Anonymity

In response to the comments made by Mayor Correia on WSAR during Ric Oliveira's program 12/24/08 and to the anonymous commenter(s) who, ironically, post comments disparaging my choice to remain anonymous, I offer a brief history of anonymous writers. I understand Correia was a teacher in a previous life. Whether a teacher of history, or even just a student of it, critics of the anonymity of blogging should be very aware of the abundant number of anonymous publications, and the reasons behind them, throughout history. The history of anonymous expression in political dissent is both long and with important effect in human history

The Federalist Papers – Written in anonymity in the late 1700’s by James Madison (prior to becoming the fourth president of the United States), John Jay (subsequently the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States), and Alexander Hamilton (who later became the first Secretary of the Treasury), the Federalist Papers were our founding fathers attempt to promote the ratification of the Constitution. They argued, under the cloak of anonymity and safety that the existing government was defective and that the proposed Constitution would remedy its weaknesses without endangering the liberties of the people.

Common Sense – In 1776, an anonymous pamphlet called Common Sense was published and sold for two shillings. The 47-page pamphlet, advocated America’s independence from Britain and the King, and quickly became a sensation. Written at the outset of the Revolution, Common Sense became the spark for change. It stirred the colonists to strengthen their resolve, resulting in the first successful anticolonial action in modern history. Historians have described Common Sense as the most incendiary and popular pamphlet of the entire revolutionary era, and it was authored anonymously.

Other anonymous writings that offer political criticism include, the Letters of Junius, the pasquinades, and Imperial Hubris to name a few.

In modern litigation regarding the anonymity of political critics, courts have likened anonymous political speech on the Internet to the anonymous political pamphlets handed out during the Revolutionary War era. John Doe v. Cahill (2005). "Anonymous pamphlets, leaflets, brochures and even books have played an important role in the progress of mankind." Talley v. California (1960). "Great works of literature have frequently been produced by authors writing under assumed names. Despite readers' curiosity and the public's interest in identifying the creator of a work of art, an author generally is free to decide whether or not to disclose her true identity. The decision in favor of anonymity may be motivated by fear of economic or official retaliation, by concern about social ostracism, or merely by a desire to preserve as much of one's privacy as possible." McIntyre v. Ohio Elections Comm'n (1995).

I don't need to put my name on the line as Correia indicates because facts are facts. My name on facts doesn't make them more true it just allows people to find me and possibly retaliate.

Man sitting in a car shot several times

A man was shot on Division Street in Fall River early this morning.
The victim was sitting in a car when he was shot several times.
He suffered what are described as non-life- threatening injuries.
No arrests have been made.

Click for WPRI report

Christmas classics

ATTENTION Last Minute Shoppers

Remember, there is only one shopping day left.........

Are you having a tough time figuring out what to get that Fall River Resident who has everything....including additional stormwater fees, fines for trash cans with no lid, excessive dumping charges, and increased parking tickets, to mention a few?

Get the beloved Fall River resident in your life a PRIDE CITYWIDE GIFT CARD so your loved one can allow water to trickle down their roof this holiday season or pay their fines.

Cards may be purchased in $50, $100, or $1000 increments because anything less wouldn't get you very far in this city.

*May not be applied to purchase of Correia cocktail party fundraiser tickets, purchases of already dedicated medians, or for general graft purposes.

Last Meeting as City Council President?

The City Council will conclude the 2008 year at their meeting tomorrow (Tuesday, Dec. 23). 2008 was a notable year for the City Council. In a mere 365 days, they (with a few exceptions) managed to alienate thousands of voters; despite the opposition of more voters than most of them received votes last election, they opted to change the fire chief from a civil service position to a contract position, they approved a ridiculous stormwater "fee"(tax), voted to supplant the memorial of a war hero who died in a prison camp, and generally said how high when the Mayor said jump (*again with a few exceptions).....to name a few.

One of the most memorable moments of 2008 was Council President Joe Camara's infamous, last minute, Friday afternoon meeting to determine the fire chief issue, despite the fact that Councilor Steve Camara had a funeral to attend. J. Camara also, more recently, told the newspaper he was going to limit the councilor's speaking time during meetings (although he never followed through with the time limit, which probably had to do with his inability to unilaterally implement that rule on the council).

Joe Camara's inflexibility, rudeness, and desire to please the Mayor has been noted. SO - the position of Fall River City Council President is determined annually by a vote of the council members as can be seen here at Section 50 of the City Charter. Could this be Joe Camara's last meeting as president? Will his fellow councilors give him the boot in January? Who would replace Joe?

Happy Holidays!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

A MUST READ

Please read today's post by Fall River Community entitled "Facts Are Stubborn Things."

FRC clearly establishes that Mayor Bob Correia is either misinformed OR the alternative that I subscribe to - Bob Correia is lying about the condition of Miller Square to cover his ass. The pictures FRC provides evidences the fact that the square was in good condition recently and NOT in the dirty/disgusting condition that Correia is purporting.

Perhaps someone can let Barry Richards know since he told his audience that the pictures were from the 1950's, which at first glance is even silly because there are modern cars.

Who Was David Miller?

Fall River asked this question in 1974 during the South Main Street reconstruction project when particular attention was paid to the giant boulder lying in the middle of the project. Part of the answer they found was something we all now know: David Miller is a war hero who died, serving his country, in a Japanese prison camp after surviving the Bataan Death March.

The rest of the answer they received is as follows...

David Miller's grandfather donated the land immediately adjacent to (and possibly including) the location of the square to the city to build a roadway.

The boulder in the article/picture below was the original monument dedicated to Miller in the 1950's. It still sits in the square, however, it is now being used as a back drop to the McGovern monument rather than its original purpose, a monument to David Miller.

(boulder monument barely peeking out from behind the McGovern monument)


Despite major South Main Street reconstruction in the area, the boulder monument to Miller was guaranteed preservation by the state department of public works in 1974(in the article below).

(Herald News article 8-15-74 *click on pictures to enlarge)



In 1991 the city rededicated the square to Miller with the addition of a plaque.

(Herald News article 6-17-91)

(Herald News article 6-19-91)

History seems to be repeating itself. In 1974, just 20 years after the boulder monument was dedicated to Corporal Miller, the city had already started to forget. The South Main Street reconstruction project sparked renewed interest in Miller's story and heroism. Now, a mere 17 years after Miller Square was rededicated the city government is encouraging us to forget by moving/overshadowing/renaming Corporal Miller's monument. Lest we forget........

