Left In Lowell

Yesterday’s Lowell Sun’s “The Column” had a few paragraphs on City Manager Bernie Lynch’s plans to ask the City Council to reinstate the position of Assistant to the City Manager. I am not going to review the whole history, we all know what happened. But just in case, here is the story.

I would link to the Column but the Sun has decided for business reasons not to have “The Column” available on line for its non-paying customers.

Back to CM Lynch, according to the Column “he is evaluating the needs of his office, putting together a job description and planning to ask the council to restore funding for the position.”

And during his weekly radio interview on WCAP CM Lynch has raised this same issue. Here is a 30-second clip from last week’s Finance Sub-Committee meeting where the topic is raised by the CM. (More on the Finance Sub-Committee meeting and the City Budget at a later date).

I am one of those who believe that the results of this year’s municipal election indicate a vote of confidence for the Lynch administration. Any manager, including this one, needs to structure his administration as he sees fit. I do believe that the majority sentiment of the new City Council will be to give him the tools that he needs to accomplish the CCs goals and objectives.

Even if the CC were to approve this in mid-January, the Assistant will not be in place probably until early February. So for the remainder of the fiscal year, the added cost will be less than $40,000; a sum that can be transferred from the Manager’s contingency fund. That money will be a good investment in our future if it gives the CM the opportunity “to identify and implement cost savings idea and improve our efficiencies.” I hope the reinstatement of the position will not be as turbulent as the elimination was but we will see.