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Tom
Duggan's Notebook
Tom Duggan
(06/05/07)
Tribune
Watch For Sale
While searching the Internet last month, I happened upon
a startling discovery on Ebay - an Eagle-Tribune Pulitzer
Prize watch for sale. As you may remember,
theEagle-Tribune received a Pulitzer for its partially
true story about convicted murderer Willie Horton, who
committed assault and rape while on a weekend furlough
during the Dukakis administration. What was really
interesting was the location of the actual watch.
According to the Ebay posting, the watch was listed as in
“North Andover.” Apparently, someone who works
at the Tribune no longer wants the watch that was given
to employees back in 1988 by the Pulitzer Committee. The
watch was going for $149, but after four or five days on
Ebay nobody had made a single bid on it.
Rahme taking on Billy Manzi
 This one is a
shocker. Methuen at-large City Councilor Kathleen Corey
Rahme has been the top vote getter in the last two City
Council elections and widely considered the heir apparent
to the mayor’s seat when Manzi either leaves or term
limits out. But instead of waiting until there is an
opening in the mayor’s race to ascend to the corner
office, Rahme has decided to take on the titan of first
term incumbent Billy Manzi. Rahme, who has a solid base
of support among veterans, police and parents (three of
the most important voting groups), has proven again that
political savvy and having her finger on the pulse of the
voters are not exactly her biggest strengths.
Of course, Rahme will be a legitimate candidate and could
give Manzi a run for his money if he should fall out of
favor with the voters near the election (or if another
scandal should erupt). But Mayor Manzi has a well-oiled
political machine and is going to out-raise and out-spend
Rahme. Given that 90%+ of all incumbents are reelected
and that Rahme is going to have to give up her council
seat to fight this uphill battle, one has to wonder why
Rahme would take such a bold (some would say politically
foolish) move when she has so much to lose.
One thing for sure, with Rahme and Manzi going head to
head, we can expect a clean, good natured campaign
without the hate and dirty tricks normally associated
with these types of races.
www.EllanBahan.com
This one is too funny not to report, even though I know
I’m gong to get blamed for it. Ellen Bahan, the
political conspiracy nut in Methuen, is now getting a
taste of her own medicine. Bahan, who uses colorful, yet
juvenile, pet names for elected officials she writes
about in her columns, has been lampooned online. The
website: www.ellanbahan.com
is filled with hysterical parodies of Bahan and her
political allies on the Methuen City Council.
Though I had nothing to do with the construction of the
website or the material contained therein, I only wished
I had thought of it first.
5th District Endorsements
In Lawrence, Police Chief John Romero and
“Latino” activist Isabel Melendez have both
endorsed Andover state Rep. Barry Finegold for Congress.
Eight of the nine city councilors in Lawrence are also
supporting Finegold. Former mayoral candidate Marcos
Devers, Pedro Payano and political activist Carlos
Campanas (AKA Charlie Bell) have all endorsed Niki
Tsongas. State Rep. Willie Lantigua is endorsing
Lowell Councilor Eileen Donoghue because, he says, she
announced at his headquarters “in Spanish.” In
Methuen, mayoral candidate and at-large City Councilor
Kathleen Corey Rahme has endorsed Finegold while Mayor
Billy Manzi, state Senator Steve Baddour and Councilor
Debbie Quinn are all supporting Eileen Donoghue. Former
Mayor Sharon Pollard is endorsing Niki Tsongas.
Why I’ll Consider an
Override?
For the last four years I have vehemently opposed the
proposed Proposition 2 1/2 overrides in North Andover for
a number of very good reasons. First, the last four
override attempts were put together by the TUFF group who
inflated numbers, played with budget figures and decried
earth shattering consequences if the override wasn’t
passed. They personally attacked those who opposed the
override as “not caring about the children” and
outright lied about the effect on our school budgets and
the rest of the town. But this year the TUFF group
isn’t sponsoring the override. This year the
override is spearheaded by Sandy Gleed and Dawn
Crescitelli, both of whom worked tirelessly to find money
in the budget without an override before considering
asking the taxpayers for more. What’s more, Gleed
and Crescitelli are not hate mongers like those in the
TUFF group and they have neither provoked the opposition
with wild accusations nor launched personal attacks
against those who are skeptical of the ballot measure.
For these reasons, I am more than willing to keep an open
mind during the next few weeks, if Mrs. Gleed and Mrs.
Crescitelli can make their case for a bare bones override
on the campaign trail.