Given our history of forgetting David Miller, I would suggest that the only sufficient remedy is to remove the McGovern monument from the square and replace it with a new monument to Miller that tells the story of his life, death, and the reason that monument is there so in another 20 years we will not have to again ask "Who Was David Miller?"

Corporal Miller in the Herald News July 19, 1943

Click to Enlarge

64 Durfee Street: Community Theater/Gallery/Restaurants/Shops OR More Subsidized Senior Housing

I had the good fortune to see the presentation by Jeff Carpenter on behalf of Save Our Neighborhoods, Arts United and the Lower Highlands/Historic Downtown Neighborhood Association regarding plans for 64 Durfee (see Fall River Community's post on the topic). It is my understanding that there are currently 2 proposals. One for senior subsidized housing, for which it is more likely than not that the historic building will be torn down to make way for new senior facilities. Secondly there is the Arts mixed-use plan set forth by a developer out of Pawtucket, with a proven track record in art rehab projects like this one. The artist mixed-use plan calls for a restaurant, shops, artists residences, a gallery, and possibly a theater, to name a few.

As several urban planners have noted, putting in senior housing at this location will cut downtown off from its waterfront (in case we haven't done that enough with Heritage Heights). Alternately, putting in a mixed-arts use will serve as a natural nexus unifying downtown and the waterfront. We have had the Arts Overly District in place for some time now and the city has done nothing to develop it - here is the perfect opportunity!

The decision is in the hands of the Fall River Redevelopment Authority now and hopefully they will make the right decision and say no to more downtown senior housing. This comment from Puck, that I stole from FRC's blog made me think that Mayor Correia may actually get on board with the artist mixed-use plan:

If Mayor Bob were a wise man, he would back the plan to use this building for the arts. If he were as politically savvy as he fancies himself, he would see that this is a gift being handed to him on a silver platter—an opportunity for redemption—a chance to erase some of the considerable damage he has done to his reputation.

But he has to be made to see that it is in his best interest to do so because he certainly doesn’t care that it’s in Fall River’s best interest.

Crazy man Bob has spun himself into a death spiral but this project may be a way for him to slow it down. And with a good PR person, he could spin this into several major photo ops going into next year’s election season. Maybe even a little ink in the NY Times for ol’ Bob?

Then, in spite of himself, he’d finally be doing something good for our floundering city.

He owes us. Big time.

Puck's comment really makes me think that Correia could get on board with this because the memory of his efforts here will live on in the form of live performances at the building, gallery showings, and community events. The success of this project could be a greater tribute to him in the future when it is a thriving arts village as opposed to the tarnished memory he may forever have when people ask "who decided to block off Fall River's waterfront with more subsidized housing?" Perhaps he will even be remembered as the catalyst that revitalized Fall River.

And then I heard this.......................................

For all you historic preservational types out there - it gets really good at 1:10

Mayor Correia on Miller Green

"I didn't see anything wrong with it at the time, I don't see anything wrong with it now." Bob Correia

"We have Kennedy park that was rededicated, by the way, because it wasn't Kennedy park all the time, it was dedicated again to a fallen president" Bob Correia

Bob, truthfully - Kennedy park used to be named "South Park." The city didn't rob the South family honor by renaming it Kennedy Park. Mr. South did not die for his country. In fact there is no Mr. South - the park was named after a direction, so your example is ridiculous.

In response to the Casey/Correia argument that their actions were justified because the square looks better now and that the square was so horrible before, etc:

CLICK TO ENLARGE

(thanks to bigsam27 for the picture)

I realize it is from a distance but the square looks decent to me, albeit humble as Corporal Miller's plaque indicates.

Miller Green v. McGovern Square

1946 Dedication of Miller Green (Square)

"In honor of all the boys of the southern section of the city who served in the armed forces during WWII and to be named Corporal Miller Green"


2008 Order for McGovern Square by Councilor Pat Casey

"delicious American food for weddings, family gatherings and other occasions at the banquet facility while simultaneously running the restaurant."

Help!

Does anyone out there have a picture of Miller Square prior to it becoming McGovern Square? PLEASE contact me if you do. I will take them in any form. My email is shamrockblogger@gmail.com THANK YOU!

Joan Menard and her $45,000 Caddy

A recent article, "Free rides for pols" in the Boston Herald indicated that our State Senator, Joan Menard is one of the politicians they investigated for paying for their personal vehicles out of their campaign contributions while also collecting taxpayer-funded travel stipends.

In what the article referred to as "an ethical gray area," Menard used her campaign funds to cover her $862-a-month Cadillac STS while she still collected $3,240 in per diems funded by the taxpayers.

A 2001 Office of Campaign and Political Finance memo states: “By law, a political committee may not pay for any expense which is otherwise paid, provided or reimbursed by the commonwealth such as a legislator’s per diem for mileage.”

Not surprisingly, Menard's office did not return the reporter's calls for an explanation.

Just because...

He's always watching!

Worst Holiday Gift Idea Ever

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Planned Parenthood Gift Cards

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

Pot Calling the Kettle Black

I am still enjoying the irony of WSAR's biased editorial today by Bernie Sullivan accusing the Herald News of being biased. In what I considered a malicious attack on the Herald News and its editor, Bernie Sullivan accuses the Herald News editor of malicious attacks on Mayor Correia.

I kept a straight face while listening until I got to the part where Bernie proposes an imaginary scenario where Correia runs into a burning building to save a baby and still gets criticized by the Herald. The scenario was especially amusing because, as my buddy over at FRC pointed out:
1) Bob would send his assistant into the building, obviously and
2) the building is probably burning due to Bob's incompetence

Bernie stated that, "all the editor of the newspaper focuses on, through a basis of inaccurate facts and assumptions, is style and process rather than the substance of actions needed to address the critical problems facing the city." This is wrong in numerous ways. I welcome Bernie to correct me on this; but from what I have read, the Herald News hasn't been basing their articles/editorials on Correia's actions on innacurate facts. In fact, unless there is any truth behind that quote from Bernie, it seems downright libelous.

In response to Bernie's criticism of the Herald News' focus on "style and process rather than the substance" of Correia's actions....despite what Bernie and Correia think, we are a democracy rooted in procedure and not simply unilateral action by mayors. I commend the Herald News on their attention to the process, or more accurately, the lack thereof.

