A school committee without power – results in people not interested in running for office.
What will happen to the Lawrence Public Schools committee? We have just been informed that the LPS will have enough elected officials to meet as a committee. However, it’s too bad that they hold no power. Will the elected residents be able to govern its school system or will Mayor Rivera continue to allow the Department of Elementary & Secondary Education and or the Commonwealth to control every aspect of the city?
As the city comes into its 172nd year of existence, the residents of Lawrence are still not allowed the right to self-govern. This onslaught of legislation chipping away at our city has already threatened local provision and has placed politics to work without transparencies in order to allow the control person/boards to not view the use of those funds.
With the release of the state appointed overseer, the city has given Budget and Finance Director Mark Iannello more authority. At this moment without a purchasing agent since the departure of Rita Brousseau, Mr. Iannello changed how departments are able to approve requisitions and invoices and it’s much lax now.
While local control is whittled away, the City Council members are just looking for their little bit of the pie and not looking after the residents. To be honest, that pre-emption shows no sign of slowing down. Mayor Rivera (and the candidate that he has lined up to continue this trend) will not fight for the removal of the Lawrence Alliance for Education. This is a group of people who approve the money expenditure, in one case unethical as well. The president of the Alliance, John R. Connolly, is the Co-Founder and Executive Director at 1647 and his non-profit company created ENLACE_Lawrence at Lawrence High School, one of their partner schools.
Actually, they welcome these boards, as it holds all control over the entire school system and its budget, therefore creating an atmosphere of the residents needing to bow down before them for any request.
It’s an aggressive move that was created by those opposing the Lantigua administration. This preemption that prevents cities from expanding rights, building stronger economies, and promoting innovation are counterproductive when decision-making is divorced from the core wants and needs of community members. It’s a power grab that sought to override the will of the people. It has allowed the school contracts to go to bigger companies that are either not located in Lawrence or the Commonwealth, instead of allowing the smaller businesses of Lawrence to thrive. All the contracts of the LPS are from companies whose headquarters are outside of Lawrence – all of them. Well, maybe with the exception of Sal’s pizza! This is your current Mayor and is the same as his selected puppet candidate in order to continue these trends.
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that these lawmakers were quick to abandon their principles and overrule local decision making when things didn’t go their way. It’s a system designed by lawmakers and when it does not comply with their will, they come in and take over and place puppets to run these organizations/cities.
The LPS decentralization has literally sent a message to its residents that they are too stupid to run a school committee and instead allow “us” to educate your children. These are tactics straight out of a banana republic or a communistic government and I not sure why there is no rage from the people of Lawrence. Maybe, it’s because they have are already resigned themselves to this type of government or maybe it is because they come from other countries where this is a normal occurrence. Either way, there needs to be an education of empowerment to Lawrence residents and we don’t see it coming from current state representatives or state senators as they seem not to care enough to demand that the Commonwealth give back the power to its people.
In the same manner that legislators gave a letter to Judge James F. Lang in regards to their disappointment of the Columbia Gas settlement in order to take $20 million from the $143 million belonging to the residents of the three cities, it should be that these very same legislators write a letter to the Commonwealth to give power back to Lawrence residents.
Rock the Register fiasco
Last summer, during a press conference, Mayor Dan announced the creation of a publicity campaign called ROCK THE REGISTER. The funding came from Columbia Gas and $10 million dedicated to that campaign, would help the business community impacted in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover.
That money was divided between EforAll and an advertising agency from Boston. When it was announced I wrote that it didn’t make sense hiring a company that doesn’t know our community. I waited patiently to see the results and I can now say that it was either a failure or a way to cheat the public while making it look meaningful.
Case in point, there was no campaign for Rock the Register in Lawrence. The local campaign was in English and in Spanish was only in Boston. There was nothing on the radio.
A big chunk of the money went to EforAll to create courses teaching entrepreneurs how to run a business, how to use Quickbooks, etc. They may be good teaching tools that are necessary to many in our community but the money was meant for residents suffering as a result of the gas explosions, not to be distributed among friends.
Now, Lawrence Partnership issued some sort of credit cards with a $30 value that people have no idea how to use. Local businesses have been rejecting them because they don’t know what they are and many have been discarded due to the frustration.
Again, ignorant of this community needs, they deal with them the way they normally do in Andover or North Andover. Lawrence is very different! We have many people who don’t speak the language and there has been no effort to reach out to them in Spanish. Many residents have no computer and if there’s one in the home, they have no idea what to do with it.
Someone brought me his card because I couldn’t help him by phone since I had never seen one. He had gone to the mayor’s office and was told that it had expired on November 15. I followed the instructions on the back of the card and the only options given were a Japanese restaurant or $15 (not the $30) for a coffee shop. In frustration, he threw it away.
Later I heard about someone who went to a pizza restaurant with the computer printout and it was refused because they cannot accept computer printouts. It has to be from a cellular phone but that was not in any of the instructions. Just imagine, my husband doesn’t have one of those telephones because he doesn’t want to be bother with telemarketers and text messages.
They just made it very hard to collect the lousy $30 that I wonder where that money is going to end up or in whose pocket.
Speaking of my money…
Yes, this time it’s my money because the City of Lawrence paid $225,000 to MVRTA for three busses that would service the population for free. I mentioned it last week and as a result, I received an angry email from someone insulting me. I don’t have permission to mention his name and it wouldn’t be fair.
His insult had to do with a mistake I made saying it was #83 and that’s the one going to the beaches in the summer. I explained that did check with the office at the Buckley Garage and it was confirmed so, I went with that. The correct information is bus #85
Of course, he only pointed to my mistake and said nothing about the bus being canceled or suspended. If anyone has additional information or correction, it will be greatly appreciated.
