Hero in our Midst – William Callahan – Valley Patriot of the Month

Hero in our Midst – William Callahan – Valley Patriot of the Month

By: Tom Duggan -January, 2006 NORTH ANDOVER – Lawrence native Bill Callahan served his country in two wars, World War II and the Korean War. After completing his military service, he has also spent decades volunteering in the community and working to help others. When Bill Callahan graduated from Lawrence High School in 1945, the […]

Sullivan and Healey Will Make a Great Team

EDITORIAL  When the average voter goes to the polls during local elections, he is usually not thinking of party politics.  During local races, average voters look at individual candidates and cast a vote based upon which man or woman can serve their community better. A candidate’s party affiliation rarely comes to play during local races. […]

It Used to be Called Treason

It Used to be Called Treason

VALLEY PATRIOT EDITRIAL December, 2005 Each month the Valley Patriot honors Veterans of the U.S. military who fought for this country at great personal risk and tremendous personal sacrifice. Normally, we prefer to use the limited space within this newspaper to showcase the great bravery and selfless dedication our veterans have exhibited for the safety of our nation and the rest of […]

“New” Faces in Methuen

November, 2005 The running joke before last week’s election was: “who is going to LOSE by a wider margin, Marcos Devers in Lawrence or Ellen Bahan in Methuen?”  Well, Ellen won that one, but not much else. She lost the mayoral race to Bill Manzi by a margin of 28% to 68%, a resounding victory […]

Why Attend Town Meeting?

November 14, 2005   North Andover is having its Special Town Meeting on December 5, 2005, yet everyone I speak to want to know why. The meeting was initially scheduled so that voters could decide on whether or not to rezone the Lucent Technologies site now owned by Ozzy Properties. Ozzy Properties want to rezone […]

What Lawrence Doesn’t Need…. More Poverty Pimps!

By: Tom Duggan – November, 2005 With 80,000 plus people crammed into six square miles, Lawrence has been a very attractive (and profitable) place for poverty pimps to ply their trade: mainly, strong-arming local officials to give them government money for their so-called non profit organizations. Of course, these poverty pimps pretend that their goal […]

Feds Say N. A. Schools Failing

  By: Tom Duggan – October, 2005 Last month the North Andover School Committee approved measures to evaluate academic expectations and goals for students in the North Andover School System. School Committee member Charles Ormsby made a motions, which was unanimously approved. The motion was to intended to support the school committee initiatives adopted last […]

Devers: I would Fire Laboy! Superintendent Wilfredo Laboy Under Fire

By: Tom Duggan – September 2005   LAWRENCE – Lawrence School Superintendent Wilfredo Laboy is increasingly coming under fire by candidates for both mayor and school committee, as the city elections in November draw near. Embroiled in public scandal over the alleged assault on School Committeeman Amy McGovern, Laboy has become the subject of controversy […]

Laboy Endorses School Committeeman for City Council

Laboy Endorses School Committeeman for City Council

PAYING ATTENTION EXTRA Larger than expected crowd turns out for Jorge Gonzalez By: Tom Duggan – August 25, 2005 Lawrence School Committee member Jorge Gonzalez now enjoys the unique distinction of being the only candidate for any office in Lawrence to have been publicly endorsed by the Superintendent of Schools. Last Thursday Gonzalez, (who is in […]

The Lawrence City Council, When Privilege is Better Than Pay

PAYING ATTENTION WITH TOM DUGGAN By: Tom Duggan – August 25, 2005  Lawrence City Councilor Marie Gosselin is always complaining about the “measly $97 a week” she gets paid for being a City Councilor. And she is right, of course. Lawrence School Committee members and City Councilors should be paid more for the amount of […]

Racism and Targeting in Lawrence – Commissioner Roger Twomey Answers Allegations

Racism and Targeting in Lawrence – Commissioner  Roger Twomey Answers Allegations

“I believe that the only way Willie Lantigua can get political power is to control people who truly don’t know what is going on. He constantly stirs the pot of hate for his own political maneuvering. He doesn’t really seem to care who he hurts in the process, either.” ~Lawrence Licensing Commissioner Roger Twomey. By: […]

State Rep. Willie Lantigua’s True Color: GREEN!

State Rep. Willie Lantigua’s True Color: GREEN!

  June, 2005 Lawrence State Representative Willie Lantigua has betrayed the Latino people of Lawrence. He has been playing a dangerous game of race baiting and making racial slurs for far too long, and it is about time someone called him to task for his shenanigans. Lantigua has deliberately misinformed his Dominican constituency about Licensing […]