Tom Duggan's Notebook
***MEDIA
WATCH***
 Correction:
Here’s a surprise for our regular readers.
Last month we got a call from North Andover School
Committee Chairman Al Perry who, among other things,
wanted to correct the record on what he said was an
inaccurate report here in the Notebook several months
ago. We reported that Mr. Perry went on vacation a few
short days after the controversy surrounding
Superintendent Harutunian’s bailout (buy out?).
Perry said that he was not “on vacation,” but
on a business trip. Perry Won’t Seek
Reelection Speaking of Al Perry, during our
surprise phone conversation with him last month, he gave
us an exclusive. Perry says he will “not run for
reelection” next spring. “I just want to get
through this,” Perry said. “We have a budget to
get through and we have to pick a new superintendent. I
just want to finish what we started here and then I am
going back to private life.”
In-Town Mall ...Now It Makes Sense!
The city of Lawrence owns the so-called “in-town
mall” on Essex Street and has been trying to sell
the white elephant for years. One reason the city has  been
eager to dump the property (besides the fact that it has
been falling apart for years), The Valley Patriot has
learned, is that most of the business tenants in the
building are not paying any rent to the city. According
to city records, community activist Isabel Melendez, who
has an office for one of her “help the poor”
organizations in that building, has paid no rent at all.
This would certainly explain why Melendez, state Rep.
Lantigua and the “Latino press” are rabidly
opposing the Northern Essex Community College purchase of
the building. If NECC buys the building, it has said it
will knock it down and build a technology center. On the
other hand, if Benny Espelate purchases the property, he
has promised the city he will allow all current tenants
in the building to remain and continue paying the same
rent. Since Melendez isn’t paying anything at all
... well, now it is all starting to make sense!
Hispanic Week Is HERE! ...I Think!
 While
putting The Valley Patriot together this month, I was
very much interested in printing a schedule of Hispanic
Week events, as Semana Hispana happens to be my favorite
event of the year.
But the organizers of Semana Hispana have done such a
poor job of pro-moting the week-long event that it was
impossible to find a schedule of events, leaving me with
only a vague time frame to pass along to our readers.
Hispanic Week is generally held on the week before
Father’s Day every year (this year, Father’s
Day is June 18th). Once we get a hold of the Hispanic
Week schedule, I will post it on line at www.valleypatriot.com, complete with daily updates and pictures
of our favorite activities and Latina Beauty Queens.
Carlos Matos Applies for Job in
Administration
He Once Called Incompetent!
Here’s
a good one. Last fall, former City Councilor Carlos Matos
ran against Mike Sullivan for mayor saying that the
Sullivan administration was “incompetent”
— among other explosive criticisms of the now
reelected mayor.
So, now that Matos has lost his bid for mayor, what is he
doing? No, he is not going to Disney World. He is now
applying for a job in that “incompetent”
administration. Matos has applied for a position with
community development and has also put in for housing
manager. My only question is: Why would anyone want to be
part of such “incompetence”?
Morris Gets Job With City
Lawrence School Committee Member, Gregory Morris, was
recently hired by Lawrence Mayor Michael Sullivan to work
in DPW. As a member of the Lawrence School Committee,
Morris has an equal vote with Sullivan, but as a
temporary city employee, Sullivan is Morris’ boss,
prompting some in the community to question whether or
not it is a conflict of interest. Morris says he is only
temporarily working on city parks and has no intention on
working for the city in any permanent capacity. But,
according to an opinion by School Committee attorney,
Naomi Stronberg, members for the School Committee may not
work for the city while holding office. But members of
the National School Committee Association say it is a
gray area since city employees serving on the School
Committee are not voting on any measures that affect
their own job. Stay Tuned!
Thomson Parents Step up to the Plate
Last month’s flood may have wiped out entire
sections of Lawrence, Methuen and Haverhill, but certain
neighborhoods in North Andover were hit particularly
hard. Homes at the bottom of Mass. Ave. near the
Lawrence border were not hit as hard as in 1986 or 1936,
because the flood waters back then ran off into the
swamps off Shawsheen Road (in 1986) and the Green-field
Street/Loring Street area of Lawrence (in 1936, see
picture below). But with the high school and the South
Lawrence East School filling up the area where flood
waters use to run off, neighborhoods around Elmwood and
Fernwood Streets ended up with the overflow of the
Shawsheen River.
A very special thanks to the Parent Teacher Organizations
at the Thomson School in North Andover who coordinated
relief efforts for the families in those neighborhoods.
Also a special thanks to North Andover Selectman Danny
Lanen who helped coordinate with the Salvation Army to
get food and supplies to displaced families in town.
Dunkin Donuts Does Not Hire
Illegals
It’s
not like we need a reason to patronize Dunkin Donuts
(their superb coffee speaks for itself), but now there is
another reason to get your coffee, muffins and donuts at
the national coffee chain. Dunkin Donuts has voluntarily
decided to take part in a Homeland Security program to
check the immigration status of all potential employees
and has vowed: “as of June 1st, Dunkin Donuts will
check the social security numbers and immigration status
of all new hires,” and will not hire any illegal
aliens.
If there are any other businesses out there who are
publicly declaring their support for our Homeland
Security program of not hiring illegal aliens, please let
us know so that we can start a database of responsible
businesses and publicly promote them as “Valley
Patriot Businesses of the Month.” You can email us
at valleypatriot@aol.com.
 Vote for My Son or BADDA BING!
Chris
DiBella, a candidate for state representative in Methuen,
may have a little more “juice” than local
politicians might think. DiBella’s father, Sal,
recently had a part on the HBO hit series “The
Sopranos” (about an Italian Mafia family).
DiBella had this picture (above) on his website
(chrisdibella.com) under “fun facts.” Perhaps
DiBella should change his campaign slogan to “Vote
DiBella ... and nobody gets hurt!” DiBella said he
is quite proud of his dad, a retired construction worker,
who helped him shape his ideas and views of the world.
Fundraiser Postponed Due to
Flood
Candidate for state representative in Methuen, Michael
Hennessy, had a fund raiser scheduled at Jackson’s
Restaurant on Rt. 110 in Methuen last month. But there
was one problem. Jackson’s was under three feet of
water because of the Mother’s Day flood. Hennessy
has rescheduled the event for June 26th. “I just
hope it stops raining before then,” said former
Councilor Pat Uliano, who is running the Hennessy
campaign. “Other-wise, we may have to show up in a
canoe!”
What part of NO Don’t you
Understand?
I am so amused by this one I had to share it with my
readers. For the last several years the people of North
Andover have made it very clear that they will not
support a proposition 2 1/2 override or the charging of
trash fees to have their garbage picked up. After all,
isn’t that what we pay taxes for? Yet, every year
the elitist elected officials in town try to convince us
that we need to raise more local dollars by making
proposed cuts that will hurt the town the most in order
to push through their agenda. It is hysterical to watch
this year after year, because they just don’t get
it. They think the voters are too stupid to see the game
that is being played. The wolves are at the door,
alright, but the wolves are on the finance committee.
*Send your questions comments to ValleyPatriot@aol.com
The June, 2006 Edition
of the Valley Patriot
The Valley Patriot is a Monthly
Publication.
All Contents (C) 2006, Valley Patriot, Inc.
We publish 8,000 newspapers and distribute in Andover,
North Andover, Methuen, Haverhill,
Lawrence, Dracut, Tewksbury and Lowell.
|
