By: Brian Genest – June 2018 Hold onto your wallets in Dracut, again. Town hall is trying to raise property taxes, again. New Proposition 2 ½ debt exclusions are being pushed, again. The only thing less surprising than another attempt to get around Prop 2 ½ is that it took so long for it to happen. […]
VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL The Valley Patriot hosted two debates in the Essex County Sheriff’s race last month. During the Democratic Party candidate debate, superintendent of the Middleton jail, Michael Marks, explained that the Sheriff’s Department needs more than $71M to operate. He also explained that the legislature only gave them $50M last year as […]
By: DJ Deeb – July, 2016 June proved to be a volatile month for both the City of Methuen budget and the Methuen Public Schools budget. Even though Mayor Steve Zanni proposed increasing the city budget by 6.25%, he initially proposed level-funding the schools. Faced with nearly $3 Million in new Federal Special Education mandates, […]
MAYOR SAYS VOWS HE WILL NOT SUPPORT A PROP. 2 1/2 OVERRIDE June 15, 2016 – With Methuen Mayor Zanni proposing a 1% increase in the school budget, Superintendent of Schools Judy Scannell is threatening to make staffing cuts saying the increase is not enough. Superintendent Scannell says the 1% increase will result in eliminating four police […]
By: D.J. Deeb – June, 2016 May has proven to be a very busy month for the Methuen School Committee as it almost always is. There have been several workshops on the budget (which is still a work in progress), awards ceremonies, teacher recognition, and pro-active planning for the year ahead. First off, Congratulations to […]
By: Tom Duggan – 6-12-16 There is a war brewing in Methuen over Mayor Zanni’s proposed city budget, which School Committeeman Nick DiZoglio says “shortchanges our students” and “is a disgrace in a community like Methuen.” While Mayor Zanni proposes an increase in the school budget, not a decrease, DiZoglio called the budget measure a “cut” for the […]
By: Duncan Burns, Political Oberserver 4-18-16 This is not the story of a lottery winner, nor is it one of a successful rags-to-riches journey, no, this is the story of a Massachusetts Legislator. The Massachusetts State Representative in question name is Brian Dempsey, who has served on Beacon Hill for over two (2) decades. Over […]
“We’ve turned a corner,” said Rep. Jim Lyons, “but we still have a long, long way to go.” Reflecting on the first half of the 2015-2016 legislative sessions, State Representative Jim Lyons (R-Andover) noted that it was a productive year marked by many legislative accomplishments, although vital challenges remain to be addressed. “From the beginning,” […]
By: State Rep. Linda Dean Campbell – May, 2015 The Budget passed by the House of Representatives for Fiscal Year 2016 closes a budget gap without tax increases, new fees, and without taking additional money from our “rainy day fund” as we needed to do during the recession and the years following, in order to […]
On Wednesday, the House concluded deliberations for the proposed FY16 with funding allocated for significant projects throughout the Merrimack Valley. In addition to the much toted $400,000.00 funding for the Nicholson Stadium Project the House FY16 Budget also included funding for additional Methuen programs and projects sponsored by the delegation. The Methuen Arlington Neighborhood, which […]
By: State Rep. Linda Dean Campbell – August, 2014 This session produced many important pieces of legislation: On-line voter registration and challenges to Citizens United that require a listing of the top contributors to Political Action Committees (PACs) on TV ads. This will help us sort through some smoke in this coming election; Increased legal […]
The Massachusetts State Senate debated the Fiscal Year 2015 state budget last month where I advocated for key provisions that will be beneficial to the constituents of my district. Below are some of the notable district specific priorities that were included in the final budget: • $300,000 for the Methuen Stadium This funding is vital […]
From Eric Zahn, President Lawrence Firefighter’s Union LAWRENCE – In response to Mayor Rivera’s recent statement in the Eagle Tribune on Sunday April 26, 2014, the Lawrence Firefighters’ Union Local 146 would like to add the following information. A budgetary miscalculation done last year is the reason why our budget is coming up short. To […]
Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera has come into office with a great deal of good will from the public and the media. He has made some critical moves in his first few months to make Lawrence’s city government more efficient. We applaud that. But, Rivera recently cut fire protection in Lawrence, temporarily closing stations and shutting […]
December, 2013 Right to the bitter end, Lawrence Mayor Willie Lantigua went down swinging as he told reporters on the day he conceded that if he were white, he would be on the cover of Forbes or Money magazine for his financial achievements as mayor. “Those who are not blind of conscience, as I always […]