Audit
I received copies of the audit that was presented to the City Council this past week. All the information was very positive and encouraging. Here’s a sampling and I’ll bring more details next week.
Through Fiscal 2013, the Overseer has not recommended a Finance Control Board. This decision has been influenced by the following positive actions and results:
- Spending restrictions put in place via executive order whereby any commitments greater than $1,000 require the Mayor’s approval.
- Certified positive free cash ranging between $4.7 million and $6.6 million for Fiscal years 2010 through 2012.
- Improved bond ratings from both Moody’s Investor Service and Standard & Poor’s.
- The significant collection of past due taxes and the implementation of aggressive lien filings.
- The establishment of a capital improvement committee.
- The submission and approval of a balanced budget for Fiscal years 2011 through 2014 using realistic revenue estimates exclusive of one-time revenue sources.
However, even with the improvements noted above, the City at this time is still subject to a Fiscal Overseer and can possibly be subrogated to a control board. This indicates that it is not yet able be fully accountable for its operations at the current time and, accordingly, we consider this condition to be a material weakness.
Please, understand what you read!
On February 22 I wrote about Patriot Ambulance hiring David Torrisi as lobbyist on January 24 of this year. The intent of my piece was to bring attention to the connection they both have to the City of Lawrence and how suspicious it appears considering the huge contributions to Mayor Dan Rivera’s campaign by the Torrisi Family and the contract with Patriot Ambulance about to expire.
Well, seems that no one read that part and several people chose to malign me on Spanish radio for “insulting the moral and integrity of Manny Gonzalez.” When I was asked to explain on a radio program on Monday, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It all started when people told Manny that I wrote awful things about him. Without having read the article, Manny went on a radio program last Friday and said that he was “offended” by what I wrote. That gave way to others to piggyback all weekend long, as well as Mr. Gonzalez himself, attacking me and never called me for clarification.
After a while, Manny finally called me on the show and he admitted not having read my column when he made the original comment on Friday. We agreed that he was not the main issue but only a point of reference in the story and there were no insults addressed to him as he was told.
If you don’t have a copy of that edition, you can find it on our website.
Meanwhile, has anyone mentioned Patriot Ambulance or Torrisi? That was just a smoke screen to prevent people from looking at the real problem.
Isensee’s back in front of the Council
The City Council will be discussing at its next meeting the permanent appointment of John Isensee as Director of the Department of Public Works, a position he has held admirably for about four years.
On 9/15/11 I wrote on this column, “District F Councilor Marc Laplante has been very vocal insisting that the mayor ‘should send his name down for appointment.’ Well, he did and when the Personnel Committee was to interview Mr. Isensee, he was put through the usual routine of embarrassment and abuses all city employees seem to be required to endure, only to vote NO for his appointment.”
Then on 9/22/11 I continued, “Worse than those actions was the grandstanding that went on. For weeks, District D Councilor Marc Laplante had been demanding that Mayor Lantigua send down his name for permanent appointment because he is doing such a good job. When it became obvious that Isensee does not have the qualifications called for in the job description, Laplante tried suggesting making changes to the job description in order to adjust it to his expertise.
It was only when Eileen O’Connor Bernal made an issue of it for being unfair since they have appointed others in similar situations without changing the job descriptions to accommodate them, that he changed his mind.”
The final vote was as follows: Oneida Aquino, Sandy Almonte, Roger Twomey and Grisel Silva voted in favor of Isensee. Marc Laplante, Dan Rivera, Eileen O’Connor Bernal, Modesto Maldonado and Frank Moran voted NO. Let’s see how those councilors that remain in the Council vote this time.
Rehiring Greg Morris
I love the fact that Rumbo has past issues on our website dating back to 2001. On February 8, 2011, I mentioned the suspension of Greg Morris as supervisor of the Department of Public Works, and he was later fired for dumping snow on the canal. The position paid $85,000.
He then went to the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination and sue the city claiming racial discrimination. Needless to say, he lost his case and the city prevailed.
When John Isensee appeared on CrossOver on February 11, he told me that Greg was back to work, as of that week. I have always heard that Greg is a hard worker, but his track record leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
