| Author |
 Topic  |
|
Middle-Man 1
Senior Member
188 Posts |
Posted - 05/26/2007 : 08:12:31 AM
|
| Not only interesting but completely unfair. Now that they have annouced it does'nt work for them they should have the common decency to have a last roundup then end it. Do they think people have nothing better to do than pick up their trash off the street for months just for the fun of it? I don't play but if I did I'd stop until they did right by these people. |
 |
|
|
justme
Advanced Member
1428 Posts |
 Posted - 05/26/2007 : 10:13:03 AM
|
| This seems to be the way government works too often. Complete disregard for the people. There should have been one final redemption and notification at that time that the program was at an end. |
|
|
|
arthur
Senior Member
212 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2007 : 07:57:41 AM
|
Thaddeus "Ted" O'Donnell
A retired Everett police officer, of Everett, May 29, 2007, at 73 years. Beloved husband of Mary E. (Doyle) O'Donnell. Loving father of James of AZ, William of Everett, Mary Moore and her husband Dennis of No. Reading, Kevin of Chelsea, Shaun & his wife Debbie of Peabody, & the late Catherine M. O'Donnell. Cherished grandfather of Rachael, Jason, and Brian Moore, and Heather, and Thomas O'Donnell. Loving brother of Sr. Catherine Marie SSND of CT. Mrs. Charlotte Reilly of Watertown, and Sr. Miriam Patrick, SSND of CT. Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend a funeral from the J.F. Ward Funeral Home, 772 Broadway, EVERETT on Saturday, June 2, at 9:00 AM, followed by a Funeral Mass in St. Mary of the Assumption Church, 660 Washington Ave., Revere, at 10 AM. Visiting hours Friday 4-8 PM. Interment Woodlawn Cemetery, Everett. Ted was a member of the St. Vincent dePaul Society for both St. Therese and St. Mary's Church. In his memory donations may be made to St. Vincent dePaul Society, c/o St. Mary's, 660 Washington Ave., Revere, MA 02151. Directions & online guest book: jfwardfuneralhome.com J.F. Ward Funeral Home (617) 387-3367
ANYONE OUT HERE WHO REMEMBERS TEDDY HE WILL BE MISSED, HE WAS AN ICON IN THIS CITY.. OH THOSE DAYS I REMEMBER.
|
|
|
|
arthur
Senior Member
212 Posts |
Posted - 06/16/2007 : 06:51:28 AM
|
US is said to probe spending in Everett
Investigation follows audit, mayor says
By Katheleen Conti, Globe Staff | June 16, 2007
Federal authorities have launched an investigation into activities of some Everett city employees and city spending after an audit turned up wide-ranging purchasing irregularities and shoddy record keeping, according to Mayor John Hanlon and several city officials.
Subpoenas have been issued in the last several days to a number of current and former Everett employees, as well as to some vendors who have contracts with the city, said Everett budget director Janice Vetrano. She said she believed that the federal investigation began on June 5.
Hanlon and Vetrano said that Jerry Sheehan, director of the City Services Department, was issued a subpoena Thursday from US Attorney Michael J. Sullivan's office asking him to turn over city services and city water records dating back to 1999.
A spokeswoman for Sullivan declined to comment, saying the office does not confirm or deny investigations.
Special Agent Gail A. Marcinkiewicz, public affairs coordinator for the FBI, said the bureau does not confirm investigations. "However, if anyone is aware of any type of criminal activity, we do encourage them to contact the FBI or their local law enforcement," she said.
The two city officials said they believe that the investigation stems in part from irregularities un covered by an audit released in April that found poor record keeping and possible bid law violations by the city over a six-year period. It singled out contracts held by two local vendors: J. Marchese & Sons Inc. and GTA Landscaping, and also faulted the city for doing excessive business with a third, Everett Supply and True Value Hardware.
Hanlon said when he released the audit that the irregular spending totaled $5 million. The audit focused on contracting in City Hall dating back to the administration of the previous mayor, David Ragucci, who was defeated by Hanlon in 2005 after serving eight years.
"It's a result of the audit, but I think it's extended to or added to something they were already doing," Hanlon said of the federal investigation. "Nobody has called me to testify. I've heard that the FBI is here, but no one is calling me to do anything."
Hanlon, who said he has not been issued a subpoena, said he was advised by the US attorney's office to "stay away from" the investigation. The pieces of information he knows, he said, are from passing conversations he has had with some of his employees.
