Fall River-tastic

Howie Carr, Calling it like it is.

2011-02-16T10:58:00.005-05:00

I was pleasantly surprised to see this accurate depiction of the life and times of Joan Menard in the Boston Herald today. Click Here

Bristol Community College had made great progress over the past years, but recent decisions make me question its path for the future. With all the political hirings lately, and pandering to special interests (offering blackjack dealing courses) it seems as though it could be the new 'probation department'.

Speaking of political hacks...there is an opening at UMass Dartmouth Center for Policy where Ed Lambert used to rake in the big bucks for doing something or other (that I think involved counting Massachusetts license plates in Connecticut casinos for $100k+ annually)....Any guesses on which former lackluster politician will begin taking that paycheck?

Over the Limit

2011-01-20T23:30:00.005-05:00

Mayor Will Flanagan finally filed his campaign finance report and it looks like he may have to return thousands of dollars. Massachusetts law limits the amount of money an individual can donate to a campaign. That limit is $500 per calendar year.

Despite the $500 maximum, the following campaign contributions were reported by Flanagan in the 2010 calendar year:

James P. Antonio $600
Todd Benevides $725
Brian Bishop $650
Anthony Cordeiro $550
Laurenio Couto $1000
Emilio Estacio $850
Carl Garcia $650
Fernando Garcia $650
Loretta George $1425
Alan S. Johnson $1000
James Karam $650
Robert Karam $700
Deborah Kenney $950
Mark Levin $850
Gilbert Lopes, Jr. $800
Mario Lucciola $600
Wayne Rego $1000
Kenneth R. Rezendes $1100
Daniel Silvia $600
Dennis D. Silvia $600
Robert Smith $550

Is this a case of careless accounting by the Flanagan campaign, ignorance of the law, or perhaps just intentional disregard?

Full Report can be Seen HERE

Another Oops for Steve Torres

2011-01-11T11:21:00.002-05:00

http://www.tauntongazette.com/topstories/x703876860/Taunton-City-Council-Preview-Airing-It-Out

The Stupidest Bet Ever

2010-12-01T21:42:00.003-05:00

So City Councilors Pat Casey and Ray Mitchell triumphantly turn in over 1,000 signatures to the Mayor because a local activist Stefani Koorey dared her to.

Obviously the thought of Casey, who bears a striking resemblance to Sophia Petrillo from the Golden Girls, shuffling around town trying to collect 1,000 signatures in one day, was too humorous for Koorey to pass up. This stupid bet had the virtue of being amusing until a couple of councilors took it a bit too seriously and made the goal 1,000 signatures at all cost! It wasn’t Pat alone anymore; nope Ray manned his post at Stop and Shop collecting signatures from patrons who were probably relieved all he wanted was a signature and not some money or a ride somewhere. The two of them collected 900 signatures, so Team Pat also had a handful of other volunteers collecting signatures so they could reach the goal! So it was no longer just Pat and it doesn’t even seem like was just one day. She told the Herald she did it all on Monday but apparently was going around getting signatures the day before!

What did this prove?

Um.. that at least 1,000 people in a city of 90,000 want a casino. Big shock! Did anybody doubt that you could get 1,000 signatures? THE CHALLENGE was to do it herself in ONE day.
Um... that Pat didn’t understand the terms of her own bet because she is the one who boasted that SHE (alone) could get 1,000 signatures in one day. What other things does Pat say that really doesn’t understand?

That Ray Mitchell is the smarter of the two. While Pat went around for hours going door to door Ray went to where a bunch of people were. Maybe if Pat had simply gone to Wal Mart on Black Friday she could have gotten these signatures all by her lonesome?
That if you’re a City Councilor and you’re going to stand in front of a store for a few hours maybe you should get a red kettle and collect some money and really do something that will benefit all these people you say need help. I now DARE both these councilors to do just that. I’m sure the Salvation Army would be grateful for their time and assistance.

That you can totally waste the time of TWO elected officials simply by DARING THEM to do something! THIS is fantastic and I am going to make it a point to DARE Will Flanagan to lick a flagpole on a freezing cold day. I might even see if I can get Joe Camara to lick his own elbow or Brian Bigelow to run around downtown in his undershorts. Oh, skip that last one.

Down with the propaganda machine!

2010-11-11T11:00:00.002-05:00

On Tuesday, Fall River City Corporate Counselor, Steve Torres, opted to send a last minute letter to the City Council rather than appearing before the Council, as planned, to discuss the formation of a non-profit cable board. Not a politically smart move on his part because I am sure it caused added friction to the already tense relationship between the Council and the Mayor's office. But it gets worse.....

Torres' letter to the Council quickly said that he researched the issue and that there is no legal authority to form such a board. Thereby, completely dismissing the Council's desires to form such a board and more importantly, the demands of the citizens to form such a board.

Then on WSAR, Torres defended his decision not make his scheduled appearance by again saying that he had researched the formation of a non-profit board for cable television, it can't be done, there was really nothing to discuss, and that the letter was sufficient.

My question to Torres is: How well did you research this subject Steve Torres, Attorney, bound by ethical cannons, subject to sanctions for malpractice? Did you willfully withhold relevant information from the Council? Did you give bad legal counsel?

I ask because on June 28, 2006, as the Corporation Counsel for Taunton, you formed a non-profit corporation for Taunton, nearly identical to the one being requested by the City Council and the people of Fall River. You even cited the laws that support such a non-profit cable board.

or click here to view http://fliiby.com/file/946927/qfhhv5fuek.html

I know you will attempt to rebut by trying to say that Fall River's "FRG" channel is government only so it is different than Taunton - but the money all comes from the same Comcast money - the money that the non-profit cable board of Taunton controls.

Our operating budget is made possible through an agreement between the City of Taunton and Comcast, providing us with 2% of their net cable revenues. This corporation is overseen by a five member Board of Directors, which is responsible for setting studio policy, and the overall finances of T.C.A.M.

Our Executive Director is in charge of the day to day operation of our studio, and determines our programming schedule, the use of our studio and equipment, and all other issues relating to the programs you view on T.C.A.M.
http://www.tcamtv.com/

Casino is not on the Governor's agenda

2010-11-07T19:26:00.002-05:00

I wish Will Flanagan had played some Sim City before, without having any relevant experience to his name, he opted to run for mayor of Fall River. Sim City would have allowed him to act out his city building fantasies without actually harming real people.

Flanagan's current fantasy plans for a casino in Fall River were knocked down, yet another peg*, today when Governor Deval Patrick, in an interview with the Boston Globe, stated that he has no intention to put casinos on his agenda this term.

*Hurdles to casino-topia
1) Casino Gaming in MA is illegal
2) Taxpayer 10 lawsuit
3) Open bidding law violations
4) Referendum vote of Fall River residents
5) Legislature needs to select Fall River as the region's location for a casino,
over Taunton, New Bedford, etc.
6) Funding for a casino needs to come through despite the horrible gaming economy
7) Governor has no plans to work on legalizing casino gambling this term

Moonlighting

2010-10-13T00:08:00.003-04:00

In February of this year, Attorney Steven A. Torres, sat before the Fall River City Council and defended his recently signed contract, for his position as the city's corporate counsel. The city councilors questioned the fact that Torres was making more money than any previous corporate counsel for Fall River. Torres and Mayor Flanagan justified the $115,000 salary by asserting that the pay reflected the fact Torres would be eliminating his private practice to focus on Fall River full time. (note: At that time, I couldn't find any information supporting the claim that Atty Torres even had a private practice and the MA board of bar overseers website indicated Torres did not carry any attorney malpractice insurance because he was a government employee.)

Consider the fact that Torres justified his increased salary with the notion that he was losing money by giving up his private practice. Then imagine my surprise when I read an article out of Wareham recently which evidenced the fact that, 10 months into his contract with Fall River, Torres was still working side jobs:

"A report on the forensic audit of town computers, which has been in progress for nearly a year and a half, is once again delayed. Town Administrator Mark Andrews and the Board of Selectmen had been told that special counsel, the Law Offices of Steven A. Torres, would be prepared to present the results of the audit on Sept. 28 or October 5."

Pretty sneaky of Torres and Flanagan considering the fact that the City Council approved Torres' increased salary based on the premise that Torres was eliminating his private practice to, presumably, focus all of his efforts on the matters of Fall River. This is clearly not the case.

I think Torres is already overextended in his capacities as co-mayor of Fall River. I kid, I kid........... However, there have been many occasions where I have read in the Herald News, or heard at city council meetings that Corporation Counsel hadn't completed some task requested of them. Also, Torres went before the city council to get approval for another $45,000 budgeted so he could hire another attorney for the office - I certainly hope the addition of a new attorney wasn't to free up time for Torres to moonlight

Recalling Brian Bigelow

2010-09-16T23:47:00.000-04:00

I think Brian Bigelow should resign from his elected position on the Fall River City Council. I was hoping he would come to this decision on his own, but that is alot to expect from someone whose decision making skills are so lacking that soliciting a hooker, for a $20 blow job, seemed like a good idea.

I have heard several people supporting Bigelow, and even defending his crime by saying it is a minor crime, a victimless crime, there are worse crimes to worry about, this crime should be decriminalized, etc. I cannot agree with those arguments. Bigelow committed a crime. He attempted to fund a criminal activity that operates in the shadows of our neighborhoods.... A criminal activity that funds the purchase of illegal drugs and makes drug dealers rich in our community. It is particularly inexcusable for an elected official who is charged with bettering our city.

In my opinion, Brian Bigelow was never an effective councilor to begin with; starting at that low point, he has only gotten worse. In the past week Bigelow missed the Arts United meeting, which he is supposed to attend in his role as City Council arts liason. He then missed last night's finance committee meeting. In the meetings he has attended since his arrest and subsequent plea to the crime, he only gave input one time.

As a reminder, Bigelow voted against allowing strip clubs in Fall River because of the harm he alleged they would do to our neighborhoods. What kind of hypocrite liar votes against allowing partially nude people in completely private facilities yet contributes to public nakedness, and publicly visible oral sex for money?

In light of everything I just said, and as a disgruntled voter in Fall River, I am demanding Brian Bigelow's resignation from the city council. I have a strong group of voters supporting me on this demand. If Bigelow does not resign by this time next week, we will begin the recall process whereby he can be ousted from office.

Who's with us?!

