Tom Duggan's Notebook - February '08, - North Andover Massachusetts

Tom Duggan's Notebook

Only three councilors don’t take city-paid cell phones

Last month we reported that only incoming Lawrence City Councilor Roger Twomey has refused to accept a city-paid cell phone at a time when Lawrence was laying off workers and trying to fill a budget shortfall. “I have never taken the city cell phone,” councilor Nilka Alvarez-Rodriguez reminded me last month. Rodriguez did have a city cell phone but decided a year ago to return it and use her own. “I gave my city cell phone back last summer during National Bight Out,” councilor Jorge Gonzalez also claimed. So for the record; there are now three city councilors who are not costing the taxpayers extra money for a cell phone: Roger Twomey, Nilka Alvarez and Jorge Gonzalez. This also leaves six out of nine councilors with a city cell phone.

On a related note, all nine city councilors have taken the $5,000 raise, meaning that while 40 city workers are still collecting unemployment, the city council has increased their own budget by $45,000 just for their own salaries. I’m still hoping that someone on the city council is going to have the courage to give back the raise so that others will follow and eventually earmark that raise money to bring back at least one or two city workers …. Well, I can dream can’t I?

Haverhill Hiring freeze

Haverhill Mayor Jim Fiorentini has ordered a hiring and spending freeze for the remainder of the fiscal year (until June 30th). Fiorentini said that budget constraints have caused him to order a freeze on all new, nonessential hires. The hiring freeze will leave a number of positions in the city vacant. “We know that we will have a large budget deficit in FY09. We have seen this coming for some time and have been planning for it. We’ve been building up our tax base, making structural changes to health insurance and reorganizing city government,” Fiorentini said in a press release last week. “Even with these long-term structural changes, we know we have a deficit in FY09. It would be foolish to hire people at this point since under our union agreements the last people hired are the first ones let go in a lay-off.” In addition, Fiorentini said that all expenditures of $500 or more must be reviewed and signed by him personally: “We are not going to spend one nickel more that is absolutely necessary.”

Lawrence City Councilors Pat Blanchette, Grisel Silva and Nick Kolofoles were all overheard saying “it’s Mayor Mike Sullivan’s fault.” ;->

City Attorney Charles Boddy Slated for 4% Raise

Lawrence City Councilors complaining about “raises and stipends” being given out to the “Sullivan administration” may want to look in-house at their own city attorney who just put in for a 4% raise on top of the $100,000 salary he already receives. Another guy getting a raise while 40 city workers are collecting unemployment. Let’s see if the city council treats Boddy’s raise the same way they have publicly reacted to “rumors” about Sullivan’s department heads getting a raise or a stipend. Under the city charter the City Attorney works under the authority of the city council. Boddy’s EAF form will be posted on valleypatriot.com by mid month.

ANOTHER EAF, Sweeney Gets Stipend for Managing Parking Garages

Lawrence Planning Director Michael Sweeney has been put in charge of managing city parking lots and garages after years of mismanagement by the Downtown Parking Association and a spate of thefts under the brief management of the DPW. So, for taking on these duties on top of his regular duties as planning director, Sweeney is being paid a stipend of $200 a week. When Sweeney took over the management of the city’s parking last year, the fund was between $40,000 - $80,000 in deficit. As of last month, the parking garages are showing more than $100,000 in profit. Some councilors have floated the bogus story that the city charter mandates all city parking be handled exclusively by the DPW, but our research can find no provision in the Charter stating that requirement.

Silva’s censorship

Lawrence City Councilor Grisel Silva has her own blog (griselsilva.com). On her blog last month she called for a performance evaluation of Personnel Director Frank Bonet (the latest target in her war with the Sullivan administration). But when I posted a comment (under a different name) informing the councilor that she and the council have no authority under the city charter to evaluate the job performance of an executive department head and asked her why she doesn’t concentrate on doing her “own job” instead of trying to micromanage Mayor Sullvan’s ... well, she deleted 2/3 of my posting, censoring the comments she didn’t like. This was very disappointing since I had always thought of Silva as someone who cherished free speech and welcomed opposing points of view. Apparently I was wrong about Silva on that one too. So, if you decide to post anything on griselsilva.com, only post messages that tell her how wonderful she is, apparently praise is all she wants to hear.

