By Dalia Diaz
During the past few weeks I have been writing about the appalling conditions in which the City of Lawrence runs the Elections Department. Being so close to the Primaries, it was impossible getting answers from city officials but I am planning to follow through now that it’s over.
So far, I had to depend on the information available on the city’s abominable website. I will be requesting information about employee qualifications, interviews conducted, or the selection process since the City Clerk told me that he was not involved with any of these matters.
Bill Maloney just told me that he was very busy preparing for Tuesday’s elections and could not answer further.
I was able to find the original Ordinance #2.44.060 – Assistant registrar/coordinator of Spanish language election information program, dated 8/17/99. In the requirements it states: B. Qualifications. The assistant registrar/coordinator of Spanish language election information program shall be bilingual in at least English and Spanish and shall possess a strong verbal and written skills in at least English and Spanish.
Also, the job posting recently used for the purpose of hiring. Normally, these requirements should be included on the job posting but the Bilingual Coordinator job description from 2013 to 2018 shows a conscious effort to “water down” the requirements by removing any reference to the requirement that the bilingual coordinator be fluent in Spanish and English despite being required by City Ordinance.
On January 20, 2015, Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred, proficient in both the English and Spanish language. Then, on March 26, 2018 and again on April, 29, 2018 the posting read: A candidate for this position should have a High School diploma or equivalent… An Associate’s Degree is preferred. No mention of language skills.
As a practical matter and in reality, both the City Ordinance and the demands of the position “require” the bilingual coordinator to know English and Spanish. It is unfathomable how the Personnel Department could even consider removing this “requirement” from the last two job descriptions provided to applicants for the position and publicly posted. Regardless, the “new” and inaccurate job description is provided by the Personnel Office and signed by the Mayor making it appear that the bilingual coordinator does not need to actually be “bilingual”.
The real question here is: Why are the voters in Lawrence not provided with qualified election staff necessary to assure the elections held are legitimate and accurate AT ALL TIMES?
I remember when the Election Division was forced to use voting booths that were more than 40-50 years old that were made of wood and impossible to use. Council President Patrick Blanchette attempted to construct voting booths with the help of Greater Lawrence Technical High School and Essex County House of Corrections prisoners – which failed miserably. Repeated and multiple requests to purchase new equipment were unanswered until 2010 when new booths were purchased for about $90,000.
The issue went away overnight but it will soon be returning because the City refuses to provide annual capital for the purchase/repair and replace inventory. It has been 8 years since the purchase of new voting booths and 4 years since these voting booths have been out of warranty. Yet, each budget season the Administration and the Council refuse to provide finances sufficient to maintain its inventory. Soon the voting booths will again be in crisis because this city always operates in crisis mode.
The issue is the same with voting machines. The current machines are obsolete and must be replaced at a cost of about $150,000.00. Despite repeated requests over the past 8 years to gradually fund capital plans to purchase new machines when needed, the Administrations and Councilors fail to engage capital budgeting plans to assure that the voters in Lawrence are not put through a crisis.
Once these issues reach crisis, public officials seek to exact blame on someone in a finger pointing frenzy.
In preparation for the November Elections, the City needs to immediately hire two experienced and qualified staff members to adequately serve a population of 80,000 people and a voting population of 45,000. It should immediately provide the means to upgrade voting machines to assure voters have the most “up to date” voting machines available – anything less fails to provide voters in Lawrence with “top notch” voting equipment that other Merrimack Valley voters use. This alone may subject the City to claims asserted by voters and equal rights groups demanding the City provide adequate voting equipment.
In the very near future, the City of Lawrence needs to make immediate arrangements to hire election staff experienced in the use and operation of the Central Voter Registry System and Voter Information System and experienced in election administration procedures in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts – anything less than two additional employees with these abilities by October 1, 2018 and through the State Election in November may result in the inability to provide professional election services to voters in Lawrence.
The City of Lawrence is in constant crisis in managing its election office since and seems content to stay in a state of constant crisis. Employees in City Hall know all too well that those who notify anyone of a problem are vilified as being the cause of the problem and subject to retaliation.
When you vote this year in Lawrence remember that other communities in the Merrimack Valley will be using the newest voting machines and marking its ballots on well-maintained voting booths for all their elections – Not Lawrence Voters. Assurances have been made by the Administration, Council and the Commonwealth that sufficient qualified staff will be in place.
I remain hopeful and let’s see if these promises come true.