A few words from Candidate Rodrigues, protector of pigeons

2010-09-10T17:11:00.005-04:00

Thank you to a wonderful blog reader for this very funny submission.

RA Meeting Video and Analysis

2010-09-01T20:48:00.004-04:00

WATCH TODAY'S RA MEETING HERE
Thanks Skoorey for filming it!

Excellent analysis by Puck which I ripped from the comment section -

OMG. What a joke. First, the Chair hadn't even read the contract(s), then asks for 30 seconds to do so. 30 seconds??? But, he decides after that thorough review that Jobs for FR, i.e. FROED,--for no given reason--deserves the contract. FROED wants more money per month than CRES-RI, while CRES-RI asks for a lower monthly fee, but includes a 2.5% commission for real estate transactions. The RDA members' vote to award the contract to FROED and then negotiate the monthly fee with FROED. But they never considered awarding it to CRES-RI and then negotiating the real estate commission with them. Why solicit proposals in the first place if you can change the terms of them after the fact? Doing so means that neither proposal was set in stone and that either one could be revised after it was selected for award. That makes no sense at all.

Worse still, the Chair said the RDA doesn't even know if it has enough money to pay for the services they want FROED to provide.

And since when is one of the bidders--in the person of Ken Fiola--allowed to walk in on the award conference? Why wasn't the other bidder there as well? Were they invited?

Nothing about this theater of the absurd should surprise me, but I foolishly hoped these vaunted leaders would at least be better actors and present the illusion that this was a fair, well-considered award. Duh. My bad.

Stephanie, thank you for recording this. It's people like you, Shamrock, Lefty and a few others that keep my long-strained hope alive that someday this city's potential will stop being squandered by selfish, feeble-minded fools.

FROED Wins Another 3 Years...............

2010-09-01T10:41:00.001-04:00

Ridiculous.................

FROED's Fate

2010-08-28T23:48:00.006-04:00

The Fall River Redevelopment Authority contract with their staffing agency, the Fall River Office of Economic Development, aka "FROED," aka "Jobs for Fall River," aka Ken Fiola, expired in May. At that time the RA opted to extend FROED's service by 90 days. That 90 days expired last week. This prompted me to search for whether the city/RA made a public request for proposals to fill the staffing position upon the termination of FROED's contract.

Consider this quote from RDA attorney, Peter Bogle, regarding FROED's past bids for the RA staffing contract "FROED was the only qualified respondent on proposals to staff the RA for past contracts. Its staff management includes accounting, clerical support, marketing and negotiating on behalf of the Redevelopment Authority." So where does the RA/city advertise this opening? I did not see an advertisement on the city website, the Central register, the Herald News....google...... A friend of mine was able to find an ad in a publication I had never heard of and that now escapes me.

If the RA truly wanted to replace FROED, they would have advertised the opening with more than a trivial amount of effort. Somehow, despite the clear lack of publicity for the opening, a competing bid was submitted against FROED. I have little detail on the submission but I do know the RA is voting on it Wednesday at 9:15am.

FROED is just plain terrible and I don't think any competing organization could do a worse job. However, realistically, is the RA ever going to replace FROED? The Mayor sits on FROED along with some highfalutin Fall River residents and business people who, while some may not live in Fall River, probably enjoy the perks of a FROED board of directors position (*read: loans): This is not easily let go.

Anyhooo, I urge anyone who can make it to the RA meeting on Wednesday at 9:15am (presumably at government center) to attend. Express your concern the FROED has 32 (founded in 1978) years to improve Fall River and has not. We can't afford to continue paying Ken Fiola $170,000 a year to loan our tax money to his board members, let buildings sit and rot, and give TIF agreements to chain doughnut stores and gas stations.

Brian Bigelow Explains

2010-08-18T00:35:00.006-04:00

Brian Bigelow gets a hooker part 1

2010-08-15T18:10:00.002-04:00

Dumb Dumb Dumb

2010-08-13T00:05:00.000-04:00

This is Pat Casey's speech in support of allowing out of towners to hold positions on Fall River city boards like the redevelopment authority. And, I think she gives permission for anyone to trespass on her lawn.

Funny but true

2010-08-11T22:58:00.002-04:00

Gladys Kravitz, Middleboro's Nosey Neighbor, has a series of really funny casino related blog posts. Definitely worth a visit for a good laugh. This is one of my favorites:

B.S.

2010-08-10T18:26:00.003-04:00

It is pure bullshit that when Will Flanagan pulled the YMCA funding for 42 low income units, Flanagan gave a chunk of that money to E.A. Fish/Winn's Wampanoag Mills low income development in the city.

The Y currently has 13 units with up to 4 people each for a max of 52 residents (48 are currently in there). The Y proposal is for 42, 1 person units. This means the Y is decreasing the number of low income residents there.

The Wampanoag Mill project has 97 NEW low income, multi person units. The Y project is decreasing low income units by 10....how can the administration say that they are against MORE low income housing downtown...this is less, and basic math.

Will Flanagan opted to support a large low income project by a company that has made millions on low income housing developments in this city. Will Flanagan pulled the funding from the non-profit organization where I learned to swim, that offers housing to the homeless, that has been an amazing community partner.

Facts about the Y project:
The neighborhood association supports it
They don't allow overnight guests
No alcohol is allowed
Cori checks are done
Money was also going to be used to install sprinklers in the building
Money was also allocated for handicap accessibility improvements

Deuce Bigelow against strip clubs in the neighborhoods

2010-08-08T12:47:00.003-04:00

Councilor Brian Bigelow, saying he grew up in that neighborhood, showed his opposition to a neighborhood strip club in a dramatic way. “Put LNG (the proposed liquefied natural gas terminal) in the middle of the ocean, put in a pole with a strip club on top of it, and blow it up.”

“I would not want a strip club in any neighborhood,” Bigelow said to cheers.
Click here for article

But its ok to buy a hooker in someone elses neighborhood?

RESIGN NOW DEUCE. If you do not, your scrutiny in the public eye will only get worse.

The Headlines Say it All

2010-08-02T20:04:00.001-04:00

The casino industry is in a major slump. Casino layoffs and bankruptcy are becoming par for the course in the casino industry. Yet, many casino supporters and their leader Will Flanagan insist that the casino will end Fall River's problems. Will it? A recently opened casino in the similarly situated town of Bethlehem, PA laid off nearly 100 people within their first year. Can Fall River handle that? Because it is a distinct possibility. Casino revenues are down, casinos are going bankrupt, casino workers are losing their jobs.

No need to read the following articles, these recent headlines pretty much say it all:

Connecticut slots revenue down at Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun 7/15/2010

Twin Rivers files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy 6/23/09

Casino layoffs destined to affect Norwich 10/30/2008

Atlantic City Casino Revenue Declines For 22nd Consecutive Month In June 7/12/2010

Analysts: Weakness in Gaming Industry Continues 7/28/2010

Layoffs at casino in Bethlehem: Less than a year after a grand opening that rivaled the glitz and glamour of a Las Vegas revue, Sands Casino Resort in Bethlehem is laying off 80 employees. 5/1/2010

200 plus layoffs for President Casino gambling boat 4/22/2010

Slipping into Bankruptcy? Foxwoods Struggles With Debt as Gaming Revenue Slumps 9/3/09

Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas - Fall River is about to get itchy

2010-07-31T15:06:00.006-04:00

What?! Government officials are getting bribed? .... Fall River wants in on that action.

A few months ago I read an article in the Providence Journal titled something like "City Councilors Arrested by FBI on Bribery Charges." I clicked on the article hoping it wasn't Fall River but with a suspicion that it was. It was not Fall River, it was North Providence so that was a bit of a relief.

The ProJo article told the tale of 3 North Providence city council members and a developer by the name of Richard Baccari. The councilors agreed to change zoning laws for Baccari's development in exchange for $25,000.

Having recently been implicated in a $25,000 bribery scheme, any sensible government officials would probably hesitate to deal with Baccari. But not our dear FROED/Ken Fiola/RDA/Mayor Flanagan. They have proposed to build the UMass biopark on land Baccari owns in Freetown.

Last year, it was brought to my attention that the offramps being built to the biopark originally had a different plan. For some reason unknown to me, the plans for the offramp were changed so that they would run directly through Baccari's land in Freetown. And, that Baccari could potentially make alot of money as a result of the new plan for the offramps. I thought nothing of it at the time because the biopark was coming along as planned. In retrospect, the offramp plan changes certainly seem suspicious.

How convenient for this private developer Baccari, recently implicated in a government bribery scheme, that he could potentially make a ton of money with FROED's (and Will Flanagan too) help.

"Flanagan acknowledged business talks with the company’s Richard Baccari, the company’s president and CEO." Fall River Herald News July 23, 2010

"Baccari's relationships have always drawn the attention of law enforcement" Channel 10 I-team investigates

2010-07-09T12:59:00.007-04:00

My blog template is causing this video to have the right side cut short. Sorry about that. For the full size go here

2010-07-07T20:36:00.000-04:00

Menard in Action

2010-07-06T11:10:00.004-04:00

Thanks to Beattie Ledge for creating this video and to Charlotte Despard for bringing it to my attention. And a very special thanks to Joan Menard for saying ridiculous things, for inspiration.

Lawyers and stuff

2010-07-01T23:02:00.006-04:00

After a vote to give the part time Fall River School Committee attorney, Bruce Assad, a $32,000 raise, Assad now makes ($77,500) approximately double the median income of Fall River (for a PART TIME CITY JOB). I am not begrudging him for trying to get the most money he possibly can, I would probably try to do the same thing; BUT damn you School Committee for allowing this!! I hope when teachers are paying for classroom supplies out of their pockets, they think of you.

I think this quote from Tim McCoy, in support of Assad's raise, sums up the egregiousness of the raise pretty well, "...he is a guy that has spent several hours in negotiations during the past couple of months."

I am additionally frustrated because, on the city side of things, co-mayors Torres and Flanagan are about to add ANOTHER attorney to the legal department. I distinctly remember Flanagan selling the city a bill of goods that included cutting the costs of the "overpriced" legal department under the Correia administration. The city clearly survived all these years on one full time attorney and 2 part time attorneys....why do we now need 3 full times and a part time? On this subject, the law department proposes to pay the new Assistant Corporation Counsel $47,000 for a full time job. How does that reconcile with the $77,500 for the part time Assad?

