A meeting with Senatorial Candidate Scott Brown

  By: Randall Miller- January, 2010 I recently had the pleasure of spending an evening with WBZ News Radio’s Dan Rea. Arriving early, I was pleasantly surprised to find State Senator (and U.S. Senate hopeful) Scott Brown (R) waiting outside of the production booth. I spent the better part of the next hour chatting with […]

‘Anyone But Deval’ – A year in Review

  By: Lawrence, “Lonnie” Brennan – January, 2010 They say that every path has a few puddles, and for many, 2009 was a washout. The year began with Gov. Deval ‘Together-We-Can’ Patrick’s foot pushed flat against the spending pedal.  Fresh off another round of finding taxpayer funded jobs for his friends and neighbors, the ‘Gov.’ […]

Five questions for Lawrence Mayor William Lantigua

By: Robert O’Koniewski, Esq. – 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 […]

Lawrence City Council refuses to set tax rate, sticks freshmen councilors with budget mess

Blanchette Pats himself on the back while purposely trying to create budget deficit, state takeover    By: Tom Duggan, December, 2009   Under the leadership of Council President Patrick Blanchette, the Lawrence City Council spent the last two years taking “symbolic” budget votes, blaming the Sullivan administration for their own inaction, and refusing to pass […]

The City of Lawrence has No Idea What is About to Hit Them

The City of Lawrence has No Idea What is About to Hit Them

  PAYING ATTENTION with Tom Duggan – November, 2009 Few people can really understand the magnitude of the changes that are about to occur in the City of Lawrence with the election of State Representative Willie Lantigua (da chief). Not only did Willie win an overwhelming victory on Election Day, but almost every one of […]

Lantigua victory masterfully done – now the real work begins

Lantigua victory masterfully done – now the real work begins

  By: Robert O’Koniewski – November, 2009 The votes are in and Lawrence finally has met demographic expectations to attain its first popularly elected mayor of Hispanic descent. We will not use the trite adjective of “historic” to describe State Representative William Lantigua’s victory over District E City Councilor David Abdoo, as that has really […]

Today we are all Lawrencians

VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL November, 2009   In last month’s race for the Mayor’s office in Lawrence, Willie Lantigua (da chief) defeated David Abdoo. While we have some serious reservations about Lantigua’s ability to manage the city of Lawrence, as well as the character of those insiders he has surrounded himself with, today is a new day. The election is […]

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 […]

If you don’t vote, you’re part of the problem

VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL   October, 2009 Last month, the city of Methuen held a preliminary election for mayor and city council and only 9% of the registered voters bothered to participate. In Lawrence, only 30% of the registered voters participated in their preliminary and that was considered unusually high. Though many candidates would like to blame their opponents or the […]

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 […]

Obama Wants Change… But Change to What?

Valley Patriot Editorial May, 2008 The nationwide exposure of Reverend Jeremiah Wright’s church rantings provides startling insight into the kind of challenges facing this country’s progress toward better race relations.   It was indeed an eye-opener for most Americans to learn about the lies, racial slurs and divisiveness being preached to some black congregations. The Reverend Wright […]

Stokes Arraigned in US District Court in Boston Charged with forging Military Discharge Papers

Says he will not resign from Lawrence School Committee     by Tom Duggan, posted 1/9/08 BOSTON, – January 9, 2008 – Elected Lawrence School Committeeman James Stokes was arraigned in Federal Court in Boston today after being arrested at Top Donut on Winthrop Avenue by Lawrence Police and Federal Agents.  Lawrence Police took Stokes […]