Israel Reyes Accepts Campaign Benefits from Developers he Lobbied for as a Member of the Planning Board

Israel Reyes Accepts Campaign Benefits from Developers he Lobbied for as a Member of the Planning Board

Of Our Expose on Planning Board Member Israel Reyes Part 11 PAYING ATTENTION! WITH TOM DUGGAN   Before there was a Valley Patriot (established in 2004) there was tommyduggan.com, a blog before there were blogs, a news webpage before there were news webpages. Long before there was an Eagle Tribune web page or a boston.com there […]

Israel Reyes Lobbied Planning Board for Contributors

Israel Reyes Lobbied Planning Board for Contributors

Planning Board Member is Already Fleecing the System Part 1 Originally published on tommyduggan.com (10-10-03)   PAYING ATTENTION! WITH TOM DUGGAN   Before there was a Valley Patriot (established in 2004) there was tommyduggan.com, a blog before there were blogs, a news webpage before there were news webpages. Long before there was an Eagle Tribune web […]

With Friends Like Roger Twomey Who Needs Mortal Enemies?

With Friends Like Roger Twomey Who Needs Mortal Enemies?

  By Tom Duggan – June, 2014 Lawrence City Councilor Roger Twomey is running for state representative as a Republican making this a three way race among himself, incumbent Marcos Devers (Democrat) and embattled former Mayor, Willie Lantigua (Independent). Some say Twomey is only in the race to divide the anti-Lantigua vote and help the […]

Anyone But Mayor Willie Lantigua

By: Peter Larocque – August, 2013 When I get into discussions concerning the election for Mayor in The Great City of Lawrence, far too many times I hear, “anybody but Willie!” Unfortunately, “anybody but Willie” will not be on the ballot. “Anybody but Willie” is not a candidate! Yes, I understand the frustration among the […]

Devers Says Lantigua an Embarassment, Promises to Reopen Fire Stations, Change Lawrence’s Image

By: Tom Duggan – August 13, 2013 State Representative Marcos Devers says he wants to be the next mayor of Lawrence and given the chance, will start to reverse what says are the “failures” of the current Mayor Willie Lantigua. “I am running against him because we are disappointed, everybody is disappointed,” Devers told the […]

$15MIL Contract Renewal After Ambulances “Donated”

By: Tom Duggan – November 12, 2012 Just days after taking office in 2010, Lawrence Mayor William Lantigua, his Chief of Staff, Leonard “Lenny” Degnan of North Andover, and then DPW Director Frank Mcann of Haverhill, were involved in a transaction with Patriot Ambulance Company, a private contractor that provides ambulance services to The City […]

A Bird’s Eye View of the 2012 Election – Evaluations, Endorsements & Links

A Bird’s Eye View of the 2012 Election – Evaluations, Endorsements & Links

Paying Attention! with Tom Duggan   November 3, 2012 After watching all the debate, interviewing the candidates, consuming the news and commercials every day I have made my final decisions on who I am supporting in Tuesday’s election. As the publisher of a newspaper, a political radio talk show host and an activist in my […]

Noose Tightens on Lantigua Admin

Feds Serve More Subpoenas in Corruption Probe By: Tom Duggan – March, 2012 Since the days of Willie Lantigua’s first campaign for state representative, The Valley Patriot has reported extensively on his failure to report campaign contributions, failure to declare campaign expenses and accepting illegal contributions such as cash, dollar amounts over the legal contribution […]

Lawrence Mayor Lantigua Accused

Educator Says Mayor has Conflicts of Interest, Lack of Leadership    By: Tom Duggan, April, 2010 According to Essex County District Attorney Jon Blodgett’s indictment of Lawrence School Superintendent Wilfredo Laboy, Mayor Willie Lantigua’s State Rep. campaign received materials printed at the Lawrence Public Schools in 2007. Now Lantigua will preside over hearings to fire […]

Five questions for Lawrence Mayor William Lantigua

By: Bob Okoniewski – January, 2010 As we go to print, the City of Lawrence stands on the threshold of history. On Monday, January 4, Lawrence state representative William Lantigua was sworn in as the city’s first elected mayor of Hispanic descent. As a newly elected mayor, however, Mr. Lantigua is now faced with a challenge […]

Who Will Lead Lawrence? An Evaluation of the two Candidates for Mayor in 2009

By: Tom Duggan – October, 2009 ELECTION EDITION Lawrence Mayor Michael Sullivan is finishing his final term because the city charter limits the mayor’s job to two, four year terms. Sullivan defeated Isabel Melendez in 2001 and Marcos Devers in 2005. Ironically Willie Lantigua endorsed and supported Isabel Melendez in ’01 but flipped in ’05 […]

Five of ten mayoral candidates fail to file campaign finances

Five of ten mayoral candidates fail  to file campaign finances

  By: Tom Duggan – October, 2009 Only half of the ten candidates running for mayor in Lawrence filed their campaign finances reports with Lawrence City clerk Billy Maloney by the September 15th deadline before the primary. By state law, candidates for all municipal offices must record and file a detailed accounting of all money raised and spent on […]

An Exclusive Interview with Superintendent Wilfredo Laboy

An Exclusive Interview with Superintendent Wilfredo Laboy

  By: Tom Duggan, May, 2009 Lawrence School Superintendent Wilfredo Laboy granted an exclusive interview with The Valley Patriot where he discussed for the first time to anyone, the details of recent media scandals involving his office, teachers and principals under his command and the spate of bad publicity in the daily newspaper concerning the […]

Mayoral Candidate in legal dispute

Mayoral Candidate in legal dispute

Israel Reyes at the center of lawsuit over allegations on May Street     By: Paula Porten  December, 2008   Former Lawrence City Councilor and candidate for Mayor, Israel Reyes, is wrangled in a lawsuit involving May Street Partners, LLC, Reyes Group, Inc. and several properties on May Street in Lawrence.  May Street Partners owns the […]