Former Lawrence State Representative Marcos Devers was honored at The Valley Patriot’s 19th Anniversary BASH last week, receiving The Valley Patriot’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
“If Marcos was getting this award because he’s my friend,” publisher Tom Duggan said, “he would have gotten it long ago. Marcos gets this award tonight because he absolutely deserves it!”
“Marcos Devers is one of three people to ever get the Lifetime Achievement Award and I want to tell you why.”
“Most people don’t know this but Marcos Devers was the first Dominican born city councilor at large in the country. He was the first Dominican born mayor in the country. And he was the first Dominican born state representative in the country.”
“Being Dominican, there was a lot of pressure throughout the years for him to tote the Democratic Party line. But, Marcos resisted that pressure and it cost him politically many times. He supports Voter ID and was taken off committees on Beacon Hill because he wouldn’t call Voter ID racist.”
“He was also the deciding vote in 2009 to save the job and reputation of former Licensing Commissioner Roger Twomey, when the mayor tried to fire Twomey for conducting an inspection on one of Willie Lantigua’s donors.”
Because of Marcos took a brave stand, Roger Twomey went on to be a City Councilor.” Twomey’s widow Marilyn came up to help Duggan present the award to Devers. ◊