Acting Mayor Vasquez starting with the right foot
For several years I’ve been writing about city boards and commissions that are not able to meet lacking a quorum.
My criticisms of Dan Rivera have been plentiful through that time for not filling those posts. It is at those meetings where the real city business gets done.
People would often complain that these are voluntary positions without a stipend but the truth is that there are many individuals eager to be motivators of change.
Anyone interested in contributing to the city by being a member of a particular board or commission, would normally check on the city website and apply from there. The problem with the lack of transparency in Lawrence is that right now there are only 3 posted openings since March 2014.
Hopefully, we invite only honorable people to participate because you may hear about future city plans that, if you play your cards right (in a devious way, of course) you may pick up city properties that will be going out for bids before the general public finds out. We have found many people lacking integrity that started out on city boards and ended up millionaires. It’s time for hard-working people in Lawrence to stand up and work for the common good.
But, I am very pleased to announce that Acting Mayor Kendrys Vasquez has done what was lacking for so long. He will be presenting to the City Council on Tuesday night, 12 names of candidates for three boards. He still has many more appointments to do but this is a good start.
When referencing that it is at these boards and commissions where the citizens’ business is done, I suggest you take a look at the list and you’ll see which decisions they handle. By not having effective boards and commissions the administration may make decisions affecting the city and residents, often in violation of the law.
Their meetings are the mechanism we have to vent our frustrations or get answers that councilors cannot provide.
I always suspected Rivera never made an effort to keep the Human Rights Commission functioning because most complaints were about the police department and he was very protective of them. In its latest years, the Human Rights Commission turned into a public relations branch of the police with Police Chief John Romero participating every week. Then, when he retired, he was honored with a plaque from the HRC for his good work. It turned out that the board was working for the police department.
Reinstating the Human Rights Commission is to our advantage, not just pointing fingers at cops, but landlord abuses, problems with insurance companies, inspectional services, etc.
Let’s see if in his limited time in office Acting Mayor Kendrys Vasquez will bring back real government by the people and completes filling those posts.
List of Boards and Commissions
Airport
Board of Health
Commission on Disability
Conservation Commission
Cultural Council
Greater Lawrence Sanitary District
Historical Commission
Library Board of Trustees
Licensing Board
Prospect Hill Historical District Commission
Redevelopment Authority
Retirement Board
School Building Commission
You can find information about each one of these organizations on the city’s website, although it is ancient and some of those members have died long ago. At least, you can find out more about the requirements to apply.
City Hall’s revolving doors
Now that DPW Director Brian Peña left for a job in Andover, Who do you think will become the “Acting” director? I could have guessed it!
Franklin Miguel has been promoted to that position on an interim basis (you know that’s only a front) even though he has no experience at it. If the city was going to advertise the position in search of a real engineer, they should have named Lance Hamill. He works for the department and served as acting director for a long time when John Isensee left. John, although he was not an engineer, was knowledgeable, pleasant, and never caused major problems or scandals for the city. I still think that Lance is not entitled to take a city vehicle home to New Hampshire at night but that’s not my decision.
Even though logic tells me that Lance should have been leading that department, deep inside I knew that Franklin will be permanently appointed because he is tied to the waist of the acting mayor. They are like brothers and never go on vacation alone. No, nobody told me; they have the audacity of posting their vacation pictures on social media.
Do you think there will ever be justice for Lawrence taxpayers with all the political favors, nepotisms, etc? Qualified candidates need not apply.
A good example of how friends and relatives are hired here was when Maria De La Cruz insisted to the councilors that she wanted to be the new city clerk. I was so afraid that we would end up with her there! She doesn’t even know what the job entails because she can’t even write in English or Spanish to handle such a job. I know; I used to get press releases from her. She had to settle for a consolation prize at the hospital.
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