When the Mayor leaves…
There are mental preparations being made for when Danny finally leaves office and I wonder if our City Councilors have read the City Charter at all. Some think that the Council President takes over, automatically, until a new election is held. Others believe that a vote should be taken to select among them who the interim mayor should be.
According to the Lawrence City Charter: “If a vacancy in the office of the mayor occurs in the first forty-two months of the term for which the mayor is elected, the city council shall forthwith order a special election to be held not more than 90 days following the date the vacancy is created, to fill the vacancy for the balance of the unexpired term.”
Notice: There is no mention as to who will be filling that position while the election is taking place for a permanent replacement.
Of, what a mess! We depend on the City Charter and it’s not clear enough.
Official State Flag of Massachusetts
Some 30 municipalities in Massachusetts are pushing for changes to be made to the state flag saying that is racist, among other things. They claim that it is offensive to Native Americans and the arm on top holding a sword signifies killing them.
The City Council in Cambridge has gone even further by removing it from City Hall and there’s enough support from uninformed people who have not taken the time to find if there’s any truth to that, jumping at the opportunity when the word “racist” is used.
The flag of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts displays, on both sides, the state coat of arms centered on a white field. The shield depicts an Algonquian Native American with bow and arrow; the arrow is pointed downward, signifying peace. A white star with five points appears next to the figure’s head, signifying Massachusetts’ admission as the sixth U.S. state. A blue ribbon surrounds the shield, bearing the state motto Ense Petit Placidam, Sub Libertate Quietem (“By the Sword We Seek Peace, But Peace Only Under Liberty”). Above the shield is the state military crest: the bent arm holding a broadsword aloft. The sword has its blade up, to remind that it was through the American Revolution that liberty was won. The arm itself is of Myles Standish and signifies the philosophy that one would rather lose their right arm than live under tyranny.
The current version of the Massachusetts flag was officially adopted is 1908, and revised in 1971.
My opinion on this is that it honors the first inhabitants but there is a struggle all over the country to erase anything representing the early era on the United States from books, monuments, names, effigies, etc. and the result in 30 or 40 years from now will be that no one would know our history. Let it all stay there for history’s sake and learn from the sad lessons it has to show us.
Enjoying the 4th of July Celebrations
We watched the Boston Pops concert at the Esplanade on the 4th of July. As usual, it was a fantastic show. Every year, they give the opportunity to a local talent to perform and I heard this year it would be Amalia Mena but had no idea of she is. After being briefly interviewed before the show, I fell in love with her right there. Her poise, her elegance, diction, and the fact that she has Dominican parents made me feel honored when she said, “I am proud to represent the Latino community.”
Amalia sang a few songs and I wished she had the entire show for herself.
She is currently a student at Harvard University.
In contrast, earlier that day, while celebrating the Old Fashioned 4th of July at Heritage State Park, there was an unpleasant moment and I am sorry that I contributed to it.
Good manners tell us that when in a gathering of people who do not understand Spanish, we must be polite and speak in English, even if broken or limited.
When we arrived, Ana and Benjamin Levy were seated outside under a tent and next to her was a Veteran. I stood behind the gentleman and said hello to Ana and Benjamin and began speaking in Spanish. The man got up in a huff, complaining in a loud voice that “these Dominicans are the ones keeping the city so dirty” and other things as he was leaving.
It was thoughtless of me since there were very few Latinos at the event and I should know better.
