Hispanic Week ends
There’s an article I wrote on page 5 describing some of the Hispanic Week activities of this year. I must admit that unfortunately, it turned out just as I expected. I hope you take the time to read it because we cannot continue giving our community a bad name.
Politicians don’t do anything
Have you heard that before? There are residents who have never attended a city council meeting or read newspapers and have come to that conclusion. They have no idea as to the number of telephone calls they receive each day, most of them about problems in their neighborhoods while many are for favors. A common complaint is that they are always ready for photo ops.
Regarding having their pictures taken at local events, it’s only logical for them to attend and show their support to the community they serve. Very often, they had something to do with getting it done.
I’m not going to defend or attack any of our city councilors and some of you may be disappointed. My purpose is to shed some light on what they really do to represent the public. We may think they meet twice a month and a few times more in the committees assigned to them, but sometimes they have to travel to meet with the local delegation or state officials. Also, they must visit sites to have a better grasp of what will be discussed at an upcoming meeting.
At times, there are issues I feel strongly about and I disagree with a council vote but I quickly recover because I am aware that they have access to more information on that subject than me, and once I find out those details, I often end up siding with them or being more understanding.
We may not see it but they work hard; so, please take the time to find out how much you don’t know before accusing someone of something you don’t understand.
The same goes for the mayor. We have a good relationship and I feel comfortable calling him to clarify something that he said or has done. He usually explains to me what’s in his mind, for others, he simply says that he’ll tell me at the right time. He doesn’t have to share with me the sensitive stuff he’s working on and I understand it.
The meaning of that is not to blindly trust any politician; but while you see the city being managed properly, it’s good to have a little faith in them. The problem comes when we start listening to others who have an agenda or hatred in their heart spreading rumors.
Nepotism in Lawrence
This is a subject that has been brought up several times over the years. In such a small city with a rule of “residency requirement” to be hired, that becomes more difficult. So, the city has adopted a practice that “as long as they don’t work in the same department or report to a relative,” it shall be approved.
There have been many postings on social media about Councilor Gregory Delrosario and his wife Rosanna working as director of Recycling. Since the City Council approves the DPW budget, Gregory must leave the meeting and not participate or vote at that time. My question is how come no one has ever made the connection between Councilor Maria De La Cruz who has a few relatives working for the city? One of them works in the City Clerk’s office and she feels protected coming in at mid-morning and leaving by 3 o’clock.
The school department is a family employment center and no one talks about that. Most recently, they tried to impose the rule on the Senior Center because Martha Velez’s daughter was working there for years reporting to her. She was going to be transferred to another department but decided to quit; and when Brian DePeña was elected, it was discovered that he had a relative working in a school cafeteria and his response to the criticism was asking her to leave the job to avoid controversies.
No term limit for the mayor
Last week, this column was about a rumor that some people are working on changing the City Charter to allow the mayor to stay on the job for as long as he or she desires with no term limits. I agree with the idea because cities without that worry seem to be prosperous and running smoothly.
Well, I heard from some readers who don’t share my feelings. One response that makes sense came from someone who has a lot of experience in state government affairs and it all rings true. It said:
“A candidate seeking re-election in any city in Massachusetts already holds the reins of government of the office they seek to be re-elected which itself provides the temptation to ‘rig the system’ to assure re-election. There has never been an election for Mayor in the City of Lawrence where it was not well known by the city staff that the Mayor is a candidate for re-election.
“It is also well known that all positions held in Lawrence Municipal Government are subject to mayoral approval and/or appointment. It is axiomatic that it is ‘career-ending’ to support a mayoral candidate opposing the re-election of the ‘current mayor/boss’.
“In fact, the ritual of employee purges takes place immediately following the election or re-election of the Mayor like that Spring following Winter. This is the process that most people point to as ‘a transition’ or ‘learning curve’ that a seasoned Mayor would be able to forego because they are re-elected. This process is entirely political and the governmental functions operate seamlessly, without interruption, except for the onslaught of firings that take place during the first six months of the elected or re-elected Mayor.
“Unfortunately, the existence or lack of term limits placed on the Executive Branch will not mute this long-standing tradition in municipal and all other levels of government – if you support the candidate who lost, you are subject to being fired. Removing term limits from the equation fosters a bureaucracy that is paralyzed and atrophied with the same employees who have professed loyalty to the incumbent – over and over and over again. Laws prohibiting employee retaliation have been ignored for decades with the only recourse of litigation with or without a strong union available to protect political firings based on affiliation.
“A Mayor who can be re-elected indefinitely only serves to cover up any misdeeds that may have been committed during the past term(s).
“Understanding that Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts, absolutely is more an acknowledgment of the human condition where temptation is greater than the ability to be virtuous. The actions taken by politicians and government officials during the pandemic are a quick reference to how the human condition comes to the surface when people are tempted by the opportunity to wield more power over their subjects (Rules for Thee but not for Me).
“It would take very little time for a Mayor elected multiple times to misuse their authority on a false belief that they have been provided a mandate by the voters. The lack of political choices only fosters corruption of all kinds – which the voters/constituents pay the price.”
This reader made a good argument for his position. It is up to the voters to be aware if the question ever comes up on the ballot for them to choose. I just hate to see another backroom deal being made.
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