VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL March, 2011 Since Lawrence Police Chief John Romero formed the Auto Theft/Auto Fraud Task Force under Mayor Michael Sullivan, residents of Lawrence have seen a decrease in their auto insurance rates. But, according to numbers release by Lawrence City Councilor Mark LaPlante: auto thefts in Lawrence have increased 114% since Lawrence […]
Freedom of Information Laws MUST be Respected Valley Patriot Editorial February 5, 2011 Lawrence Mayor Willie Lantigua seems to think he owns the City of Lawrence. Since taking office in January of 2010, the Boston Herald and The Valley Patriot have reported Lantigua refusing to comply with Freedom of Information (FOI) requests. Those are requests […]
By: Attorney Robert O’Koniewski – January, 2011 As the New Year dawns, the fiscal clock is ticking for Lawrence. It should be a watershed year for the folks residing at 200 Common Street. It is do or die time, just as the state prepares to send even less money to cities and towns this […]
By: Jamison Tomasek – December, 2010 I was recently a candidate for the Massachusetts State Senate representing Andover, Dracut, Lawrence and Tewksbury. I have time on my hands to write this because I lost the election. While doing well in the towns, I lost Lawrence, and I lost it big. Voters, VP readers or […]
By; Robert O’Koniewski – December, 2010 Recently state treasurer-elect Steve Grossman was whining in the press about legislation his pal, U.S. Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada), had filed to legalize on-line video poker across the country. Grossman’s gripe? Legalized on-line poker would hurt, allegedly, the Massachusetts state lottery’s revenues and the almost $900 […]
By: Christine Morabito – November, 2010 I write this column with a heavy heart as conservatives across the state begin a painful recovery process. I won’t pretend that I’m not incredibly disappointed in the Massachusetts election results and just as surprised. But, the way I see it, we have two choices: to stick our head […]
By: Marc LaPlante – Lawrence City Councilor – November, 2010 The following is from a prepared statement given to the Lawrence City Council by Councilor Marc LaPlante two days before the story above took place. Lawrence’s Mayor Lantigua laid off 25 police officers earlier this year after borrowing $35 million and gave raises to people in […]
By: Tom Duggan – November, 2010 Former Lawrence Mayor Mike Sullivan says he has had enough of the “lies” by current Mayor Lantigua and members of the Deval Patrick administration regarding his handling of Lawrence finances over the last eight years. Sullivan called into the Paying Attention! Radio Program with Tom Duggan on WHAV last […]
By: T0m Duggan – November, 2010 When Lawrence police got an anonymous tip that a man with a gun in his waistband had just left Bali’s, a nightclub on Essex Street, there were only seven patrolmen protecting the city of more than 80,000 people. The caller told police that the man got into a black […]
Mayor Lantigua has SIX cops Patrolling Early Nights Mayhem ensues as citizens left unprotected, Missing teens found drugged in Andover By: Tom Duggan- November, 2010 When the call went out one Tuesday night last month, alerting Lawrence Police officers of an impending crisis, the details were sketchy. A thirteen year old Arlington School girl never […]
Baker says if elected, Lantigua will not manage city finances Candidate for Governor Tells Tea Party Lantigua not Fit By: Tom Duggan – October, 2010 Earlier this year, Lawrence Mayor Willie Lantigua partitioned the state legislature to borrow $35Mil claiming there was a $24Mil. deficit in the city’s budget. Governor Deval Patrick wrote House Bill 4421 […]
Blanchette is Mayor Lantigua’s Economic Development Director and Former City Council President By: Tom Duggan – October, 2010 The State Office of Campaign Finance (OCPF) has fined former Lawrence City Council President Patrick Blanchette $20,000 for taking money from his city council campaign account going back to 2006 among other violations. Blanchette has admitted to […]
Kevin Begley talks issues while Torissi launches personal attacks By: Tom Duggan – October, 2010 A debate was held between State Rep. Dave Torissi and his Republican challenger Kevin Begley at the Frost School in Lawrence last month. The debate was sponsored by the Mount Vernon Neighborhood Association. State Rep. Dave Torissi: “Most […]
By: Tom Duggan – September, 2010 State Representative Barry Finegold is a candidate for State Senate. Valley Patriot editor Tom Duggan interviewed him last month on the Paying Attention! Radio Program on WCAP in Lowell. Duggan asked Finegold about his vote in favor of a $35 million loan for Lawrence with no financial oversight. […]
Calls for Third Party Audit, and possible bankruptcy for Lawrence By: Tom Duggan – September, 2010 Massachusetts State Treasurer and candidate for Governor Tim Cahill is calling attention to the budget mismanagement in the City of Lawrence by urging Governor Patrick to issue an independent third party audit of the city’s finances. Last March, the […]