Propaganda Pre$$ Monitor: Tough Love For Lawrence

Monday, December 21, 2009

Tough Love For Lawrence

But not for everyone here in liberal Massachusetts.

"Patrick hears Lawrence’s bid for bailout; Incoming mayor promises change" by Peter Schworm and Katheleen Conti, Globe Staff | December 10, 2009

LAWRENCE - On Election Day last month, throngs of celebrating supporters declared a “new day’’ in Lawrence after William Lantigua, a Dominican-born Democrat, became the state’s first elected Latino mayor.

But just five weeks later, that optimism has crashed into a hard reality: The city is all but broke, unable to pay some employees on time this month and making a desperate appeal for a state bailout to stem a deficit as high as $20 million.

Hey, banks get that at least that in interest payments from us every month!

I know where you can find $20 million, Lawrence (see end of post).

As Governor Deval Patrick met with Lantigua and other elected officials yesterday, making clear that the situation is urgent and that the state is poised to intervene, some local leaders said the city must face bleak truths, including that it has long been hobbled by a dysfunctional government that has ignored ongoing problems....

Which is the SAME THING the STATE DOES!!!!

So how are they qualified to come in and fix things, huh?

Lantigua, who takes office next month, has now drawn fire by announcing that he plans to keep his seat as a state representative through next year. The highly unusual move will net him two salaries while many other city employees are getting pay cuts....

Yeah, so he could GET ANOTHER YEAR of SERVICE added on to his LOOTING PENSION!!

And here the pro-diversity Globe was crowing about the new day in Lawrence!

Yes, they are ALL STINK-S***TS, readers!

Color, gender, the rest, doesn't matter -- they are all looting liars at the core, Bay Stater!

After meeting with Patrick and the city’s legislative delegation, Lantigua promised “fundamental changes’’ to city operations, and reiterated his commitment to unite Lawrence....

As he CONTINUES the SAME LOOTING BEHAVIOR of his peers.

Last month, Lantigua wrote Patrick to ask for state help, saying the city could not see its way through the crisis on its own. He blamed the outgoing mayor, Michael Sullivan, who he said has run the city “into a deep financial hole.’’

“This chronic mismanagment, coupled with the international financial crisis, has been a recipe for disaster,’’ Lantigua wrote, adding that he would welcome a state-appointed financial adviser.

Hey, YOU WANTED the JOB!!!

Not interested in the FINGER-POINTING!

Just FIX IT!!!!

While Lawrence officials blame the economic downturn for the bulk of the troubles, previous audits have warned of an impending fiscal disaster of the city’s own making. “Basic financial functions at the departmental level are not being performed, and the staff struggle to complete daily activities due to their lack of training and knowledge, the ineffective use of computerized systems, and leadership voids,’’ concluded a scathing 2008 review by the state Revenue Department.

This probably didn't help: The Lawrence Lootline to the Dominican Republic

Investigators wrote that the city’s decision that year to tap a $9.5 million reserve fund “merely diverts attention from the deeper, and inevitable, fiscal crisis that lies ahead.’’

What are all these "reserve" funds doing LYING AROUND in this state? WTF?

Mark Andrews, the city’s budget and finance director, said yesterday that the recession, which forced many cities into financial disarray, is largely to blame. He said Lawrence has taken drastic steps to balance its budget. “We closed two firehouses, we sold public buildings, we sold a school,’’ Andrews said. “This has been a perfect storm at the national, state, and local level, and we’re in the caboose. Every budget we’ve written has been cut in some way.’’

See below for where the tax dollars are going.

In the spring, the city lost $2.4 million in state aid as lawmakers and the Patrick administration confronted their own budget issues. Lawrence furloughed workers and closed City Hall on Fridays. A few months later, the state cut local assistance again, and Lawrence’s allotment dropped by $12.4 million. With a weak local tax base, the city relies on state aid for 70 percent of its revenue, Andrews said. Falling property values, meanwhile, have deepened the problem. “Every urban center is dealing with the same slide,’’ Andrews said. “Lower values mean we collect less.’’

Lawrence officials need to balance the budget by the end of the year so they can set the 2010 tax rate. The city has been working with state revenue officials to try to craft a budget. With legislative permission, the city may be able to borrow money on the bond market, municipal finance specialists said....

That is not benefiting you, taxpayers!

Related: Municipal Bond Milking

Not Even Water Can Erode State Bonding With Banks

Bonding With the State

Yeah, it ALWAYS COMES back to BORROWING from BANKS, doesn't it?

Councilor Grisel Silva said the city still needs $9.5 million to close the fiscal year. He asserted that $7 million from a $30 million capital budget is unaccounted for and that a cash reserve account, currently at a zero balance, is missing $15 million....

So WHO STOLE the LOOT, Lawrence?

--more--"

Maybe it was these guys:

"Thieves steal food, toys from Lawrence charities

Police say the theft of food, gift cards and Christmas presents for needy children, as well as computers and other electronic equipment from a Lawrence office building was probably an inside job.

Like 9/11, BG?!!

Thieves took food from the nonprofit Food for the World pantry, as well as nearly 500 toys from the International Chaplains Association, a program that trains men and women to become chaplains at hospitals and health care institutions. The suspects trashed the building and left faucets running, causing extensive water damage. The building also houses a computer company and a recording studio. The Rev. Hector Marquez, president of the chaplains association, tells The Eagle-Tribune he cried when he saw the damage. Police say they think it was an inside job because there was no sign of forced entry.