City Council meeting
While watching the City Council meeting this week, several thoughts came to mind.
First, Myra Ortiz will be missed next year. She always asked enough questions that allowed her (and other councilors) learn about the issue or subject they were deciding. She was honest in her assessments and, even if I didn’t agree with her, it was a fact that she was being sincere voting from her heart, not “as instructed.”
Let’s home Maria De La Cruz can fill her shoes.
Second, we saw the real Kendrys Vasquez that night in the disrespectful way he treated Councilor Nilka Alvarez-Rodriguez. That’s the Kendrys we’ll have to put up with for the next two years. He proved to be a good pupil of the mayor learning about arrogance and nastiness.
Everyone knows that Nilka has been quite ill, sometimes dragging herself to meetings in a wheelchair and because of her health she decided not to run for reelection even though her heart is with the city.
How come he doesn’t react like that when other councilors miss meetings because they have personal business to attend, fundraisers or vacations?
And, regarding Kendrys Vasquez, why is it that people criticize Modesto Maldonado’s love life? He is a single man entitled to date whomever he likes, yet Kendrys gets congratulated for having a baby out of wedlock? It goes to show how moral behaviors are in decadence in Lawrence that it doesn’t face us anymore.
Third, for the first time we witnessed Police Chief James Fitzpatrick lose his cool and showed anger towards Councilors Modesto Maldonado and Brian De Peña. Crime is a touchy issue and he knows he is not being truthful with the community hiding it when it happens.
The Daily Log was updated through November 25 and I have not been able to confirm the list of crimes I have accumulated during October and November with the exception of one. According to an eyewitness, on October 24 at 5:30 p.m., a homeless man was attacked with a machete around the neck and shoulder at the West St. Park. The responding police officer called for an ambulance while trying to control the blood flow with a piece of clothing from the man.
You may check this information on report #17054497 at 17:39 p.m.at 141 WEST ST. The reason posted was UNKNOWN PROBLEM. Notice they didn’t say “At West St. Park, across from 141 West St.” for a more accurate location.
City jobs
If you look up the City of Lawrence’s webpage under “Employment”, you will see listed 24 positions in different areas. Lately, several jobs were posted at DPW but I am willing to bet they are political favors since elections are over and they have been promised. The city posts positions for 10 days as a requirement before hiring the mayor’s cronies.
There’s a new big job that the council discussed Tuesday night having to do with the Capital Improvement Plan and it pays between $80,000 and $95,000 but Councilor Maldonado threw a monkey wrench on the issue. The job description for the Capital Asset Project Manager called for just an “engineer” and he asked that the correct version should say “civil engineer”. Since Theodoro Rosario has been complaining that he is only making $65,000 and he wants more, he would qualify as long as the requirement was just to be an “engineer.” This person will have to deal with construction and engineering projects for the city. Now, it will have to go for a public hearing. Let’s see if he is the chosen one.
Homelessness Coordinator
The council also voted on Councilor Maldonado’s motion to request the attendance of the Homelessness Initiatives Coordinator Anil DaCosta to the next meeting. Maldonado said that he is curious to know what he is doing and I have been asking that, too.
