By: Kathy Runge – Dec. 2017 The city election has come and gone and not much has changed. Mayor Rivera is happy thinking that most of the voters preferred him. We have the usual murders and mayhem. I was surprised by the number of people who came out and said they only voted for Rivera […]
There are nine members of the Methuen City Council. Every two years, voters across the city elect three councilors at-large and two councilors who represent each of the three districts; East, Central and West. The function of the city council is to approve the city budget, hire and fire the city attorney, approve the hiring […]
September 3, 2016 The most important race on the September 8th primary election ballot is the Essex County Sheriff’s race. The Sheriff is elected for six years and makes about $150,000. He runs all jails and prisons in Essex County and oversees probation, drug and alcohol programs, and decides who goes home early and who […]
Four of the five Republican primary candidates for Essex County Sheriff debated at the American Legion on Broadway in Methuen. They are: Anne Manning-Martin, Jeff Gallo, Craig Lane, and Jim Jajuga, Jr. Moderating the debate were Valley Patriot publisher Tom Duggan and Executive Director of the Greater Lawrence Psychological Center, Carina Pappalardo.) CLICK PHOTO TO […]
By: Tom Duggan – 9.22.15 With only 9% of registered voters in Lawrence participating in the city’s preliminary elections, at least one candidate has found himself one vote shy of being nominated for city council. Rich Russell, a Viet Nam veteran and activist at council meetings, placed seventh in an eight way race, being eliminated […]
By: Kathy Runge – August 2015 We’re starting campaign season and I’m already preparing myself for the onslaught of robo-calls and junk mail we’ll be receiving in a couple of months. Please don’t vote for candidates that spend thousands of dollars trying to impress you. The more money a local candidate receives in donations, the […]
By: John MacDonald – November, 2014 It would be easy for Republicans to gloat about the nationwide beating they gave the President and his party. I’m sure some of them will, but I would warn them not to. The dramatic political shift that occurred on November 4, 2014 in this country was loud, but I’m […]
By: Oscar Camargo – November 2014 Election Day has come and gone and for some, it’s a measure of relief. In North Andover, the phone calls during dinner time have ended. Those annoying political advertisements on television are all but gone. Mailers and fliers have stopped flooding the mailbox. In some ways, it seems as […]
By: Jeff Katz – November, 2104 Just a few days after the 2014 midterm elections and the reverberations are being felt all over the country. People everywhere are hearing the message with one or two notable exceptions. For years, Harry Reid has snatched every bill passed by the House and stuck in his sock […]
By: Tom Duggan – November, 2014 State Representative Diana DiZoglio (D-Methuen) handily defeated Rosemary Smedile (R-North Andover), on Election Day by 1,133 votes. Smedile is Chairman of the North Andover Board of Selectmen and does not come up for re-election until 2016. DiZoglio represents Haverhill, Methuen, North Andover and Lawrence. “I’m just glad it’s all […]
By: Tom Duggan – October, 2014 While many believe former Lawrence Mayor Willie Lantigua is now a bad memory never to return, the fact is the man who ruled Lawrence with an iron fist is now positioned as the front-runner in a three way race for his old seat in the Massachusetts House of […]
By: Scott MacDonald – April 2014 On Monday March 19th, five Billerica selectmen candidates met for a final videotaped debate before the April 5th election. The debate touched on many important issues facing the Town of Billerica, including infrastructure improvements, economic development, and the town manager contract. As the debate was coming to a close, […]
By: Peter Larocque – December 2013 Almost four years ago at the inauguration and installation of Mayor William Lantigua which had the atmosphere of a coronation of a king, the posture and disposition of his administration was unveiled. Then, State Representative Lantigua entered the auditorium from the back and walked through the crowd of loyal […]
By: Tom Duggan – November 8, 2013 CLICK HERE FOR PHOTO GALLERY The Lawrence Board of Registrars met Friday evening to vote on whether or not provisional ballots and absentee ballots would be added to the election totals of Lawrence Mayor Willie Lantigua or Challenger Dan Rivera. On Tuesday Rivera was declared the winner by […]
By: Tom Duggan – September 20, 2013 (11pm) OTHER LAWRENCE STORIES PHOTO GALLERY OF THIS EVENT Three of the four failed candidates for Lawrence mayor: James O’Donoghue, Juan Gonzalez and Marcos Devers stood with Lawrence City Councilor Dan Rivera Friday, at the end of the Casey Bridge to endorse Rivera’s candidacy against Lawrence Mayor Willie […]