Watergate In Lawrence

Last month the Valley Patriot obtained a copy of City Council President Patrick Blanchette Employee Action Form (EAF) and posted it on line. We did this to show the hypocrisy of Blanchette signing up for a $5,000 raise while city workers were being laid off to save money in the budget. Blanchette, who has publicly called for release of Planning Director Mike Sweeney’s EAF form — claiming it was a public document — was so infuriated that we posted his EAF that he demanded an “investigation” into who “leaked” his form. Now, the city attorney’s office is conducting an “official investigation” into how we got Blanchette’s EAF as if this was the Watergate break in. They even called me to see if I would reveal my sources in city hall (which I never do) asking a series of questions to service Blanchette’s witch hunt. So, now that I have answered their questions to the best of my abilities, I have a few for Patrick Blanchette and the City Attorney: At a time when Lawrence is in the red and tightening it’s belt, how much time, money and resources have you wasted on this silly, misguided “investigation”? What important legal cases are not being worked on while the council president’s latest whim is being appeased? What about the multiple workplace and sexual harassment complaints that have gone months without any attention from the city attorney? And ... isn’t this what got the city into trouble in the Jennifer Padellaro case?

Remember, Padellaro was awarded a $610,000 payout of taxpayer money precisely because she complained of sexual harassment to the city attorney who did absolutely nothing because he was too busy doing the council president’s political dirty work. Here’s the best (worst?) part of all this; Blanchette is trying to float the story that his rights were violated because his home address and phone number were on the EAF form that we published. Perhaps the council president hasn’t noticed that he, himself posted his name, picture, address and phone number on channel 22, the government access channel. Blanchette’s home address and phone number are also listed with the city clerk, the election department, and have been published in the Tribune, Rumbo and Siglo 21 as well as being printed on the ballot when he runs for reelection every two years. Not exactly top secret information, no matter how you try to spin it.

Keith Wlodyka elected president of THNA

Lawrence city activist Kieth Wlodyka was elected as president of the Tower Hill Neighborhood Association. Tower Hill resident Dan Clark was elected as the new Vice President, and Ann Clegg has been chosen as the new Treasurer. Clegg will also continue with her duties as the THNA Secretary. Wlodyka says that his goal in the coming year is to grow the THNA membership. If you are interested in joining the Tower Hill Neighborhood Association you can email Keith at towerhillman@hotmail.com

North Andover’s School Budget Fantasy

“The only thing less likely than Ron Paul becoming president of the United States this fall is the town funding the School Committee’s budget request.” That is what School Committee Member Charles Ormsby responded when I asked him if he thought North Andover would have sufficient revenue necessary to afford the school department’s 4.75% budget increase. Apparently the committee was fully aware when it passed its budget that the FINCOM was estimating that the town’s operating budget for next year is likely to be lower than the current year’s budget after accounting for fixed costs. While the current estimate may be slightly pessimistic, the town’s Revenue and Fixed Costs Committee is projecting a whopping 3.5% decline in the available budget. The difference between minus 3.5% percent and plus 4.75% is a whopping 8%+ so, if all the town departments asked for such an increase, it would require finding an extra $4 million on top of a base of approximately $50 million. Even if only the school department increased its budget 4.75% and the other departments were flat funded (0% increase), an extra $3.5 million would still have to be found. Don’t believe me? Ask the Chairman of North Andover’s Finance Committee, Doug Swatski the next time you see him at a meeting. Ask him what he thinks about the prospects of finding the additional $3.5 to $4 million above the Revenue and Fixed Costs Committee total of $50.87M. In fact, if you get the chance to talk to Mr. Swatski ask him how much new debt was proposed by the Town Manager and town boards for our Capital Improvement Plan in FY09 and what impact such new debt service would have on available operating funds over the next few years. When he tells you what I just told you, you should call your elected officials and ask them to wake up and smell the coffee.

Clearly the town needs to align its budget requests with fiscal reality and stop these massive building and renovation projects … especially when the town’s citizens are facing a recession.

Lou Blasi Joins WCAP Team

Lou Blasi has joined WCAP/980AM radio in Lowell and not a moment too soon. As someone who has worked with Lou in the past I want to personally wel-come him to the team and urge all of readers and listeners to catch lou on 980AM. As the new WCAP storms Law-rence, Haverhill, Methuen and the rest of the Merrimack Valley, a man with Lou’s level of professionalism and talent prove once again that ...
..... EVERYBODY GETS IT!