Brian Lees..... Good Riddance

Recently, outgoing Senate Minority Leader Brian Lees (R-East Longmeadow) has been doing everything he can to bash the state GOP and Governor Mitt Romney. When Republicans have friends like this, who needs enemies?

Recently on Brad & Bo in the Morning, the local morning radio show on WHYN AM radio out of Springfield, Lees went on the warpath, pulling no punches in demonstrating his contempt for the Governor as well as the state party that gave him his leadership post in the Senate and put him in office to begin with.

Senator Lees has, in my opinion, confirmed what many of us already knew. Brian Lees plays for one team: Team Brian Lees. Lees recently decided to take a pay raise and run for the wholley inconsequential office of Hampden County Clerk of Courts in hopes of some day being what Sheriff Michael Ashe is to many Democrats today, a socialite power-broker. Only problem seems to be that Lees apparently forgot that in order to be like Sheriff Ashe, you need to have, you know.... friends.

Lees had what appeared to be, all the political power a person could have in Hampden County. He was a nearly invincible incumbent Senator who had a ton of pull on Beacon Hill, despite heading up a virtually meaningless minority in the State Senate. Even though he took many questionable policy positions, his name was tossed around as a strong potential threat to Congressman Richard Neal of Springfield. Even the Springfield City Mayoral office was considered Lees' if he wanted it. Lees, by either staying put in the Senate, or by seeking higher office, could have potentially not only elevated his political stock, but granted some much needed credibility to the Massachusetts GOP in Hampden County.

Instead, Lees took the roughly $40,000 pay increase that comes with the oh so difficult task of scheduling court dates. Jim Goodhines, a Democrat from Longmeadow and an attorney by trade, ran a well organized and impressive campaign that tossed incumbent Clerk Marie Mazza from office and looked primed to take the win at the polls come November. In the meantime, Lees had decided to step down from his post as Senator and pledged his full support to aid Jack Villimaino (R-East Longmeadow) in his bid to replace him. However once the political landscape wasn't about Brian, he grew restless and decided to steal the show.

Two weeks before the primary, like any good glory hog, Lees tore the rug out from underneath his young aid and Goodhines by announcing his bid to become Clerk of Courts, first needing to secure the Republican nomination via write in ballot in the primaries. This did two things. First, due to the high level of coordination it takes to conduct a write in campaign, Lees took his volunteers away from the Villimaino campaign, which was in dire need of them and therefore trouncing any chance Villimaino had of keeping the seat Republican come November. Even more unfortunate, was all the money Lees had promised to raise Villimaino and didn't. Jack's volunteers were Brian's volunteers and now they were REALLY Brian's volunteers. Jack's money needed to come from Brian and, well, it didn't. Second, it showed that he was far less politically powerful than once thought, which may have been an even bigger blow to the party locally. Lees went on to defeat Goodhines, largely an unknown before the election by roughly a thousand votes, less than 2% of the popular vote. Lees couldn't even come off as a convincing bully.

Not only did Lees virtually hand his seat over to incoming State Senator-elect Gale Candaras (D-Wilbraham), thus further depleting Republican ranks in the Senate, he exposed himself and therefore any hopes of an immediate gain or place of leverage politically within the area for the immediate time being. In order to further pour salt in the needlessly opened wounds, he's now launched a full out assault on Governor Mitt Romney and the entire state GOP.

Lees has proven himself to be not only politically impotent, but a social climber of the worst sort. It's never been about the party. He obviously didn't care much for his staff either. It's not about doing the right thing or being a virtuous public servant. It's about petty popularity and a pay raise. Although it may sting in the short term, it's all for the best in the long term. The state GOP and Western Massachusetts need team players if they are to rebuild themselves and prosper once more. We're much better off without Brian Lees and others who pretend to carry the banner for everyone but themselves. Good riddance.