TOM DUGGAN'S
NOTEBOOK
Pater
Larocque, Lawrence School Committee
“Honoring” poverty
pimps
As a big fan of the Lawrence Exchange
Club I was not surprised at all to see
them put on such an amazing event earlier
this year in honor of police officers,
firefighters and emergency medical
technicians. And with a stand up guy like
Norm Jones at the helm of the Exchange I
am always eager to promote events
sponsored by the Exchange. So it pains me
to be the source of bad publicity for
such a fine organization but the fact is
they stumbled badly last month when they
“honored” Lawrence’s
premier poverty pimp Chet Sidel of
Lawrence Community Works. With all the
people in the Valley who make positive
contributions to the city of Lawrence it
was really disappointing to see people
like Tom Connors of American Training,
Norm Jones of Corporate Express, and Sue
Mitchell of the Community Action Council
overlooked for a man who makes his
fortune on the backs of poor people and
at the expense of the taxpayers. On an
ironic note, Sidel’s partners in
crime Wilbur and Armand Hyatt of Lawrence
Community Works were “honored”
on the same night by the Lawrence Bar
Association. You know I really hate to
quote former Lawrence Mayor Mary Claire
Kennedy but … this is Lawrence what
can you say?
Trib reports Georgetown Water
rates ... four weeks later
Last month in the notebook I told you
about how Georgetown’s water rates
were about to double. And even though we
published the April edition on the 4th,
it wasn’t until the 29th of April
that the Alabama Tribune got around to
telling their readers about the new
rates. Next month I expect a font page
story about the moon landing. Way to go
banjo boys! Great way to stay on the
cutting edge of what we here at he Valley
Patriot call … NEWS.
Speaking of Georgetown - The
Arrogance of Power
School Committeeman Daryl Barta, a member
of the Georgetown 4-H camp directors has
taken to displaying political signs on
the non-profit organization’s
property. Ms. Barta is seeking a position
on the board of selectmen. The Valley
Patriot has been informed that three
signs remain in prominent display at the
camp, despite repeated requests for their
removal. The Massachusetts 4-H council is
now looking into the matter (good luck
with that). Ms. Barta’s husband has
been seen in past days performing grounds
maintenance around the signs, ensuring
their high visibility on the non-profit’s
property. Ms. Barta, an ardent proponent
of tax overrides, had been previously
sited with multiple open meeting
violations for conducting non-posted,
non-documented meetings. All committee
members have since been required to
undergo workshop training on the open
meeting law following their violations.
Now, Ms. Barta has entered yet another
realm of abuse of power.
Tripp v. Gleed ( Round 3)
With North Andover Town Meeting fast
approaching, tempers are beginning to
rise and accusations are being thrown
around over warrant articles,
specifically over the capital improvement
(budget) plan or CIP. The Town Manager’s
CIP budget includes two big ticket items;
a police station and a preschool. Town
manager Mark Rees along with the Board of
Selectmen believe that the operating
budget can support these items without
needing a debt exclusion or prop 2 &
½ override. The school committee,
spearheaded by Chuck Ormsby supports
funding a new preschool within the
budget. Sandy Gleed, president of North
Andover United has recently sent out an
e-mail questioning Selectman Dan Lanen’s
public statements about the funding and
Rees’ failure to correct him “It
is unfortunate that at the latest Board
of Selectmen meeting, Selectman Dan Lanen
inaccurately reported on the Finance
Committee’s recommendations for both
buildings, and the Town Manager neglected
to correct him,” Gleed wrote. Gleed’s
email goes on to discuss why the Finance
Committee voted against funding these
items within the budget and that the
voters at Town Meeting should have a
choice on funding these items such as: no
funding, within the CIP or funding the
items as a debt exclusion. Since
Chuck Ormsby supports Rees’ budget
with respect to the preschool, I assume
that NATA and Ted Tripp do to. So, it
looks like round 3 for Tripp v. Gleed at
town meeting. I have my popcorn ready!