These people are in the "public service" sector.....I always thought that meant they served the public, but it seems like it is the other way around.

And there goes the casino.......

2010-06-21T22:39:00.008-04:00

In response to the Senate legislation that does not reserve a casino license for an Indian tribe, Mashpee Wampanoag chairman, Cedric Cromwell, threw a temper tantrum today. An article in tomorrow's Boston Herald quotes Cromwell:

“If the state gives a commercial license to another casino operator, we won’t pay the state a cent when we build a casino in Southeastern Massachusetts once expanded gaming is approved,” said Cedric Cromwell. “We will destroy the competition because we won’t pay licensing fees or taxes and we will provide a great player experience with more wins.”

Extorting the state with a threat he can never follow through on seems like such a bad idea. I am pretty sure with these remarks, Cedric Cromwell just bumped the Fall River Casino plans to the bottom of the list.

Mayor Flanagan and Counselor Torres, please rethink this.

If you don't know, make it up

2010-06-20T00:07:00.011-04:00

On the heels of a 2 million dollar debacle in the City Collector's office, City Administrator Shawn Cadime is still horribly unknowledgeable about the systems in the Collector's office. At the last City Council meeting, Councilor Mike Lund explained a simple, safe, and efficient, method of check depositing that he uses at his own business. The method sounded like a great idea. In the following clip, Shawn Cadime explains to Mike Lund why we cannot and are not using a system like the one Lund described.

Not only did Cadime have no clue about what was going on in the Collector's office, he clearly made up a story as to why the office could not use the system Lund recommended. At a time when particular attention was need in the Collector's office, the City Administrator had no idea. I cannot say this enough....AGAIN - 2 million dollars was just found laying around the office and, it is obvious from this clip, Cadime didn't do any follow up. At least Treasurer Grab was paying attention.

Oh Snap!

2010-06-18T16:31:00.011-04:00

So many hurdles to overcome before we can ever possibly get a casino in Fall River. I recently heard Mayor Flanagan state that people "just don't understand how close to getting a casino we really are." Today, another hurdle was put in our path to casino-topia. Previously it was "hoped" by our powers-that-be that Fall River would have the advantage in getting one of the three casino permits, because Fall River's casino plan was for indian gaming and one of the permits would "hopefully" be dedicated to an indian plan.

This afternoon, the Senate introduced a casino bill and it gives no preference to indian casino plans. This means Fall River will not have any advantage in the race to get a permit. This means we are now in direct competition with numerous other cities and towns vying for the 1 coveted permit for the region (the region is norfolk, bristol, plymouth, nantucket, dukes and barnstable counties). New Bedford is one of these cities. And lets be honest, they have their $hit together over there much more than Fall River does; governmentally, economically, planning wise, and in the area of economic development.

The recent decisions by Mayor Flanagan and Atty Torres to forego the BioPark and gamble on the slight chance of getting a casino are capricious and will likely have a detrimental impact on our city long after they are voted out of office.

Innovative Auditing Technique

2010-06-15T21:29:00.010-04:00

City Auditor Kevin Almeida and his Magic 8 Ball in the 6/15/10 Herald News

What has Kevin asked the Magic 8 Ball?

From Bio Park to Green Park to Water Park in less than a year

2010-06-15T16:59:00.011-04:00

This week last year a bio park was under construction on a 300-acre site in the city's north end. The acres were properly zoned to accommodate biotech manufacturing, medical device manufacturing, life sciences, and similarly related businesses. Several companies/organization were preparing to move into the Bio Park, plans were made, off ramps were built, and loans were awarded in anticipation of the developing Bio Park.

Fall River was told that the Bio Park was going to save them (prior to the Green Park and Casino saving them).

This week last year, an inexperienced Mayoral candidate named Will Flanagan began campaigning on a promise to bring a Green Park to Fall River instead of a Bio Park. You can read all about Flanagan's promises for a Green Park on his website here.....well you could if his promises hadn't mysteriously turned into 3 pages of blank document...which is pretty much as substantive as anything else he said during his campaign.

Luckily, the Herald News isn't into erasing campaign promises and still has this article on Flanagan's Green Park. Here is my favorite part:

“I am very concerned that the Correia administration is taking a risky gamble on biotechnology, as mayor of this city I would not gamble with our city’s economy. Green jobs are secure for today’s economy and as well as tomorrow’s economy. I will work with our various governmental agencies, our business community, and our unions to ensure that this Green Industrial Park will become reality,” Flanagan said.

(Gambling on the mind much??) Flanagan sounded so committed to a Green Park but, not surprisingly, I haven't heard a thing about it since he used it to get into office. This is probably because he broke his promise for a Green Park and is expeditiously pursuing bringing a casino (with a water park) to Fall River.

I am not necessarily opposed to the idea of any of the aforementioned projects, however, I am opposed to rushed, poorly thought out projects (casino) and false promises made to get into office. The fact that, a mere several months ago, Flanagan was absolutely confident that the Green Park was going to be the answer to Fall River's economic problems, indicates to me that the Casino plan is rushed and not well thought out, like many of his campaign promises.

Open the Mail Already!

2010-06-12T02:44:00.001-04:00

During Bob's Correia's (one!) term in office, he promoted a, seemingly underqualified, city employee to the role of City Collector, a potentially $88,000/year job. I had my doubts about her promotion but in the end thought "how hard can it be to open mail and collect money?" My question was answered at the City Council meeting on Tuesday. Apparently it is so hard to open mail that the Collector's Office has not done it in TWO MONTHS. This means our payments for excise taxes, property taxes, water bills, etc. have not been processed.

Thousands of dollars that could have been in the bank earning interest were/are just sitting in envelopes in an increasing pile at the Collector's Office. Their job is to collect and deposit payments....what exactly was the entire office doing, if not this?

How could this go on for two months before anyone noticed or addressed the issue? Leo Pelletier had to point it out at the council meeting on Tuesday. The Collector's Office is notoriously and chronically incompetent (see the time my house almost got taken away because of the Collector's Office). This situation will be particularly egregious if anyone is getting late notices for bills while their payment is sitting on someone's desk in the Collector's Office.

The Collector's Office needs to be overhauled, and if not fired, taught how to open a freaking envelope and deposit a check in the bank.

*Somewhat related story. A relative of mine called the Collector's Office a few weeks ago He was trying to pay his water bill online but the city bill pay service kept telling him that the bill number didn't exist. The Collector's Office employee told him that they could not help him because they don't have internet and that the supervisor was out of the office so she couldn't help either. They clearly don't want our money!

Fall River in the Forbes top ten list....

2010-04-18T16:19:00.003-04:00

Top ten list of U.S. cities that are in a free fall.

10. MSA: Providence-New Bedford-Fall River, RI-MA

Net Population Change, 2006-2009: -0.20%

Per Capita Gross Domestic Product: $42,696.66

Change in New Building Permits, February 2007-February 2010: -83.18%

Change in Unemployment, January 2007-January 2010: 122.95%

Change in New Jobs Added, February 2007 - February 2010: -9.37%

Change in Median Home Price from Market Peak: -17%

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-17T05:56:00.003-04:00

Race to the Top

2010-02-25T16:17:00.004-05:00

Remember a few months ago when the Fall River teacher's union was hesitant to sign on to the "Race to the Top" program for federal stimulus funds? They, understandably, did not like the terms of the program which allowed their termination if certain goals were not met. Mayor Flanagan appeared before the union to convince them of their job safety, and a certain WSAR preacher even took a break from kissing Bob Correia's ass, crediting Jim Karam for the invention of law schools, and bidding to Joan Menard adieu, to make the teachers a topic of his weekly rant.

Well....seems like the teachers were justly cautious of this program considering that, pursuant to the terms of Race to the Top, every teacher at Central Falls High School was just fired:
CNN: All Teachers Fired at Rhode Island High School

Damn you!

2010-02-11T17:56:00.003-05:00

Damn you Will Flanagan for making me agree with both Linda Pereira and Mike Herren in the same week!

Flanagan is doing the same things for which he (and I) criticized Bob Correia!

A job for political hack Perry Long "accused of allegations"......ridiculous
Aside from the thieving, Long doesn't even live in a Fall River neighborhood yet got the job of neighborhood outreach coordinator!

Steve Torres's contract...ridiculous
The contract shouldn't be longer than Flanagan's tenure, which will be 2 years. Further, he should NOT be allowed to practice law outside of his contract with Fall River. He should NOT get extra money to attend meetings...wtf?!

We just got sued over strip clubs and Flanagan's response is "bring it on"?!....ridiculous
____________________________________________
Update: I need to add Brad Kilby to the list of people I am mad that I have to agree with.

Despite recent spikes in violent crime, an absent police chief, and nearly 1/3 of our police force laid off, an article in today's the Herald News says:

He (Flanagan) seemed to reject Kilby’s claim public safety is in crisis.
“Who’s claiming we’re in crisis mode? What’s his statistics to show that?” Flanagan said.
“I’m looking forward to Brad Kilby’s campaign for mayor,” he also quipped.

Really? No crisis? That isn't what Flanagan was saying two months ago when he was trying to get elected. Residents are being robbed and injured by criminals and Flanagan's response makes light of the situation. I suppose it is better than his response to the strip club lawsuit "Bring it on."

It did not take long for the almighty power of the Fall River Mayor throne to overcome Flanagan, "Flanagan said he’d provide the council with financial information and the city administrator to answer questions. “But the council needs to recognize,” he said, “that the mayor is the appointing authority.”

Yes, the mayor is the king of all, and we need to recognize that!

Tearing down a historic building to build a history museum

2010-02-07T17:36:00.003-05:00

And so Fall River continues to allow the destruction of our history. The utter foolishness of tearing down a beautiful church on the historic register to replace it with a, no doubt vinyl and cement, history museum, is ridiculous beyond words. Does Espirito even have any kind of realistic plan for building a new structure after they tear the church down?

On 11/4/2003, the Roman Catholic Diocese granted 440 Bradford Avenue to Espirito Santo Museum Foundation Inc., c/o Fernando Garcia, for $1.00.

The deed to the property contains a reverter clause that transfers the property back to the Diocese "if the premises cease to be used as a museum within five years from the date hereof (2003), title of the premises shall revert to the grantor" OR "if the premises ceased to be used as a museum at any time, title to the premises shall revert to the grantor." Clearly 5 years have passed and there is no museum on the site.

