Left In Lowell

The new City Manager has a heap ‘o trouble to deal with, with Lowell reportedly on the “short list” of the Dept of Revenue’s towns with “acute fiscal issues,” the dubious honor shared by less than 15 other communities right now - including deep-in-the-hole Springfield.

Yes, Virginia, we are being audited.

It seems only yesterday certain people were praising former CM Cox for his fiscal abilities and giving him undue credit for the revival of some parts of Lowell. Now, it appears, as Councilor Rodney Elliot states, “we were left in the dark by the previous administration.” Indeed, the Sun reports that the DOR sent a letter to Cox in January and March of this year, but the City Councilors appear not to have been informed.

Makes you wonder if John really jumped ship so he wouldn’t have to deal with this, doesn’t it? After all, rumors abounded that he was planning to resign anyway.

Particularly ominous to me was this (emphasis mine) :

“It is crucial that we act quickly to close out the books on FY 2006 and commence the audit for that period,” Lynch wrote in the memo. “Without DOR approval of a free cash number and a tax rate, we will be forced to borrow funds in order to pay operating costs including salaries and utilities.”

Lynch said the audit should have started early last spring, because it can take up to six months to complete the process.

But no worries. Wally Fernandez assures us this is no big deal: “My view is they are not serious…What it all means is we have to tighten up the budget. There’s just not enough revenue.”

Remember that, next year when you-know-what hits the fan during the confusion of trying to set the right tax rate. Even in a normal year, it’s no small task. Imagine trying to do it with two hands tied behind your back and your head stuffed in a toilet. I think we can safely say no one can envy Lynch the job ahead.

The Boston Herald: always good for a scandal, right?

Not so much with Killer Coke. (more…)

Internally, us Lowell for Deval people are ramping up our campaign here. If you’re on our email list, keep an eye out. We have 33 days. If you think Deval Patrick is the man for the job, commit to spending a couple hours a week or more for the next five weeks. This campaign only succeeds as much as YOU succeed! Don’t be regretting your inactivity on Sept 20th.

On that note, I won’t be posting GOTV for Deval events on this website much anymore. If you want to help, simply send me an email (lynne [at] leftinlowelldotcom, replace appropriate bits) and give me your name and phone number, and you’ll be in the loop.

Some of us got a chance to preview two new Deval Patrick ads last night. I’m not going to say much about them, but you’ll be able to see the first one too, today, 2:30, on DevalPatrick TV! Tomorrow morning it airs on the television. Then we’ll see what the polls have to say.

-b in comments to the last open thread posted something really interesting: a fairly new Lowell Police Department blog. If Lowell was once a model of community policing, maybe this sort of local public communication about crime and safety in Lowell can start a new renaissance in the LPD’s connection to the public.

At the very least, it’s innovative, and they allow comments. I’ve added a link to the Lowell Area Bloggers/Forums section on the right sidebar. If there are any other new local blogs talking about Lowell or other communities out there, feel free to contact me. One of the best things an established blog can do is promote new ones.