>>Valley Patriot>>
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Planning
for Our Future
Michael R. Sweeney, Lawrence
Planning Director
 During
the month of December we learned that two of our most
valued and trusted colleagues would be leaving the City
of Lawrence. Caroline Ganley and John Griffin have made
decisions to pursue their career aspirations elsewhere.
Too often the work of fine people goes overlooked or
unnoticed. If anything the general public mostly hears
about the bad or the spin placed by others to make people
look bad. I wanted to make sure I publicly acknowledged
both Ms. Ganley and Mr. Griffin.
Caroline Ganley worked under difficult circum-stances to
make Lawrence a better place. She brought a passion to
her job and truly cared about the people who live and
work in Lawrence. She had a keen understanding about how
the lives of people were effected by basic health,
sanitation and environmental issues; on a daily basis her
focus was to ensure that peoples lives were improved or
at the very least not made worse by the action or
inaction of her department.
Working in Lawrence is like working in the Wild West, few
appreciate when someone attempts to bring code
enforcement and decency to town. With few resources and
with people in City Hall often purposely undermining her,
Ms. Ganley reminded the professional and tried to move
the City forward in key areas.
One of the many areas of her responsibilities was the
Board of Health and helping the City in emergency
planning. I remember at the height of the flood, Ms.
Ganley moved forward and spent the next six weeks making
sure that she and her staff saw to the real issues of the
day - ensuring building and walls were structurally
sound, checking rooms and basements for mold, helping
people deal with their losses and advising Mayor Sullivan
and his team on next steps.
She was a team member. She is an educated and
professional woman whose expertise and grace is going to
be sorely missed.
John Griffin is another professional who is moving
forward. Even this past Friday, Mr. Griffin was
repeatedly on the phone with representatives from the
Department of Revenue, working through last minute
questions and suggestions that DOR had concerning the
City of Lawrence and our attempts to set a tax rate and
get the bills out on time.
Mr. Griffin got caught in the perfect storm of political
opportunism and the politics of personal hatred. Despite
an almost daily bombardment of questionable behavior and
outright harassment, Mr. Griffin stayed engaged on his
duties and worked with Mayor Sullivan and his staff to
accomplish something few have done, get the tax bills out
before the end of the year. Mr. Griffin was respected by
DOR, his staff, and other professionals in his field.
John and Caroline should be acknowledged for their
personal and professional integrity as well as their
commitment to the City of Lawrence. Finding professionals
who will match their dedication and honesty is going to
be difficult. John and Caroline - thank you.
Michael Sweeney is the planning director
for the city of Lawrence, a former member of the Lawrence
City Council and School Committee. You can e-mail
Mr. Sweeney at Esqsweeney @aol.com.
*Send your questions
comments to ValleyPatriot@aol.com
The January 2007 Edition
of the Valley Patriot
The Valley Patriot is a Monthly
Publication.
All Contents (C) 2007, Valley Patriot, Inc.
We publish 10,000 newspapers and distribute in Andover,
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Beach, and Lowell.
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