frommycorner

The Governor’s weird visits

Is it my imagination or do you agree with me that Governor Deval Patrick’s attendance to Willie Lantigua and Marcos Devers’ fundraisers was a dud?  What purpose did it serve to tell one “I’m with you!” and then the other, when both are Democrats running for the same position?

Representative Lantigua may have thought he scored big having the governor putting his name on his invitation but it turned to be a meaningless endorsement.  Yes, there is disagreement as to whether or not it was an endorsement; judge for yourself:

“In 14 months in the job (sometimes seems longer) in that time, he has added 20,000 new jobs last year, contributed with more money to public education, public safety, housing, transportation and substance abuse, in many cases, more than ever in history.  Every one of these important legislation initiatives, every one of them has been the result of partnerships.  We need that partnership and we need you to support that partnership, and that is why I’m here to present you my partner, William Lantigua.”

He is asking the attendees to support his partner so they can continue working together.  If that’s not an endorsement, I don’t know what is!  I wonder if he called Devers “partner,” too.

Closing City Clerk’s office at lunchtime

Last week I wrote about the Lawrence City Clerk’s office closing for lunch every day due to the recent lay offs and it produced a 20-minute heated exchange in our radio show, CrossOver.

City Clerk Bill Maloney stated to me that since he lost three employees to the lay offs of December 18th, he has had no choice but close the office for one hour.  Scheduling staggered hours might not always work depending on how many people would be available for work on a given day.

But, his solution didn’t sit right with many who believe that lunchtime is the most convenient time for working adults to run errands, including going to City Hall.

Councilor at-Large Roger Twomey called the show to explain that he had just met with the mayor regarding a similar concern.  When the City Council secretary goes to lunch, the office is closed and the public has no access to services.

Mr. Twomey spoke about the importance of cross training employees to make sure that all departments at city hall are fully operational during normal work hours when a taxpayer needs to access information or services.

How much for a vote? Or votes for sale

Through the years, I have been writing and talking on the radio very negatively about School Committeeman Jorge González and most recently as a City Councilor.

As a member of the School Committee he was nothing but a rubber stamp for Superintendent Laboy and in the City Council he is playing politics in the worst way.  I paid him a compliment last October when I said that he has mayoral conditions by comparing him to Michael Sullivan.  When Mike was on the council, he was the quiet one who did not contribute much to discussions and Jorge is the same way.  When he calls me on the Spanish radio shows he quickly identifies himself as “the Mute.”

Meanwhile, he managed to get his wife a job in the school department, his two daughters are teaching there and now, his son became a police officer.

He no longer cares if a movement is created to remove him from office or if he is never reelected again to anything.  His family is all set!

DPW employees are furious!

“The city has reversed 20 years.”  That reaction has to do with 96 Nextel telephones that went dead a couple Sundays ago.  On Monday morning, there was no way for anyone to communicate unless they used a telephone like… 20 years ago.

Well, this was a cost-cutting measure to save the city $50,000 each year that DPW Director Frank McCann was aware of but did not tell anyone.  It’s all a power trip!

Now, only 18 telephones will be issued to managers, supervisors and water meter readers.  This action will also serve to force the supervisors to stay with their crews while they work instead of being found in restaurants by Rumbo’s camera.  Remember?

City Clerk Office Hours

During the past couple of weeks we received several calls of Lawrencians complaining that the City Clerk’s office is closed at lunch time when it is probably their busiest time, considering that many people would use their own lunch hour to run errands to City Hall.

I called City Clerk Bill Maloney and he explained that during the recent lay offs in Lawrence, his office lost three employees for which they now find it difficult to continue performing at the same level of service. 

Mr. Maloney told me they have opted for closing the office for one hour during their lunch hour instead of staggering the breaks because he might not be able to promise that it would happen on a steady basis.  It depends on whether his staff is all there, if they are not performing some duty that takes them away from the office or out sick.   Those situations would force him to close some days and that will be more of a reason for complain than if he makes it a general practice until the personnel is restored and the public can continue going at the most convenient time for working people.

The Fiscal Oversight Board

Last week I mentioned the Fiscal Oversight Board that Mayor Michael Sullivan has appointed to watch over the finances of the city and I said I was going to find out who the members of this board are in order to bring it to you.  They are: the Executive Director of American Training, Tom Connors; Former Councilor Marie Gosselin; Former Councilor Joseph Parolisi; Mill Owner Chet Sidell; and the president of Corporate Express Norm Jones with his wife.  Sal Lupoli was invited but could not make the meeting.

