Council Should Hold Firm Against Water Bond
Mayor Sullivan is asking
the City Council to approve borrowing millions of dollars
to upgrade the water and sewer infrastructure in
Lawrence. He is doing this at a time when he is also
trying to give away the delivery of water services
through privatization to United Water.
It's a little confusing to me that the City would borrow
millions to fix our water system and then hand it all
over to a multinational corporation which will then use
that new system to charge us more money for our own
water.
District "D" Councilor Nick Kolofoles likened
the bond request to the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor
"and this sneak attack is coming…you mark my
words," Kolofoles said. He reminded the Council
about the Weatherbee School bond which was passed a few
years ago.
Back then, the City Council was told that by approving
the bond they were not giving away the right of oversight
on the construction project. They were also promised by
the mayor (Dowling at the time) that historic items in
the school would be preserved when renovation began.
Of course, as soon as the bond was approved the
Weatherbee School was gutted and those historical items
were not preserved. One would think that this lesson
would not to be forgotten by members of the City Council.
But apparently it has been.
Several times Councilors reiterated DPW director Frank
McCann's assertion that this bond issue had nothing to do
with water privatization. But it does! Mayor Sullivan is
trying to spend our tax money to upgrade water services
and infrastructure to make the sale or lease of our water
system more attractive to United Water. It will most
definitely make it more profitable!
How many people know we have spent more than 3 million
dollars on water privatization already with no vote of
the Council? It's true.
And how many people know that certain 'consultants'
working for the City on water privatization are also
employed by the private water company? True again!
So I ask those of you who pay attention, does it make
sense to borrow millions of dollars to fix up a water
system only to have a private company profit from that
public spending? Or does it make more sense to let United
Water foot the bill for a new water system given the fact
that they will be gouging us with out of control prices
the minute they get control of it?
Word is, after the Council rejected the bond proposal,
Councilor Mike Sweeney and others are lobbying the
dissenting Councilors to change their minds. The bond
failed at the last meeting and only those who voted no
can bring the issue back for reconsideration.
To reconsider this vote is tantamount to approving water
privatization. We might as well just hand a contract to
United water and let them fill out the terms and
conditions after we sign it. Chances are Sullivan will
screw it up anyway and it will happen exactly like that.
Councilor Nick Kolofoles sees what few of his colleagues
are willing to see, a vote for this bond starts the ball
rolling on water privatization and those who deny it will
sound like those who supported the Weatherbee School
bond...naive or out of touch.
You would think the City Council would be a little more
careful given all that egg dripping from their face.
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