It is ridiculous to place blame on the Herald News for not reporting "good stuff" about Correia when there is no news in that arena to report. Correia is merely reaping what he has sowed. I welcome comments from anyone who can enumerate good things that Correia has done....seriously because I can't think of any.

POSTPONED - Help Honor a Hero

UPDATE:
Due to a scheduling conflict, the Miller memorial ceremony has been postponed. I will post the new date when I have it.
______________________________________________________


Thanks to some concerned veterans, there will be a memorial ceremony to honor Corporal David L. Miller at 12:00pm on Sunday Dec. 7. The memorial will be held at the square previously known as Miller Square (currently known as McGovern Square thanks to Pat Casey, Bob Correia, and others). Please come and help honor the life and remember the heroic death of Corporal Miller.

Dec. 7, 2008 is the 67th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attacks and is a very appropriate day for Corporal Miller's memorial. I hope many people can join us. Hopefully we can either convince the powers that be to correct their error or we can join together to right the situation on our own.

In Memory of Corporal David L. Miller

66 years ago today, Corporal David L. Miller, son of Fall River, gave his life for our freedom in a Japanese prison camp after surviving the Bataan Death March.



(Due to the nature surrounding Corporal Miller's death, there is conflicting information about when he died. This plaque says 1943, however, the WWII Memorial site has Corporal Miller's date of death as November 23, 1942)

Corporal David L. Miller was born in Fall River in 1916. After graduating high school in Fall River, he spent some time working in publishing/printing. In 1939 Hitler invaded Poland starting WWII. One year into WWII, on 11/12/1940, at the age of 24, David Miller enlisted as a private in the Army Air Corps.

Private Miller soon became Corporal Miller. Corporal Miller was stationed in the American-held Philippines in 1941. In December of 1941, the Japanese Army invaded the Philippines. The combined Filipino and US forces were being gradually overrun and General Douglas MacArthur decided to make Bataan the site of a last stand. After months of fighting, on April 3, 1942 the Japanese began an all-out assault on the American and Filipino troops left on the Bataan peninsula. Bataan fell on April 9, 1942 when the Americans surrendered to the Japanese marking the beginning of the Bataan Death March. Corporal David L. Miller was one of the 70,000 soldiers captured, by the Japanese, and forced to embark on a 65 mile torturous hike from Bataan to a prison camp.

From the day of surrender on, the POWs were harshly beaten and killed for the slightest or no reason at all. Any troops who fell behind were executed. Japanese troops beat soldiers randomly, and denied the POWs food and water for many days. Anyone who dared ask for water was executed. On the rare occasion they were given any food, it was only a handful of contaminated rice.

The men, already desperately weakened by hunger and disease, suffered unspeakably during the March. Regardless of their condition, POWs who could not continue or keep up with the pace were summarily executed. Even stopping to relieve oneself could bring death, so many chose to continue walking while relieving themselves. Some of the guards made a sport of hurting or killing the POWs. The Marchers were beaten with rifle butts, shot or bayoneted without reason. Most of the POWs got rid of their helmets because Japanese soldiers on passing trucks hit them with rifle butts. Some enemy soldiers savagely toyed with POWs by dragging them behind trucks with a rope around the neck. Japanese guards also gave the POWs the "sun treatment" by making them sit in the sweltering heat of the direct sun for hours at a time without shade.

"Their ferocity grew as we marched ... they were no longer content with mauling tragglers or pricking them with bayonet points. The thrusts were intended to kill."-Capt. William Dyess, 21st Pursuit Squadron commander

Corporal Miller survived the death march beatings, starvation, and dehydration and made it to the Japanese prison camp, where 27,000 Filipinos and 2,200 Americans, including Corporal Miller died.
Click to watch the very emotional story of a Bataan Death March Survivor


Information compiled from:
National Archives - Military Record of David Miller
WWII Memorial site
National Museum of the USAF
University of San Diego

__________________________________________________________
As I mentioned in my previous blog post. Mayor Correia and City Councilor Pat Casey spearheaded the project to remove and relocate Corporal Miller's Memorial at Corporal Miller Square on Shove and South Main Streets and replace it with a new huge memorial to Paul McGovern. Correia dedicated the McGovern tribute and renamed the square after him. I am OUTRAGED that Correia stole this brave soldier's tribute. I, in no way, mean to disparage the memory of Mr. McGovern; that being said, this reeks of political patronage.

Shame on Bob Correia, Pat Casey, and all those involved in tearing up, relocating, and renaming Corporal Miller's memorial: You are stealing our history.

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
-George Santayana

Lest anyone forget

It is apparent that the system for commemorating notable Fall Riverites is severely flawed. Lackluster former mayors get rewarded with schools named after them:

while the shining stars of Fall River such as Dr. Irving Fradkin, the founder of Dollars for Scholars get this:

In 1958, Dr. Irving Fradkin founded the initial "Dollars for Scholars" chapter by challenging everyone in his community, Fall River, to give at least one dollar toward sending its youth to college. 50 years later Dr. Fradkin's "Scholarship America" has provided scholarships for over 1.5 million students and he still lives right here in Fall River.

I think that Mayor Correia may have gotten the commemorations backwards. Certainly Fradkin deserves something more honorable than a 1 foot by 1 foot sign hanging from a metal post.....

I recently went to visit the Paul K. McGovern square that Mayor Correia dedicated a few weeks ago. It is a lovely tribute to an obviously beloved restaurateur of Fall River but I couldn't help feeling that it belongs in a cemetery rather than a city square.

Hiding behind the giant McGovern memorial, was a tiny plaque that I discovered. The plaque indicated that the square, now McGovern Square, had previously been dedicated to Corporal David L. Miller, a son of Fall River. It reads "In Memory of David L. Miller, Corporal in the United States Army, a son of Fall River. Survivor of the Bataan Death March of 1942, he died in a Japanese prison camp in 1943. Lest anyone forget, may this garden serve as humble reminder of the sacrifice of all who gave their lives for liberty."

The plaque in the square that was once a tribute to a Fall River soldier who died in the line of duty now lies in the shadow of an enormous slab of granite memorializing a restaurateur.

If we are honoring notable Fall Riverites, where is the tribute to Fall River's resident Nobel Peace Prize winner, Dr. David Greer? In 1985, a group that Dr. Greer and five other American physicians established in collaboration with six Soviet Union physicians, The Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Correia's Promises by Tom Paine

Mayor Robert Correia, during the 2007 campaign, made scores of campaign promises. Many of these campaign promises have not been kept at all. Instead Mayor Correia chose to ignore most of his campaign promises and take up issues he never talked about during the campaign.

