According to today’s Sun Info request creates static at GL Tech story by Sarah Favot there is rift between Supt. Mary Jo Santoro and new Lowell School Committeeman Erik Gitschier over some information Mr. Gitschier requested at a meeting. According to the story:

Erik Gitschier wanted to find out how many students at the school are eligible for co-op placements versus the number of students who are enrolled in co-op placements in each shop. He filed a motion for March’s School Committee meeting requesting the school provide the board this information. At the meeting, the motion failed, with members saying he could easily get the information from administration without a motion. About an hour after the meeting, Gitschier sent Superintendent Mary Jo Santoro an email asking for the information. Santoro denied his request, saying, “Due to the fact that the direction I have been given, by the committee as a whole, is not to act on this request I am unable to send this information at this time,” according to emails sent to The Sun.

Supt. Mary Jo Santoro is 100% WRONG to withhold information from any school committee member that request it. The Supt. needs to stay above the political infighting on the board and like it or not respect and respond to all school committee members. She has to respect the fact that he has a right to get this information especially after being told it was available and she needs to STOP playing politics. She has done this in the past and it is one issue that has hurt her.

It is especially hard for her I am sure because Mr. Gitschier in my opinion and much to my own personal dismay has made his agenda clear since joining the school committee. Embarrass and attack the Supt. and her family whenever possible and disrespect his fellow members who appointed her.

On several occasions he has made it known that ‘he attended classes” and made statements that imply other committee members who have served a long time don’t know the rules and don’t know what they are doing. He has attacked the Supt. and her family (niece) at the behest of angry administrators and union members who worked to get him elected and has come across at meetings like the new smart kid in class who can’t wait to show you how smart he is and how dumb you are.

It isn’t professional and he has just opened a bigger divide between Mr. Bahou and himself with occasional support from Mr. O’Neil against Mr. O’Hare, Lenzi, Olson and Tully who all seem to work together well. Mr. Morin tries to stay in the middle and respect all sides.

If Mr. Gitschier is the “young professional” than he needs to show his elders some respect and realize that change can come but it takes time, patience and cooperation. Last I checked you still need 5 votes for a motion to pass.

Both Both Supt. Santoro and Gitschier are wrong in their behavior and both need to stop the bickering and find a way to work together for the students.

Here’s some reading that BOTH the Supt. and Mr, Gitschier should do and learn from.

Chapter 71: Section 37 Powers and duties Section 37. The school committee in each city and town and each regional school district shall have the power to select and to terminate the superintendent, shall review and approve budgets for public education in the district, and shall establish educational goals and policies for the schools in the district consistent with the requirements of law and statewide goals and standards established by the board of education.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES FOR SCHOOL COMMITTEES AND SUPERINTENDENTS

Those who govern and administer the Commonwealth’s public schools must share a vision, a clear purpose, and the ability and courage to lead.

Communication is the centerpiece of effective school committee-superintendent relationships and is the foundation that will nurture a climate conducive to growth. When roles are clear and relationships are sound, communities feel a sense of confidence in their school leadership which in turn enhances the education of all students in the community.

Strong collaborative leadership from school committees and superintendents must be a driving force in dealing with the direct and indirect challenges facing our society and our schools. A superintendent must display excellence as an educational leader, be politically sophisticated, aware of and active in legislative developments, possess an extensive knowledge of federal and state laws, and personify effective communication.

A school committee must be responsive to its constituencies in governance, sensitive to the diverse needs of all learners, an advocate for students and learning before the people of the community and, as such, a vigorous ambassador for public education before all citizens.

Procedures, determined locally in each school system, should be reviewed annually to assure compliance with current policy.

Harmonious and productive relationships between school committees and superintendents will flourish if two-way communication is established and maintained. Such teamwork will work to enhance and improve the Commonwealth’s schools, enriching the lives of all Massachusetts students.

SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBER ETHICS

A school committee member in his relations with his community should:

Recognize that his basic function is to be policy making and not administrative

Accept the office of a committee member as a means of unselfish service with no intent to “play politics”, in any sense of the word,

A school committee member in his relations with his school administration should:

Recognize and support the administrative chain of command and refuse to act on complaints as an individual outside the administration.

