Coffey, Dennis 03.09 - University of Massachusetts Lowell Libraries

Washington, and I was doing the stuff up here locally. And but you know, the thing, one
of the things I remember about Paul Tsongas, once he got into the Senate we were very
active. My wife and I were both very active in the Senate campaign. And that was when
we really got to know Nicki, and even got a little closer to him, and so forth. And he had
a little reception over his house one Sunday afternoon. And you know, my daughter was
just a little tyke at the time. And she had long curly hair. So I was holding her and you
know, we were talking to Paul. And Marty Fleming was with us, Brendan’s son, and
Marty’s always trying to impress you know. So he’s trying to talk you know, economic
politics with Paul. Paul meanwhile was twirling Sarah’s curls, you know, and just
watching her and you know, laughing with her, totally ignoring Marty. [Laughs]
A: Yah, wrong timing right?
D: Yah. “That’s very nice Marty, yah.” Just enthralled with her curls you know, and
you know, that’s one of the nice warm memories we have of Paul, was that he you know,
he really was, he was a very, very nice guy. Like you said earlier, and like my very first
experience with him, he could be very direct, you know. He didn’t mind telling you
you’re a fool if he thought you were a fool. And but you know, he really was a very
decent person. Worked very hard, and, and like I said before, was able to bring people
into the camp rather than push them away. And that was the key.
A: Let me ask you about some other CDA people. Bill Kiely?
D: Yah, Billy Kiely, former newspaper reporter, was a pain in the neck to the old LRA.
So they hired him. You know he wrote nasty articles about him, so they said, “Well let’s
hire him and he won’t write about us anymore.” [Laughs]
A: Really? Yah?
D: That was the story I was told.
A: Good newsman?
D: Yah. I guess so. Yah. I like Bill personally. He was pretty sharp; very bright.
Apparently he had some troubles at home, a difficult marriage. And I thinkit was health
issues with his wife, or something or other. And but yet you know, really, he worked
hard. A lot of people criticized him, said he didn’t know what he was doing, and stuff
like that, but Jim Sullivan didn’t like what he, didn’t like the CDA anyway.
A: Jim didn’t like the CDA?
D: At the time I think. And Kiely was in trouble with the board. Bill Kiely was in
trouble with the board. And Jim brought him over into the city manager’s office and
made him a special assistant to projects as I remember. (A: Yah) Everyone thought it
was done so that he would fall flat on his face, he’d get fired, and that would be the end
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