Great honor for Lawrence
This past week Lawrence received a national award being selected as a 2015 Robert Wood Johnson Culture of Health Prize Winner. Lawrence was one of eight communities selected in a very competitive process, for which 340 communities initially applied. This is another great symbol of the strong collaborative work that is on-going among the many organizations fighting for the betterment of the Lawrence community.
Congratulations and many thanks.
Good things happening in Lawrence
Regis College has opened a new branch called Regis North at Northern Essex Community College for people interested in the health professions. The educational opportunities available to the Merrimack Valley are enormous with these two institutions along with Cambridge College, offering bachelor’s degree courses at the Riverwalk and Suffolk University with its MBA program also at the Riverwalk are making our city a “college town” while bringing hundreds of visitors daily.
The Residency Law
I recommend that you read the article “The Residency Law: The Numbers Speak” on page 12 outlining the way residents voted in favor of this requirement all over the city. Mayor Rivera keeps saying that he will not sign such a law no matter how many times they bring it up. That investigating piece I wrote clearly demonstrates the desire of the people. Let’s wait and see how he will ignore it this time.
The mayor makes the rounds
The recall effort has forced Mayor Dan Rivera to face the public and start answering questions. Lately, he has been visiting Latino businesses accompanied of his chauffer/bodyguard Orlando Maldonado and the former city engineer Theodoro Rosario, who is now Projects and Planning Supervisor. Apparently, Theo doesn’t have much to do in his current job, either. By the way, nobody knows if he took any courses during the 15 months he held that temporary position in search of a license – and no one asked.
It has also been brought to my attention that the mayor has been calling the candidates who did not make it on this election process and offered them positions on any board they desire.
He has also gone on some Spanish language radio programs trying to explain his current situation which I consider to be a huge mistake. The mayor is known for being impulsive, not asking for advice and when given, he does not listen. This was probably one of those times. He opened himself up for questions from the audience and he did not have the right answers.
The mayor also insulted many people with his limited knowledge of the language. He kept referring to the firings from the former administration as “botellas” which means “no shows” or employees who collect a salary for staying at home. None of the layoffs were to people of the sort – they were performing a job.
I believe that he meant to say “patronage jobs” which is exactly what he is doing. What’s Theodoro Rosario’s and Wendy Luzón’s position, if not patronage? They are two incompetent individuals without the proper credentials that he keeps fighting for. I understand that he can be a loyal friend but not to the point of endangering his administration and his political future. That’s political suicide!
When he was asked by callers on the radio programs, he raised his voice in an unusual manner, screaming over the voice on the telephone that Theo is super brainy and the degrees he hold, which qualifies him to do anything because of his intelligence. Correct; but he is not a civil engineer.
He has also been chastised because when he took over, the city had $9 million in reserves and there are only $2 million left. Again, he raises his voice to say: “Look at the things we’ve done! We’re fixing the roads and parks.”
He should have known those issues would be brought up and better preparation for his responses was vital.
Even if you lose, you win?
Mayor Rivera apparently is offering board positions to candidates who lost the elections. I heard that’s going on and I was able to confirm it in the case of Linette Perez, candidate for City Council for District D. The day after we went to vote, he called her and offered a place on the Licensing Board. This board carries a small stipend of approximately $2,500.
