The Hill: Meehan to take job as university chancellor

[Adlai Stevenson]

By Jeremy Jacobs
March 13, 2007

Rep. Marty Meehan (D-Mass.) will resign from his seat and become chancellor of the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, according to a local news report.

WBZ-TV in Lowell said University of Massachusetts President Jack Wilson tendered the position to Meehan this morning and that the lawmaker has accepted the offer.

Meehan will resign from his seat in the House of Representatives sometime in the next several months, according to WBZ-TV, but won’t leave his seat until July 1. When he does resign, Gov. Deval Patrick (D) will set the date for a special election to replace him. By Massachusetts law, the special election must take place within 120 days of Meehan’s resignation.

The lawmaker had long been believed to be interested in running for the Senate and had amassed a considerable war chest for such a campaign if a seat became open. However, when Sen. John Kerry (D) announced earlier this year that he would seek another term in the Senate, that door closed for Meehan. Observers speculate it was at that time that he considered other options more seriously.

Meehan’s office would not confirm that he has accepted the position but noted that there will be a statement on the issue later in the day.

The lawmaker earned his bachelor’s degree from the Lowell campus and later went on to garner a master’s and a law degree from Suffolk University in Boston.

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/meehan-to-take-job-as-university-chancellor-2007-03-13.html

[JSojourner]

Strategically, this is not a problem because another Democrat will replace Meehan and will likely have the job for life -- barring scandal or a primary loss.

But I like Marty Meehan and I really think he's done a ton of good while in Congress.  I am sorry to lose him.  I wish him well in his new role.

[RBH]

Yay!

Marty Me-me-me-han isn't just someone who sat on his pile of campaign money last year, he's someone who blatantly broke his term limits promise and then tried to cover it up.

Adios Marty!

Kerry won Meehan's district by a 57/41 margin.

(Kerry's 2004 showing in MA isn't too impressive when you compare it to Gore's showing. Gore won 60-33 and Kerry won 62-37. Nader got 6% in 2000, and apparently Gore voters were switching to Bush, or they just didn't show up)

[Verily]

Yay, Meehan won't be running for Kerry's seat! Should be an easy Democratic hold in a special election; the Republicans AFAIK don't have any state-level offices (and very possibly no town-level offices) in the district.

[they don't love you like i love you]

Yay, Meehan won't be running for Kerry's seat!

He would've been crushed by Kerry anyway.

I'm happy since I'm no Meehan fan. I know someone who used to live in this district, used to be one of my best online friends. She lived in a town that voted for Bush interestingly enough, because it was super-affluent. As a result she hated money and wanted to be poor. She also turned from an atheist to a liberal evangelical after she left high school. Interesting girl.

Republicans no doubt hold some town level offices in this district as there are a few towns that voted for Bush like the one I mentioned, but I doubt anyone is strong enough to take the seat.

[Rococo4]

I imagine he was indeed hanging on to run for Kerry's seat and he finally just gave up waiting to become a Senator.

[Mr.Phips]

Democrats probably have a better chance of capturing GA-10 than Republicans do MA-05.