The Mayor and Residency Law
On page 6, you will find a letter to the editor sent to The Eagle-Tribune (not to Rumbo) by Mayor Dan Rivera. No matter on which side of the issue you are, pro or against residency in Lawrence, please take the time to read it carefully for I believe that this public letter is as damaging to our city as the Boston Magazine article on the “City of the Damned.”
This time it is our mayor who is telling us to shut up because we have no right to complain since we are dependants of the State and goes on to blame the reason for the public’s request to poor services being provided by city employees. He complains about employees not being accountable, instilling discipline among department heads and managers to make sure to pass it on to their staff. He even went as far as threatening with firing them if “they do a poor job or act in an unprofessional manner.”
The mayor insists that Lawrencians will not be denied a job with the city if they are qualified and experienced. How can he say that when he systematically has been firing competent individuals who held their jobs for years and replaced them with others with no experience, no college degree? Former Treasurer John Pica, from Lowell, did the right thing by leaving before his reputation was further ruined for accepting a job for which he was not qualified or had the required education or degree. People with Masters in their fields to be substituted by clerks who are going around as “gofers” because they have no idea what their job consists of. Duties had to be reassigned among other employees to take over what these new hires are incapable to do.
He said that he wants to hire the best people to work for the city. The best example is Theodore Rosario the new “city engineer”, an agronomist who is getting paid for one year to sit and study all day to see if he can pass a civil engineer test. The two of them should be ashamed to show their faces in public knowing they are stealing from the city’s budget. Meanwhile, he fired the only person who knew about the city’s engineering department and had the proper education. Andy Wall was Assistant City Engineer and although he never got his license, he had the knowledge (because he went to school for Civil Engineering) and almost 20 years experience working for the city. Instead of giving his friend and supporter the title to be his boss and keeping Mr. Wall with the knowledge and experience as his assistant, Mayor Rivera got rid of him. Was that a benefit to the city?
His letter is just a poor excuse to justify why he will not sign the Residency Requirement Law. If city workers live here, their money stays here, they pay taxes here and they care more for the quality of life and conditions of the city. It has nothing to do with poor service from municipal employees. They are shorthanded, out stretched to the maximum, insulted and belittled by him.
But, the members of the City Council are supposed to be our voice; they hold the purse and have powers that they are afraid or unable to use. We should blame them! If this city cannot recover, they are just as much at fault for playing politics.
And, speaking of the Council…
I wrote last week about District E City Councilor Eileen O’Connor Bernal supporting Marcos Devers on a radio commercial saying that he has brought so much money and has done so much for this city. She wrote that she could not get me that list until the 1st of September. I’m still waiting! There’s no such list of accomplishments because he has not done anything. The only reason for that commercial is that again, the hatred is so intense, that she would support anyone as long as Lantigua doesn’t have a chance. That’s not the way to elect our representatives – based on lies. She is responsible for her statements.
Tuesday’s Election Day
As a result of my comments about Doris Rodriguez, candidate for District 2 State Senate, she was invited to many radio programs that would do anything to speak negatively of me and Rumbo. I take the credit for granting her those opportunities that otherwise she wouldn’t have had.
My comments last week pertained to the fact that she claims to be a lawyer and I said that since she has not passed the Bar exam, she cannot call herself that. She insists that she has worked as a lawyer. Of course, in Spanish there’s only one word “abogado” and in English we have two terms: “lawyer” and “attorney.”
I checked with the Massachusetts School of Law (MSL) in Andover and with the Massachusetts Bar Association to make sure that I know what I’m talking about. Students who graduate from MSL do not have to take the bar exam and are quite limited in their practice. Ms. Rodriguez studied at Suffolk School of Law and they are very specific about it.
A graduate who takes the Bar exam successfully, will be sworn in and then becomes an “attorney” committed to the practice of law, whether criminal, personal injury, family law, corporate, etc. that he or she has chosen.
Anyone choosing not to take the exam or cannot pass it, can only be called a “lawyer” based on the education they received and the degree that has been conferred upon them but cannot be a member of the Bar Association or perform the duties of an attorney – which is severely punished. That’s the reason why so many “lawyers” go into politics: They are not “attorneys.”
Ms. Rodriguez should have never argued that she has worked as an attorney because that is illegal. With her background, she could make a good leader but a little mistake like this makes me wonder about her good judgment.
Confused reader
In our editorial, we mentioned an anonymous email message criticizing last week’s edition. I just want to point out how well-informed the writer was that he/she said that the article about Lantigua opening his campaign headquarters was written by Christopher Del Monte when it is clear on page 5 that the text and pictures are from José A. Ayala.
There is so much hatred from certain people that they don’t even think ahead what results their actions will bring. This person was probably writing based on a comment from somebody else or just looked at the picture. How sad!