Refer all complaints to the administrative staff for solution and only discuss them at committee meetings if such solutions fail

GN: The following Editorial appears in Today’s Sun. I have to admit, the Editorial does make you wonder how and why rank and file employee’s can be fired and the Dept. Head gets to keep his job and apparently received no more discipline than a slap on the hand.

I wonder if one employee got treated harsher BECAUSE he was related to a politician, while one of the employee’s who did the actual work at the Dept. heads home got a transfer and promotion.

Here’s the Editorial:

Dan Lahiff’s $5,000 fine is one of largest ever meted out by the state Ethics Com­mission to a city of Lowell municipal employee, showing just how serious the state considers the offense to be.

It’s just too bad that Lahiff ’s boss, City Man­ager Bernie Lynch, doesn’t see it the same way.

According to Lynch, Lahiff will get away with a “reprimand” from the city. Lynch told The Sun he won’t disclose if any action was taken against Lahiff because it is a personnel issue and confidential.

What Lahiff did is an absolute breach of the public trust. As executive director of the Lowell Regional Water Utility (LRWU), Lahiff is expected to uphold the city’s integrity and safe­guard the public good. Instead, Lahiff took advan­tage of his position to benefit himself at taxpayers’ expense. Aperson who knew better spit into the wind because he felt no one would ever find out.

It was only when another scandal emerged in Lahiff’s department that the truth came out. In that incident, two union workers were termi­nated for stealing gasoline from city pumps to use in a motorboat.

What did Lahiff do to earn the stiff fine?

During the December 2008 ice storm, when thousands of Lowellians lost power, Lahiff ordered a water-utility electrician to transport a city­owned, 3,500-watt generator to Lahiff’s home in Haverhill and hook it up. Guess what — Lahiff had power in a matter of hours when Lowellians waited for up to two weeks for power to be restored.

Lahiff didn’t have to stand in line at Home Depot or Lowe’s trying to buy or rent a generator (both stores ran out, by the way). He just ordered a worker to deliver it to him, a 16-mile transport from Lowell to Haverhill, without paying a penny! Lahiff’s caper worked so well, he had the audacity to pull if off again, during another power outage in 2009. He used the same water­utility electrician, Doug Collupy, paying him $100 each time for a service that usually costs $300, according to the Ethics Commission.

But there’s more: During its probe, the ethics panel found that Lahiff solicited another water­utility employee, Roger Hebert, to install a wood floor in Lahiff’s home. The employee charged Lahiff a discounted rate of $150 for four hours of labor — less than the fair-market value of at least $375.

Of course, none of this would have come to light had it not been for the firing of LRWU employees Ron Mercier and Keith Murphy for allegedly stealing gas from the city for personal use. Rumors were circulating that both workers were going to turn in their boss when Lahiff went into Lynch’s office and told the city man­ager what he had done.

Did Lynch ever consider if maybe Lahiff’s ethi­cal lapses had rubbed off on Mercier and Murphy? It sure leads us to wonder how the LRWU is run.

Here’s what Karen Nober, the Ethics Com­mission’s executive director, had to say about Lahiff’s public abuses: “Public employees are prohibited from using public resources, including public equipment and the time and services of public employees, for per­sonal purposes. Private business relationships between supervisors and their subordinates are inherently exploitable, and are generally prohib­ited unless specific safeguards are in place.”

Here’s what City Manager Lynch had to say about Lahiff’s public abuses: “It was bad behav-i­or, but I think the fine from the Ethics Com­mission is punishment enough.”

Really, Mr. Manager?

Two employees lose their jobs for stealing a 5­gallon can of gasoline, and Lahiff, the man who knows better, gets a reprimand for taking public property without authorization and misappro­priating public employees for his personal gain.

To its credit, the Ethics Commission took its job seriously in upholding the public trust. The same cannot be said for the city manager.

