Coakley-Rivera Testimony a Coincidence?

In a story found on the Springfield Republican's website, State Representative Cheryl Coakley-Rivera (D-Springfield) painted a 'dismal picture of Racial Equality in Springfield'.

Que political grand standing at it's worst in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...

State Rep. Cheryl A. Coakley-Rivera, D-Springfield, who is of Irish and Puerto Rican descent, testified she believes her Anglo roots have helped her win white votes over the past several elections.

"My mother is from County Cork. I think that's made a difference. ... People have said that to me," the legislator said under questioning from a lawyer for plaintiffs in a ward representation lawsuit against the city.

Civil rights groups and individuals who brought the suit have argued Springfield's at-large voting for City Council and School Committee largely shuts out black and Latino candidates who face fund-raising and networking challenges in a racially splintered city.

Well this is as big a surprise as the sun coming up in the morning. Rivera's always looking for a fight, whether it's punching someone in the face on the house floor, or screaming about Trash Fees, she's never far from the headlines.

It's the end of the story that's the telling part of this.

Coakley-Rivera did not testify publicly about allegations in her sworn statement about Mayor Charles V. Ryan's former chief of staff, Michelle Webber.

Coakley-Rivera submitted an affidavit last month for trial that detailed alleged racist statements made by Webber at City Hall, including calling a man of Muslim descent a "towel head."

Webber denied making the statements, but ultimately resigned after the legislator's allegations became public.

Of course, this little snippet was tossed in the story for good measure and its worth mentioning because, by now, it should strike no one as a mere coincidence.

What's more convenient than anything are the names and identities of the folks who are being left out of this story, the Ryan Staffers who accused Webber of making these statements. I find it beyond a coincidence that these two staffers were former staffers to Cheryl Rivera once upon a time.

Meddle much?

She's clearly attempting to galvanize the minority vote by showing up to testify in this trial just as much like she probably was during the whole Ryan-Weber 'scandal'. This is a third, very clear shot across the bow of the S.S. Charlie Ryan Steamship.

Cheryl Rivera wants to be Mayor, and she's willing to blatantly use the race card to do it.

It's no secret Ryan and Rivera, who've traditionally been pretty formidable allies, aren't on the same page the way they used to be. The coincidences and timing here stink worse than a burning bag of dog poo.

The message is clear: get out of the way.