Vetrano said the investigation is "an offspring to some of the things that were in our audit, and we're going by [the investigators'] lead now."
Ragucci, now the town administrator in Stoneham, did not return a call for comment yesterday.
Jeffrey Rosario Turco -- a lawyer for John Marchese, owner of J. Marchese & Sons -- said that he is not aware of a grand jury investigation and that his client has not been subpoenaed.
Robert L. Bell Jr., who represents GTA owner Greg Antonelli, said his client, "has indicated he would provide records if asked."
Alfred J. Lattanzi, owner of Everett Supply, did not return a call for comment.
Former city services director Al Borgonzi, who worked under the Ragucci administration, was fired by Hanlon shortly before the audit was released. Former water and sewer supervisor Glen Garbati was fired by Hanlon the day the audit was released. Borgonzi did not return a call for comment, and Garbati could not be reached.
Vetrano said the agencies involved in the investigation are the FBI, the state inspector general's office, the US attorney's office, and the State Police. She added there have been no arrests.
Kathy McCabe of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Katheleen Conti can be reached at kconti@globe.com.
|
|
|
|
Paul
Senior Member
158 Posts |
Posted - 06/16/2007 : 2:55:50 PM
|
I think Hanlon is all done no matter what happens in this investigation.
If the investigation turns up anything negative on the previous administration it will hurt Joe and help Carlo. |
|
|
|
turk182
Member
88 Posts |
Posted - 06/16/2007 : 10:07:00 PM
|
Nothing Official, Do you believe anything Vetrano says? What happened to the shock and awe? Where's Walking Eagle? This is all smoke and mirrors for the budget hearings?
******************************************************************************************************
Money Flew, Taxes Grew, Sludge Too, Hired a Few, Hanlon Knew, We got screwed,
Hired a few more now there is 104, What do we do?
Turk 182 |
|
|
|
arthur
Senior Member
212 Posts |
Posted - 06/21/2007 : 07:25:12 AM
|
Officials checking 'refuge' details
Questions linger on sanctuary vote
By Katheleen Conti, Globe Staff | June 21, 2007
Chelsea may have been recently declared a sanctuary city for immigrant and refugee residents, but concerns have been raised as to just what that means.
City Manager Jay Ash said he is holding meetings with the City Council and representatives from several community organizations to clarify the new designation.
"The councilors passed a largely ceremonial resolution" on June 4, said Ash, adding that the purpose of the meetings is to "give a clear understanding for residents to see what that actually means."
At the moment, the resolution is a statement from the council and the administration aimed at "undocumented residents, to recognize the rights that they have," Ash said.
Police Chief Frank Garvin said he is concerned that the resolution may give people a false sense of protection in terms of enforcement of immigration laws.
"I'm not sure everybody understands what this means," he said. "Somebody better straighten this out. What we're doing is we're saying symbolically that we're a city of a lot of" immigrants "and we respect them, but until the laws change, we have to uphold the current laws."
The City Council's president, Roseann Bongiovanni, who is the associate executive director of the Chelsea Collaborative nonprofit social services organization, presented the resolution to the council. It was approved by a 10-1 vote.
Gladys Vega, the collaborative's executive director, said her organization helped create the language of the resolution, which states that Chelsea "supports a just and fair immigration reform that respects individuals and allows proper and affordable navigation channels for individuals to become permanent residents and eventually naturalized citizens." Vega and Bongiovanni were unavailable for further comment this week.
Yessenia Alfaro, community organizer for the collaborative's Chelsea Latino Immigrant Committee, said that the "sanctuary city" designation does not mean that Chelsea is opening the door for undocumented immigrants. "We're just respecting people from wherever they come from and asking the police officers not to be part of any raids," she said.
"It will benefit all the residents. We have a variety of people, not just Hispanics."
According to the latest US Census statistics, about 50 percent of Chelsea's population was Latino in 2000. Ash said the number is now close to 60 percent. He said there is no deadline to clarify the resolution, and that he does not know if it would affect city ordinances.
Signed by Bongiovanni and councilors Roy Avellaneda, Paul Nowicki, Marilyn Vega-Torres and Brian Hatleberg, the resolution calls for the fair treatment of immigrants in the workplace, and rejects the use of the words "illegal" and "alien" in Chelsea "to describe any human being."
