Just watching what moves
On May 2013 the Public Safety Committee, of then Candidate Daniel Rivera, met to discuss providing strategies for the new administration. In January 2014, the transition team provided Mayor Rivera and Chief of Staff Lisa Torrisi their full recommendations. In their report, Ms. Maggie Super Church and Attorney Zoila Gomez, recommended that the City do away with the current ambulance services – Patriot Ambulance. Specifically, the report stated “Lawrence has a $0 contract with the existing ambulance service.
With the contract expiring this year, the city has an opportunity to make substantial changes to its Emergency Management System (EMS). The Committee examined bringing EMS services entirely in house with the Fire Department or engaging in another private contract that is more advantageous for the city and its residents.”
Mayoral Candidate Manny Gonzalez is the leader of the Transitions Public Safety Committee that collected and provided data, along with District F Councilor Marc Laplante. He stated that the immediate actions taken be that the Lawrence Fire Department take over the ambulatory services of the City, something that was recommended by former Police Chief John J. Romero and Fire Department Chief Jack Bergeron. At present, the Fire Department responds to all emergency calls but Patriot Ambulance keeps the profit of the call while the city gets no revenue. He added that in the future the city could enter into a contract or agreement with another private company.
Well, let’s just say that by this report coming from a firefighter, recommending that the LFD take over the ambulatory services is conflicting in itself. Of course, a firefighter is going to advocate having more work so that their membership can renegotiate changing working conditions to obtain more moneys in their pockets. It has nothing to do with getting more firefighters and much to do with money. Besides, if the city takes over this service, they will end up botching the entire service, revenue and process. Taxpayers do not need to be on the hook for their local government to take over but instead ask their government to do more outsourcing. But that is not why this article is written.
The actual reason of this article is to provide our audience truthful and accurate information that will allow them to determine facts on their own, such as these: The Mayor has full authority to sign this contract because it is exempt from 30B which requires going through the bidding process.
Early December 2013, Patriot Ambulance is shaken down for some money for the inaugural campaign. The Mayor’s transition team report is dated January 3, 2014.
On January 3, 2014, Lisa Torrisi takes the realm of Chief of Staff alongside Mayor Rivera. Ms. Torrisi is the sister of former State Representative David Torrisi.
On January 20, 2014, David Torrisi is hired by Patriot Ambulance as a lobbyist. This information can be found on the Secretary of State Office’s website and search for lobbyist.
On February 20, 2014, the Eagle-Tribune writes a story about recounts and fundraising of Rivera indicating that Patriot Ambulance has provided $7,900 of segregate amount post-election money to Rivera.
The way I see it, it is clear that the dates, the contributions and David Torrisi’s hiring as lobbyist is all connected. Now, Mayor Rivera can say that Patriot Ambulance may stay as the city’s ambulatory services provider.
How’s about that for a headline! Same people who accused the former Mayor of corruption are on their way to really corrupt. I am not surprised. I am just surprised how fast it begins to occur.
Fired and rehired
I have the list of people that have been fired by this administration and it’s interesting to see that those who know somebody have regained their employment.
It is obvious that they were politically motivated because they had one thing in common, but Mayor Rivera made some exceptions for a few who had friends or relatives call him to reconsider his decision.
Keeping my eyes open
I have been keeping track of Wendy Luzon’s activities because she is not qualified to be a Neighborhood Planner (that requires college education) and it escapes me how she is justifying her salary.
Take a look at her Facebook page; since she started her new job she has become very philosophical. I was hoping to find anecdotes about her new obligations and the only thing she posts is old quotes from famous people including this one from Dr. Jose Santiago from 20 years ago:
“The division of the City into two distinct communities is not an accident, or the natural evolution of urban development, but very purposeful. The strategic use of Latinos in the northern section, in order to present a particular image of need to garner financial and/or political concessions, while all the while using resources for projects in the southern area of the City, provides empirical evidence of the purposeful nature of the plans and their intended outcome.”
Keep it up! That’s the way to build harmony in this community!