Mark Andrews gave me the information and I told him of my concern with the names on the list because the community is not represented.  His answer to that was that this is an ad-hoc committee advising him, not the mayor and subject to change from one week to the next or depending on which topic is to be discussed.  That particular board was chosen because they were considering the Tax Classification; when it’s time to deal with other topics, different people will be invited to take part.  Also, people are welcome to call and offer themselves to be on that committee.

He emphasized the fact that “this is not something that Mark Andrews has to do; this is something that I want to do.”  He wants to hear from members of the community from different aspects.  Obviously, he is trying to take the heat away from the mayor but it was Sullivan who made the calls to invite at least some of them.

It was our hope that this citizen board would be vigilant of how taxpayers’ money is spent but, according to Mr. Andrews, is to advise him (or the administration) on how to spend not necessarily how to save.

State of the City – Which one?

Methuen Mayor William Manzi held the State of the City Address on February 7th.  Is Lawrence Mayor ever going to do the same?  Would he hide it online like he did last year?

Well, they are saving here!

Some city employees were shortchanged last week.  They use their personal cars in their line of work and get a stipend to make up for the gas and wear and tear of their vehicles.  They were shocked last week when that was not included because the city must now start saving money.

Well, they chose the wrong way to do things.  First of all because they have a union contract stipulating that compensation.  Also, because it is so blatantly unfair to pretend that they are taking the correct action by affecting the little guys. 

This administration has one heck of a nerve reneging on a fair commitment that was agreed to while so many managers in high positions are receiving huge stipends that are barely justifiable.

Lawrence Oversight Board

As a result of the recent public outrage over the increases in property taxes and water and sewer rates, Mayor Michael J. Sullivan has created an Oversight Board so that residents can rest confident that the city finances will be protected.

I still have to confirm the names of the board members because I cannot believe that the mayor is so detached from reality.  According to what I was told regarding the people who will be serving on that board, it will be more of the same.  If he really wanted change or listen to the interests of the community, he should have appointed people like Modesto Maldonado, Ana Luna or former City Councilor Nunzio Di Marca who contributed so many good ideas.

What am I saying?  Those are adversaries; he needs “Yes-men.”

The Stokes Saga

     Last Friday, on our show “CrossOver” Richard Aybar and I tried to distance ourselves from the Rev. James Stokes dilemma stating that we don’t condone his action and I personally said how much I loath liars.  We had a very lively discussion because callers thought we were defending him.  Not at all; we were examining the case.

     This is a subject that will continue for a long time because it will become a benchmark for justice.  It is not necessarily a question of right or wrong but whose rights were trampled on, whether the lie became the pivot required to get rid of him once he said that if elected to the Lawrence School Committee, he would work to fire Superintendent of Schools Wilfredo Laboy.  If James Stokes had not been that frank, probably no one would have made a big deal over the reference of “Veteran” on the Primary Election ballot.

     Superintendent Laboy didn’t know what else to do to intimidate him into resigning from his seat.  The first thing he did was sending him a letter forbidding admission into any school.  Laboy always forgets that he works for the school committee and he is not who gives the orders.  Also, Stokes is not accused of being a child predator to be excluded from the schools.  Even though Jim knew the superintendent to be wrong, the pressure would be too much and he did the only thing he could and resigned.

     But it doesn’t have to end there.  Laboy may have his Dream Rubberstamp Team again but we all got to know him much better this time.  We know he’ll stop at nothing.

     This issue will continue being discussed because it deserved to be analyzed.  Were the voters tricked into voting for him believing they were voting for a veteran?  I don’t think so.  Rev. James Stokes has been a staple in local politics for years.  People know him and we all heard the rumors as to whether or not he lies about his veteran status, particularly when he was running for City Council against Marie Gosselin.

     He was a key figure at Christmas time, working with the Marines, distributing toys throughout the Merrimack Valley to poor families.  The neighborhood associations can vouch for that.  He worked feverishly for the restoration of the Veterans Memorial Stadium.  His name is engraved in bronze as Secretary of the Stadium Restoration Commission plaque attached to a wall at Lawrence Veterans Memorial Stadium.  Anyone may stop by and look at it.  People were willing to use him when they needed him.

     So, by the time they went to the polls in November, they knew very well who Stokes was.  The Veteran status shown in very tiny letters on the Primary Election back in September had no bearing on their choice.  They were voting also against Gregory Morris.  People were fed up with the way the school department is functioning and wanted to see a change.

     We have a sitting city councilor who is facing charges after an arrest of drunk driving and our own mayor lost his driving privileges for three months for the same reason while he was a city councilor and no one made a comment about it when the potential for having killed someone was there.  Why this uproar now?  It’s all politics!