"What I think of it as, we're against what's going on with immigration raids like what happened in New Bedford," Vega-Torres said. "If something like that happens in the city of Chelsea, the city wouldn't approve of it because the city of Chelsea has always been so diverse."
Councilor Stanley Troisi voted against the resolution, saying he felt it blurred the lines between legal and illegal immigration.
"My grandparents were immigrants, but they came from a designated port of entry, they had health and criminal checks, et cetera," Troisi said. "People who go by all the rules deserve something better than those who don't go by all the rules."
Garvin said he is sympathetic to the concerns of the immigrant community, especially since the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid of a New Bedford leather goods factory in March that led to the arrests of 361 workers, some single mothers, accused of being in the country illegally.
However, Garvin, who said his input was "never sought" in the wording of the resolution, said that unless immigration laws are changed on a national level, his officers will cooperate with federal and state immigration enforcement agencies if they require assistance.
"It's my preference, because of the number of community groups that we work with, that this is resolved, but the law is the law, and we fully intend to obey the law," the police chief said. "I know in places like California in some cities they kind of stopped doing things" such as traffic stops "because a large number of people had no license, and they cut back" on enforcing some laws on the books.
"We would never do that. We're just going to enforce the law, provide public safety, and we will assist federal, state or any agency."
In a statement released by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a Homeland Security arm created in the wake of 9/11, a spokeswoman said that "ICE is mandated by Congress to enforce a wide range of federal immigration and customs laws. ICE will continue to enforce these federal laws in Chelsea and in other communities throughout the country. We look forward to continued cooperation with the city of Chelsea."
In Marlborough, officials are taking an opposite approach to that of Chelsea, recommending using local funds to open a federal immigration office there because of an influx of illegal immigrants.
Cambridge's 22-year-old sanctuary declaration, which was renewed last year, calls for a hold on federal immigration raids and emphasizes immigrants' human rights. Not all cities and towns that declare themselves sanctuary cities outline specific local legislation. Most such declarations are nonbinding.
Last week, the US House of Representatives approved an amended Homeland Security bill that would cut emergency funding to communities with the sanctuary designation.
Chelsea resident Merlin Peņa, who in 1980 fled to the United States to escape from El Salvador's political unrest and violence, said the resolution won't stop federal immigration raids, but it helps to show that "we're not criminals."
"We come to this country because of the lack of opportunity in our countries. People are dying of hunger in our countries," Peņa said. "It was different when Italians and the Irish came -- it was really organized. But now people have no chances to get a job or go to school."
Peņa said that there is some level of protection in having the resolution, "because if ICE does these abuses in the city, like deporting single mothers to Texas, we have the support of the City Council and the city manager."
Katheleen Conti can be reached at kconti@globe.com
I found this interesting |
|
|
|
arthur
Senior Member
212 Posts |
Posted - 06/24/2007 : 07:27:53 AM
|
EVERETT
Mayor, boards spar on budget
Council, aldermen urge a cut of 3%
By Katheleen Conti, Globe Staff | June 24, 2007
To comply with a state budget deadline, Everett Mayor John Hanlon called a special meeting of the Common Council for Thursday, when members will vote on their recommendation to cut Hanlon's proposed fiscal year 2008 budget by $3.7 million.
Meeting jointly at Wednesday night's budget hearing, the Board of Aldermen and the Common Council voted, 18 to 3, for a 3 percent cut in Hanlon's proposed $125.9 million budget, which the city auditor said was $2.5 million over the tax limit. The reduction would leave Hanlon to deal with the details. The motion included instructions not to make any cuts to the Fire and Police departments.
But because the two electoral bodies met as a committee, the joint vote was only a recommendation and not an order, until the aldermen and the common councilors meet and vote on it again separately, said City Clerk Michael Matarazzo. Saturday, however, is the deadline to vote on the budget for fiscal 2008, which will start next Sunday. If the city is unable to approve the budget by Saturday, Everett will have to operate under a "one-12th" budget using operating costs from the previous year each month the city is without a budget. For instance, July 2008 would have to be funded at July 2007 levels.
Municipalities are allowed to budget month-to-month up to a three-month maximum or risk running out of money, according to the state Department of Revenue.
The president of the aldermen, Joseph W. McGonagle, said the committee's recommendation will be taken up at the Board of Aldermen's regular meeting tomorrow. Because the Common Council's next meeting was not scheduled until July 2, however, Hanlon, the only person authorized to do so, had to call the special meeting this week.
