>>Valley Patriot>> |
As mayor of the city of Lawrence, I am proud of the progress we have made against auto theft and insurance fraud over the last three years of my administration. Working with our state delegation and our local city councilors, we have provided new and aggressive tools to fight against these crimes, which ultimately affect the auto rates of all our citizens, state-wide. We have committed a lot of money, time and energy to give Lawrence Police Chief John Romero and our local police department the manpower to deal with this wide-ranging issue, and we are both pleased and amazed at the results. Chief Romero has created a task force with the help of the insurance industry and our state and county law enforcement officials. They have received a tremendous amount of support from the office of District Attorney John Blodgett, and to date he has prosecuted more than one hundred individuals, including the lawyers and chiropractors who have chosen to perpetrate these crimes against all of us. This so-called “cottage industry” of illegal activity has cost the insurance companies and the honest, hard-working rate payers of this state untold millions of dollars every year and has given the good city of Lawrence a black eye. The good news is, with the highly intensified effort, we have seen significant progress in Lawrence and some of these successes are being emulated throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. As someone who has had a family-run business for almost fifty years, I know full well how complicated some of the rate setting methods are, but I also know how my fellow Lawrencians are suffering under the staggering costs of these premiums. Statistical data now show the lowest auto theft rate in Lawrence since 1970, and a potential savings of millions of dollars cannot be viewed as short term. We need some relief and we need it now. Any reduction, however small, will affirm that our efforts have not been in vain. I will continue to pledge my commitment, for as long as I serve as mayor of Lawrence, to work side by side with all my fellow elected officials and will do everything within my power to give the task force and Chief Romero the resources required to continue their efforts. We have come a long way, but we cannot let our guard down now. We are winning the fight against auto insurance fraud. Recently, the Lawrence Police Department men and women, under the leadership of Chief John J. Romero, won an award from the International Association of Police Chiefs for their work and success in combating auto insurance fraud. Their work was also highlighted in a meeting of the Insurance Advisory Commission that I hosted at Lawrence City Hall. Representative Ron Mariano chaired the hearing and it was also attended by our legislative delegation. The meeting featured a presentation by Massachusetts Insurance Commissioner Julianne Bowler, who highlighted the many problems associated with the insurance industry and how it pertains to Massachusetts drivers, in particular. Without having to understand all the complexities of rate setting, it comes down to having competition in the industry and the elimination of fraudulent claims. Lawrence, Massachusetts has been doing its fair share in reducing claims by over $30 million in the last two years, and now it’s time that our citizens get paid back! We just showed the lowest rate of auto theft since 1969 and we are even ahead of last year. I will continue to fight for a 20 percent reduction in the auto insurance rates and pledge that I will not rest until our hard work translates into lower insurance rates for ALL Lawrencians! *Send your questions
comments to ValleyPatriot@aol.com |
