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| By Erin O'Connor Staff Writer WEST SPRINGFIELD Anthony Cignoli, president, A.L. Cignoli Company, a public relations firm founded in Springfield 15 years ago, was the Keynote Speaker at the Women's Partnership professional development meeting Nov. 15 at the Best Western Sovereign Hotel & Conference Center Cignoli, a well-known political commentator, conducted an analysis of the state-wide elections on Nov. 7. Cignoli has worked on many political campaigns that include Peruvian presidencies, the Italian Prime Minister and was recently working on the governor races in Iowa and Florida. "I saw Deval [Patrick] do more in one day as governor-elect than the governor in his term," Cignoli said to the crowd. "It is an interesting time. There is a lot of good news and some bad news." Cignoli said it is the first time in six years that there are less women in the legislature. "It is real bad news if you are a Republican," he said. "There are less Republicans in the House and the Senate then there has been since 1867." About the governer-elect "What is unique about Deval Patrick is that what you are seeing right now is recognition that Massachusetts is not doing so good," Cignoli said. Cignoli said to the audience that Patrick needs more officials that are from the other side of Worcester to serve on committees or commissions under the governor. Cignoli said that there are many positions that are wide-open and Patrick is currently accepting resumes. "It comes down to being bold," Cignoli said. "Not since 1990 has a governor launched an initiative bringing in Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM)." AIM is the largest nonprofit, nonpartisan association of Massachusetts employers. "There is a lot of watching right now as to how Deval who has never served before is going to make it work," Cignoli said. "Right now every member of the Massachusetts delegate will be calling themselves Mr. Chairman. They are joining lots of subcommittees." The Campaigns "[While] campaigning [Lt. Gov. Kerry] Healey picked the wrong tax, rolling back income tax," Cignoli said. "So much was spent on issues and attack ads that the campaigning did not match the campaign with the last four years." He said that Patrick campaigned on doing something about property tax. "There is a huge effort to look at property tax throughout Massachusetts," Cignoli said. Cignoli commented that the negative campaigning came in large parts because campaign managers did not know how to reach bloggers or different forms of media like satellite and talk radio. "What is really important, is to find the small papers and look to see who is on the cover of these," he said. Who has the "juice" ? Cignoli said that the other side of what he does is, "look to see who has the juice, who is going to get things done." Cignoli spoke of Gail Canderas taking the Senate seat; Sandlin the first woman to represent Agawam and Southwick and Martha Coakley as the Attorney General -elect. "These women know that time goes quickly and that two years goes fast." Cignoli said there may be talk of State Senator Theresa Murray being supported by Canderas for the state senate presidency. The Big Issue Cignoli said the big issue in Boston would be making the health care insurance work. Cignoli said competitive rates for auto insurance is always a full-time employment bill for lobbyists, but that nothing will be seen right away because it is not currently the big issue. The Votes Cignoli said that voter turnout in Springfield for African American voters increased by 4%, white community stayed the same and the Latino community dropped by 30 points. "I don't know what happened," he said. "There was never a year where you were more engaged. Patrick was phenomenal in reminding people where and how to register and vote. There is a strange complacency in Springfield." Cignoli said that over the next year the Asian community is expected to increase with over 5,000 in new voters. "There will be increase in registered voters particularly in the Vietnamese population," he said. "Cignoli is a frequent commentator and political analyst on local radio and television news programs in western Massachusetts as well as on New England Cable News, CNN and CSNBC. He lectures regularly at several New England colleges as well as at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. Formed in 1953, the WP is an affiliate of the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield, Inc., (ACCGS) with a long history of service to business, the community, and fellow women members. |