Sunday, November 29, 2009

Inaugurations

I am hoping (and anticipating) that Mayor-elect Flanagan will not spend an entire week congratulating himself, stroking his ego, and getting his ass kissed through a never ending inaugural celebration like Bob Correia did. However, if Flanagan does desire to have a big bash, I suggest he tap into some funding from the "Fall River Inaugural Celebration, Inc."

Fall River Inaugural Celebration, Inc (FRIC) was incorporated one month before Bob's endless inauguration, by members of team Correia (Alan Silva, Ernest Edwards, etc). How vain can you be that you start an entire non profit organization with the purpose of praising yourself. FRIC's purpose, as stated in its forming documents, is to:

"TO RAISE PRIVATE FUNDS TO PAY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, INAUGURAL EXPENSES IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE FALL RIVER INAUGURATION AND OTHER INAUGURAL EVENTS. THE PURPOSE OF THE INAUGURAL EVENT IS TO CELEBRATE THE INAUGURATION OF ALL ELECTED OFFICIALS AND SHALL NOT FINANCIALLY BENEFIT ANY PARTICULAR ELECTED OFFICIAL OR ANY PARTICULAR OFFICIAL’S COMMITTEE."

http://corp.sec.state.ma.us/corp/corpsearch/CorpSearchSummary.asp?ReadFromDB=True&UpdateAllowed=&FEIN=000965194

Seeing as how this organization was founded to unselfishly celebrate the inaugurations of not just one particular candidate, they should have no problem carrying out their purpose by organizing an inaugural event for Flanagan.

p.s. Treasurer Edwards, your annual report was due to the state Nov. 1, better get on that!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Battleship on the Battleship


A friend of mine had a fantastic idea for tourism, as well as for the general promotion and awesomeness of Fall River - Host a Battleship tournament on Big Mamie!

I was pretty excited about the prospect....I was even MORE excited when I found out there is a Battleship movie in the works, based on the game (Universal Studios with director Peter Berg of Hancock). This is a great way to capitalize on free press from the Battleship movie and game.

The idea makes so much sense, Battleship Cove rents Big Mamie for events, why not allow such an event to be held on the ship. It would require a little planning on our part but it is ripe for advertising and sponsorship. The game Battleship is even owned by Hasbro who is headquartered in nearby Pawtucket, RI. Perhaps we could even have a screening of the Battleship movie at the Heritage State Park building theatre.

A few weeks ago the officials at Battleship Cove announced they were seeking a new director upon the recent resignation of their current director. Hopefully the new director and powers that be give this idea some serious thought.

I encourage everyone - the city, the Mayor Flanagan, the council, and the Battleship directors, to make this idea a reality. It could be an annual event attracting many people to Fall River. It is a golden opportunity we would be foolish to ignore.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Awesome Tourism Video

Will Flanagan's Campaign Finance Report

Lots of familiar names: John "little pieces of crap" Almeida, Nick "no citizen input" Christ, Alan "FROED President" Amaral, and much more!

http://fliiby.com/file/786953/9pg6g6uwp4.html

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Ken Fiola's Salary

In a March 2009 article in the Herald News, Fall River Office of Economic Development (FROED) (legally incorporated as Jobs for Fall River, Inc.) president, Alan Amaral was asked about Fiola's salary. Amaral said the board has a legal contract and he’d release it with Fiola’s permission. Amaral said it is at least $100,000 and “is commensurate with his abilities and experience.”

Amaral's answer is scummy because FROED is a non-profit and as a result, Ken Fiola's salary is public record.

Without further ado:
KEN FIOLA'S SALARY
2005 $156,699.00 plus an additional $6,262 in deferred payments
2006 $155,209.00 plus an additional $6,217 in deferred payments
2007 $162,257.00 plus an additional $6,429 in deferred payments

Ken Fiola's Taunton counterpart earns approximately $70,000. That is $100,000.00 less then Fiola. To add further insult, Taunton is actually doing well so their money is well spent on their economic development director.

www.guidestar.org is a free service (you just need to set up an account and password) that offers information on non-profits. FROED's IRS 990's are available on that site. The 990's indicate where FROED's money is spent, salaries, director information, and much more - check it out.