Sunday Notes February 5th 2012
Posted: February 5, 2012 Filed under: Politics 7 Comments »
Kudos’s to the SUN for the great posters they have supplied this week of Patriots players concluding with today’s picture of Kicker Stephen Gostkowski. Hopefully we see a good game today and a win for the Pat’s.
On the front page of today’s SUN is an article by Chris Camire (who is also the featured separated at birth star alongside some NE Patriot Football player) titled – Dracut housing officials face calls to step down over McLaughlin ties.
The story features DHA member Russ Taylor stating he would like to see BOTH Chairman Ken Martin and member Brian Bond resign in the wake of the phone records that tie McLaughlin and The McLaughlin Group (Martin, Bond and Zimini) to the unsuccessful attempt to replace the Dracut Housing Authority Executive Director Mary Karabatsos.
As I posted earlier this past week, to forcibly remove Bond or Martin, the Selectman would have to charge them with a formal list of charges and hold a hearing. Something that probably isn’t justified because this was more political than criminal and proving a conspiracy is never an easy thing.
In the article Selectman Bob Cox makes a strong and valid point when he is quoted as saying “If Tim Murray in fact was misled and was misinformed, if he didn’t know what was going on, then why did he allow Brian Bond to stay on the board after the fact?” Cox said. “If he had removed him, then it would lend credibility to the fact that he claims he was misled. Then people would say maybe he was really misled.
You have to wonder if sooner rather than later State Rep. Colleen Garry may either ask Bond to resign or ask the Lt. Governor to remove him. She is facing a tough re-election fight and being tied to the McLaughlin group will not help. When the rumors were first around about the DHA and Bonds role Colleen responded to my inquiry by saying
“As is my responsibility and authority as State Representative for the Town of Dracut, I nominated two individuals to the Governor for the position of Governor’s Appointee to the Dracut Housing Authority. …As you have read in the Lowell Sun, they each had different views of the contract extension of the Director of the Housing Authority. There was no “litmus” test for my support! It should be obvious by my nominating them both, I had no agenda to “oust” the Director or have them vote in any particular way.
With the phone records now indicating that McLaughlin was indeed in touch with his “group” around that time period, Garry it seems was also used and may need to do damage control quickly before it cost her, her political career. McLaughlin’s, Martin and Bond’s all appear to be already over.
Shawn over on Dracut forum has more on this along with information from a story in the Lawrence Eagle Tribune.
The Sun Political Column leads off with the Greater Lowell Technical School Committee meeting this Thursday and wondering if it can “top the drama” from last meeting, if “another atomic bomb” will go off and if more “bloodletting” will occur. (Points for creative writing on this item)
It reminds us that the last meeting involved a question about missing funds that resulted in the name of any employee being “leaked” to the SUN. That being the Supts. niece and the revelation that two other incidences of “missing” cash occurred over the last few years. The Colum wonders if Gitschier will demand to know the names of the current employees.
I don’t believe Mr. Gitschier truly intended for the motion to turn into a character assignation and have no doubt that he doesn’t want the names of employee B and C to be revealed. Not just because one of them may be the source of the original leaked name but because as shown by the WAKEFIELD CASE I posted last week, personal matters are NOT subject to public disclosure.
It is sickening to think that anyone who has daughters would be so vengeful against the Supt. and administration that they would feel justified leaking the name and running the reputation of a young woman for personal payback. How would they feel if it was their daughter? Being a dad with a daughter close to the same age, I’d be and I am upset and disgusted at the total lack of professionalism by that person.
Almost as sickening, would be to think that any administrator at that school had a part in leaking the name and opening the school to potential lawsuits for violating personal matters.
Since a lawyer has already allegedly been contacted maybe the School Committee would be wise to move any mentioning of these 3 incidents into Executive Session to avoid any further leaks.
Councilor Ed Kennedy is being proactive and making sure that the City Manager gets caught up in keeping within the Plan E charter on appointments. His motion this week on the assessors being appointed is being addressed and he is asking for a full report from the Clerk on the members of all boards and commissions and when their terms are up. The Councilor recalls back when he was first elected; you would receive a booklet that showed some basic Roberts Rules of Order, Instructions of when / how to file a motion along with the names/expiration dates of all boards and members. Something that probably should be made available again to all Councilors.
Give Jon Cox props for responding truthfully when asked. He stated Mr. Lynch should STOP comparing his tenure against past administrations as he did in the attached report on the FREE CASH and according to the Column is quoted as saying “Being Manager is a tough job, if you don’t like it leave.”
I don’t blame the former Manager, it must be somewhat embarrassing to see the City after undergoing so much loss in state aid and cutting personal to show $8 Million dollars in their stabilization account while he used all stabilization account funds to make it appear the city was is solid shape when in fact it was close to state receivership and he “forget” those pesky letters to the city from the State that he didn’t share with the Council at the time. The column forgets to note the job was so tough and one Cox appeared to have a hard time doing properly, that a majority of the council at that time asked him to leave.
Downtown – Time for Action
Posted: February 5, 2012 Filed under: Politics 7 Comments »
Aftermath of beating on Middle Street in Lowell, MA
A FackBook post caught fire over the assault that took place on Sat. at around 2am on Middle Street leaving one bar patron critically injured and air transported to a hospital in Boston and another to a local hospital. (note: friend LDNA on facebook if you haven’t already).
It’s time for citizens to step up and let Lowell leaders and planners know what they want the Downtown to be. There’s a great infrastucture planned, with improvements progressing for a City of Lowell that can be a leader in the world economy in 10-20 years.
What’s missing is the voice of the people. If you allow blue ribbon panels and City officials to decide what you want your City to be, then that’s exactly what will happen. That’s what’s happening now.
This is the second in a series of blog posts about the future of Downtown Lowell. Hopefully, other bloggers will pick up on the subject and participate. The first addresses the Lowell High School question.
My own sense is that this is an opportunity for the City Council to address the situation on Tuesday as an emergency.
Great photo (aftermath of the assault at top) by Kelly Fox. Perhaps another downtown group will form around good citizens like Kelly and Elaine Wood to bring issues to the appropriate commissions, councilors, sub-committees, etc.
In addition, an emergency meeting for the Public Safety Subcommittee is in order. And the next meeting of the Economic Development Subcommittee should have this issue high on the agenda. So I’m hoping the City Council can add this issue to this Tues. agenda as an emergency item.
Public safety is paramount.
George DeLuca produces ComeToLowell.com
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