He ran for office for almost a full year and never once did he mention that he would increase many of the fees. Many of these fees had already been increased dramatically in either 2000 or 2001 by the former administration. (Increased fees, implemented, but never promised!)

Then Mayor Correia hit the citizens and especially the business owners squarely between the eyes when he created the storm water fee. He stated on several occasions that this fee would not increase the water / sewer bill for home owners because their actual rate would decrease. But many homeowners experienced an increase nonetheless. Mayor Correia also said that the new fee is fair due to the large amount of storm water runoff that falls on the property of private businesses that has to be treated by the city. He said they will now pay their fair share. There is some truth to this but on the other hand he does not mention that private business in Fall River pays the highest percentage possible when it comes to real estate tax while the home owner has the lowest rate possible. (A new fee implemented that was never promised!)

Mayor Correia decided to make the Fire Chief's position an appointed position. His explanations and defense of this move was weak at best. He had the City Council so hoodwinked at this time they were willing to hold a special meeting on a Friday afternoon without any citizen input. (Change of personnel policy that was never promised!)

Mayor Correia decided, totally on his own it appears, that two newly rebuilt schools would be renamed after one deceased politician, Senator Mary Fonseca, and one living former politician, Mayor Carlton Viveiros. Without gathering input from school committee members and the Fall River citizenry Correia strong armed the proposal through rapidly by saying it needed to be done quickly due to the need of creating a plaque with their names! By pushing this through in haste many were caught off guard. Eric Poulin sent in a Letter to the Editor that suggested that a school, if renamed, should be named after Dr. Irving Fradkin the father of Dollars for Scholars. Instead Correia stupidly named a piece of dirt on the corner of Elsbree and President Avenue after Doctor Fradkin. (Renaming schools, never promised by Correia during the election!)

That is a brief summary of some of Correia's actions that he never promised the people of Fall River. There are other actions taken by our illustrious leader but I believe you get the picture. Now let us take a look at what Correia did promise the people of Fall River during last years election:

Correia Promises (Note – this is a list of promises that were either made within his flyers or newspaper articles. They have not been checked to see if he has kept any of these promises or not. It is believed that most of the promises have not been kept.)

From one of his flyers Correia said that he will be pre-permitting land at the industrial park. (Has this taken place?)

He also stated that he would develop a city marina. We do know that this has not taken place and it would probably worry the Lund family which owns a private marina.

He also promised to create more police walking beats and permanent walking beats. During the election he said over and over he would take police out of the police station and put them out in the community. He also promised to hire more civilians to work inside the police station. It would be interesting to get a break down of police personnel, before and after Correia became mayor. Plus how many new walking beats have been created in 2008 versus 2007.

He promised to extend school days at all elementary schools and also middle schools. With the catastrophe with the school budget I think we know if this promise was kept.

On 8-27-2007
Correia promised to fast track the completion of the Watuppa Heights project. At the time we all thought this meant him keeping his promise of demolishing Watuppa Heights and building 26 single family homes. Now we have discovered that he is ignoring his own promise and the law he passed at the state house. He signed an agreement with the state to demolish the project, but now he wants to build "at least" 60 units on the site, and additional 20 offsite on vacant city owned land. Furthermore he has agreed to come up with "at least" $4million! At this time the city council has put a stop to this madness so we have to wait and see what happens.

8-27-2007
He also promised to thin out a number of units in other public housing projects. Knowing the agreement he signed with the state in regards to Watuppa Heights we can only imagine what problems he will create when he tackles the other housing projects!

On 9-21-2007 in a H.N. article entitled "Mayoral hopefuls react to purchase" Correia said he would work with the Fall River Office of Economic Development to develop a "job retentionist" position that would help preserve jobs already in existence. Once again we do not know if this happened, but when he was asked about the unemployment rate this year instead of touting his promise he said: "I hope things get better before they get worst, but I don't think so". I would say it is a safe bet that he has not created this position. Before anyone states that FROED is a private business and the mayor has no control, remember the mayor is the automatic chairman, plus he made the promise!

On 10-8-2007 in a H.N. article entitled "Connecting to Beacon Hill" the mayor said he would amend the state's Economic Development Program. Did he do this? Plus he said he would change the certified investment tax credit for certified projects from 5% to 15%. Again, did he take any action taken on this promise?

On 10-13-2007 in a H.N. article entitled "Calls for confidence in schools" Correia said he would seek to keep the city's neighborhood schools open well after the final school bell has rung. He said the opening of schools would also give parents a place to take classes toward their general educational development diploma. It appears that he has tried to do this at one school, the Carlton Viveiros School but we are not sure if parents are involved in getting their GEDs as he promised.

In the same article he stated: "We keep building multimillion dollar schools, and they are only open 8am to 2:30pm. I want them to be open 7 days a week and serve as family education centers." Even in good financial times this was total pie in the sky!

In this same article: "Citing the success of individualized educational plans for students with special needs, Correia said he would attempt to implement personalized learning plans for all students. The actions that he suggested Friday need to go into effect as quickly as possible." Again a monumental task even in good times. He did say it should go into effect as quickly as possible, so the question is: Was it even started?

On 10-15-2007 in a H.N. article entitled: "Ideas on stemming the tide" Correia made this bold promise: "I'll have permanent walking beats in all neighborhoods." In all neighborhoods!!! I think we all know about this promise.

On 10-23-2007 the H.N. ran an article entitled "Correia unveils his plan to boost public safety" He made several promises within this article:

1. Hire more clerks at the Police Department so that more police can be put back on the streets. Again we need to know how many clerks worked at the police station last year compared to this year.

2. Assign a special police unit responsible for rounding up criminals with outstanding warrants. Has this promise taken place? I have not heard.

3. Hire a fulltime grant writer. Correia made a big deal of this one at the debates. He kept mentioning that we have a part time grant writer. Did this promise come to fruition?

4. Crack down on absentee landlords and push for having drug dealers and users evicted from their homes. Again, another promise that I am not sure if it has been kept by the mayor.

On 10-29-2008 the H.N. wrote and article entitled "What strengths would you bring to the mayor's office?"

