Apologies to Frank Benjamin
There’s a beautiful dog in our MSPCA page named Mr. B. I didn’t do it! That happens to be his real name and you have to admit that Mr. B looks like a great pet.
City firings
Last week I wrote on this column something brief about the people who have been fired from their positions at City Hall because a few of them have been called back to work. Seems that having somebody speak for them worked.
I was talking about it on my CrossOver radio program last Saturday and I mentioned that the day before, Jose Ayala and Manuel Lara, both from the Water Department, were also laid off. Then, someone called the show and said, “Well, someone had to be fired when the job was given to Ayala!”
I didn’t want to argue on the air without facts to back me up but I distinctly remembered the details of how he was hired in 2010. That position was left vacant when the person occupying it retired. It was posted at City Hall and later in the newspapers. Several people applied for the job and were interviewed by DPW Director Frank McCann, the Water Commissioner and the Personnel Director Frank Bonet. Let’s assume that preferential consideration was given to Ayala – we won’t know that – but the proper procedures were followed. What we are seeing now is people thrown out and replaced by pointing a finger with no regard for legal procedure, equal opportunity or qualifications.
Mayor Rivera on vacation!
After 55 days on the job, facing the struggles of running a problematic city like Lawrence, Mayor Dan Rivera deserved a week off. I wonder if anyone is going to start counting how often he is away and where – after all, Mexico is not his homeland.
It’s pothole season, people!
A couple of weeks ago I interviewed Lawrence DPW Director John Isensee on the CrossOver radio show and he warned the audience that this is pothole season. It has become obvious to anyone driving on Rt. 93 or Rt. 495, but I got a kick out of it when I saw pictures of Haverhill Mayor James Fiorentini on Facebook, shovel in hand, patching potholes along with DPW workers. He asked residents to call and report any pot holes in their streets in order to take care of them within 24 hours.
Correction
Last week I attributed the quote Wendy Luzon posted in her Facebook page to Jose Santiago and I should have said Dr. Jorge Santiago of Northern Essex Community College.