Lawrence Public Schools – Summer
Meals Program Dates of Operation –
June 25th through August 29th
Lawrence Public Schools is participating
in the Summer Food Service Program. Meals
will be provided to all children without
charge. Acceptance and participation
requirements for the program and all
activities are the same for all
regardless of race, color, national
origin, sex, age, or disability, and
there will be no discrimination in the
course of meal service. Meals will be
provided at the sites and times as
follows:
Merrimack River Feline Rescue
Society’s 13th Annual Strut for
Strays to be held on June 8th
The Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society’s
13th annual Strut for Strays three-mile
walk will feature Randy Price as the
honorary chairman, great music by
Sunchunk, food, children games and
activities including face painting and
much more. Leashed dogs are welcome and
water stations will be available along
the walk route. “Strutters”
collecting at least $50 in pledges will
be given a Strut for Strays t-shirt.
Proceeds will benefit homeless cats and
kittens and support MRFRS’s programs
caring for cats and kittens in need in
the community. The event will take place
rain or shine.
When: Sunday, June 8, 2008 - 11 a.m. to 4
p.m. at the Bartlet Mall,
intersection of Pond and High Streets,
Newburyport, MA. For more information,
please call 978-462-0760 or visit www.mrfrs.org.
Classes for Forclosures?
Community “activist” Anna Luna
from Arlington Community Trabajando has
submitted a request for more than $35,000
in Federal money through the City of
Lawrence (CDBG block grant program) to
teach classes on foreclosures. Ah …
another so called “non-profit”
looking to make themselves big salaries
while pretending to be altruistic in
their motives and misleading people to
believe that they work for free. I
certainly hope the City Council is going
to reject this ridiculous waste of money
no matter how cute Anna Luna is. On an
ironic note: Anna Luna’s home is
being foreclosed on May 14th. Discuss
amongst yourselves....
Barbara Walters and
Senator Ed Brooke
A small scandal broke this week as
television icon Barbara Walters admitted
to having an affair with then
Massachusetts State Senator Ed Brooke in
the ’70’s. All gossipers keep
talking about how Walters being with a
black man in the “70’s would
have been a scandal. I say that Walters
being with a Republican should be the
scandal.
lol
Do as I say …
Only a few short months ago Lawrence City
Councilor Grisel Silva was lobbying
behind the scenes for her colleague Nilka
Alvarez Rodriguez to resign from the
council because she misses a lot of
meetings due to health issues. In fact,
two years ago Silva was one of the people
(along with council president Patrick
Blanchette) who were calling on Alvarez
to resign from her District “C”
council seat when they learned that
Alvarez had moved out of her district.
(At the time, Alvarez had a land lord who
would not fix the heat in the winter
time.) Oh what a tangled web we weave! As
of the date we went to print we have been
able to confirm that Grisel Silva is no
longer living in her former home on
Myrtle Court in Lawrence and when she was
asked about where she was living thee
days she admitted she was no longer
living in her district. “I’m a
single woman again and I certainly not
going to resign,” she said. “I
don’t have to.”
She is right of course, the city charter
allows for a councilor to complete the
remainder of a two year term if they move
out of the district while serving. But,
shouldn’t someone who so willingly
(and publicly) throws stones at others at
least have the decency to practice what
she preaches? It will be interesting to
see how she tries to explain this one to
her constituents!
Speaking of Resigning….
According to the Lawrence city charter
(Lawrence’s Constitution, so to
speak) no person can serve on more than
one elected or appointed board in the
city. That is a fact. And you would think
my good friend Lawrence City Councilor
Nick Kolofoles would know that. He’s
the self proclaimed “expert” on
the city charter, bragging at every city
council meeting how he knows the charter
“inside and out.”
But as much as the good natured
councilor quotes the carter, chapter and
verse he never seems to get around to
citing the one that clearly prohibits
anyone from serving on more than one
board. Maybe that’s because
Kolofoles has been quietly sitting on the
Lawrence Cemetery Board for years and is
himself in violation of the charter.
It seems to me that Mr. Kolofoles should
make a decision as to whether or not he
wants to be on the cemetery board or the
city council. After all, the city council
is charged with approving the budget for
the cemetery board and even if the
councilor has never voted on that
particular budget, the charter is clear.
It is a conflict.
Speaking of the Cemetery Board
The Lawrence Cemetery Board could not
agree on a candidate for the job of
Superintendent (there were four
candidates, each getting only one vote)
so the job has been reposted. In the mean
time, Lawrence Mayor Mike Sullivan has
added a temporary member to the (now)
five member board. Lawrence School
employee Kevin McCarthy has been
appointed to the board in an emergency
appointment and will serve until a
permanent appointment can be made.
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All
pictures and material are
(C) copyright, Valley Patriot, Inc., 2008
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