Left In Lowell

Today’s Sun has their “third-annual list of the most fascinating people of the year.” Last year, fellow-blogger Cliff Krieger made the cut. But wouldn’t it be more interesting if they featured the 25 “not-so-fascinating” people.

Dick posted on the dual articles that appeared in the Boston papers this on Chancellor Marty Meehan and the Suffolk University . Did the item in last week’s The Column prompted both papers to cover this story?

What was the State Department bureaucrats in Nepal thinking? They initially denied the nine-year daughter of the Jamaica Plan store clerk who was brutally murdered a visa to come to the United States to attend her father’s burial. They were concerned that the family may extend their stay. But they came to their senses when U.S. Representative Michael Capuano placed a phone call.

The front page of Huffington Post is promoting a New Year’s Resolution: “Move your money to a community bank.” We are very lucky living in Greater Lowell where we have a quality local banks and credit unions to choose from.

Cliff reminds us that tomorrow is the last day to register to vote if you wish to participate in the January 19th special election for the Massachusetts Senate seat of the late Ted Kennedy

Registering is not the problem; voting is. People do not seem to be interested. This election really has not captured the hearts and minds of the average citizen. Maybe it is the holidays; maybe it is “election fatigue”; maybe it is the candidates.

The Primary Election results are not in Scott Brown’s favor and today the Herald has a Hilary Chabot story on the abandonment of Scott by the national Republican party.

And as far as Martha Coakley is concerned, the Daily Beast has selected her as a “rising political” star, “The Commonwealth’s Attorney General will face a Republican opponent in a special election next month. But it’s a formality; in heavily Democratic Massachusetts, her elevation to the Senate is all but assured.” Hey, if Tina Brown says so, than it must be true.

Even if you do not support any of the candidates whose name will be on the ballot, show your support for democracy and the election process. Go vote, and write in your name or turn in a blank ballot. We need elections, not elevations.

Hope everyone had a nice holiday. Back to blogging after spending time with family and friends.

In addition to the end of the year review, many media outlets are reviewing the past decade with their top stories. So, here are the top Lowell stories from my perspective:

1. 2009 Municipal Election; four incumbents (two City Councilors; 1 School Committee and 1 Greater Lowell School Committee) lose their seats.

2. Tsongas Arena is transferred to the University

3. Hamilton Canal groundbreaking takes place

4. Downturn in economy causes City to reduce work force

5. Former School Committeewoman Regina Faticanti’s legal issues

6. Former City Councilor Alan Kazanjian’s business dealings with the City are subpoenaed

7. The University purchases downtown hotel

8. Target opens

The news is reporting that MA home sales last month were up incredibly from last November, by a whopping 59% for single family homes. Of course, November 2008 was a terrible month for home sales, but that is still a very good trend. This is in addition to the encouraging, though fragile news that the state’s revenues are also on the rise, beyond previous gloomy projections.

The conservatives have attempted to label the stimulus efforts of the last year as more than fruitless - they state it has been a huge waste of taxpayer money. For instance, they constantly cite their favorite sets of numbers with regards to the Cash for Clunkers program - that each “clunker” cost far too much to be useful as a stimulus.

But here’s what I know. I know a family member of mine who works in the auto parts industry went from a dismal reduction in hours a year ago, to working full time again in the last few months. I know his company is now working on electric car technology, partly due to a bigger emphasis on green transportation and getting ourselves rid of “clunkers.” I know that my own brother proudly purchased his first home to take advantage of the first-time buyers program last summer, one more notch in the stabilization of home prices. He has a good steady job and was a perfect candidate for someone who just needed a little incentive take the plunge to being a home owner.

I also know that I myself have expanded my business as a direct result of stimulus money which is going to a program intending to help people gain the skills necessary to become more financially responsible. My business is doing so well I have less time for blogging.

I know there’s construction going on around the state and I know that the Hamilton Canal District’s Appleton artist live-work rentals had their groundbreaking and is keeping people employed for 18 months. I know that MA’s unemployment numbers are looking better every month, and I know that our schools have dodged a huge bullet when it comes to losing budget in the last year, thanks largely to the priorities of our Governor.

