LTC needs to have this music playing in the background Tuesday night In Good Times and bad times, I’ll be on your side for every more, That’s what friends are for.
I like and respect City Councilor Rita Mercier. Rita is accessible to everyone and tries to help anyone who ask and has shown time and time again that she is a loyal friend who sticks by you in good times but more importantly in bad times.
Sometimes that great loyalty is also a fault and on this week’s Council Agenda it appears her loyalty to a friend is getting in the way of what is correct and proper.
C. Mercier – Req. City Mgr. ratify the settlement agreement between the City of Lowell, the City Manager and Mr. Walter Bayliss, Jr.
This is just another attempt by Mr. Bayliss to keep a pension the current Retirement Board ruled he was never entitled to according to Mass. Law and the perk of the Health Insurance that goes with it.
First it should be noted that this “settlement” was reached in binding mediation and included a non-disclosure agreement by both parties. However since the supposedly “injured party” has an ego that is larger than Bill Parcell’s waist and a mouth that makes me look like a soft talker, many people were informed by this individual that it (allegedly) included a clause that allowed Mr. Bayliss to continue to collect his pension and health insurance.
My GUESS and mind you it is nothing more than a guess, is that if you read the wording in the agreement, it would somehow reference the fact that this was with the understanding, acknowledgement or stipulation that Mr. Bayliss was a retiree of the City of Lowell in good standing.
Since he is NOT a retiree and was in fact collecting this perk illegally,(according to the present retirement board) then I would venture a guess that the part referring to a pension or insurance would be null and void. You can’t enforce an illegal perk that someone lied to get, especially if the circumstances have greatly changed which in this case his status as a retiree has changed.
Hate to clue Wally world and his friends in but should the Councilor push for a discussion in open session on the council floor, this document could then be considered a public record for all to see and post.
Months after that arrangement was reached the City Retirement Board stripped Mr. Bayliss of both his retirement and health insurance citing the fact that it was granted improperly and he did not meet the State requirements of eligibility and the additional fact that Mr. Bayliss knowingly and willfully signed two documents that contained false statements in order to collect these benefits.
BuybackLetter saying License Commish
Bayliss retirement form claiming years of service
Need I remind anyone that former Somerville Housing Director Mike McLaughlin just lost his pension for in essence doing the exact same thing!!
Wally submitted the paperwork to the city and retirement board, Mickey to HUD and yet Mr. M has had the common sense to see the jig was up and he was exposed for the fraud that he was. He pleaded guilty and besides losing his retirement he is waiting to take his punishment like a man.
Who would have thought that Mike McLaughlin was more of a stand up guy than Mr. Bayliss?
MR. B and his loyal friends are trying to paint a story, Wally , friend to all is such a nice guy even though he knowingly signed these documents, it’s not his fault, he was coached to be a party to fraud and since it was from a City employee who happened to be in charge of the retirement board, Wally wants everyone to know he just went along to get along and shouldn’t be held responsible for taking part in what appears to be fraud and since he is such a nice guy who did many good things, he is somehow entitled to this illegal pension and health insurance because, hey it’s Wally.
I wonder if the City gets tired of this constant demand of time, effort and energy to again determine that this was in fact an illegally given perk, can and will they then go after Mr. Bayliss and get all monies owed for past payments? If not why not?
Loyalty and friendship are great things, however sometimes when you let loyalty and friendship get in the way you open yourself up to criticism and ridicule.
Who asked on the City Council Floor for there to be an investigation into the Water dept. because some people may have taken a few thousand dollars in copper? Resulting in 2 employee’s losing their jobs?
What is the dollar value for health insurance and payments made using that insurance and the cost of the illegal pension (according to the retirement board) to the city? I’m willing to bet it is a lot more than the cost of some copper pipes. These guys apparently don’t have a friend who is willing to stick their neck out and accept being kicked around, if they had maybe they would still be employed.
This is a bad motion designed to re-instate a pension and health care that was according to the current board illegal and wrong so why not wait until Mr. Bayliss follows through on his appeal process rights before entering a motion that transforms the Council floor from a place of policy making to a Kangaroo Court designed to beat up the Administration?
OH It’s an election and Rodney opened the door for it…




