“Setting a precedent” was the title of our editorial of the February 22nd, edition No.614. In it, we said that the request of $675,000 from Mayor Daniel Rivera to acquire the plot of land adjacent to the central fire station in Lowell Street was only to set a precedent.
Immediately after learning Mayor Rivera’s request, many did not agree that the city should pay $675,000 for something that Dr. Joel Gorn, land owner, paid $150,000.
Many felt that the way to evade and save the city the high cost was to acquire the land by eminent domain, but from the beginning we anticipated the intentions of Mayor Rivera. It was not because it was the only site available, nor that he was asking for that amount to favor Dr. Gorn. No.
In our opinion, Dr. Gorn had every right to ask for whatever he wanted for something that belonged to him, the question was, would the city council approve it?
Knowing how our council operates, always willing to please our CEO and Mayor, Daniel Rivera, we were convinced that none of them would have dared to suggest acquiring Dr. Gorn’s site by eminent domain. In doing so, it would have spoiled the boss’s plans, therefore, unanimously voted to approve the sum requested.
In our editorial on February 22, we said that we suspected that Mayor Rivera’s plans were to set a precedent, and we will repeat it:
“Consider that the $45 million project to improve the Oliver School is already approved and the work can begin at any time. When that happens, we all know that they will need additional space for such improvements and expansions. Where will they find that space? Easy, within the abutters. Who are those neighbors next door? The building located next to the Oliver School, owned by Councilor Estela Reyes, Denis Reyes, Juan Carlos Reyes and Junior Rozón, purchased from Anchor Baptist Church on October 16, 2015, for $170,000.
But that’s not all, on January 25, 2016, the Housing Committee approved the sale of land owned by the city at 92 Oak St. for $3,300. The land that was sold to Junior Rozon, a resident of Haverhill, is behind the Oliver School. The Release Deed was signed by Mayor Rivera himself.”
Only a logical answer comes to mind. When those spaces are needed, councilor Estela Reyes and her associates will ask for thousands, maybe millions for their property and our Mayor, crossing his arms in an innocent posture, will say: If we gave it to Dr. Gorn, why not to Estela Reyes and her partners?
Do we have to predict what the councilors vote will be? Or are you smart enough to guess?