THE Column the Sun’s political rumor/blog Sunday feature is available again on the Free Web Site but under the heading Van Liew (Not a lot of city related items)

In general the SUN devotes a lot of this Sunday’s paper to Chelmsford,Westford and Ayer so if you are interested in the area pick up or subscribe to the Regional newspaper that covers the Greater Lowell area, The SUN.

One item the column mentions is that IF the name of the Lowell Regional Water Utility electrician who helped LRWU Executive Director Dan Lahiff hook up a city-owned generator at Lahiff’s home sounds familiar, it is for good reason. Everett “Doug” Collupy, the former LWRU electrician, is currently Lowell’s electrical inspector. Collupy’s budgeted salary for fiscal 2012 is upwards of $52,000.

Nice to see an employee get a promotion for assisting your boss who is illegally using City equipment. The story in the newspaper the other day stated Lahiff paid Collupy $100.00 for doing the work “on his own time”.

The column didn’t mention that Collupy has very little of his “Own Time” since he is also the Dracut Wire Inspector. He works in Lowell 7:00 -3:00 then holds office hours in Dracut 3:30 – 4:30 and does Inspections from 4:30 – 7:30 pm for $28,000 a year. Both Dracut and Lowell officials had high praise for Mr.Collupy when I contacted them this past week and both are happy with his work and his hours.

The Lahiff fine will help Ron Mercier’s case. Mercier was fired for using City gas and apparently for lying about it. Much like the Saints getting whacked by the commissioner more for the cover up than the act. Lynch has stated Lahiff came clean to him about the generator before it became public and that he took “appropriate action”. Mercier will try to prove that using city equipment and gas was a common practise under Lahiff at the LWRU.

Another local item in the Column ia a rehash of the Mayoral Aide Flap. One item noticeably missing is the speculation that has surfaced over the past few days that former Aide Diane Bujnowski may have already been seeking a change of scenery and trying to find another job and that Murphy dismissed her before she left him.

Rumors are that she will land at CTI where her friend Councilor Rita Mercier serves on the board. Whether that is true or just a rumor floated by the Murphy supporters? Only time will tell.

There is no doubt that the young Mayor has made a few early errors, so far none that he can’t recover from with some work and behind the scene apologies. However he does continue to act in a way that seems to some a little to smug and can be taken as thumbing his nose at certain people, almost daring them to criticize him.

For example: The new Aide started last Monday, the Mayor did a photo-op and there was a Sun story on it Tuesday morning. Why didn’t he bring in a motion to suspend the rules at last Tuesday’s Council meeting, Thank the former Aide and introduce Greg Page? Instead Councilor Elliot brough up the Thank You which resulted in some heated words for the Mayor from 2 councilors including the very popular Rita Mercier.

Maybe he should heed Jack Mitchell’s advise. You don’t mess with Rita and her people. Jack stated in a recent LIL Post ” Fred Doyle completely screwed the pooch when he moved off message, berating the CM, and attacking Rita Mercier. Rita’s base of support (Or “my seniors,” as she likes to label them) was fertile ground for Doyle’s anti-Lynch rants. By wacking Rita, he shut himself off from a big chunk of them.

Wonder if Murphy realizes he maybe shutting himself out by doing the same thing, whacking Rita?

Then after repeatedly stating the Manager had nothing to do with the former aide NOT getting a new position or being replaced the Mayor decides that this week’s “Special Meeting” focusing on the City Manger is the proper time and place to introduce the new aide? Sure that won’t fuel more speculation that somehow the Manager was involved in Bujnowski ouster and not getting another job! Poor choices Mr. Mayor that only give fuel to those that oppose you, the Manager and change.

While having “open office hours” at City Hall 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays, and 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays is a nice idea, it didn’t go unnoticed that the Mayor was calling for EVENING Hours for the License Commission so those who work could attend yet he offers no evening hours to meet with him. Guess those who work need to be in Lowell before 6:00 if they want to talk with the Mayor.

In addition to that, have you tried getting a parking spot near city hall on a weekday afternoon? Why not hold Mayor in your neighborhood events at the city schools or Senior center to make meeting the Mayor and parking easier.