The 3 percent cut to the budget's bottom line was requested in a motion by Alderman Robert J. Van Campen, who noted that making small budget cuts line by line for every city department would take the board "three or four fiscal years." Cutting the bottom line, said state Representative and Alderman Stephen " Stat" Smith, would allow budget director Janice Vetrano to meet with all the department heads at once, making the process quicker.
By proposing their own 3 percent cut, the joint committee rejected a budget amendment issued by Hanlon that evening that would have reduced the budget by $2.9 million.
Hanlon was asked by the committee at the June 12 hearing to come back with reductions to the budget because the city auditor, Lawrence DeCoste, told the council at a hearing on June 9 that the spending proposal crossed the Proposition 2 1/2 limit and would require an override vote.
Hanlon, who repeatedly denied that the city would need an override and questioned DeCoste's calculations, issued recommended reductions that would have brought the proposed budget $250,310 below the tax-levy limit.
Hanlon repeatedly told the council that his job is to present a budget and that it's the City Council's job to cut it. Some councilors disputed this.
"Why weren't these cuts made two weeks ago so that we wouldn't have had to wait this long?" McGonagle, who is running for mayor, asked Hanlon on Wednesday night.
In an interview, Hanlon said he is frustrated at how the budget hearing process has gone, asserting that he did his job of turning in the budget on time and that the council was reluctant to make the necessary cuts.
Hanlon said he found it "funny" that even after being asked by the joint committee to bring his own reduction recommendations, the panel did not accept them.
In a statement read to the council Wednesday, Hanlon said his revisions "meet the goals of my budget without hurting any individuals who are presently employed by the city of Everett or those individuals who depend on the services of the city of Everett."
Hanlon's reductions included cutting a $500,000 deposit from the stabilization fund, $200,000 from the mayor's reserve fund, $40,000 from labor attorneys in the Personnel Department budget, $25,000 in salaries from the solicitor's budget, $55,000 in salaries from the City Services budget, and $300,000 from the assessor's overlay account used to handle abatements, and asking that the aldermen and common councilors approve a $1 million transfer from the free-cash account "to offset the funds needed to be raised through the tax process."
Hanlon also predicted revenue would increase by $750,000 and said that other revenue sources that have not been taken into account include water bills, tax liens, and $200,000 to $400,000 in fees for anticipated building permits.
The committee at first seemed ready to accept Hanlon's amendment, but opted to discuss the reductions with each department head. More than two hours into the hearing, the committee had talked to only three department heads. That's when Van Campen moved for the 3 percent cut.
"It's a start," McGonagle said at the hearing.
"I still don't think 3 percent is big enough. We'd still be at a 9 percent increase in over two years. It's absurd."
"Jobs need to be cut and he doesn't want to take responsibility for that," Common Councilor Rosa DiFlorio said after the hearing.
"If they pass it," Hanlon said, "I have to cut close to $4 million of the budget. They're reluctant to cut it" themselves.
Katheleen Conti can be reached at kconti@globe.com.
|
|
|
|
massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
Posted - 06/24/2007 : 11:23:34 AM
|
Dick was a very, very nice man and he will be missed. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.
Richard H. Connolly
Of Everett, June 22, 2007, at 84 years. Beloved husband and best buddy for over 61 years to Lee (O'Brien) Connolly. Loving father of Rich Connolly and his wife Ellen of Melrose, Julie O'Neill and son-in-law Sean of Marshfield, Joanne Leach and her husband Michael of Wakefield, and the late Janet O'Neill and her surviving husband Michael of No. Reading. Loving brother of Tom Connolly, the late Bernie, Helen, Billy, Rep. Edward "Sonny" Connolly, and Anna "Netta" Troy. Cherished grandfather of Michael Richard and Katie O'Neill, Sean Richard O'Neill, Julia & Richard Connolly, & Molly & Nora Leach. He is also survived by many dear nieces & nephews. Relatives & friends are kindly invited to attend a funeral from the J.F. Ward Funeral Home, 772 Broadway, Everett, on Tues., June 26th, at 9 AM, followed by a Funeral Mass in Immaculate Conception Church, 487 Broadway, at 10 AM. Visiting hours Mon. from 4-8 PM. Interment in Glenwood Cemetery, Everett. Dick was a WWII Army veteran, Past Commander of the D.A.V. Chapter 51, a former Everett police officer, and retired as Supervisor of Attendance for the Everett public schools. In Dick's memory donations may be made to FFBC in honor of his late daughter Janet, co-founder of Friends Fighting Breast Cancer, 1 North Hill Drive, No. Reading, MA 01864. For directions and online guest book visit jfwardfuneralhome.com J.F. Ward Funeral Home (617) 387-3367
Published in the Boston Globe on 6/24/2007. |
|
|
|
arthur
Senior Member
212 Posts |
Posted - 08/02/2007 : 07:02:42 AM
|
EVERETT
For Hanlon's challengers, issue is money
By Katheleen Conti, Globe Staff | August 2, 2007
A year marked by a heated budget process, federal subpoenas of current and former city employees, and a city-funded audit that found purchasing irregularities is about to get even more contentious in Everett.
