Sun editor purchases house from Meehan

WASHINGTON - The editor of the Lowell Sun, which last December published a special section in tribute to Martin T. Meehan under a controversial arrangement between the newspaper and Meehan's staff, has purchased Meehan's house.

Neither Meehan, the former congressman who is now chancellor of the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, nor Jim Campanini, the Sun's editor, returned multiple calls for comment on the Sept. 28 transaction.

It was the latest turn in an increasingly tangled relationship between the newspaper and the Democrat, who has described the Sun's coverage of him as "lousy." The newspaper and Meehan's staff collaborated to sell ads for the special section, with a share of proceeds benefiting a charity named for Meehan.

According to records filed with the Middlesex North County Registry of Deeds, Campanini purchased Meehan's 3,000-square-foot house for $585,000. The price for the stone Colonial-style house was below the $598,400 value assessed by the city of Lowell. The real-estate website Zillow, which uses an algorithm to compare a property to similar ones nearby, estimates its value at $618,895.

The property, which Meehan purchased for $340,000 in 1999 with his wife, Ellen T. Murphy, was not listed in the Multiple Listing Service, according to MLS spokeswoman Melissa Lindberg, suggesting that the property was not made widely available for bid.

Last December, the Sun published a section to celebrate Meehan's 50th birthday, as he "reflects on his life, local roots, and the commitment to public service," Sun publisher Mark O'Neil wrote in a letter to prospective advertisers.

O'Neil's letter also announced that a share of revenues from sales of ads in the section would go to the Marty Meehan Educational Foundation and identified a staff member in Meehan's Lowell office as a contact.

Among the paid tributes was a full-page ad from the Lowell Five Cent Savings bank. "The Lowell Five wishes Congressman Meehan a Happy 50th Birthday!" it read.

Nine months later, according to documents filed with the registry of deeds, the bank issued Campanini a $200,000 mortgage on his new house.

Meehan's $280,000 base salary at UMass-Lowell includes a $30,000 housing allowance.

"It will be interesting to see if he keeps his Belvidere home in Lowell," wrote Campanini in a March column, assessing Meehan's long-term plans. "Here's a prediction: He won't."