At-Large Race Heating up in
Lawrence
The at-large City Council race is heating up in Lawrence
with at least one of the three incumbents (Nunzio
DiMarca) in trouble with Lawrence voters. Challengers
Frank Moran, Roger Twomey, Bob Beals, and Carlos Matos
have all taken out nomination papers seeking one of the
three open slots. Word has it that there may be at least
two MORE candidates coming forward before the August
deadline, meaning that DiMarca may not even make it
through the primary, as only six of the seven declared
candidates will be nominated in September.
Pink Slips for Lawrence
Politicos
 Lawrence City Council
President Patrick Blanchette and former Lawrence School
Committeeman Ralph Carerro have both been let go by the
Greater Lawrence Technical School after years of service
because neither of them has obtained the required
certification for the job. Carerro, who has taken the
certification test several times and failed, has been let
go for not being able to pass the test. Blanchette never
even bothered to make an effort to take the certification
test.
Don’t worry though, I’m sure
Carerro’s “good friend” John Housianitis
at Central Catholic will take care of Ralph. As for Mr.
Blanchette, he is certainly bright enough and has the
education to land a job on his own.
Traficanti Awarded
Workers’ Comp Benefits $612.06/wk
On May 31st former Lawrence city worker Andrea Traficanti
went before Judge Preston at the Lawrence Industrial
Accident Board to present her claim for workers’
compensation benefits against the city of Lawrence.
Traficanti filed a claim for workers’ compensation
earlier this year, seeking benefits for physical and
emotional disability.
Traficanti was laid off because of budget constraints at
City Hall, but prior to her layoff, Traficanti went out
on stress leave and filed her claim against the city.
Traficanti was represented by attorney Kathleen
O’Donnell of Marcotte Law Offices in Lowell.
The city of Lawrence was represented by Attorney William
DiAdamo of Lawrence.
After hearing testimony from both parties and
reviewing submitted medical documentation, Judge Preston
awarded workers’ compensation benefits to
Traficanti.
The benefits come out to $612.06 per week from the date
of alleged loss (January 4, 2007) to the present and
continuing medical costs, attorney fees and
expenses. The weekly compensation of $612.06 is
based upon her average weekly wage of $1,020.10.
The city has two weeks to appeal the decision, but during
the appeal process, Traficanti will continue to receive
these
benefits.
Traficanti has long contended that her layoff from the
city was politically motivated and that it was illegal
since she was out on stress when the layoff occurred. She
has been embroiled in several City Hall scandals over the
last year and a half, but Traficanti, who was working as
a bartender in a local night club even after going out on
stress, has always proclaimed her innocence and denied
any wrongdoing.
Lawrence Mayor Michael Sullivan could not be reached for
comment.
Siglo 21 Publishes Phony
Police Brutality Ad
 Siglo 21, a Spanish language
gossip sheet published in Lawrence, has proven once again
that their biased political agenda against Lawrence
police officers and their shamelessly dishonest tactics
to get Lawrence’s newest immigrants to fear
and despise cops, knows no bounds.
Last month, Silgo published a fake advertisement
slandering Lawrence Police Officer Kyle Wilcox and
Attorney Hank Brennan. The ad, showing a badly beaten man
(with no affiliation to the Wilcox accusations) is
designed to look like it was paid for by attorney Hank
Brennan, but Brennan told the Boston Globe that he had
nothing to do with it and that the ad was
slanderous against Officer Wilcox. Brennan has demanded a
retraction (good luck with that!) but we hope that both
he and officer Wilcox sue Siglo 21 for libel as they have
made it clear to their readers, long before a trial has
been held, that Officer Wilcox is guilty of police
brutality.
Attorney Brennan wrote a letter to Siglo whereby he
declares how “grossly inappropriate and negligent
your newspaper has acted in placing these
advertisements without any regard for my persona or legal
reputation.”
Lawrence Police chief John Romero agreed, telling the
Boston Globe: “It is clear to me that Siglo 21 is
willing to compromise any journalistic integrity it may
have to sell a story, regardless of the truth, or the
merit contained therein.” Siglo 21 has been on
a several month long campaign to smear the Lawrence
Police by misrepresenting dozens of unsubstantiated
claims of police abuse and reporting such allegations as
fact to the Latino community. Oddly enough, anyone who
tries to call them on the carpet for such bad behavior is
branded by the paper as a “racist.”
But this time the slanderous accusations won’t work
because the author of the Boston Globe piece is non other
than Latino-American Russ Contreras. Good Job Russ! If
only the Tribune had such courage!
*Send your questions comments to ValleyPatriot@aol.com
The June 2007 Edition of
the Valley Patriot
The Valley Patriot is a Monthly
Publication.
All Contents (C) 2007, Valley Patriot, Inc.
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