From Northern Essex Registrar of Deeds M. Paul Iannuccillo (All properties are listed in order; seller, buyer, address, and price.) ANDOVER Peter & Shirley Schwarz, Terrance & Jennifer Healy, 103 Abbot Street, $1,095,000.00 Russell J. Arsenault, RDM Lakeside LLC, 10 Lakeside Circle, $407,500.00 Christopher & Jennifer Samaras, Chunyan Qian, 38 Tewksbury Street, $480,000.00 Christopher […]
June 3, 2016 Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed a public records reform bill Friday, after a joint conference committee of the Massachusetts legislature negotiated and reached a final deal on final language of the bill. For the first time in the state’s history, members of the public and the press will be able to hold […]
https://malegislature.gov/Bills/189/House/H4333 5-23-16 On Monday, a joint conference committee of the Massachusetts legislature negotiated and reached a final deal on a new public records reform bill for the first time in 40 years. CHANGES TO THE PUBLIC RECORDS LAW If signed by Governor Baker, the new law, (Final BillH4333) , would allow judges to award legal costs and attorney […]
WANT YOUR EVENT OR ORGANIZATION LISTED IN THE NOTEBOOK? FOR $150 WE WILL PUBLISH YOUR NOTICE, EVENT, ETC. (150 word max) EDITION #150 – In case you didn’t notice the small number at the top of page one, this is our 150th edition of The Valley Patriot. While we were all celebrating the newspaper’s 12th […]
JUST ONE MAN’S OPINION On September 14, 2015 the Tomasellis went before the Salisbury Board of Selectmen/Sewer Commissioners and asked them to instruct attorneys for the town to tell the courts, that the Tomasellis were not responsible to pay for this sewer betterment. They did not own the property in 1982 when the assessment was […]
By: Maria Fiato. Christine Ryan, and Tom Duggan Nov. 23, 2015 MASSACHUSETTS – After nearly five years of trying to get the Massachusetts legislature to reform the state’s impotent public records law, Valley Patriot publisher Tom Duggan says that they have made a good first step towards holding public officials accountable for not turning over […]
BOSTON, MA — State Auditor Suzanne M. Bump notified cities and towns across the Commonwealth that they will get more than $2.76 million to cover the cost of extra mandated polling hours for the 2016 March Presidential primary, and the 2016 September state primary and the November final elections. The Auditor’s Division of Local Mandates […]
By: Tom Duggan – July, 2015 Salisbury Town Manager Neil Harrington has once again violated state laws governing public records. This time, laws governing the retention of public records as part of a lawsuit. The lawsuit in question was filed by the Tomaselli sisters. Harrington is claiming that permanent documents being sought by Gracemarie and […]
Massachusetts Legislators, members of the media and 1st amendment advocates testified last month before a joint House and Senate committee on Beacon Hill, asking legislators to add penalties to the state’s fake public records law. The law, MGL Ch. 66, states that the keeper of records in any municipality or public agency must turn over public […]
By: Tom Duggan – April, 2015 Embattled Salisbury Town Manager Neil Harrington has been ordered by Secretary of State Bill Galvin’s office (right)to turn over public documents he has been concealing from the taxpayers for months. Harrington was requested by Salisbury residents Joyce and Gracemarie Tomaselli, to turn over a certified copy of the vote […]
Statewide candidates spent $33.1 million during the 2013-14 election cycle, an increase of 9 percent from the 2010 election,according to an OCPF review of campaign finance activity by candidates. Fundraising for 2014 also totaled $33 million. The Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF’s) review of statewide campaign finance activity included receipt and expenditure […]
By: Tom Duggan – 11/21/14 Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera has fired Rafael Tejeda, (the Lawrence Bilingual Elections Coordinator) after a review of the Lawrence election process by election attorneys at Kopelman and Paige. The municipal law firm released a scathing review of Lawrence’s handling of the election process after reviewing the 2014 elections. Rivera said […]
By: Tom Duggan – November, 2014 According to Town Clerk Joyce Bradshaw, 10,607 voters participated in the November election in North Andover. GOVERNOR – BAKER OVER COAKLEY Republican Charlie Baker won North Andover by 3,098 votes on Election Day with 63.05% of the vote (6,643 votes) to Democrat Martha Coakley’s 33.65% (3,545 votes). Baker won statewide. […]
By: Tom Duggan, November 3, 2014 While The Valley Patriot newspaper has a policy against endorsing candidates, each member of our editorial board is free to endorse or make public who we are voting for. Here are my personal picks for the 2014 election season and why. Governor Charlie Baker, Republican As a right […]
By: Tom Duggan – October, 2014 While many believe former Lawrence Mayor Willie Lantigua is now a bad memory never to return, the fact is the man who ruled Lawrence with an iron fist is now positioned as the front-runner in a three way race for his old seat in the Massachusetts House of […]