Maybe today’s just a glass half full day because my Christmas shopping is done and mostly wrapped and we’re headed for a three day weekend and I get to watch my excited nieces unwrap gifts, but I’m feeling that 2010 is definitely looking up, and I think that the policies enacted to deal with the Main Street worries, such as the stimulus bill and the incentive programs, did what they were supposed to do. Could they have been more efficient? Sure. For instance, we wasted a 1/3 of the stimulus in pointless tax breaks for special interests and big business. It’s well known* that you do not get back the same economic activity from tax cuts as you do direct spending.

But overall, I think we’re in better shape than we could have been, and averted a worse economic crisis. Now we need to fix what was broken, namely, the regulation of industries in which greed played and still plays such a powerful roll. We need to go back to having a firewall between lending activity and investing, among other things.

I’m not optimistic about health care reform (in that I think that the Senate bill subsides for Big Insurance are just going to become tomorrow’s boondoggle) but at least restricting the ability of insurers to deny you care for a preexisting condition or kicking you off care is a good step (we do that in MA by the way). We need fast action on carbon reduction, and though Copenhagen was a tough nut I hope people are not done fighting for it. If we can build these three pillars - economic reform, heath care reform, and environmental reform - we will have gone a long way towards transforming our country to thrive for the next 9 decades of this century.

* Known except to those who cannot let facts get in the way of their theory binkie called “trickle down.”

Regina Fatincati
This Wednesday School Committee meeting was the last one for School Committeewoman Regina Faticanti. As I had posted a few months back when her legal problems first emerged, it is unfortunate that someone like her who started her career as a reformer, full of energy and vision, ended up as a contrarian who is accused of verbally abusing school administrative staff. I do believe that she cares about this City and its school children. However, sitting at that seat for nearly a quarter of century might have been a bit too long. Lucky is the public servant who knows when it is time to leave and retires under their own terms. I am also a firm believer in 2nd and 3rd acts. I think she will reemerge in public life in some capacity.

The Lowell Community Charter School
The great majority of us have not been paying any attention to that school until these past few days when news exploded on the pages of the Sun that they may lose their “charter” and the school may close.

According to yesterday’s Sun, “Student performance on the MCAS has been persistently low and has shown minimal improvement since the school’s first charter renewal in 2005. The school, which has been in the process of acquiring the former Prince Spaghetti building off Moore Street for nearly $20 million and is planning a move to the new location in time for the opening of the 2010-11 school year, also performed at a statistically lower level than any other Lowell public school.

Year-to-year achievement also trails that of the state by a ‘substantial margin,’ said Chester, who added that most charter-school students are losing ground compared to their counterparts in Lowell public schools and statewide”

To me that says it all. I fully understand the angst expressed by parents and officials of the Charter School and I also understand and appreciate Lowell school officials’ panic but the first obligation of any public school is to educate children, our children. And if the school needs to have its leadership closely scrutinize by the entire community or if the City of Lowell needs to start making contingency plans to absorb these kids into the Lowell public school system. No one benefits from an under-educated population and workforce. I do not believe hoping to convince the Commissioner that the charter should not be revoked or turning it over to a “management group” answers to the problems of public education.

The Superintendent of the GLTHS
Due to a contractual agreemens, the base salary of the Superintendent of the Greater Lowell Technical High School was automatically adjusted to the sum of $190,000. The salary structure of this Superintendent was an issue in this past election and it will continue to be one until this situation is rectified.

I hate shots but I might take advantage of this…seeing as I really can’t afford another week sick like in November, and I am pretty sure I have not gotten N1H1 yet. Posted from Kristin’s MVRN blog:

FREE ADULT H1N1 Flu Clinic (ages 18 and up)
Middlesex Community College Cafeteria
33 Kearney Square
Lowell, MA
DATE: Tuesday, December 22, 2009
TIME: 10AM to 2PM
No residency requirement. No pre-registration or appointment necessary. Parking in Lower Locks Garage will be validated upon leaving the flu clinic (bring your garage ticket with you for validation).

