Author: Ryan Gilday

Reckoning With Data “The Industrial Revolution and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race…[T]hey have destabilized society, have made life unfulfilling, have subjected human beings to indignities, have led to widespread psychological suffering…and have inflicted severe damage on the natural world. The continued development of technology will worsen the situation.“ – Industrial…

[I didn’t have time to do anything about the last meeting of the year on Wednesday morning. The meeting was kind of a dud – but it was the last meeting for Councilors Belanger, Jenness, and Yem. Each served the council and the city well, and I thank them for their service. That said, I wanted…

LINC’s Awakening Good morning, fanatics. A spell of lackluster meetings was finally broken last night as UMass Chancellor Julie Chen was present to provide an Informational Report on the LINC Project. If you are unfamiliar, LINC stands for the “Lowell Innovation Network Corridor.” LINC promises “collaborations with industry, government agencies and nonprofit organizations” in the…

TNA Some visionary once attempted to meld the world of the Lowell City Council with the world of professional wrestling. As is often the case, life imitates art and the two worlds collided at last night’s meeting. Ross Forman of TNA Wrestling was on-hand with Ash By Elegance (I don’t understand the name either), the…

Last night we were treated to a preliminary election in Districts 3, 7 and 8 as well as the first council meeting in what feels like forever. These events provided evidence that both the electorate and some councilors don’t care for what they’ve been served lately. Let’s take a peek. A Good Night for New…

1. Big Picture: What’s Been Raised and Spent: Total Raised & Spent (since 1/1/25): 2. The Numbers Can Be Decieving: For example, it sure looks like Francisco Maldonado is lapping the competition in terms of money raised. However, as has already been noted by both Dick Howe and Gerry Nutter, $20K of his $30K came…

Name something perfectly legal, but feels illegal… I’ll go first: pulling your car over, walking up to a stranger’s lawn, getting on a knee, and taking a photo of their lawn sign. If you missed Volume 1, you can go back and check it out here. DISTRICT 4 Wayne Jenness – Incumbent Soothing. This is…

Do you know of Shepard Fairey? You definitely know his work. He’s the Obama “Hope” and “Obey/Giant” guy. He’s got some interesting ideas about art, advertisements, propaganda, etc. The gist is that we should be mindful of and question the messaging we are constantly bombarded with.. This media is usually displayed – without our consent…

Dear Lord, We Need Some Housing Last night’s meeting delivered the all too rare philosophical-type of government puzzle that interests me much more than budgets and potholes. Specifically, at what level should “government be happening?” I don’t know, Davey…let’s think this through. If you held a gun to my head and made me pick my…

“Someone Failed Us” There was a minute but notable volley from some recent School Building Committee (SBC) Meetings that caught my attention. In December of 2024, John Leahy, a former councilor and current Deputy Facilities Manager for our school department, inquired as to the low quality of paint used on the project. If you are…