Three city officials have stepped forward to challenge incumbent Mayor John Hanlon in the Sept. 18 primary. Alderman at Large Carlo DeMaria Jr., Ward 3 Common Councilor James A. Keane, and Ward 6 Alderman and board president Joseph W. McGonagle are running, and all are taking shots at Hanlon over everything from the number of people he's hired to low morale in the city.
The overriding issue, though, is money, and the Hanlon administration's management of it.
Hanlon, 72, said he is in the midst of putting the city on a sound financial track, and accused the Board of Aldermen and Common Council of playing politics.
"I have not been able to accomplish what I wanted," said Hanlon, who served as city clerk for 16 years until 2005 and 11 terms as an alderman. "When you have a City Council that will not work with you on one single solitary item, it's too bad. It's because of politics."
After taking office, Hanlon commissioned an independent $60,000 city-funded audit of certain departments that found shoddy record-keeping of some bids and contracts. Hanlon said he is still waiting for the second part of the audit, focusing on the School Building Commission and its handling of building projects. If reelected, he will continue his plans to stabilize city finances, he said.
Most recently, the aldermen and council criticized Hanlon over his proposed $125.9 million budget for fiscal year 2008, which started July 1. His figure was $13 million higher than the previous year's, and the critics accused him of offering inflated salaries to too many hires.
"I didn't dream up new positions. Those were here before they were all cut and there are departments that needed them to work," Hanlon said. Of the budget, he said, only "$800,000 was my responsibility. The rest of it was uncontrollable costs, nothing we can do about it."
Early this year, Hanlon eliminated a 20 percent property tax exemption for owner-occupied homes that was initiated by his predecessor as mayor, David Ragucci. Criticized for the move, Hanlon said he is considering whether to reinstate it.
DeMaria, 34, said that after 14 years as a common councilor and alderman, he no longer likes what he's seeing.
"The division, finger-pointing, no one taking responsibility for anything," DeMaria said, adding that Hanlon alienated some members of the council when, just a few months into his term, he accused them of violating the state's Open Meeting Law. "That kind of set the tone for the administration for the next two years."
If elected, DeMaria said, he will focus on dealing with issues such as an increase in illegal rooming houses. DeMaria also favors the residential tax exemption and, like all the challengers, wants to get the city's first teen recreational center built.
He also would like to model a redevelopment authority after Malden's, where it serves as its economic development agency. He has his sights set on the old city public works lot, now vacant. DeMaria favors converting the old Everett High School into senior housing, and retaining its field house for a teen sporting center.
Keane, 49, has been in Everett politics for less than two years, but already has carved out a reputation for outspokenness, starting his term by insisting the city tote up the costs of city services to illegal immigrants, which he called a financial burden. He is in favor of charter reform, has publicly said that elected officials should not be eligible for health insurance, and that 25 elected officials is an excessive number for a city of Everett's size (about 37,000 residents and 3.36 square miles).
"It gets diluted," Keane said of the way the council conducts business. "Things have to go back for three or four readings. What are we, the pope?"
Keane knows he doesn't have the name recognition of the other challengers. "I don't have a big campaign, which is good because I won't owe anybody jobs," he said.
"My first two years in government have been really eye-opening, and I've come to one conclusion: With as many problems as we have, my word would be to the citizens of Everett: You get what you deserve. . . . When I watch people putting in the same elected officials year after year thinking they're going to get change, I think how can you expect change when you put the same people in over and over?"
