"Group seeks to oust Lawrence mayor; Residents gather signatures to recall Lantigua" July 01, 2011|By Martine Powers, Globe Correspondent
About 20 Lawrence residents gathered at City Hall yesterday to start the process to recall Mayor William Lantigua.
A documentation mix-up got in their way.
The residents - part of a group called It's Your Right, or "Es Tu Derecho" in Spanish - hope to expel Lantigua from office after federal and state officials began investigating him on accusations of corruption.
See: Civil War in Lawrence
Yesterday afternoon, they stood outside City Hall with a petition of about 200 signatures asking for a recall vote. Standing next to a large sign calling for Lantigua's ouster, group members expressed their disapproval.
"Welcome to the 'Goodbye, Willy' party!" said the Rev. Edwin Rodriguez, founder of It's Your Right.
But inside City Hall, the city clerk told the group the signatures were collected incorrectly.
Rodriguez said he will collect several hundred more signatures and bring them to the clerk today. The documentation snafu occurred because previous instructions from City Hall had been incorrect, he said.
Now wait a minute.
The GOVERNMENT gave the WRONG DIRECTIONS and then said NO GOOD to the PETITION?
The confusion was a slight setback, Rodriguez said, and would not deter community members committed to ending the mayor's time in office.
"People in Lawrence, they are scared of this man, and we don't need a mayor that scares people," Rodriguez said. "We need a mayor that gives us confidence."
Lantigua did not respond to a request for comment yesterday.
In 2009, Lantigua, born in the Dominican Republic, became the first Latino mayor in Massachusetts.
Yes, I remember the election reporting and the Globe was beaming about it.
Celebration of diversity, blah, blah, blah.
What this whole instance shows is that power attracts the worst sort of people -- which is why it should always be as limited as possible.
Now, he is facing accusations he used government money for personal gain, including allegations that he shipped city-owned vehicles to his homeland....
Oh, what a shock!
Also see: Lantigua Dumping on Lawrence
Maybe he could be deported in one of the dump trucks!
Javier Negron, 39, was born in Puerto Rico, but has lived in Lawrence 22 years. The mayor, he said, is an embarrassment.
And in my view, a criminal.
"It's Third World politics," Negron said. "He's intimidating people. He puts pressure on people who do not follow his way."
Hey, look, AmeriKa has built an empire and a culture on that stuff!
And you are going to blame little Willy?
--more--"