Once again he brought up old promises that have already been mentioned. But as you can see the Mayor was really emphasizing these promises:

1. Establish permanent walking beats city wide by restructuring the Department. (Police Department). I do not believe the Police Department has been restructured at all.

2. I'll create jobs and make our city the medical center for the entire Southcoast by aggressively pursuing medical related industries. Unemployment has skyrocket in Fall River and we hear nothing of this promise at all!

3. Bring more jobs by creating a city marina and revitalizing our downtown. Where is that marina, I think it has sunk! Plus the revitalization of the downtown area seems to be on hold.

On 10-28-2007 the Herald News endorsed Correia. Their reasons were:

1. Correia will create a loop of redevelopment connecting the waterfront to downtown.
2. Correia will close Main Street to traffic on weekends.
3. Correia will have free entertainment which will be provided by businesses.
4. The businesses would also pay for the trolley.

There is really nothing to say about those promises.

On 10-31-2007 the H.N. ran an article entitled "Correia sees collaboration as key to economy"

Again he made a bunch of promises.

1. Hire a full-time tourism director – funding will come from local hotel taxes.

I do not think this happened. How much revenue does our 1 hotel generate?
How could our 1 hotel pay for a position? When reading this promise how could the Herald News or anybody for that matter endorse Correia?

2. Use duck boats to go along the Taunton River – up Columbia Street to various monuments and attractions.

Ok, this one is even worst that number 1! Has anyone seen this damn "duck boat"? Maybe it sunk!

3. Use the state's historic tax credit program to restore buildings in downtown and other parts of the city.

Good idea, has anything taken place?

4. Call on existing businesses to create in-house learning centers that would allow them to take classes during the workday. He would advocate for a job training tax-credit.

Again, I do not believe this took place as of yet.

5. Offer tax breaks to companies that would be willing to finance the position of chief financial officer for the city. That person would be available to provide financial advice to companies so they can maintain effective operations.

This I believe would be illegal if implemented; at the least it is questionable. But there is no need to talk about it; I do not believe he did anything about it.

There it is Bob Correia's promises.

Two funny sites I needed to share

Warning: Do not read the following on the job if you are pretending to be working and not playing around on the interwebs because you will likely bust out in laughter.

Whether you are Christmas shopping for the special lady in your life or looking for a good laugh - make sure you read the reviews of Cabela's coyote hat




This site:


http://www.27bslash6.com/overdue.html

documents the hilarious interlude between a chiropractor and her former patient who may or may not owe her money.

You're a Mean One, Mr. Mayor

Mayor Correia Cancels New Year's Eve First Night Celebration



Confirmed with the Mayor's staff this week, there will be no annual First Night Celebration in Fall River. For over ten years, First Night Fall River has offered residents a fun, safe, family friendly way to ring in the New Year. Notable events included fireworks, circus acts, ice skating, dancing, and an annual wedding. This event drew in masses of people from Fall River and nearby communities. It was an event for which Fall River could be proud: and isn't that what the Mayor claims to want? Pride. Merely sticking the word "pride" on city stationary, press releases, and pins does not accomplish anything because actions speak louder than "pride city wide" accessories.

Some of my thoughts on why this historically great event was cancelled:
-Bob spent all of the city's event money on his "Tribute to John Philip Sousa" (sadly it turns out that John Philip Sousa was not the campaign contributor that Bob thought he was paying back)
-Bob heard I was going to try to rig the first night couples contest so he would have to marry a gay couple
-Bob hates hearing the laughter of children

ANY OTHER REASONS?

America's 1st Hawaiian President!!!

Dumb Quote of the Day

"Voting is the one American right that no one can take away from you."
-Mayor Robert Correia (on wsar ad)

Stormwater fee = Illegal tax

I recently read the case of Silva v. City of Fall River (you can probably skip the actual case and just read the Boston Globe article or just read my following summary):

Silva, a Fall River funeral director, sued Fall River alleging that their $20 burial permit fee charged by city was not actually a fee (as defined by MA law) but rather an illegal tax. The court agreed and issued a judgment against Fall River. The Boston Globe article stated, "(Fall River)city officials predicted the ruling will make it harder to enforce their regulations and collect other fees." This brings me to my main topic - The Stormwater "FEE"/illegal tax

As a Massachusetts municipality, Fall River does not have the sole authority to impose new taxes on its residents, hence their love of fees. The Silva case, and many prior and subsequent, indicate that a fee is only legal if it meets all three of the following factors:

1. The fee must be charged in exchange for a governmental service that benefits the party paying the fee in a manner not shared by other members of society; and

The Court agreed with Silva's argument in the burial fee case, that even if Fall River provided a particularized service for the fee, he received no special benefit from the receipt of a burial permit because proper and timely disposition of human remains is a public health function that benefits the community at large. This rationale is analogous to the public health function of water drainage that benefits the community at large. Water drainage is clearly a benefit shared by other members of society and any fee on that service would not meet this prong of the fee legality test.

2. a fee is paid by choice, in that the fee payer has the option of not utilizing the governmental service and thereby avoiding the charge; and

According to the case law of Emerson College v. Boston, whether a person may choose to avoid a fee is determined by whether the person challenging the fee may avoid engaging in the activity for which the charges are assessed. Since I have yet to harness the power of precipitation, I clearly do not have an option of whether to engage in the 'activity of stormwater runoff.' = Yet another factor of that is not met with the stormwater runoff fees further rendering them illegal.

3. the charge must be collected not to raise revenues but to compensate the governmental entity providing the service

This factor would likely be satisfied because of the CSO project the fees are purported to fund. However, if it is determined that the fees are not going to serve that purpose or one directly related to the runoff service, this factor will not be satisfied.

Watuppa Heights Meeting Tonight

An important reminder, courtesy of Tom Paine:

Mayor Correia's new plan for Watuppa Heights will be reviewed by a council subcommittee tonight at 5:15 in the City Council Chambers at City Hall.

Remember what Correia wants to do:

1. Build at least 60 units at the current Watuppa Heights site....he said in 2002 he was going to build 26 single family homes there. He was the one that made a change to the original bill in early 2002 for 26 single family homes. What happened to his plan????

2. Build an additional 20 units off site on current city owned vacant land. Where is this land?? No answers yet!!

3. We!! Yes we!! have to come up with at least $4million. Where is Mayor Correia going to come up with $4million. I do not want to hear maybe from HUD, or maybe Community Development, we want to know where!!

