Philip Gould wins Special Election for Lincoln Town Administrator

 

Independent candidate for Town Administrator Philip Gould was (unofficially) elected to succeed T. Joseph Almond as Lincoln’s next Town Administrator on September 7th. Gould placed first in a six way race for the seat with 63% of the vote. Gould defeated Republican State Senator Thomas Paolino, former State Representative and Democratic candidate John Barr II, and three other Independent candidates: former Lincoln School Committee member John Picozzi, John J. Cullen, and James Spooner. There are still some mail ballots to be counted; the results of the election will be certified next week. 4,280 voters turned out to cast their ballots in the special election, or 23.5% of registered voters in Lincoln.

The Supreme Court is considering whether Donald Trump is immune from criminal prosecution for acts he took in office. The case before them Thursday centered around Trump's federal election interference charges. Trump's attorney argued prosecuting a president for official acts "incompatible" with Constitution. The special counsel attorney argued the Constitution does not grant a president absolute immunity.       The Biden administration is telling House Speaker Mike Johnson it's up to state governors to decide if the National Guard is needed to subdue pro-Palestine protests on college campuses. Johnson called on President Biden to call in the National Guard after visiting Columbia University on Wednesday. The Speaker said "there is an appropriate time for the National Guard" if the protests aren't contained quickly.       Ron DeSantis is warning Florida college students not to illegally protest on campus. The governor's remarks come as pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses across the nation organize against the Israel-Hamas war and United States funding. DeSantis posted "If you try that at a Florida university, you are going to be expelled."       The University of California is canceling its main commencement ceremony. This comes after on-campus protests have taken place following the school informing the valedictorian she would not be giving her speech. The student had been opposed by pro-Israel groups and the school cited unspecified security concerns when canceling her speech.        The road to the NBA Finals continued on Thursday. The Orlando Magic crushed the Cleveland Cavaliers 121-83 at the Kia Center. In other Eastern Conference action, the Philadelphia 76ers beat the New York Knicks 125-114 at the Wells Fargo Center. Joel Embiid erupted for 50 points to help trim the Knicks' lead in the series to 2-1. The Denver Nuggets defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 112-105 in Hollywood to take a commanding 3-0 series lead.       A diverse group of nearly 300 music artists is asking Congress for concert ticketing reforms. A letter to U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Chair Maria Cantwell and ranking member Ted Cruz says the current ticketing system is "broken" and "predatory resellers" are "siphoning" money from fans and performers. The letter asks the senators to support the "Fans First Act," which would "ban fake tickets and deceptive marketing tactics."