On 3/24/2009, Bishop Coleman gave his approval to Espirito to raze the church and that is a shame. His approval was premised on the belief that Espirito had a study done which determined the church was unsuitable to house a museum. There was no mention anywhere of the building being structurally unsound in 2003 when Espirito was granted the property. Did Espirito let the church fall into a state of disrepair so that they may now tear down the historic building?

Of further curiosity is the fact that Espirito Santo Museum Foundation didn't have enough money to pay taxes on the church property: How is it that an organization which recently had a city lien placed on the property for owing nearly $11,000 in 2008 taxes, is economically capable of building a new structure? I doubt they can.

In the end I am afraid the city will have an empty lot where a beautiful, historic building once stood.

Ethically Challenged

2010-01-27T04:24:00.000-05:00

City Council Pres. Joe Camara and VP Linda Pereira have violated the code of ethics with their behavior. They should have been arrested for interfering with a police officer. If any real danger existed, DSS would have been called. Call the Ethics Commission, don't let them drop this. Contact, Executive Director Karen Nober @ 617-371-9500. It's harder to ignore a crowd than just one person. FRPD filed a complaint, let's back them up.

onemadmomma

Graft, a game the whole family can play

2010-01-25T16:06:00.001-05:00

Did anyone else notice the ridiculous amount of money Joan Menard spent on "Computer Work"? $7,045 in 11.5 months. On average that is over $600 a month paid to one Mr. Sean Preble. How many computers could she possibly have?
2009 - $7,045 (why the increase? )
2008 - $1,000
2007 - $2,500

Shenanigans with campaign expenditures are not surprising for a politician who uses her campaign donations to pay for her nearly $1,000 a month Cadillac. So it should come as no surprise that Menard's expensive "computer work" is done by her son-in-law, married to her daughter, Jennifer Menard. They even own a house together in Fall River, listed on the Fall River property website.

Governor's Council Article

2010-01-16T11:53:00.005-05:00

Great article on the Governor's Council. Not surprisingly, Carole Fiola has the worst attendance record for her approximately $30,000/year part part part time position.

Meet your Massachusetts Governor's Council
Clown committee

By CHRIS FARAONE January 14, 2009 Boston Phoenix

SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS

2010-01-13T13:41:00.002-05:00

Laughing at Mayor Bob's List of Accomplishments

2010-01-02T19:05:00.000-05:00

Bob's Purported Accomplishments:
1) Completion of independent audit by the State Auditor’s office and Financial Management Review by the Department of Revenue
The audit did nothing for us but waste our money on telling us things that the perceptive politician would already know
2) The city now has a new back-up system and the firewall in place providing an adequate level of security for the city’s vital data
INCREDIBLE! Bob made the city computers as safe as my laptop! Congratulations on installing Avast!
3) Unveiling of FREE initiative
I believe he means the unveiling of PLANS for the FREE initiative. I would be much more impressed with ANY steps towards implementation.
4) The creation of the Restaurant Loop
Aren't there only one and a half new restaurants (Bella and Sky)?
5) The Fall River Children’s Christmas Parade
The Christmas Parade is a long standing Fall River event. Bob, allegedly, donated some of his uneeded campaign warchest to the event and that is an accomplishment?
6) Maintenance of core city services amidst worst economy in past 80 years
Bullsh*t
7) Launching of automated trash and single stream recycling pilot program to over 3,000 houses Did Bob add this to be funny? Some yard waste hasn't been picked up in 2 months, recycling hasn't been picked up in weeks...this is a joke right?
8) Creation of Fall River government channel
Propaganda

I would respect Bob a bit more if he could actually recognize failure.

Has Bob Correia Been Naughty or Nice?

2009-12-22T11:17:00.003-05:00

CLICK HERE for a personal message from Santa Claus to Bob Correia.

Where was the Fuss on Kuss?

2009-12-16T20:07:00.004-05:00

Recently, an arbitrator determined that the City of Fall River is required to pay an additional $2.15 million in damages regarding the eminent domain taking involved to construct the new Matthew Kuss middle school. According to the Herald News, several city councilors expressed surprise and concern over the $2.15 million liability.

“I didn’t know it was in arbitration,” Councilor Linda M. Pereira said. “I have a lot of questions about that.” Questioning the law department, Pereira said, “The council was not privy to Kuss, and I think that needs to be changed.”

“I didn’t know about the lawsuit until Adam Chapdelaine told me on Wednesday,” Councilor Leo O. Pelletier said.

When the concession stand was debated over several meetings recently, Pelletier said, “At no time did I know they wanted more money. We didn’t know we had all that extra money.

Now, anyone who has watched a City Council meeting knows that legal claims against the City of Fall River are listed on the agenda, and the standard practice is to expeditiously refer the legal claims to Corporation Counsel. Therefore, if legal claims against the City are listed in the agendas for City Council meetings, how can City Council members now claim that they didn’t know about the lawsuit? Are the City Councilors indicating that this lawsuit somehow never made it to their City Council agendas?

Another important point concerns the responsibility of the City Council to periodically request that the Corporation Counsel update them on the progress of all litigation against the City. Massachusetts law specifically provides the opportunity for the City Council to hold a meeting in executive session “to discuss strategy with respect to . . . litigation if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the . . . litigating position of the governmental body . . .” Yet, the City Councilors were left in the dark because they don’t request periodic reports on the status of litigation.

I suppose if the City Council never bothers to ask any questions or request updates that they then have the perfect opportunity to feign ignorance.

Say it ain't so

2009-12-10T15:49:00.000-05:00

Let the hackery continue....

Word on the street says outgoing mayor, Bob Correia, is seeking a job in the court system. I have no doubt he will happily suck off the teet of taxpayers until the day he dies (I mean "continue to dedicate his life to public service"). Times are tough and there is currently a hiring freeze in the MA court system. The hiring freeze would make any job Bob Correia is given, that much more egregious. I would not be surprised if he already has a position lined up. He mentioned he would be taking time off in January. Time off from what? Time off before starting his new state position?

FROED's Contract with the Redevelopment Authority Expires in May

2009-12-03T00:30:00.002-05:00

CLICK HERE for FROED's Contract with the Fall River Redevelopment Authority

Some highlights:

FROED's contract is up on May 9, 2010!
See how much the city pays FROED

Outgoing Mayor Correia Creates/Gives Jobs to Friends

2009-12-01T22:16:00.004-05:00

So far........

Kathy Edwards $55,000
Newly combined position of contract compliance officer/executive secretary in the Community Development Agency
Coelho said one reason the combined job wasn’t posted was because “an internal candidate needed a job.”

Ines Leite $55,914 - $65,147
Assistant City Clerk

Jeff Santos $85,000
CDA Executive Director
Told mayoral staffers were being given municipal jobs in a city with soaring unemployment, Santos said, “It happens all the time."

I am going to be incredibly disappointed if these positions aren't seriously scrutinized by Mayor Flanagan.

Inaugurations

2009-11-29T12:17:00.004-05:00

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!

Battleship on the Battleship

2009-11-21T00:14:00.001-05:00

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.

Awesome Tourism Video

2009-11-12T23:10:00.000-05:00

Will Flanagan's Campaign Finance Report

2009-11-12T01:05:00.006-05:00

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

Ken Fiola's Salary

2009-11-05T10:40:00.000-05:00

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.

Herald News Endorsements

2009-10-30T23:37:00.003-04:00

While I was very pleased to see the Herald News endorse 7 newcomers for the city council, I was incredibly annoyed that they chose to endorse Marilyn Roderick for School Committee but not Joe Martins...Marilyn is terrible.

City Council Endorsements:

Kris Bartley
Don Berube
Michael Canuel
Dave Dennis
Brian Dias
Mike Miozza
Eric Poulin

and recycled candidates, Brad Kilby and Ray Mitchell

"Fuzzy Math"

2009-10-28T22:01:00.003-04:00

I was listening to today's debates on WSAR just now and was taken aback by Will Flanagan's monumental misundertanding of the retirement system. He is under the errant impression that by encouraging older people to retire, we will save money on healthcare because the older person's younger replacement will require less medical care. The flaw in this plan, as Cathy Ann Viveiros had to explain to him, is that we pay for the health care of retirees. New employee getting healthcare + Retiree getting healthcare = 2 healthcare payments.

"THINK ABOUT IT"

FROED sucks

2009-10-27T21:41:00.007-04:00

Could this explain Peabody's difficulty funding the 64 Durfee proposal they made? Peabody pays $2.275 million to settle a state investigation of Peabody's violation of state affordable housing laws.

Well done FROED/RDA! Way to research proposing parties.

Substance over Cliche

2009-10-14T01:40:00.000-04:00

"Politicians indulge in excessive cliche because they are playing it safe. Something not always consistent with real leadership." John Keller wbz news

Let me preface by saying that I firmly believe Cathy Ann Viveiros made the wrong decision when she opted to ignore the will of the 7,000+ voters who signed the referendum petition to keep the fire chief a civil service position. I am still bothered by her decision but I do know that it was her own. She researches issues and comes to her own conclusions. So, while I think she made the wrong decision, I know it was her own. I am still holding a bit of a grudge over this, but I am not a one issue voter, and I think she is the better choice in this mayoral election.

Although I did not vote for Cathy Ann in the preliminary, she handily demonstrates a strong command of the issues needing to be addressed in Fall River. She is well researched and has tangible suggestions on solutions. She has a platform on low income housing, a platform on education, budget plans, etc. Her opponent has not shown me the same level of preparedness and qualification for the job of mayor.

I congratulate Will Flanagan on making it this far in the race. However, I am bothered by his lack of substance and his cliche's in lieu of substantive answers. While Flanagan's lack of specificity could be intentional, it leads me to think that he doesn't know the answers to the questions asked. I really really really wanted to be able to vote for him, but he hasn't convinced me he is capable.

LIVESTRONG for Gus Suneson

2009-10-11T23:53:00.004-04:00

Click HERE for Gus's page

2009-10-11T11:24:00.004-04:00

My apologies to the people whose names have been carelessly thrown about. This all seemed to come about when (upon being asked) I, in the comment section, answered that I was voting for Cathy Ann Viveiros. Trying to out me will not silence me. I don't respond well to bullies. I have been very quiet on the subject of the mayoral race up until now. I think this set me off which is probably the opposite reaction of what the witch hunters intended. Good Work!

