PAYING ATTENTION! WITH TOM DUGGAN By: Tom Duggan – January, 2007 Over the last several months, we have heard members of the Lawrence City Council complain about wasteful city spending while at the same time voicing strong opposition to raising property taxes up to the Proposition 2 1/2 levy limit. While I agree that […]
January 01, 2007 In a surprise action, on January 2nd the Constitutional Convention of the Massachusetts Legislature actually voted to move forward a citizen petition to amend the state constitution on the definition of marriage. The constitution itself, in Article 48, requires the ConCon legislators to vote up or down on a citizen initiative […]
PAYING ATTENTION WITH TOM DUGGAN By: Tom Duggan – December, 2006 The grandstanding, self praise and speech-making at Lawrence City Council meetings have got to stop! Too often these meetings go on for hours with no end in sight because certain councilors have a deep personal need to speak on every single issue whether […]
* Valley Patriot Editorial * December, 2006 For years, officials in the city of Lawrence have been talking about returning Essex Street to two-way traffic. But all we’ve heard is talk. This past January, District “B” City Councilor Grisel Silva wrote her very first column in The Valley Patriot calling for the restoration of two-way […]
By: Methuen Councilor Debbie Quinn – December 2006 A recent newspaper article in the Boston Globe quoted me as saying that I am “definitely pro-blue.” That is an accurate quote, and one I am proud to make as a city councilor and citizen. Our police officers serve and protect us all year long. They miss out […]
December, 2006 Last month, Methuen city councilors tried to inject themselves into the so-called controversy between Police Chief Joe Solomon and the officers and union members under his command. What’s more, they tried to subvert the Methuen City Charter by interfering with Mayor Bill Manzi’s clearly defined duties as the chief executive officer of the […]
VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL November, 2006 The anti-Semitic hate group “Wheels of Justice” was recruited to speak to the children of Andover High School by their equally anti-Semitic physics teacher, Ron Francis. And when the principal canceled the group’s visit because no opposing views were being represented, these so-called “peace activists” had to be escorted out […]
PAYING ATTENTION! With TOM DUGGAN By: Tom Duggan – November, 2006 BACKGROUND….. Upon learning that Deval Patrick had fought to free admitted cop killer Carl Roy Songer, I, like many of you, was outraged that this man was a finalist for the top seat at the State House in Massachusetts. Songer pumped five bullets into Florida State Trooper Ronald Smith […]
VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL October, 2006 When it comes to issues of illegal aliens in Massachusetts, the views of Democrat candidate for governor Deval Patrick and the Republican candidate Kerry Healey could not be more different. If you believe illegal aliens ought to have a driver’s license or be awarded in-state tuition, then your candidate […]
VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL 10/03/06 While most businesses in the United States fail within their first year, The Valley Patriot seems to have been a success from our very first edition. In March of 2004, The Valley Patriot published our very first edition and most people were predicting our failure within six months. We printed up […]
September, 2006 At North Andover’s June 5th Annual Town meeting, the School Committee threatened to cut 23 classroom teachers if its budget was reduced from its original request to the “To Be Balanced” amount, despite an earlier presentation by members Ormsby, Kelly, and parent Diana Headrick showing that these cuts could be avoided by accepting […]
VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL September, 2006 For years the people of Lawrence and visitors to the city have enjoyed the majesty of a giant fountain at the corner of South Union St. and Winthrop Avenue. And for years the DPW has neglected to adequately fix up that fountain when it fell into disrepair. Now DPW […]
Perry and Company Engage in Personal Attacks, Makes Lawrence Look Like Geniuses Paying Attention With Tom Duggan By Tom Duggan – August 9, 2006 So you thought the Lawrence School Committee was a joke? Well, last night the North Andover School Committee made the Lawrence School Committee look like educational geniuses as their meeting […]
PAYING ATTENTION WITH TOM DUGGAN By Tom Duggan – August 8, 2006 It was chaos last night at the Lawrence City Council’s Ordinance Committee meeting as chairman Nick Kolofoles lost control, sparred with fellow councilors, and refused to allow them to make motions that were contrary to his own stated agenda. At issue was […]
VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL August, 2006 The idea that any state should passively accept random attacks of violence across its border by a terrorist organization is only slightly less ridiculous than the notion that a state can cede authority to a terrorist organization for part of its territory and still expect to be considered a […]