4. In 2002 he said the 26 single family home plan was a done deal. What happened to the done deal. We were hoodwinked!

People- try to make this meeting.

Getting to know: The Fall River Office of Economic Development and the Redevelopment Authority

Recent reader comments on Fall River Community expressed some curiosity about the Fall River Office of Economic Development and the Redevelopment Authority. I am still trying to figure out the operation myself but the following clip from Redevelopment Chair, John Almeida, indicates that their group turns little piles of crap into things.....(although I seem to recall the RDA taking a flourishing business, the Dockside Lounge, and turning it into crap).

Some background on the clip - the Fall River Office of Economic Development (Ken Fiola) and the Redevelopment Authority (John Almeida) were before the city council to request/discuss their takeover of the downtown parking garage. A venture which they clearly, based on the full meeting, had not researched whatsoever.

Please enjoy getting to know your Fall River Redevelopment Authority/Fall River Office of Economic Development!



They really shouldn't let Mr. Almeida do any speaking for the organization. He couldn't look any more disinterested.

Safest Block in Fall River

I just drove by the Regatta because I like living dangerously. After counting 11 police cars (and probably more hiding in the nooks and crannies) in the immediate vicinity of the Regatta, it is obvious that the city is sending a message to criminals and to the Regatta owners/managers.

City Council President FAIL

While watching the 9/2/08 Fall River City Council meeting, I was struck by the sarcastic comment interjected during business by Council President Joe Camara.



So this article in the Herald News did not surprise me.

I am very interested to see how Joe's new rule is going to work out.

Fall River Fail

I love fail blog . If you haven't been to the site you should take a look (they update it several times daily).

This Fall River 'fail' picture was taken at Oliver's last week. The owner of Oliver's, Paul Viveros, has been trying to get permission from the city to open a strip club for years but, according to the dress code on the door, he hates bare shoulders.

DONATE DONATE DONATE!!!

Please donate to a great cause (see post below) Adopt-A-Classroom.

Adopt-A-Classroom

Each year teachers spend an average of $1,200 of their own money for classroom supplies. Given the current state of the school department and funding, teachers in Fall River may actually spend more than this national average.

The Adopt-A-Classroom program is a non-profit organization that connects classrooms in need with generous people willing to donate. The program offers a great website where you can donate money or items to specific classrooms in need. 100% of your donation goes directly to the classroom of your choice.

There are currently 13 classrooms in Fall River looking to be adopted. The site offers information on the school and includes statements from the teachers detailing what their classrooms need. Some common needs include books, puzzles, research materials, and art supplies. You can read the needs of each classroom and choose the one to which you would like to donate. Donations are tax deductible.

From the Adopt-A-Classroom website:

Does adopting a classroom "make a difference"?You bet! By adopting a classroom, you are providing the teacher with additional funds to purchase hands-on learning materials. In addition, by serving as a community partner, you are positively impacting teacher morale. Empirical data supports that these two factors increase opportunity for classroom success.

I am sure anything you are able to give would be greatly appreciated by the students and the teachers.

Fall River Mom takes on school district

Fall River Mom Takes on School District to Get Her Sick 7-Year Old to Class
Click here for ABC6 video


by John Egan ABC6
School is back in session, but a 7-year old Fall River boy isn't going. His mother says it's because he has no safe way to get there. Kadin Gonzales' mom says the boy's respiratory problems are so bad that he has to take medicine every 4 hours using a nebulizer. His family moved from Rhode Island to Fall River last year. At that time, his mom says he easily transitioned into his new school, which was only 2 blocks away from their new home.
But this year, that school closed and he was reassigned farther away. And it's that distance that's got his mom taking on the school district.
ABC 6 reporter Kimberly Bookman has more... CLICK LINK ABOVE FOR VIDEO

Congratulations Representative Sullivan

As happens so rarely in Fall River, the best candidate won!!

Can't meet deadlines or is Linda hiding something?

Having heard rumors all along that Correia was backing Linda Pereira's campaign for 6th District State Representative, I have been anxiously awaiting her campaign contributions/finance report. This report was due on 9/8/08 (7 days ago). Dave Sullivan filed his on time and it was listed on the state's campaign finance database but Linda Pereira's is not.

I just called the MA office of campaign finance in Boston and they confirmed that Linda has not filed her mandatory report yet. Unfortunately, the penalty is a mere $10 per day every day it is not filed up to $2,500.

So my question is, was this just an oversight? Did Linda just forget to file mandatory paperwork (not a good sign)? OR Are there contributors that she doesn't want the voters to know about until after the election? For example did Correia campaign contributor Jay Cashman (of Weavers Cove fame) also contribute to Linda's campaign?

These are things I want to know but clearly she is willing to pay the $10 a day fine to keep the secret.

Linda Pereira - A brief history

November 1995 - Linda is voted off of the Fall River City Council

February 5, 1996 - Linda attends a party for outgoing City Councilors where she made a grossly racist and insulting comment that she characterized as a "joke" ("Why do black people have sex on their minds? Because they have pubic hair on their heads.") This statement was subsequently reported in the Fall River Herald News

February 1996 - Department of Social Services terminated Linda for her racial comment because of her "joke." An excerpt from the Commissioner of the Dept. of Social Services letter of termination to Linda:

"the joke was insulting, it expresses views which are contrary to one of the fundamental principles under which the Department of Social Services operates: that all people who come into contact with the Department will be treated with respect, dignity and fairness. To have such sentiments expressed by an employee of the department damages the ability of the agency to perform its mission, and to maintain public confidence that investigations of allegations of child abuse and neglect will be handled fairly and impartially. Your racist comment, adversely affected the ability of your fellow DSS employees . . . to perform their duties, and its impact is so serious that it is no longer possible for you to continue to perform your duties as a Social Worker III for the Area Office."

September 1996 - Linda sues the Department of Social Services seeking her job back and claiming that her civil rights/freedom of speech were violated.

August 2000 - Counsel for Pereira characterizes her statement as "stupid," "racist," and "unthinking" - the Supreme Judicial Court of MA ruled that Linda's civil rights were NOT violated. For some reason DSS eventually gave Linda her job back which proved to be a mistake (see Pereira under DSS scrutiny 1/28/06).

January 2006 - Linda divulges information to the Herald News about a DSS case she was investigating involving the rape claim of a minor in foster care. Linda said, "I didn’t feel the kid was credible. The whole story was out of whack. She was all over the place and it was obvious to me that the child was making this stuff up." ...So much for confidentiality.