The Saints clinic December 19th from 9A to 12Noon is still going on as well, but the one for December 22 is new!
FREE Pedi and ADULT H1N1 Flu Clinic (ages 6 months and up)
Saints Medical Center
1 Hospital Drive
Lowell, MA
DATE: Saturday, December 19, 2009
TIME: 9AM to 12noon

No residency requirement. No pre-registration or appointment necessary. As you face the Main Entrance, enter the door to the right.

Last night the City Council finished their term, figuratively speaking, with a group hug. The evaluation of City Manager Bernie Lynch went well for all, especially for the manager. (More on the evaluation later). It was City Council Mike Lenzi and Armand Mercier’s last day as City Councilors. CC Mercier had many of his family, friends and supporters in attendance and he addressed the gathering from the Mayor’s podium. And it was also the last meeting that Mayor Bud Caulfield chaired.

So in this emotionally charged atmosphere former City Manager Jim Sullivan decided that he would once again lecture the Council, the City Manager and the CFO on municipal finances. Often quoting selectively from an article that appeared in the Lowell Sun, Mr. Sullivan predicted gloom and doom.

I too am fiscally conservative when it comes to the City’s finances but I am not sure if all that Mr. Sullivan says is accurate. But more importantly, it was not necessary for Mr. Sullivan to do that last night. He could have waited until the first full meeting of the new Council. That is when CM Lynch’s response to CC Kevin Broderick’s motion ( Mgr. report on methodology used in 2010 property valuations & past methodologies) will most likely be discussed. His reprimand of CM Lynch and the City Council could have waited a couple of weeks.

By the way, I have noticed that time after time when he addresses the City Council and tries to tell them that the CM knows very little about financial matters, Mr. Sullivan never comes up with a solution that is applicable to today’s reality. A number of media outlets have given him the opportunity to rant but I am not sure that he is saying anything new anymore, is he?

If you did not catch the meeting, here is the link on LTC’s web site. And here are a couple of minutes of Mr. Sullivan’s opening comments:

Shawn Ashe, fellow-blogger and the co-host/producer of the Warren Shaw radio program on WCAP, has sent information regarding the radio station’s week-long, annual Radiothon to raise money for the Salvation Army.

Their goal this year is to raise $98,000.

Starting at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow (Saturday, December 12) the hosts will be travelling throughout the Greater Lowell area doing live remotes to promote this effort as well as to take donations and pledges

The promotion and pledge-gathering will continue throughout the week, both during the morning and afternoon show. It will culminate next Saturday with the Auction.

If you wish to donate, you can call in during the week or visit Shawn’s virtual red kettle.

Live Blog!

I think this is the second to last meeting for the CC. I do not think they will meet Christmas week and New Year’s week. They usually don’t. Of course, unless you have issues with DOR and you have to be calling for a number of special meetings. Yes, this is a shot to the previous administration.

The meeting was preceded by a Auditor/Clerk Sub-Committee meeting. I will post about that later, our Auditor Sheryl Wright, is an outstanding professional and she deserves recognition.

Motion suspended to allow Fire Chief address Council on change of policy regarding how personnel is deployed. You may remember that the Fire Chief would take pre-cautions when sending our firefighters to answers calls of routine flu calls. My opinion, stop sending out the fire fighters with the EMTs.

CC Martin asks: Why do we send a fire truck with the flu? Great question!

And answer, over time dispatcher got used to. So now we have dispatchers deciding policy decision; they are trained to figure who to send but to send everyone, maximum service, has to stop.

I fully support Chief E. Pitta; good for you for bringing this to our attention. (more…)

Tonight during the City Council’s weekly meeting, a public hearing will take (7:00 p.m.) place so that the Lowell taxpayers can have their say on the Minimum Residential Factor for Fiscal 2010.” The City Council will decide what percentage of the revenue generated from real estate taxes will come from residential and which percentage comes from commercial. (more…)