PLEASE NOTE - I do not want to moderate comments but I will be deleting any names that are carelessly thrown out in the comment section.

Short Sea Shipping Not Coming to Fall River

2009-10-04T21:18:00.003-04:00

I have long heard of Fall River's desire to host a short sea shipping port. In May 2008, Lt. Governor Tim Murray visited Fall River to discuss short sea shipping with Mayor Robert Correia. At that time, Mayor Correia expressed an interest in short sea shipping. Short sea shipping would be highly beneficial to the city and would likely bring hundreds of jobs to Fall River. Therefore, it was rather unsettling to learn that Fall River will not be in the running for federal stimulus money to develop a short sea shipping port. According to the Providence Journal, Providence, RI; Quonset, RI; and New Bedford, MA have applied for the federal stimulus money under the America’s Marine Highway program. According to the three proposals, the jobs created are estimated from 500 in Quonset to over 1,000 in Providence and New Bedford.

Fall River needs jobs.

Fall River needs Jobs for Fall River, Inc. (aka Fall River Office of Economic Development) to succeed in attracting jobs for Fall River!

While Rhode Island submitted both of its proposals to the federal Department for Transportation for consideration, Massachusetts chose to only submit one proposal. The Projo article does not state who made the decision to drop the Fall River proposal from consideration.

We elected a 30 year State Representative as Mayor for his promise that his experience would provide “Leadership that gets things done.” How can Fall River’s proposal for short sea shipping be eliminated at the state level and not even submitted to the federal government?

Once Fall River’s proposal was submitted to the state agency, did either Mayor Correia or Ken Fiola follow-up the proposal with a call to determine whether the proposal would be submitted to the federal government?

So, since Fall River’s proposal for short sea shipping was not submitted, there will be no federal stimulus funds for Fall River to develop its port. The residents of Fall River are owed an explanation regarding what happened with the city’s proposal. All we are left with is this quote from Ken Fiola, “It’s a shame. The state should have applied for both and let the feds pick and choose.”

Fall River is out of contention to receive stimulus funds for short sea shipping. Hundreds of short sea shipping jobs won’t come to Fall River.

…. It’s a shame, indeed.

Don't Let the Door Hit You on the Way Out

2009-09-15T20:55:00.004-04:00

BOB CORREIA IS VOTED OUT OF OFFICE! GOOD WORK FALL RIVER!!!!

Happy Preliminary Day!!!!

2009-09-15T00:00:00.001-04:00

Stay in your house saturday

2009-09-09T18:52:00.005-04:00

Word is - Bob Correia is mobilizing his minions for a visibility event on Saturday morning. Saturdays are supposed to be enjoyable but I suppose bob has ruined everything else, why not ruin my Saturdays too.

Anyone interested in a no-bob visibility event on Saturday?

Some of my thoughts today that are too long for Twitter

2009-09-06T22:23:00.001-04:00

The "fiscal blizzard" must have snowed Bob in and prevented him from getting to a mailbox for 2 1/2 years. He is 2 years late filing his annual financial report for "ROBCORP" with the Secretary of State's office. Here is the email address in case anyone wants to point this shortcoming out to the Secretary of State corpinfo@sec.state.ma.us .

Campaign finance reports are due to the city clerks office Tuesday!

My boycott of Pub 99 is going strong. I refuse to go back until, at the EARLIEST, the Bob Correia signs come down....makes me lose my appetite. Thinking about writing Pub 99 a letter about my boycott.

Appalled that my uncle told me he always votes for Leo Pelletier because of the time Leo once gave him free coffee and a chourico sandwich during a campaign.

I think Mike Raposa should drop out of the mayoral race.....
I think Bob Correia should drop out of the mayoral race....

I was reminded that City Clerk Carol Valcourt, City Attorney Arthur Frank, and Bob Correia are full of shit. They claimed that the illegal 'pride city wide' city seal isn't going on any official city documents. What is this?

"New Hampshire Booze Run Puts Rep at Top of Idiot Heap"

2009-09-02T10:55:00.010-04:00

Of course this headline out of Boston is referring to a member of our delegation...Mike Rodrigues.

Boston Herald Picture

Boston Herald Article by Michele Mcphee
Howie Carr Column
___________________________________________
I am about to listen to Mike Rodrigues on the Chamber of Commerce show "The voice of business," on WSAR. Can't wait to hear his thoughts on helping local business.

What will Bob's excuse be this time?

2009-08-31T16:05:00.004-04:00

Bob's track record for attending debates indicates that he will not be attending any debate this time. His slick new campaign consultant/handler said last week that Correia will attend Thursday nights debate at BCC. However, the Herald News is now reporting that, "Correia has also said he may be unable to attend a second forum scheduled for this Thursday." ...shocker

Just further evidence that Bob Correia doesn't care about the democratic process.

Finally, I question the decision making skills of anyone supporting Bob Correia. Next time they are up for election, I will remember that elected officials such at District Attorney Sam Sutter and Register of Deeds Bernard McDonald actively supported Bob Correia.

Candidates Forum

2009-08-31T16:04:00.000-04:00

Candidates Forum:

for City Council and School Committee Candidates

Steve Camara for Mayor Headquarters

(Corner of Bank and North Main Street)

Wednesday, September 2nd 6:00pm

Come ask questions and meet the candidates.

The Village Idiot

2009-08-26T23:01:00.012-04:00

“If anyone doesn’t understand how critical the rail is to our future there must be something mentally and physically wrong with them,” Correia said. Herald News 8/5/09

So the the South Main library isn't handicap accessible, so Bob originally scheduled his neighborhood meeting in a non handicap accessible building, but this statement takes his disrespect for the disabled to a whole new level.

And in true Bob Correia fashion, at the last neighborhood forum, he refused to back down from his idiotic statement. He has a real knack for making a bad situation worse.

You are probably not feeling too happy after watching that last clip (unless you are Bob Correia). Maybe this will cheer you up; I call it "campaign promise"

Mayoral debate tomorrow (minus the actual mayor)

2009-08-23T22:06:00.005-04:00

UPDATE: LOCATION CHANGE - The Forum will now be held at the Calvary Temple Assembly of God (right near the elks) at 4321 North Main Street.

Reminder:

Mayoral Candidates' Forum on Neighborhood Issues

Monday, August 24th at 7:00 pm

Elks Hall, 2400 North Main Street, Fall River

Mayor Correia Gives Up the Fight

2009-08-16T01:33:00.003-04:00

Months ago, my former blog colleague, FRC, and I got into an argument over differing translations of what Bob Correia said, at a meeting of the Coalition for the Responsible Siting of LNG organization. FRC thought Bob said "I will do everything humanly possible to stop LNG." I thought Bob said, "I will do everything minimally possible to stop LNG." It is very difficult to translate Bob Correia speak, but it turns out I was right (sorry FRC).

At Bob Correia's Thursday night "neighborhood forum," a citizen asked Bob if he was committed to the fight against LNG at Weaver's Cove. Bob noted that the city of Fall River can no longer afford to pay the lawyers to fight it and that he has turned the issue over to our part time assistant corporation counsel, John Coughlin. Mayor Correia, who has accepted campaign contributions from Hess representatives in the past, is doing "everything minimally possible" to stop the siting of LNG at Weaver's Cove.

This was the first time I heard that Bob took away the funding to fight LNG...did anyone else know about this?

Rally

2009-08-13T14:34:00.001-04:00

What happened to Father Travassos Park?

2009-08-12T23:38:00.002-04:00

People have been talking about the recent, surprise, "remodel" and paving of a big chunk of Father Travassos Park. The park, located behind Espirito Santo School/Church, was home to a soccer field, a basketball court, and a nice open grassy area for picnics and general enjoyment. However, the soccer field of the PUBLIC park has recently been fenced in and features a "No Trespassing" sign, and most of that grassy space is now asphalt. My thought on this, of course, is; what has Bob Correia done now?! What favor is he paying back and whose vote is he buying with our public park land?

So what the the heck is going on here - a public park that belongs to all residents of the city is paved and the soccer field is now not open to the public?

Here is a birds eye view of the park before the paving and fencing (click to enlarge)

And here are some (non birds eye) shots after the paving and fencing

The Fall River property info on the location which shows it is city property

Below: City property map of the park and google map - before the paving

I have been told that the pavement was intended as a parking facility for the soccer field, which is now not open to the public. What happened here? How was this done without any public input? That was rhetorical because clearly Bob Correia doesn't prefer public input before changing public land.

Herald News Online v. Print

2009-08-11T23:00:00.001-04:00

I usually read the online edition of the Herald News, however, today I read both the print edition and the online edition. I was concerned to find the online and print versions of an article differed. The print edition of the article about the Bob Correia's forum last night completely cut off the last two paragraphs that follow:

"Stefani Koorey, involved in the city’s art and history scenes, jumped at a chance to ask what Correia meant earlier in the forum when he said he let managers run their departments because he was not qualified to. 'What are you qualified for?' she asked.
The mayor said he doesn’t know how to run a police or fire department but that he can do his own job well. 'I never said I wasn’t qualified to run this city'.”

Online Version Of The Article HERE

Paper Version (click to enlarge)

Did the Herald run out of space in the paper? Or, are they purposely excluding material from the print version of the paper? I'm a little concerned that there are 2 different versions of the newspaper.

KUDOS!

2009-08-08T18:44:00.003-04:00

Kudos to whoever rented an airplane to fly anti-bob sentiments over the waterfront today! It says "Take Back Pride 'City Wide' Vote Bob Correia out September 15th." It is flying out there now if anyone wants to take a look.

OBEY

2009-07-27T00:02:00.004-04:00

A wealthy Fall River philanthropist recently commissioned artist Manny Souza to design a bumper sticker campaign that would capture Bob's Correia's tenure as Mayor.

(Click to enlarge and print)

You too can own your very own copy of this Manny Souza masterpiece entitled "Obey."

INSTRUCTIONS:
1.) Go to your nearest office superstore
2.) Purchase 8 1/2x11 sticker sheets (avery brand usually carries this product)
3.) Fill your printer with said sticker sheets
4.) Click on the above artwork
5.) Print (or save for posterity and then print)
6.) Adhere to your favorite surface (that you own of course)
7.) Stickers may be cut into individual pieces or used in whole sheets

Learn more about the artist

Shamrock says:
I expect to see this masterpiece on your cars!