January 2008 to present - Linda has voted in step with the Sycophant 6 on the city council to pass the majority of Mayor Correia's proposals. Most notably she ignored the voices of thousands of city voters by supporting a contract fire chief per Mayor Correia's instruction.

Campaign for State Rep 2008

• Linda claims she is pro casino in the city but voted in the past against having a mere bingo hall located here
• According to Linda's campaign site "Linda is a full time investigator in the Abuse Prosecution Unit. Linda gives 150% to her duties. Due to her seeking the office of State Representative Linda has taken a leave of absence." Isn't that contradictory? Or is it 150% until a better opportunity comes along
• As an employee of the Bristol County DA her job may be partially funded with federal funds. If this is the case she would be violating the Hatch Act by running for partisan office. Perhaps this is the real reason behind her leave of absence.
• If Linda is the superior candidate, why did Linda donate to Dave Sullivan's campaign for state rep this year? 2/9/2008 Pereira, Linda99 No. Odgen St. Fall River, MA 02723 Sullivan, David B. $80.00

Pay more, expect less - Attorney Arthur Frank

The debate over Mayor Correia's request to increase part-time city attorney Arthur D. Frank Jr.'s salary 75% from $48,500 to $85,000 for the 21 hour a week position that includes full time city benefits is not a new issue. This being said, I was quite surprised that the majority of the city council didn't rubber stamp Correia's request at the last city council meeting. This extension allowed me more time to think about the issue and I am not only annoyed by it, but now I am outraged at the thought of giving Frank a 75% pay increase.

In addition to the prior reasons for my opposition, which are:

• Attorney Frank publicly censured in MA and RI for lying to a client over the course of 4-5 years in a workers compensation claim. Attorney Frank told the client he filed a lawsuit in the case in 1991 (he had not), strung the client along for years telling him that he was waiting for the case to be heard by the court. In 1995 Frank finally came clean and admitted to the client that he had not filed suit against the former employer.
• Correia included the raise in the budget before getting permission from the city council for the raise.
• At the proposed rate, Attorney Frank would make $33,000 more a year than the MA Attorney General Martha Coakley if this was a full time position. Attorney Frank would also make $20,000 more than the Governor Patrick at that rate in a full time capacity.

I have some new concerns:

• Fall River lost a court case recently because no one from our overpaid law department could be bothered to show up to court! According to the Herald News, the law department denied a claim for $1,150.15 in damages to a car as a result of a pothole. The complainant appealed their decision and won in court when no city attorney showed up. In the real world when a client's attorney doesn't show up to court and the client loses as a result, we call that malpractice.
• Perhaps Frank was busy that day representing one of his other clients, the town of Swansea, in a $100 parking ticket case that ended up costing Swansea $2,200 in legal expenses.

With proposals like the one to give Attorney Frank a gigantic raise for not showing up to court, it is really hard to take Mayor Correia seriously or to believe he has the best interest of the city in mind.

More from the Naughty and the Nice

Clearly the majority of Fall River City Councilors (aka the Sycophant Six) are having no problems contacting department heads while the three with backbones (Leo Pelletier, Steve Camara, and Ray Hague) are at the whim of Mayor Correia when trying to do good for the citizens of Fall River.

Mayor Correia's Naughty and Nice List

From the Sept 2, 2008 City Council Meeting:

In case you missed the cocktail party reference read the Herald News article "Not All Councilors Invited to Correia Fundraiser"

Manny the Portuguese Fireman

If you need a laugh you should definitely click here for music and more by Manny the Portuguese Fireman.

"Do You Know Who I Am"

Prior to the Keri Rodrigues story breaking in the Herald News, I was listening to Mike "Hurricane" Herren on WSAR recount his attempt at investigative reporting. He told his listeners that he went to the Regatta the day before to investigate the shooting that occurred early Saturday morning. He indicated that the Regatta is a dump, that the management is horrible, and the owner was uncooperative with Hurricane.

Manny, the even-keeled sounding owner of Tony's Shipwreck (the restaurant at the Regatta) called into the show to respectfully defend the Regatta and to address Herren's confrontational behavior towards the Regatta owner. According to Manny, Herren and the Regatta owner exchanged heated words and Herren said, "Do you know who I am?"

Fast forward to the Herald News article about Keri Rodrigues later that night: regarding Mike Herren -“He kept asking me if I knew who he was, and he was screaming at me,” said Rodrigues.

So to all of you out there who might be asked by Mike Herren if you know who he is (because apparently that is his modus operandi)...be prepared and memorize the picture immediately below so you can stroke his ego and avoid a fight by answering correctly.



Mike Herren
High School Basketball star 20 years ago






Not to be confused with:




Al Bundy
Scored 4 touchdowns in 1 game in high school football decades ago

Jumping the Gun

Bob and the ZBA
1/2008 - Building inspector denies a permit for the YMCA housing project
2/21/08 - Zoning Board unanimously rejects the special permit request for the YMCA housing project saying, "“the non-residentially zoned area would be adversely affected by such residential use.”
- YMCA requests the zoning board reconsider their propose project
3/13/08 - Despite Massachusetts General Laws stating that zoning boards may not reconsider a rejected permit for two years without “specific and material changes in the conditions upon which they are based,” A letter is faxed to the zoning board, from city hall, on city letterhead, arguably from Bob stating that zoning was denied in February but that reversal seemed imminent.
8/20/08 - Zoning board meeting is scheduled to rehear the YMCA project before the zoning ever waived its 2 year rule to allow the issue to be heard.

Bob and Home Rule Petition
7/17/08 - Correia errantly announces that Governor Patrick signed the fire chief Home Rule petition removing the chief from civil service before it happened.

Budget 2009
Bob jumps the gun planning the budget on the presumption that his CSO storm water fee increases will pass for revenue in the amount of $2.2 million

Bob nearly doubles Arthur Frank's salary in the budget before getting approval for the raise from the city council


City press releases announcing things that have not passed, as discussed by Kevin Aguiar:

Are We This Hard Up for Cash?

Advertisement on the city website:

City trolley available for private functions. 8-19-08 The City of Fall River, department of Community Maintenance, would like to announce the availability of trolley service for hire. The trolley is available for private functions 7 days a week, after 3:00pm Monday thru Friday and anytime during the weekends. The hourly rate will be $72.00 per hour during the weekdays and $85.00 per hour on the weekends. There will be a four-hour minimum rental time. This service will be provided as a first come first serve basis with a payment in full before the schedule event. For more information please contact Ken Pacheco at 508-324-2585.

