo" notoriously wanted him to die for the past 20 years now. My mom said that is because Nuciforo is a bad man. I said to my mom and dad tonight that it was in the newspapers for years that Congressman John Olver used to put "Luciforo's" hand on his wrist and sarcastically tell Nuciforo that he was still alive. My mom said that is because John Olver knew that Nuciforo wanted him to die so that Nuciforo could run for his elected position as a U.S. House of Representative from Western Massachusetts. Of course, even when Nuciforo served as an alleged-illegal double dipper Pittsfield State Senator from 1997 - 2006, while he also at the same time worked as a Corporate Attorney for Boston's big banks and insurance companies from 1999 - 2006, Nuciforo never lived in Western Massachusetts because he has always lived and worked in Boston. Nuciforo had no business being a Pittsfield State Senator back then. Nuciforo had no business running for U.S. Congress from Western Massachusetts in 2012. Congressman John Olver retired from politics in 2012 after he lost his Congressional District to redistricting in the 2012 midterm elections. Nuciforo lost by 40 percentage points to PAC Man Richie Neal in the 2012 primary, and Olver, along with the Dirty Bird (Berkshire Eagle), endorsed Congressman Richard Neal back then. "Luciforo" went on to build his Pot Kingdom on Dalton Avenue in Pittsfield since March 2017, and he would later open a marijuana dispensary in East Boston. In closing, my thoughts about the late Congressman John W. Olver's life is that he was, indeed, an example of an honorable man, which is evidenced by "Luciforo's" disregard for him and anyone else who "Luciforo" wanted to hurt for Nuciforo's own political, business and personal gain. Rot in Hell, "Luciforo"! Rest in Peace, Congressman John W. Olver.

Jonathan A. Melle

----------