LAWRENCE — Republican gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker received a warm welcome from Democrats at Methuen Mayor William Manzi's St. Patrick's Day roast yesterday.
State Sen. Steven Baddour, D-Methuen, emceed the roast at The Claddagh Pub in Lawrence and introduced Baker as "someone who really can bring hope back to the commonwealth."
The statement was a shot at Gov. Deval Patrick, a Democrat elected with a campaign message of "hope" in 2006.
Although invited, Patrick did not attend yesterday's roast. Independent candidate Tim Cahill was supposed to be there, but he went to New York to appear on Fox News.
"At some point eight months from now, Tim Cahill is going to be calling me governor," Baker said.
Baddour said Patrick is "addicted to taxes." He noted that former Gov. Mitt Romney's book is titled "No Apology," and he said Patrick's book will be called "My Apology."
Baker said he has no plans of scribing a memoir, but, "I sure do want to write the last chapter of Deval Patrick's book."
Manzi is a true-blue Democrat, who sits on the party's state committee, but he said he hasn't endorsed anyone in the gubernatorial race.
"For now that's where it stands," he said during an interview. "On a St. Patrick's Day event, I think in particular there's an open invite. ... Make it less partisan and more fun."
"I get along with everybody. My mom's a Democrat, my dad's a Republican," Baker said during an interview.
The crowd booed when Lawrence Mayor William Lantigua, another Democrat, said he's standing by Patrick.
The jokes:
Lantigua first addressed the crowd in Spanish, causing members of the audience to laugh.
"Did I say something funny?" he asked.
Lantigua, who speaks with a Dominican accent, said he recently listened to Boston Mayor Thomas "Mumbles" Menino speak. "I said, I'm not so bad myself."
Worcester County Sheriff Guy Glodis, who is running for state auditor, made fun of Baddour's and Manzi's intelligence. He said Baddour thought a sex offender "was somebody who was bad in bed."
"Look at Bill Manzi. If he sees a bottle of orange juice, he stares at it because it says concentrate," Glodis said.
Glodis said Cahill was working on a new scratch ticket called "The Spoiler." "If you scratch it, somebody else wins."
Katherine Craven, executive director of the Massachusetts School Building Authority, said she would have to turn down Manzi's "economic development" plan to erect a casino as part of the Methuen High School renovation.
State Rep. Linda Dean Campbell, D-Methuen, said the new Methuen Charter Commission has a special request headed their way. "Five-time city councilor and five-time School Committee member Ken Willette, emeritus, demands that he be able to serve in any Methuen elected office until his toddler twins are married or until (city councilor) Steve Zanni becomes mayor — whichever comes first."
John Molori, who works in information technology for Methuen, noted that the Charter Commission consists of people who have been involved in Methuen government for decades — people like Joseph Pappalardo, Kenneth Bourassa and Robert Vogler.
"I'm sorry, but when the hell did it become 1978 again? Most of these people should be making pre-arrangement plans." He said their budget is for "Geritol, BenGay and Depends."