Mayoral Candidate Bob Correia on Public Safety

2009-07-26T17:09:00.001-04:00

just because we cant get someone to pickup the needles doesn't mean it affects public safety .....Bob Correia

Who (or what) is Chew?

2009-07-26T16:12:00.003-04:00

If you haven't seen the "chew" graffiti tag in Fall River, there is a very good possibility your eyes are closed. Who is this? The graffiti is all over the place. Usually it just says "Chew" but this one was unique.

I first saw this particular "chew" on Wednesday July 22. I challenge the owner of this building at 10 Durfee Street to clean it up.

I blogged about the graffiti at this particular location in the past (all pictures except the billboard were from this location). Some anonymous commenters told me that none of it was gang graffiti. While I disagree that none of it is gang graffiti, I maintain that it is still a blight and it needs to be cleaned.

Who does the onus fall on when private property is vandalized with graffiti? Is it the property owner's responsibility to clean it up, despite the fact that they were the victims of a crime? While I don't think it is particularly fair to make the owner clean it up, who else should?

Graffiti breeds graffiti. If this particular owner had cleaned up the first few attempts, chances are the entire side of his building would not, now, be covered in graffiti.

Get rid of health insurance for part time employees

2009-07-16T23:35:00.002-04:00

In a perfect world everyone would get free health insurance. Fall River is far from perfect and we cannot afford health insurance for part time employees, more specifically, the city council. When the city is currently cutting the health care (AND DENTAL!) benefits of full time employees, how (and why) can we continue to pay for part timers' insurance? The city spent approximately $25,000 this year on health care for the councilors take advantage of the benefit. While I know it isn't the absolute solution to the city's financial woes, it would help.

I have wanted, for quite some time, to get rid of health benefits for part time city employees. The fatal flaw, in my wish to get rid of health insurance for the part time city council, is that the part time city council would have to propose and/or vote on their benefits being taken away, and I can't see them ever agreeing to that.

I was quite pleased to read a press release from city council candidate, Eric Poulin, yesterday that articulated his desire to save money by getting rid of health insurance for city councilors. I hope some other candidates agree with this idea.

Corporal David Miller Receives Purple Heart and Bronze Star

2009-07-04T12:47:00.005-04:00

"Let it be known that he who wears the military order of the purple heart has given of his blood in the defense of his homeland and shall forever be revered by his fellow countrymen." ~George Washington, August 7, 1782

Corporal David Miller was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star today, for his service to our country. In addition, Miller Green looks fantastic with a new flag pole flying the American and POW MIA flags, new flowers, and stonework.

Thank you to everyone who made this happen and thank you to everyone, past and present, who have served in the military, to protect our freedoms.

Italy 6/29: LNG "Inferno"

2009-06-29T22:50:00.013-04:00

A freight train derailed in the middle of a small Italian town and two cars filled with liquefied natural gas exploded, setting off an inferno that killed at least six people and injured more than 30, officials said Tuesday.

Video of the explosion

About 300 emergency workers are trying to stop the blaze spreading to other train wagons. Specialist personnel used to tackling chemical fires are being dispatched from across the country.

Best Old House Neighborhood

2009-06-24T21:46:00.001-04:00

This Old House magazine recently compiled the 2009 list of the 51 "Best Old House Neighborhoods," one in each state and Canada. The Fall River Highlands was named Massachusetts' Best Old House Neighborhood! The Highlands deserves the recognition. Thanks to preservation minded owners, neighborhood activists, as well as the Fall River Preservation Society, the Highlands really is beautiful.

I believe this edition doesn't come out untill Monday but you can view it online now:

Click here for the Highlands article

Click here for the full list of winners

Can Someone PLEASE Investigate Joan Menard?

2009-06-22T22:21:00.000-04:00

Not surprisingly, State Senator Joan Menard's name has come up in the Sal DiMasi/Richard Vitale indictments. From today's Boston Herald: "When the legislation hit a wall, Rainer said, Vitale sent an e-mail telling the ticket brokers to 'hang in there,' and send a $500 contribution to Menard."

Menard claims she did nothing wrong: So what gives lobbyists the impression that Joan Menard's vote can be bought? That $1000/month Cadillac ain't cheap and she needs to keep the campaign funds flowing to pay for it.

Government transparency

2009-06-21T22:49:00.007-04:00

At the April 15, 2009 City Council meeting, I was very excited to hear a proposal by Councilor Steve Camara that would require the posting of schedules, agendas, and minutes, on the city website for ALL open meetings of Fall River governmental bodies (full text at the bottom). Almost every surrounding town offers this notice to their residents. What is our government afraid of? After Steve Camara's proposal was read, there was an awkward silence. Not one councilor moved to accept the resolution. It went a little something like this -

It is UNACCEPTABLE that Fall River does not offer this information online. Some councilors indicated they are waiting for Mayor Correia's magic new website, that has been under construction for way too long, to provide information on minutes, agendas, and notice of meetings. Do they seriously expect Bob Correia to create or allow a website that offers governmental transparency?

This information NEEDS to be online! And it can be done with minimal effort from the people we are paying at city hall.

A RESOLUTION PROMOTING OPEN GOVERNMENT THROUGH THE REQUISITE POSTING, ON THE CITY WEBSITE, OF ALL SCHEDULES, AGENDAS, AND MINUTES, OF ALL FALL RIVER GOVERNMENTAL BODIES’ MEETINGS, SUBJECT TO OPEN MEETING LAW, M.G.L. c.30A s.11A ½

WHEREAS the residents of Fall River and others should be able to obtain important information about local government via the internet; and
WHEREAS a growing number of Massachusetts municipalities have made it easy for their citizens to obtain access to key government records online. This simple and inexpensive action opens local government to more people and greatly improves their ability to be responsible, informed citizens; and
RECOGNIZING the purpose of the state Open Meeting Law is to eliminate much of the secrecy surrounding the deliberations and decisions on which public policy is based and that the democratic process depends on the public having knowledge about the considerations underlying governmental action, for without that knowledge, people are not able to judge the merits of actions taken by their representatives;

NOW THEREFORE, it is hereby RESOLVED by the Fall River City Council as follows:

1.) The Office of the Fall River City Clerk shall post all schedules and agendas of all Fall River governmental bodies’ meetings, subject to Massachusetts Open Meeting Law on the City website, no less than 48 hours in advance of the meetings; and
2.) The Office of the Fall River City Clerk shall post the minutes of all Fall River governmental bodies’ meetings, subject to Massachusetts Open Meeting Law on the City website no later than 72 hours after all said meetings.

1926-2009

2009-06-18T21:29:00.002-04:00

I was about 10 years old when I made the mistake of ordering chow mein at a Chinese restaurant in Virginia. When my plate of thick beige noodles covered in a cloudy clear goop was

delivered, I was certain they brought me the wrong thing. I never ordered chow mein outside of Fall River again. Sadly, I may never be able to order chow mein in Fall River either! Good Luck to the Wong's, I hope you can rebuild quickly.

On a lighter note, what does this mean for the future of Fall River politics? Will the absence of the Hoo Mee chow mein noodle affect the results of the upcoming election? No longer armed with the savory protection of Hoo Mee chow mein, will politicians be forced to offer platforms, ideas, solutions, etc?

I was speaking with a senior citizen shortly after Leo Pelletier had announced his support for LNG. The person was very angry with Leo. As I recall, her comment went something like this, "first, he didn't even have any meat in the chow mein at his event, now he is supporting LNG!" While the fire at the company is tragic and I hope they can rebuild quickly, it will be interesting to have an election where voters will have to select candidates based on the content of their platform and not the content of their chow mein.

Every House Has a Story

2009-06-16T21:47:00.003-04:00

The Preservation Society of Fall River,
Arts United of Fall River, and Save Our Neighborhoods
Announces the Launch of “Every House Has a Story”

http://everyhousehasastory.org

FALL RIVER, MA— The Preservation Society of Fall River, Arts United Fall River, and Save Our Neighborhoods announces an exciting new initiative in Fall River. Called “Every House Has A Story,” the purpose of this program is to inspire children and adults of all ages to expand their pride in their city, with its rich cultural diversity and history—whether they live in a Victorian mansion in the Highlands or a three-decker in the Flint.

A news conference to announce the launching of “Every House Has a Story” will be held on Thursday, June 18, 2009 at 10:00 am at the main Meeting Room of the Fall River Public Library.

Every dwelling has a story of its own and a history that is worth preserving. “Every House Has A Story” is a program that will assist city residents in collecting this history, preserving it, and making it accessible online to all interested parties. In this way, the collection of data, media, and stories can grow with time, as each new participant adds to the narrative of the history of the structure and its surrounding neighborhood.

2009-06-14T10:22:00.002-04:00

I don't know whether it is the New Jersey license plates contrasting with the super important Fall River Mayor's license plate, which is proudly displayed in the back window (click to enlarge), OR whether it is the rental car parked in the Mayor's space, there is just something about the shot that I like.

While we are on the subject.....I have heard differing reports of how many people were at Mayor Correia's Portuguese Cultural Center (huge venue) campaign fundraiser on Thursday. The numbers have varied widely between 35-50 people. What I DO know is that he was scheduled to be at a student event the next morning and didn't bother to show up (maybe he was afraid of getting booed).

I can understand why the Herald News would do an article on proms. I can understand why the Herald News would do an article on how 'tough economic times' affect prom business; but why the heck would the Herald News think that the daughter of Ken and Carole Fiola, both of whom make lots and lots of money, is an appropriate representative kids weathering 'tough economic times.' "despite the lousy economy, Fiola’s not giving up her one shot at splurging for the junior prom." My thoughts:

shamrockblogga 11 hours ago
Using Lauren Fiola as the poster child for a prom goer splurging, despite the tough economic times, is just distasteful and a slap in the face. Luckily for her, her family is not feeling the effects of tough economic times, but rather, her family is partly responsible for tough economic times.
A $300 dress is a month's worth of food for many in Fall River. A $30 tanning package is a month of electricity for others. But her family can afford this, this is not a case of someone going all out despite the economy. I am sure there were plenty of kids in $50 dresses paid for by parents who worked an extra shift to buy it...and THAT is going all out in tough economic times. NOT a kid who's bmw suv driving mother spent pocket change on a dress made out of zebra and pasties."

This is not a reflection on the kid, I am sure she is a great (and I "reported abuse" for the nasty comment on the HN - but they haven't taken it down), she just isn't the appropriate figure to represent tough economic times. There are plenty of kids who didn't get to go to their prom because they didn't have any money.

