Valley Patriot Lesbian Columnist By Dani Langevin – May, 2010 Yes, Virginia, there is a gay community in the Valley. There are mothers and fathers, teachers, lawyers, dog groomers, firefighters, policemen and women, mail carriers, hairdressers, custodians, lab technicians, veterans, and every other vocation under the sun. Just like the rest of the world, they […]
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 […]
THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX By: Dr. Charles Ormsby – April, 2010 Message from Massachusetts voters, “Take your Gulag and shove it.” Yesterday I celebrated the first birthday of my third grandchild. My other two grandchildren are five and seven years old. They don’t know that their world changed today. One hour ago our Congress, with […]
VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL April, 2010 This month the Lawrence School Committee will meet and hear testimony from indicted superintendent Wilfredo Laboy in his quest to appeal the committee’s decision to fire him. But, Lawrence Mayor Willie Lantigua, who chairs the seven member board, is named in the Laboy indictment as his State Rep. […]
For the last several weeks radio talk show host Michele McPhee from 96.9 FM talk has made it her personal mission to force Willie Lantigua to resign from his State Rep. seat while also serving as the city’s mayor. McPhee has also ramped up her efforts to stop House Bill 4421, a $35 […]
Methuen Mayor Bill Manzi Looks Ahead By: Methuen Mayor Bill Manzi – January, 2010 This week I will have the honor of being sworn in for my third term as Methuen’s Mayor. Much has been accomplished over the past four years, but so much more remains, with the challenges facing Methuen as great as any […]
But Warren Shaw and Mike Miles Can’t Debate the Real Issues By: D.J. Deeb – January, 2010 The letter is ludicrous and speaks for itself. Unlike Mike Miles and his Gang, I will actually address the issues that he raises regarding my previous column, statements in his letter, and offer insight into some of the […]
Select Just One: Prohibited or Mandatory THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX, WITH CHUCK ORMSBY By: Dr. Charles Ormsby – January, 2010 “The trouble with government regulation of the market is that it prohibits capitalistic acts between consenting adults.” – Robert Nozick Are you tired of being a slave? What did you say? You’re not a […]
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 […]
By: Tom Duggan – September, 2009 There are ten candidates running to replace Lawrence Mayor Mike Sullivan in the September 22nd city primary elections. The top two candidates will face a runoff election on November 3rd. Here is a snapshot of each candidate. David Abdoo Abdoo is the District “E” city councilor representing South […]
THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX By: Charles Ormsby – September, 2009 Having consulted with their constituents over the August recess, our elected representatives will be heading back to Washington fully intending to ignore what they were told. Their meetings with voters ranged from respectful (Niki Tsongas) to downright contemptuous (Barney Frank) to non-existent (John Tierney). Presumably, […]
By: Tom Duggan – August, 2009 Last fall, Former Chairman of the North Andover School Committee, Alfred Perry, was arrested and charged with embezzlement, larceny and insurance fraud. The charges stemmed from allegations that he stole money from his business, Internet Insurance Agency. He was arranged in Lawrence District Court and last month there was […]
By: Tom Duggan – July, 2009 An investigation by the Massachusetts office of Campaign and Political Finance may not have issued their report yet on which elected officials benefited from campaign material printed in the Lawrence Public Schools I’m gong to tell you who they right now. At least three members of the Lawrence School Committee (Morris, Larocque and Mejia) benefited from literature printed […]
The Cause, The Cure, and The Obstacles to Recovery Part I By: Charles Ormsby – May, 2009 TANSTAAFL: “There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch!” – Anonymous When economic decisions are based on political considerations and not on rational economic calculations, wealth is squandered and the economic piper must be paid. It is […]
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 […]