Brian Bigelow Explains

Brian Bigelow gets a hooker part 1

Deuce Bigelow against strip clubs in the neighborhoods

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.

FROED's Contract with the Redevelopment Authority Expires in May

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

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.

Short Sea Shipping Not Coming to Fall River

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.

Fall River Grill

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!!

Dear Mr. Mayor:

Dear Mayor Correia:

Thank you for cutting so many police AND a very special thank you for cutting most of the gang task force! We owe you one. Also, thank you for using the graffiti removal machine to powerwash city hall rather than removing our gang tags.

Yours Truly,
Chew, Hanover Boyz, BK, Asian Boyz, etc.

VIDEO: SAVE OUR ARTS OVERLAY DISTRICT RALLY

"Winston Churchill said that, 'Americans can be counted on to do the right thing after they have exhausted all the alternatives' and it seems like the [Fall River] city government right now, is working on the Churchill plan"

Jeff Carpenter, Arts United

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE SAVE OUR ARTS OVERLAY DISTRICT RALLY

Speaking of Handicap Violations

The Traveling Wheelchair blog recently wrote a post about the inaccessibility of the South End Branch library.

"Parking is available on the street; yet there are no handicap parking spaces in sight. Tony, Kevin and I approached this small library to find that there is a sloped cement walkway leading to the front entry door but it is not accessible because there is a 10″ inch threshold at the door that prevents wheelchair access.

Tony went inside and spoke with a nice librarian. She explained that requests have been made to make this library accessible; but it has not been done due to lack of finances. She told him that she feels sorry for those in wheelchairs that she has to turn away. She told a story of one man in a wheelchair that was so desperate to enter that he transferred himself from his wheelchair to a chair right inside the door. This is a safety and liability hazard so it is good he was not injured."

Keri Rodrigues also did a blog post on this issue shortly after The Traveling Wheelchair posted.


By operating this library branch, the City of Fall River is in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act which opens the city up to lawsuits. The worst part is that the city doesn't even own this inaccessible building, they rent it, and the city just signed another year long contract for the space.

Click here to view the 2008-2009 contract (I believe you have to download it view). Please not that Fall River Corporation Council, Arthur Frank, signed the lease, giving his legal approval for the city to rent a space that is in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act....more excellent legal oversight.

The recent contract has the city paying $18,000/year to rent this legally violative space. Under last year's contract the city was paying $16,320. So the city is actually paying more this year for this liability.

64 Durfee's Fate

The RDA (and FROED) meeting to determine the fate of 64 Durfee will be: Tuesday, February 24, 2009, at 3:30PM at FROED (the room is labeled "Jobs For Fall River") Office, One Government Center, 6th floor for the Redevelopment Authority meeting when it is expected to act on the issue of 64 Durfee Street and its re-use (attendees for this meeting should meet at the cafeteria of Government Center/first floor (behind the elevators) at 3:00PM

Don't Take the Cut!

A retroactive 8% pay cut is RIDICULOUS and in my opinion the city employees should not stand for this. An 8% retroactive pay cut amounts to an over 20% pay cut for the remainder of the year. Can the mayor even allow retroactive pay cuts....this can't be legal and I will be researching it (on that note, has anyone else heard that arthur frank quit? still needs verification but he has been missing lately).

If pay cuts are needed as a result of recent cuts to local state aid why are the pay cuts retroactive...weren't the local aid cuts just made and not retroactive?

The budget needs to be scrutinized with a particular emphasis on the Mayor's staff and spending. Let's start at the top.

Helpful tips for Destroying the Character of Fall River

I posted this clip about Bob's desire to knock down our historic buildings last month but it is still very relevant

I know Bob Correia, Ken Fiola, John Almeida, and everyone at the RDA and FROED are working hard to achieve the ultimate destruction of everything good in Fall River. To help them in their mission, I offer the following suggestions from Art In Ruins:

How to Demolish a National Register Building in 10 Easy Steps:

1.) Acquire a building that was once used for industry, preferably an obsolete one. These buildings have been known to be situated close to water and shipping lanes, so will have great views which you can exploit later.

2.) Don't worry if the building was on the National Register, or protected by the State. Don’t listen to the people who may have great ideas to redevelop the project. You don't want all that hassle and all those “conversations."

3.) Sit on it. For a long time. It would help if it was already derelict when you bought it because the previous owner was losing money as their industry was becoming obsolete.

4.) Let graffiti accumulate. Hipsters will love it, but they don’t vote and so they won’t raise an eyebrow when you eventually take it down.

5.) The neighborhood will soon forget about the activity that went on there and the buildings own “glory days”. It will start to look horrible, and they will start to complain about it.

6.) Keep sitting on it. It would help if you complained about the cost of potential renovations while you did so.

7.) Let security around the perimeter go lax. Teenagers and vagrants will get in, wreck the place, and maybe start a fire or two. If you are lucky, that will take care of it. If not, it becomes a hazard and a public nuisance.

8.) Finally, after years of neglect, declare the place not worth saving, and obtain an Emergency Demolition Permit, which trumps all Historic considerations in favor of Public Safety. The city will go along because the neighbors have been complaining, and since you hold the checkbook, they will be too scared to demand anything more from you.

9.) (Optional) Build a parking lot while you “wait for the market to become ripe”

10.) Build something there that won’t last for as long as the building you just let go to waste, but instead will remain shiny and new for about five. Sell it off once you’ve made your money, and let them worry about the upkeep.