McGonagle, 47, has spent six years in city government, first as a common councilor and then as alderman, and is a third-generation elected official. He has been one of the most outspoken critics of the Hanlon administration, but said the problem is not Hanlon.
"Mayor Hanlon is a nice man and a gentleman, but I think he's got unqualified people running the city," McGonagle said. "Our budget has gone up $24 million in the past two years and that's a cause for concern."
McGonagle said city morale is low, there are too many new hires at City Hall, and development has remained stagnant. If elected, he said, he will put together a five-year spending plan that will tackle fixed costs such as the retirement system and health insurance, as well as set up a capital improvement account.
"I want to know how this current mayor can tell me how in the past two years, $24 million has benefited the residents of Everett," McGonagle said. "It's just mismanagement from the top down. I will straighten that out."
McGonagle said he would reinstate the residential tax exemption. He also favors turning the old Everett High School into senior housing, and he doesn't think the old Devens School should be sold.
If elected, McGonagle said he would audit the mayor's budget books.
"We're going to have another increase in taxes," he said. "People are outraged."
Katheleen Conti can be reached at kconti@globe.com.
|
|
|
|
arthur
Senior Member
212 Posts |
Posted - 08/02/2007 : 07:04:07 AM
|
At 22, Everett man walks the walk on TV's 'Fat March'
By Taryn Plumb, Globe Correspondent | August 2, 2007
Sam Amado was heavy.
So heavy he had to sit out roller coaster rides because the safety bars often couldn't lock down over his bulk.
So heavy he had two weight-related knee surgeries before he was legally old enough to drink.
As recently as three months ago, the 5-foot-9-inch, 22-year-old Everett native was a hefty 382 pounds. At one time, he had filled out to 417.
"I've always been big," said Amado, a massage therapist and 2003 graduate of Everett High School. "My portion sizes haven't always been the best."
Over the years, he tried fat burners, diet shakes, and strength training. Not finding success -- or at least anything that stuck -- he finally turned to that ever-broadening sanctuary for the dreamers and the desperate: reality TV.
Beginning Monday, Amado, along with 35-year-old Brookline resident Chantal Carrere, will be among a dozen contestants appearing on a six-episode ABC series, "Fat March."
The show, which was taped over the course of 10 weeks earlier this year, follows a e dozen obese participants as they walk 570 miles from Boston to Washington to lose weight, learn healthy eating habits, and compete for a large sum of money.
Because of confidentiality agreements with ABC, Amado couldn't talk about how much weight he lost or whether he received any prizes.
He did say, though, that he's slimmer and healthier -- and that his family is thrilled with his success.
"The show saved my life," Amado said in a phone interview. "If I didn't do it, I'm sure I'd still be gaining weight."
Amado acknowledged his trail of failed diets, but said his experience with "Fat March" really made an impact -- what he learned will remain with him. And so far, he's proven that by keeping up with regular, trainer-led workouts and daily 5-mile walks. He's also become like Jackie Warner -- star of the Bravo show "Work Out" -- with food, staying away from fried or fatty meals and sticking to roughly 1,500 calories a day.
But before? He consumed at least two or three times that, he estimated, and with fat-packed fare such as pizza, ribs, and Mexican food.
Even with all the carefree eating, though, he often worried about his health. Because of his heft, he was a bull's-eye for diabetes, which runs on both sides of his Cape Verdean and Portuguese family.
So when he heard about ABC searching for "Fat March" contestants on JAM'N 94.5 this spring, he shot a demo tape and headed to Faneuil Hall for a casting call.
"I was tired of being a big guy," he said. "I'm only 22, so I want to change my life before it's too late."
But his "Fat March" experience didn't come without the accustomed reality show devices: As well as walking, contestants competed in nutrition-centric challenges, and they could increase their share of a $1.2 million prize pool by voting off walkers they found contentious or too slow.
They also relinquished their freedom, sleeping in tents, eating when told, and cutting communication with family members.
"The biggest challenge was surrendering control," said the 5-foot 2-inch Carrere, who started out at 250 pounds. "Every day, you didn't know what was coming. All you knew was that you had to step up to the plate."
Amado agreed, likening the show to boot camp. But from it, he said, he learned that healthy living comes from just one thing: forcing yourself.
"Just eat right; portion control is huge," he said. "And you don't have to walk 575 miles. Just get out there and be active."
"Fat March" will be shown on ABC at 9 p.m. Mondays starting next week.
