Blanchette calls for “investigation” into how The Valley Patriot obtained public information on his $5,000 Raise The president of the Lawrence city council has called for an “investigation” into how the Valley Patriot obtained his EAF (Employee Action From). The form is part of the city’s personnel file on city employees and shows any […]
Defending the First Amendment and protecting confidential sources PAYING ATTENTION! with Tom Duggan By: Tom Duggan, November, 2008 The most important function a newspaper or media outlet can perform is to serve as a watchdog for the way taxpayer’s dollars are spent in their community and expose information that public officials and those who do […]
Elected officials sending secret messages to each other during public meetings may be illegal Tom Duggan – July, 2008 Last week, Lowell City Councilor and former Lowell Mayor Rita Mercier filed a motion requesting that the council ban the use of cell phones and other electronic devices during council meetings. The motion was filed, Mercier […]
PAYING ATTENTION! with TOM DUGGAN By: Tom Duggan – February, 2008 LAWRENCE, MA – Last month I wrote about the $610,000 lawsuit settled by the City of Lawrence with former Assistant City Clerk Jenniffer Padellaro. (Blanchette was Absolutely Right on Padellaro Lawsuit) Padellaro had been on worker’s compensation after leaving the position because she was exposed […]
PLANNING FOR YOUR FUTURE By: Michael Sweeney (December, 2007) Lawrence Planning Director “Truth is generally the best vindication against slander.” -President Abraham Lincoln Good call there by President Lincoln. Unfortunately, under the weak-armed rule of Patrick Blanchette, truth has been replaced in the city council chambers by slander and personal attacks. The truth is […]
By:Tom Duggan – October, 2007 District “A” – Council president survives … barely Lawrence city council president Patrick Blanchette rightly brags that his family name has been on the ballot in the Prospect Hill section of Lawrence for more than 25 years. However, the embattled District “A” councilor nearly lost his seat on […]
PAYING ATTENTION! With TOM DUGGAN By; Tom Duggan – September, April, 2007 Did anyone else notice in the Alabama Eagle~Tribune’s story on Ethics among elected officials on Sunday quoted Lawrence Council President Patrick Blanchette without mentioning that he had his city council office renovated out of the DPW budget, all the while he was […]
March, 2007 When Lawrence City Council President Patrick Blanchette first took office, he was honestly interested in making a positive difference in the city. He asked fair questions, exposed wasteful spending, looked at each issue objectively, advocated for better relations with both the mayor’s office and the public, and fought for his constituents regardless of […]
EDITORIAL When the average voter goes to the polls during local elections, he is usually not thinking of party politics. During local races, average voters look at individual candidates and cast a vote based upon which man or woman can serve their community better. A candidate’s party affiliation rarely comes to play during local races. […]
By; Michael R. Sweeney – October, 2005 A moment of clarity. After all is said and done that is what election results, whether a primary or final, provides to those seeking public office and to the people who support them. Some candidates grow under that light and some crumble. This past primary night in […]
By: Tom Duggan – February, 2005 LAWRENCE – After years of complaining about Lawrence residents not being considered for top positions at City Hall, City Councilors rejected lifelong Lawrence resident David Camasso by a vote of 5-4 to be the city’s new Comptroller. Nearly two dozen city residents and community activists turned out […]
By: Lawrence City Council President, Patrick Blanchette – December 2004 Unfortunately the City of Lawrence is dealing with tough financial problems this year. When I was first elected to the Lawrence City Council (over five years ago,) the annual operating budget was roughly $170 million, with a contingency reserve account of $3 million. The […]
By: Tom Duggan – September, 2004 LAWRENCE – After more than thirty years of neglect and empty promises by elected officials, the Veterans Memorial Stadium has finally become a priority for government leaders in the city. In an unusual display of cooperation, Mayor Michael Sullivan and the Lawrence City Council worked out a $30 million capital […]
Lawrence School Committee uses State Tax Dollars on Cell Phones…for Themselves By: Tom Duggan – July, 2004 LAWRENCE- In the first three parts of this series, The Valley Patriot reported that Lawrence School Committee members had: 1) wasted thousands of dollars on lavish meals at the One Mill Street restaurant at state taxpayers’ […]
Vote Latino Campaign still Sore Spot with Some By: Tom Duggan – January 2, 2004 Lawrence – District “A” (Prospect Hill) Councilor Patrick Blanchette was elected president of the Lawrence City Council Friday night after the swearing in of all new city officials. Blanchette faced opposition from Carlos Matos, a newcomer, who was nominated […]