Are we that hard up for cash that we need to get into the private transportation business? Won't this open the city up to unnecessary liability - especially if transporting people where alcohol is involved?

Does this availability of trolleys mean that Bob's only campaign brain child, restaurant row, isn't a go?

I can understand that there is probably a huge demand for trolley rentals that the city is just cashing in on. And who wouldn't want to rent this city trolley I spotted at the incinerator today:


You'll have to trust me that it is a trolley since this was as close as I could get.

Robert Correia's Rules of Order - updated

Earlier this year when Bob Correia joined this School Committee, the committee members had a discussion at their regular meeting about Robert's Rules of Order and agreed that they would use that source as guiding in their parliamentary procedures.

At a recent School Committee meeting, Kevin Aguiar tried to make an amendment to a motion using Robert's Rules of Order. Bob didn't appear to like this, as it would have delayed something he was trying to push through - this is when Bob decided to change the rules to use "tradition" rather than the previously agreed upon Robert's Rules of Order "because that is the prerogative of the chair." This is clear and egregious evidence that Bob changes the rules as he goes to favor his position.




UPDATE
Thirdmate at HMS Impossible posted a great blog discussing this topic in more detail

An Uncivil Union

Most churches and other religious organizations are 501(c)(3) tax exempt which means that the IRS prohibits them from engaging in candidate election advocacy. Violation of this regulation can result in the termination of their tax exempt status.

Given the multiple rumors I had heard that Linda Pereira was tailoring her political platform to make nice with the Catholic Church, I was disappointed, but not surprised to find this Pereira sign hanging at St. Michael's Church feast 2 weeks ago (also an O'Neil for Probate sign)

Perhaps it is a common practice that is overlooked, but it is still in violation of IRS regulations. Is supporting a racist "joke" telling, self preserving liar worth losing tax exempt status?

Correia on WSAR today

And in another puff interview by Mike "Hurricane" Herren on wsar today, Mayor Bob Correia made my day with his ignorant blabber.

In a discussion of CSO stormwater fees, with an example Bob offered of businesses that were previously paying $2,000 a year now having to pay $27,000 a year, Bob was nonchalant about the increase. Hurricane asked Bob if he had gotten any complaints from businesses about this increase and Bob said, "Only a few business owners have been opposed to it but the biggest ones that are getting hit the hardest have said 'I don't like it but it's fair' and they are shutting up about it"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Where is the runoff revenue going to come from when he runs all of the businesses out of town?

Bob Correia's Hiring Practices - UPDATED

If you care to suspend your disbelief and trust Bob Correia when he said, “I’ve known him (CDA Director Robert Laughlin) for over 45 years, but I haven’t had any direct interchange with him for the last 40,” it would really make you question his hiring thought process and procedures (or clear lack thereof). Hypothetically, why the &*%# would a newly elected mayor put someone whom he hadn't spoken to in 40 years in charge of his transition team (and then give a position as CDA director)?! Either Bob is lying and he had "direct interchange" with Robert Laughlin, the man he trusted enough to appoint coordinator of his mayoral transition team OR Mayor Correia isn't a liar and he is just haphazard with his hiring practices.

Correia recently appointed Shannon Lyonnais to the position of City Collector because he "heard she was bright and aggressive in her work ethic." Flattering compliment but what are her qualifications for this $69,130-$84,170 per year position? (A position/department that I personally know, needs extreme improvement) According to a Herald News article she has an Associates (2 year) degree from American International University, Chicago.

Where is American International University, Chicago? I am not ruling out the possibility that this a Herald News typo....but if it isn't, after extensive google searching, the college does not appear to exist.

So what are Bob's hiring practices?
_____________________________________________________________
UPDATE:
Not surprisingly, the Herald News was wrong about the name of the college Ms. Lyonnais "attended." The name of the school was actually "American Intercontinental University Chicago, IL" according the the press release on the city website. American Intercontinental University, appears to be a predominantly internet based school where you can, "earn a degree fast." The Chicago location is the physical location for AIU's internet college programs.

Owned by the same business that started Gibbs College, AIU has been under scrutiny from the securities and exhange commission for their practices and programs. One anonymous professor stated: "If you can breathe and walk, you can get into the school." See more controversy on wikipedia.

Diagnosing Bob

Pretty much every time Bob Correia opens his mouth, I think "what is wrong with him!?" This is usually for a variety of reasons. I was reading about mental disorders the other day and had an oddly familiar feeling when I got to the section about 'Antisocial Personality Disorder.'

For fun I decided to compare the actions and words of Bob with the clinical symptoms for an Antisocial Personality Disorder Diagnosis.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV) diagnoses people as having an Antisocial Personality Disorder if they have at least 3 of the following:

1. Failure to conform to social norms;

I, fortunately, don't know him well enough to address this one so I can only imagine.

2. Deceitfulness, manipulativeness;

Deceit? Regarding the recent resignation/termination of CDA Director Robert Laughlin: "Asked specifically if there was a “cover up” about why he took this sudden action that was accompanied by a two-sentence press release, Correia said, “If there was a cover up going on, this never would have happened Herald News."

3. Impulsivity, failure to plan ahead;

Correia impulsively and errantly announces the signing of the fire chief home rule petition by the Governor Patrick without verifying his information for accuracy.

4. Irritability, aggressiveness;

It is subjective, but I think the argument could be made that Correia demanding the resignations of all department heads one day after he took office is aggressive (and perhaps a little irritable).

5. Reckless disregard for the safety of self or others;

Correia attempts to dump sludge and fly ash near the Fall River drinking water supply to save money

Correia increased Mayor's Office salaries in his 2009 budget but cut fire facilities, apparatus, and 16 fire positions (pg. 16 of the budget). Correia (pg. 16) said "Closing an apparatus, even for a day, means more risk to firefighters and neighborhoods."

6. Consistent irresponsibility;

SEE above in #5

7. Lack of remorse after having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another person

After trampling all over the rights of the 9,000+ residents of Fall River that signed the fire chief referendum petition, Bob Correia errantly/prematurely announced that the governor had signed the bill into law. During this announcement on WSAR he crassly stated that the "band was waiting" for him outside for the celebration of his victory over the residents of Fall River.