How’s this Vacation week?

With Labor Day next Monday, the City Manager picked this week to take a vacation but it sure hasn’t been a relaxing few days.

Fist we had the IG’s letter last Thursday which he claimed he didn’t recall seeing and then he went on WCAP Friday morning and defended a Dept. heads right to not inform him of it.

Then the Sun ran a story Sunday (after I on Saturday blasted him) stating that Mr. Vaughn claimed that the CFO of the City Tom Moses knew about the letter in October of last year. So did the Solicitor who the Inspector General mentioned in his letter talked with them about the process of the BID: (bold mine)

1 Lowell’ s purchase description is extremely vague and this description of the RFAS includes details gleaned from this Office’s telephone conversations with Lowell’s Chief Procurement Office, Fire Chief, City Solicitor and a complainant

The City Council is getting the opportunity tonight to ask the CFO, Purchasing Agent and City Solicitor why they thought a letter from the State’s Inspector General which stated not only that the process was “flawed” and that a business owner had complained to the city about “Price Gouging” (which someone who works for the City told that to the Inspector General’s office) but the biggest line they chose to ignore was:

“This was not advantageous for the businesses and citizens of Lowell”

The question should be asked of all 3 WHY wasn’t that statement alone, seen as important enough to inform the City Manager or any City Councilor since October of 2011 that the IG sent this letter?

Last Night came the news that one of his biggest supporters Councilor Kevin Broderick was resigning to spend more time with his family and his replacement will be former School Committee member John Leahy who respects the Manager but isn’t a guaranteed vote like Broderick most often was.

THe Manager now has only 3 solid supporters in Martin, Nuon and Murphy, while Lorrey, Mercier, Mendonca, Kennedy and Leahy will have to be convinced on an issue by issue basis. For the sake of this argument we will assume Councilor Elliot is the Manager’s chief opposition.

Today the Ron Mercier trial begins. Mercier is the Water Dept. employee fired by the Manager for allegedly using city gas for personal use while his boss at the Water dept. was fined by the State Ethics commission for using a City Generator and City personal at his Haverhill home was allowed to keep his job. The Manager is being called as a witness in this case according to the SUN.

Guess he picked a bad week to take a vacation! Maybe we will see him tonight at the Council meeting?