Rep. Paul Adams who is running against State Sen. Barry Finegold was at the Bridge St. Market Basket in Lowell yesterday collecting signatures. A nice way to meet Dracut voters.

Tyngsboro Greater Lowell School Committee member Steve O’Neil who is NOT running for re-election will be a guest next Saturday on WCAP’s Saturday Morning Live to discuss an alternative way to finance the renovations without increasing taxes in the local communities by using the Health Insurance Savings IF the entire school switches to the State program.

Former GLTHS Dracut school committee member now Tyngsboro resident Brian Martin who lost a close race to O’Neil last time is running for the seat again. Brian brings some history and knowledge to the seat and would be a great addition to the board. He will be challenged by longtime Tyngsboro resident George Tatseos.

Remember Today is the CNAG Party of all Parties at the Dom Polski on Lakeview Ave in Centaville from 1:00 – 5:00

SHE’s Back ! http://jackiedoherty.org/ (Cross Posted from Jackie’s Site)

Yes, we’re baack, but times are changing still
Posted by Jackie on March 15, 2012
After three years of publishing online, we took a break, but now we’re beginning to re-enter the wonderful wacky world of blogging. (If a post is published but no one reads it, does it really exist? We like to think so.) Which, of course, begs the question: “Are you still out there?” Somehow–like weight and hair styles–our blog fluctuates. Publishing these last several posts since our hiatus, we also have had some technical difficulties, and we’ve decided our old-fashioned template is not adapting well to the newer version of WordPress.

Back in the old days, when we started posting on jackiedoherty.org, we were using WordPress 1.5; our current version is in the 3s. (We’ve been offered to upgrade to 3.3, but that may bring additional glitches to the site, so we’re holding off.) In the meantime, we’re working on a snazzy new look with a new template, new photos, etc–actually, we’ll get a web developer to help with all that snazziness, and we may even get a new writer or two, so stay tuned. Don’t worry, it will still be purple in flavor and tenor (naturally), and Margaret and I will still be at the keyboards.

When we are fully back online with our new look, we will throw a huge party, take out a full-page ad in The Sun, let all the other local bloggers know, and tweet until our fingers are numb

PRESS RELEASE : FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Patrick Murphy announces Twitter account for Mayor’s Office

Lowell, MA, March 23, 2012 – Patrick Murphy has created a Twitter account for the Office of the Lowell Mayor. This account will serve several purposes: it will enable the Mayor to publicize events throughout the city – including flag raisings and other ceremonies at City Hall, to highlight news stories that do not always reach citizens via traditional print media, to connect with other municipalities across the world to collaborate on effective governing practices, and to directly hear from citizens about issues as they develop.

Speaking about the importance of Twitter as a medium to reach constituents, Murphy said, “There are so many good things going in this city all the time. There are multiple flag-raisings each month, which highlight the important contributions of our many ethnic communities. Grants come in to the city from the federal and state level, thanks to the hard work of city workers and our various community organizations. People from all over the world come to Lowell to learn about its successes, and to figure out where they can apply the relevant lessons to their own communities. Every day, I talk to the people of this city and I realize that this news isn’t making the rounds the way it should. Twitter allows information like this to flow directly from the Office of the Mayor to the people of the city.”

In addition, the Twitter format is an excellent means for the Mayor’s Office to learn about the successes of other small and medium-sized cities across the Commonwealth, nation, and world. The Mayor can use Twitter to see their stories and hear their ideas without having to search individually, city-by-city.

Finally, Twitter provides an opportunity for the Mayor to learn about breaking news stories across the city, directly from residents, as they happen. As Murphy noted, “The creation of a Twitter account for the office is as much about me hearing from this city’s residents as it is about me reaching out to them.”

The account, which Twitter users can find via @LowellMayor, is tied to a generic e-mail address at City Hall – not to any individual e-mail account. This will allow the account to be transferred seamlessly to any future Lowell Mayor who wishes to use this medium to connect with citizens.

For any questions about information contained in this press release, please contact Greg Page at (978) 674-1551 or e-mail gpage@lowellma.gov.