St. Patrick’s Parade
OK, the Parade is over and I held back from making any comments so that I wouldn’t be accused of trying to boycott or hurt the plans in any way.
It was a great day and a beautiful parade; we all needed that after such a dreadful winter and the negativity of recent years being on the news so often. Lawrencians deserved a good time and people came out to take advantage of it.
One criticism is that this year’s event was a dispute to see who would sell more liquor: The Cladagg or Relief In because it was planned around those two institutions.
I was told that Tom Cuddy complained that it had been a lot of work. That’s his fault for hugging it instead of calling those “in the know”. Marie Gosselin was totally ignored by the organizers and she could put a parade together in one month because she has a routine after so many years doing it.
One of the members of the committee showed up at her home a few days later and handed her a plaque of recognition for the years that she organized the St. Patrick’s Parade. That was such an insult! If they really wanted to show appreciation, they could have involved her in the planning or ask her to be at the reviewing stand and give it to her in public. I hope it makes good firewood in her fireplace!
For this year’s festivities, the only thing Rumbo was able to do was publishing the Hibernians’ schedule of events for the month of March, thanks to Bill Sullivan who always remembers the Lawrence newspaper. The organizers and its president made sure that we received zero information. I know they didn’t need it but we have always been of service at other times. I thought the era of divisions had passed.
I don’t know exactly what Mayor Dan Rivera has done for its success but he has been taking the credit of bringing the Parade back and promised on my radio show CrossOver, that he’ll do the same for Hispanic Week, St. Alfio’s Feast, and Bread and Roses.
Attorney Boddy – Out!
That is what Mayor Rivera notified to the City Council recently. In a memo to Council President Modesto Maldonado, he warned him of his intentions not to renew his contract. I’ll be watching carefully how the members of the City Council react because they need to approve it, after all, the City Attorney works for the council not the mayor.
The sour note was added when the letter was delivered to Charlie, on the day his father died. Besides planning a funeral, he had to start planning his future on the same day.
But that’s not surprising of this administration. When Michael Fielding was given his letter that he was losing his post at the parking garage where he earned little more than minimum wage, they waited to deliver it on the day he buried his mother.
Can this administration be a little more sensitive to human tragedies? Did they want to impart more pain on purpose? Couldn’t they have waited a couple of days?
The lack of compassion I have witnessed in three months for political purposes only, makes me wonder if we really know people as we think we do. How sad!
Lantigua is always news
I have been participating in meetings with a group of people who truly care about restoring the good name of our city and a common belief that things are looking up for Lawrence now that we have a mayor who can do no wrong. But, when we least expect it, former mayor William Lantigua’s name keeps popping up in another negative manner. The guy has not done anything but he obviously sells newspapers because they are always digging to come up with something.
There’s a fear that he may reenter the political world and the speculations are rampant. The publicity will make him think that he is someone to fear and they might be pushing him into it, like a self fulfilling prophecy.
One thing is for sure, Marcos Devers is dedicating more time to campaigning than doing his job. He never misses an opportunity to appear like a high-ranking government official with a chauffeur and a new legislative aide. Franklin Fernandez is no longer legislative aide, he changed his title to that of Chief of Staff. That post now belongs to Manuel Alcantara who travels with both of them. I wonder who is handling the office at the State House and responding to constituents’ concerns.
Is it possible that Devers has two paid assistants? I have to check on that.