News desert (Continuation)
For the past few weeks, you have been reading in this column about the lack of information in Lawrence and how residents are in the dark. I realize that most people in this city don’t care what decisions are being made until something affects them directly, but many of us do.
I want to be aware of the decisions being made at city hall but cannot afford the luxury of spending hours sitting in the chambers during their meetings.
Watching on television or through Facebook while I work is fine as long as the cameras work properly and the microphones have audio. What a disgrace the equipment is! Fortunately, City Councilor at-Large Ana Levy put up a fight at the council and got them to agree on spending some $40,000 to replace cameras, audio equipment, video recorders, etc. and we just have to wait for the delivery. Or so we were told.
Last week I heard that the contract for the equipment was canceled and there would be a delay. Meanwhile, I tried going to the City’s website to read the minutes of the council meetings but they are missing. Not just the regular council but the special meetings, the committee of the whole, budget and finance, board of health, housing, license, ordinance, personnel, public safety, etc. since 2021.
How can we be aware of the actions of our city government when there’s no way to find information?
During the Ordinance Committee meeting of November 14, 2023, Estela Reyes took item #391/23 out of tabled items and out of order. That was the Nicky Jam project because she said that she wanted to clear certain items before leaving the council. Is she afraid that things will fall apart next year without her and nobody else will take care of it? This was sponsored by Councilor Reyes and Stephany Infante.
The project went to the next full council meeting on November 21, 2023, where it was approved and sent to the Lawrence Redevelopment Authority (LRA). Immediately bells began to ring in my head. Nicky Jam has not signed a $2.5 million contract with the city and we are proceeding to spend money to do our part of the offer. What if it falls through?
Mayor Brian DePeña is confident that the plan will work out and students will be able to have a school of art and music no matter how it turns out.
Requests to postpone the swearing-in
Elections may be over but a lot is going on – quietly. Winners and losers are meeting and plotting what’s going to happen after January 2nd, making promises to each other and there’s a chance that it will be in vain.
On page 6 of this edition, you’ll find two letters sent to the City Clerk Eileen Bernal and Secretary of State William Galvin by Vladimir Acevedo and Jessica Aquino, requesting an investigation on the recent elections of November 7th.
Their letters confirm the many complaints from citizens of Lawrence, placing some of the blame on the Elections Department employees, arguing that an investigation is in order.
Meanwhile, there is also an effort to request that the winners of Districts A and B be held back from the swearing-in ceremony pending the results of the investigation. Better yet, some have suggested that the entire process be scrapped and a new election is held and carefully watched.
I admire Vladimir and Jessica’s actions because this country has very strong laws that are there for our benefit and defense. Crossing our arms at the sight of such illegal maneuverings is the last thing anyone should do. It’s not just to demand honesty in the process but to force a punishment on those who deserve it. Perhaps it will be a necessary lesson to have clean elections in the future.
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