Has anyone else noticed the garbage smell over the past two weeks?

Jobs for Fall River Inc.

2009-06-11T23:34:00.000-04:00

The Fall River Redevelopment Authority opted to award the (predetermined) contract for the sale of 64 Durfee Street to Peabody Properties so that Fall River may further develop its #1 growth industry, low income housing.

After the hasty award, to a company that contributes to the political campaigns of the local powers that be(Bob Correia and Carole Fiola to name a few), I thought that either way, at least this project would result in some jobs for locals; after all, the actual incorporated name of FROED is "Jobs for Fall River."

I read Ken Fiola's recommendations for the award to Peabody and he touted the benefits of the Peabody award including job creation. I assumed that job creation meant "Jobs for Fall River."

I drove before 64 Durfee this week and saw a group of people protesting. They were local out-of-work constuction workers. They are concerned with Peabody's track record of hiring out of state, non-union workers, many from as far as Texas, for minimum wage and no health insurance benefits.

This was the flyer the out-of-work locals were handing out:

What the heck is the matter with FROED/RDA aka "Jobs for Fall River." They have shown no interest in creating jobs for Fall River. This situation reminds me of the time Ken Fiola errantly rewrote TIF (tax break) agreements to remove the 'jobs for fall river' requirement AFTER the city council had issued final approval on the tax break agreements. Ken Fiola/FROED/RDA/Jobs for Fall River removed the language the city council agreed upon requiring company practices for the hiring of Fall River residents and construction job preference for MA union workers.

While I respect the union flyer's request that we contact the RDA (FROED/FIOLA) and request that they require Peabody to hire local workers, FROED/RDA/FIOLA'S track record is evidence that they won't oblige.

Live from my parents basement......

2009-06-04T22:44:00.005-04:00

johnybfallriver said...
I noticed they have one of these framed on the first floor of city hall here is some info from the write up next to it.

"Each coin was minted just a short 10 weeks and will never be minted again. And not only is each quarter beautifully showcased, it is also preserved for years to come beneath the protective framed glass. This powerful lithograph, created exclusively for The Franklin Mint by Manny Souza, evokes the very principles for which politics stands – control, courage, strength and democracy.

Limited Edition of 5,000,000
Additional Details

About the Artist

Manny Souza

"Light plays a major role in my work," says artist Manny Souza. "An abundance of light and shadows on his chubby face, creates a playground for me and allows a painting to take on a life of its own." Indeed, Souza's masterly use of light in natural settings and his ability to capture intricate details have become the hallmarks of his work. It's no wonder this award-winning artist has developed a national following for his strikingly realistic images. He has exhibited in art shows throughout the United States and his originals are on display in prestigious galleries in the Fall River Art district."

This week in infamous Fall River history

2009-06-03T23:00:00.009-04:00

picture Herald News

One year ago this week, 7,561 voter signatures of the nearly 10,000 collected, were certified on the referendum petition to keep the fire chief a civil service position. One year ago this week Bob Correia decided he didn't give a crap about the decision of 7,561 voters. Please keep this in mind when you make your decision for mayor. In addition to mayoral candidate bob correia, also keep in mind Cathy Ann Viveiros' disregard for the voters voice; she too thought she knew better than the 10,000 signatories and opted to ignore them.

Steve Camara, Ray Hague, and Leo Pelletier (who is currently on my sh!t list) were the only councilors to support the voters in this matter.

Fall River Grill

2009-05-28T23:58:00.002-04:00

Fall River Grill

363 2nd Street

Fall River, MA 02721

(508)673-9151

Normally I leave the restaurant reviewing to the ladies over at New England Bites but I couldn't pass this one up. The restaurants in Fall River have some amazing 'dinner for 2' deals but I think Fall River Grill wins the competition with their 2 dinners and a bottle of (tasty) wine for $19.95 Sunday-Wednesday after 5pm.

A friend recommended Fall River Grill last month but I was hesitant to try it, mostly because of its 2nd Street location. I had driven by Fall River Grill many times and assumed it was the kind of "grill" that was just a bar that served buffalo wings and jalapeno poppers. I was totally wrong.

Fall River Grill is divided in 2 with a partitioned bar and the separate, very nice, dining room. The tables had cloth napkins, linen tablecloths, candles, and the dining room was generally attractive and appetizing. It is quite a surprise for a small frontaged building on 2nd street.

(please note, the iPhone has the crappiest camera ever)

Fall River Grill offers the dinner for 2 deal Sunday through Wednesday 5pm-9pm. Meal selections include: Chicken Mozambique, Shrimp Mozambique, Portuguese Steak, Red Snapper, Fried Fish Fillets, Chopped Liver, and probably a few others I am forgetting. A huge bowl of Portuguese soup is $2.50. Soda is $1.00. They also have a regular menu with lots of options.

I have to imagine that no one knows about this place, or that it is the kind of place which needs a recommendation from a friend before trying it, because it is always empty; yet the the food is great and I don't think I have EVER before, paid $19.95 for 2 dinners and a bottle of wine!!

Happy kickoff Eric

2009-05-28T22:06:00.002-04:00

Vintage video of Al Alves endorsing Eric Poulin in the last mayoral election.

Michael Bates for City Council - Update

2009-05-22T16:57:00.004-04:00

City council candidate Chris Marcelino plugged his blog on my my last post. So I went to read what he had to say. Overall I was surprised at how well written it was.....a little too well written. In one blog post, he typed, "Don't be shy about calling the candidates and asking tough questions of your own." So here is my tough question: Who wrote your blog? Was it 2004 candidate for Tulsa city council, Michael Bates?

I took a particularly well written bit of the blog post and googled it. Here is the #1 result for the excerpt from Marcelino's blog "complexities of the law, and an awareness of the risks and potential rewards of a change. The Law of Unintended Consequences is in full effect." Marcelino basically cut and paste the manifesto of a Tulsa candidate, put it on his own blog, and signed it.

He even plagiarized why he is running for city council! If you can't come up with your own reason for running....maybe you shouldn't be running.
________________________________________________________
UPDATE:

Chris Marcelino has now rightfully credited Michael Bates for Bates' work that Marcelino plagiarized. However, I have the original version and I think it is important information to have when you go vote.

Compare what Michael Bates wrote in 2004 to the original of what Marcelino wrote:

Fall River City Council, No easy Task.
Why run for City Council?Most people who hear I'm running for city council congratulate me, or thank me for my willingness to serve. Others -- close friends, mostly -- ask, "Why in the world would you want to be a city councilor? Do you need the aggravation? Why do you want to join that useless, bickering bunch?"

My answer: I want to be a city councilor because the city council matters to our city's quality of life and its future. I am running because I believe that with my skills, knowledge, and experience I can promote Fall Rivers quality of life, and I can help the council become more effective in doing its job, to the benefit of all its citizens.

Some would say that the city council was created as mere window-dressing, a means to avoid a civil rights lawsuit. The real power rests in the Mayor's office, they would say, and the council isn't meant to do much besides act as a rubber-stamp. Many voters may be tempted to give all their attention to the next mayoral race, while ignoring the candidates for city council.

The Council matters

But when you've gone down to City Hall for committee meetings and city council meetings, as I have, and talked to councilors and citizens who come to address the council on some matter, you realize that the city council has an impact on Fall River's quality of life, and it has the potential to become an even greater asset to the city.The council performs three crucial functions that no other body can perform: representation, legislation, and oversight. If it fails to fill these roles adequately, Fall River loses.

Representing Fall River's diversity

The nine city councilors bring nine more perspectives to the table. More than that, in the course of an election, a city councilor speaks to thousands of citizens and hears their concerns and ideas. The new Mayor would be wise to look to the councilors as valuable partners in city government, not rivals.

By speaking for his constituents' interests, a city councilor bridges the gap between City Hall and the parts of the city that feel disenfranchised. A city councilor helps ensure that Fall River's diversity is represented throughout city government, by taking an active role in setting city priorities, ensuring that our plans for the future will benefit each an every Fall River citizen.A city councilor must remember that he is there to represent every citizens interests at City Hall. He is not an ambassador from City Hall to the citizens.

Setting the rules

The city council is not only a representative body, it is a law-making body. The council enacts rules which affect the quality of life in our neighborhoods.

The council frequently deals with zoning and land-use laws: changing the zoning on an individual piece of land, revising the Comprehensive Plan for an area, or general reform of the zoning laws.

A councilor needs to have a grasp of the complexities of the law, and an awareness of the risks and potential rewards of a change. The Law of Unintended Consequences is in full effect, and a bad decision can undermine years of hard work and thousands of dollars that homeowners and business owners have invested in their properties. A councilor must also be able to think "outside the box" -- willing to consider creative solutions to reach a win-win outcome for all concerned.

As a legislator, and not an executive, a councilor cannot act alone. A councilor must be able to build a professional relationship with his fellow councilors to reach the needed majority to pass an ordinance. To get things done for his city, a councilor must also be able to build support for his proposals in the community.

Keeping watch

Although the mayor is responsible for day-to-day operations, we need the city council to oversee the performance of city departments, to ensure that our essential city services are delivered efficiently and with excellence. To do its job, the council needs clear, complete information about expenditures and outcomes from every branch of city government. This same information needs to be made accessible to the public on the Internet.

To fulfill its oversight and legislative responsibilities, the council needs the independent resources and freedom of action to research issues and to evaluate the information it receives from the city administration. If we want a excellent, efficient government.From time to time, exercising effective oversight means saying "no." A good council will cooperate with the mayor whenever possible, but some plans are wrong for Fall River, and the council needs the guts to send them back to the drawing board.

How to build a better Council

More progress needs to be made. In this election, who ever is elected to the council will greatly affect the council's ability to fulfill its responsibilities.As a voter in this election, get to know the candidates running for city council.

Ask questions!!!

Will the candidate be an effective advocate for your neighborhood's particular needs?

Does the candidate have the intelligence and experience to handle zoning and other legislative issues?

Is the candidate committed to a city council which asks tough questions and demands answers, a city council with the confidence to say "no" when it should?

Don't be shy about calling the candidates and asking tough questions of your own.

If you find a good candidate, vote for him, of course, but find other ways to help, too. Display a yard sign, publicly endorse him.

Your time and effort will be repaid with a city council that is ready to build a better Fall River for all of us.

Usually during election time we see signs stating integrity, experience, qualified, etc., realizing that the candidates can only put favorable characteristics on their ads. I mean, who would advertise negatives, like "I'm dishonest, can't be trusted, a scoundrel, but vote for me anyway"? The only way we can get to know the real candidate, their attitudes, viewpoints, and prejudices too, is to ask the hard questions, and then wait for the answers. Voters should be able to hold their feet to the fire. We deserve a high caliber of elected officials, and we need to do a better job vetting them out.

When you ask candidates questions of great concern to you? If you get the deer in the headlights look, maybe that candidate doesn't know what's going on. And if the candidate tries to spin the answer, then don't let them get away with it, and ask it again, maybe this time with a different inflection.

Here's your chance to (1) elect a candidate that is going to represent you and (2) exercise a valuable right, the right to vote, so be prepared. The future of Fall River is largely influenced by the attitudes and actions of the city council. No easy task, so let's not treat it as if it is just another election. You can make a difference.

Sincerely,

Christopher Marcelino
Candidate for Fall River City Council.

Posted by Bristol County News at 2:15 PM 1 comments
Labels: Fall River

Formerly Blue Crosswalks

2009-05-18T22:12:00.008-04:00

Remember these vibrant blue crosswalks? How much did they cost?
10/16/08

And 7 months later......

Were the crosswalks done in chalk or washable fingerpaint? They look terrible, and after only 7 months. Can we get a refund? Ken Pacheco mentioned in the above linked article that they were thinking about using this paint/color for other crosswalks around government center....please don't.

FREE or Moon Condos?

2009-05-15T14:46:00.001-04:00

Let me say that I hope the FREE plan to unearth the Quequechan river works. However, it isn't a new idea; local organizations have been working on the ideas presented in FREE, for years, maybe even some decades. While I really hope to see this project completed in my lifetime, I am always suspicious of Bob Correia and I think alot of this effort is a lofty means to gain political capital for reelection.

Watching the FREE presentation, I kept hearing Correia thank George Delany for the ideas and his work on the FREE project. Hopefully FREE plans are more realistic than Mr. Delany's other project, the University of Fall River College of Interplanetary Sciences where students are offered "the opportunity to examine the possibilities for building expanded human communities in space, on the moon, Mars, and beyond" (slide 26 in the above link).

So which is more likely, a Fall River based college for building moon condominiums, or Bob's FREE plan?

Another weekend "event" I neglected to mention

2009-05-14T21:48:00.004-04:00

When: Saturday 10am-1pm
Where: The Dump aka Mt. Trashmore aka Mt. Viveiros

In "an effort to improve the quality of life of all Fall River residents" the Office of Mayor Bob Correia is hosting a free event at the dump this weekend, and yes delicious refreshments will be served.

Bring the Mayor your hazardous waste at the dump on Saturday for free!

"Residents must remain in their car while the landfill's attendant removes the items directly from vehicles." (At which point the hazardous materials will be disposed of by pouring them into the water supply)

Miller Green Remodel

2009-05-14T09:29:00.002-04:00

I am still waiting for a flagpole but this seems to be a step in the right direction. The plaque was given a base and moved closer to the original monument (the boulder).

!Weekend Events!

2009-05-12T18:13:00.006-04:00

Sprummer is here and there is alot going on every weekend. Take advantage of these FREE great events this weekend:

SATURDAY~
The Fall River Fire Museum & Friends of Heritage State Park present a "salute to firefighters & public safety day" on Saturday, May 16th 2009 10 - 2. The following lists some tentative events including a "Jaws of life" demo, SWAT team demo, K9 demo, sparky the fire dog, pluggy the talking fire hydrant, smokey the bear, childs fingerprinting, bristol county fire safe house, static displays of antique and front line fire apparatus, bristol county sheriffs mobile command center, etc.!!!

The Re-Dedication of The Private Joseph Francis WWI Memorial (across from little theatre)
Saturday May 16th 11:00am
(rain date, Sunday May 17th)
Ceremonies Include: Parade from Durfee Green (across from FR historical society tea house), Re-dedication of the memorial, live orchestra, refreshments will be served following the ceremony.

Sunday ~
9am-12pm: Blessing of the Animals, First Congregational Church, 282 Rock Street. Petting Zoo! and Pony Rides!All animals welcome (on leashes and carriers). For questions call 508-672-5862

Questions

2009-05-08T18:22:00.007-04:00

Why was HIPAA law of the utmost importance on Monday, when the city refused to release even the name of the school, where the swine flu stricken employee worked; but on Wednesday was irrelevant when, current city council president, Joe Camara gave the newspaper a status update on the declining health of the injured DPW worker, while he was dying?

How can current Bristol County Sheriff, Tom Hodgson, claim he is a fiscal conservative, who is out of money, because the governor didn't give him enough, yet still afford to build a television studio at the Dartmouth House of Corrections so he can broadcast his wisdom to the public access masses?

Why is Pat Casey's pothole-free street (Mount Hope Ave) getting paved again when there are lethal potholes in the city?

Why is Bob Correia running again?

**To the person in the comment section of my last post who knows everyone in dispatch and called "bullshit" on my statements about the conversation my friend had in a call to the police last weekend, as I was writing this post and listening to the scanner (at approx 5:45 if you want to check the tapes), I thought of you:

Officer "361 to 4, can someone at the police station answer the phone please"

Dispatch "If there were enough people yeah"

~~~~Keep in mind I am not blaming the police/dispatch/etc for this whatsoever, but IT IS happening, at no fault of their own...if we keep it quiet it will continue to happen~~~speak up!!

Last Night In Fall River

2009-05-03T13:40:00.004-04:00

Last night, somewhere in between the time the police were arresting people at Flaunt (fight with an assault and battery on a bouncer) and arresting at least five people over at Club Xcape (home of the "ceo's and hoes party" and the venue at which the infamous JJ's hot dog fight began), a friend of mine called the police to report street racing and a theft of city property in his neighborhood. 25 minutes later the activity stopped and the racers disbursed, he called back to tell the police not to bother because the racers left. He was then told, "I'm sorry but with the shortages, there is nothing we can do."

This is by no means a commentary on the job the police are doing; they are doing an incredible job with what is being thrown at them. However, it is UNACCEPTABLE to report a crime and hear 'sorry but we can't help you.' We have already had one murder this month, possibly two, depending on the status of the Club International victim, and Correia refuses to bring back police. Cut your effing driver. Just do it. Cut your PR person, because she clearly hasn't been successful for you, cut the pay rates of the 68 city hall employees not subject to collective bargaining......

Furthermore, we need to crack down on the bars/clubs/whatever, that are constant crime scenes. Pull their liquor licenses, make them get police details (although club xcape did have one last night), cut their hours, or whatever you can do to stop this. After the second shooting outside the Regatta there were about 15 officers stationed around the building. Are we going to wait for a second or a third shooting at Club International before we do anything?

Hopefully Bob Correia was able to sleep through all the noise of crime and violence in his city last night. He needed his beauty sleep so he would be rejuvenated for his announcement this morning that he intends to run for mayor again because he hasn't wreaked enough havoc on the city, nor padded his pension enough, in his one term.

**Thank you to the police who are working twice as hard now and who, due to shortages, probably have to respond to some calls alone now, without backup, putting their lives in further danger.

More South Main Street Violence

2009-05-02T14:18:00.001-04:00

Man shot outside Fall River club
Victim remains in hospital
5/2/09

FALL RIVER MASS (WPRI) - A shooting in Fall River is under investigation. A man was shot on the corner of South Main and Globe St outside of Club International.
The shooting happened just before 2:00 Saturday morning. The victim was taken to an area hospital. His condition is not known at this time.
Fall River Police say the District Attorney's office and The Major Crimes division is investgating the shooting.

Click here for WPRI video

2009-04-30T23:36:00.005-04:00

The Spindle City Ballet

Presents:

A Spring Fling

Silent Auction and Performance

The arts are like the blossoms on a tree, don’t let Fall River’s die, support the Spindle City Ballet

May 1, 2009 from 6:30pm- 8:30pm

In-Studio Theater

2nd floor Almeida Electric Building

288 Plymouth Ave.

Fall River, Ma. 02771

508 536-6073

Admission is free and refreshments will be served.

Items will include artwork, trips, special event tickets, health and beauty items and services and too many to list.

Come enjoy a few hours of fun and see why you should help keep Fall River’s hidden gem in bloom!

Parking is free and the building is wheel chair accessible.

Congressman Jim McGovern is Awesome

2009-04-27T15:41:00.004-04:00

McGovern, other lawmakers arrested at Darfur protest

Borden Light Marina - Open to the Public?

2009-04-22T13:33:00.004-04:00

Way back in the 1980's before the Lunds built Borden Light Marina, they had to get permission from the state and city to build on Fall River's waterfront. More specifically, for permission to build, the Lunds had to get a waterways license from the state. The Marina was successful in getting this license, however, it binds them to the maintenance of certain conditions, and allows the state to revoke the license if the conditions are not met.

In the waterways license agreement, the following conditions are placed on Borden Light Marina's operation:

Boat Ramps -
The Licensee shall make the boat ramp available for public use during normal business hours of marina operation for a reasonable fee. Is this being done?

Parking -
The Licensee shall maintain 25 parking spaces for the use of the general public during the period of October 15 through April 14th of each year. Said spaces shall be available from 8AM to sunset and there shall be no fee for said spaces. The licensee shall place signage indicating the availability of these spaces. The licensee shall maintain 156 parking spaces for the use of the general public on filled private and Commonwealth tidelands for the use of the general public during the period of April 15 to October 14th (excluding "special event" days as defined by the state). Said spaces shall be available from 8AM to sunset and there shall be no fee for said spaces. Is this being done?

Public Restrooms
The Licensee shall construct and maintain public restrooms in the marina office...Said restrooms shall be made available to the public during normal hours of marina operation. ??

Sewage pumpout
The Licensee shall provide a sewage pumpout system for the pumpout of sanitation on recreational boating vessels. The licensee shall actively promote the use of this system by marina patrons and other boaters. ??

Another interesting part of the agreement is this requirement, "The structures and fill authorized hereby are limited to the following uses: commercial recreational boating facilities." Does a bar on a barge qualify as a commercial recreational boating facility?

Access the Borden Light agreement HERE