I WISH YOU LUCK AND WILL BE WATCHING TO SEE HOW YOU DO |
|
|
|
EverettsPride
Advanced Member
1140 Posts |
Posted - 08/02/2007 : 10:05:16 AM
|
I saw Sam the other night and he has lost a lot of weight. I hope he keeps up the good work.
Sally |
|
|
|
massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
Posted - 08/03/2007 : 11:32:55 AM
|
The Boston Globe
EVERETT
For Hanlon's challengers, issue is money
By Katheleen Conti, Globe Staff | August 2, 2007
A year marked by a heated budget process, federal subpoenas of current and former city employees, and a city-funded audit that found purchasing irregularities is about to get even more contentious in Everett.
Three city officials have stepped forward to challenge incumbent Mayor John Hanlon in the Sept. 18 primary. Alderman at Large Carlo DeMaria Jr., Ward 3 Common Councilor James A. Keane, and Ward 6 Alderman and board president Joseph W. McGonagle are running, and all are taking shots at Hanlon over everything from the number of people he's hired to low morale in the city.
The overriding issue, though, is money, and the Hanlon administration's management of it.
Hanlon, 72, said he is in the midst of putting the city on a sound financial track, and accused the Board of Aldermen and Common Council of playing politics.
"I have not been able to accomplish what I wanted," said Hanlon, who served as city clerk for 16 years until 2005 and 11 terms as an alderman. "When you have a City Council that will not work with you on one single solitary item, it's too bad. It's because of politics."
After taking office, Hanlon commissioned an independent $60,000 city-funded audit of certain departments that found shoddy record-keeping of some bids and contracts. Hanlon said he is still waiting for the second part of the audit, focusing on the School Building Commission and its handling of building projects. If reelected, he will continue his plans to stabilize city finances, he said.
Most recently, the aldermen and council criticized Hanlon over his proposed $125.9 million budget for fiscal year 2008, which started July 1. His figure was $13 million higher than the previous year's, and the critics accused him of offering inflated salaries to too many hires.
"I didn't dream up new positions. Those were here before they were all cut and there are departments that needed them to work," Hanlon said. Of the budget, he said, only "$800,000 was my responsibility. The rest of it was uncontrollable costs, nothing we can do about it."
Early this year, Hanlon eliminated a 20 percent property tax exemption for owner-occupied homes that was initiated by his predecessor as mayor, David Ragucci. Criticized for the move, Hanlon said he is considering whether to reinstate it.
DeMaria, 34, said that after 14 years as a common councilor and alderman, he no longer likes what he's seeing.
"The division, finger-pointing, no one taking responsibility for anything," DeMaria said, adding that Hanlon alienated some members of the council when, just a few months into his term, he accused them of violating the state's Open Meeting Law. "That kind of set the tone for the administration for the next two years."
If elected, DeMaria said, he will focus on dealing with issues such as an increase in illegal rooming houses. DeMaria also favors the residential tax exemption and, like all the challengers, wants to get the city's first teen recreational center built.
Article Tools
He also would like to model a redevelopment authority after Malden's, where it serves as its economic development agency. He has his sights set on the old city public works lot, now vacant. DeMaria favors converting the old Everett High School into senior housing, and retaining its field house for a teen sporting center.
Keane, 49, has been in Everett politics for less than two years, but already has carved out a reputation for outspokenness, starting his term by insisting the city tote up the costs of city services to illegal immigrants, which he called a financial burden. He is in favor of charter reform, has publicly said that elected officials should not be eligible for health insurance, and that 25 elected officials is an excessive number for a city of Everett's size (about 37,000 residents and 3.36 square miles).
"It gets diluted," Keane said of the way the council conducts business. "Things have to go back for three or four readings. What are we, the pope?"
Keane knows he doesn't have the name recognition of the other challengers. "I don't have a big campaign, which is good because I won't owe anybody jobs," he said.
"My first two years in government have been really eye-opening, and I've come to one conclusion: With as many problems as we have, my word would be to the citizens of Everett: You get what you deserve. . . . When I watch people putting in the same elected officials year after year thinking they're going to get change, I think how can you expect change when you put the same people in over and over?"
McGonagle, 47, has spent six years in city government, first as a common councilor and then as alderman, and is a third-generation elected official. He has been one of the most outspoken critics of the Hanlon administration, but said the problem is not Hanlon.
"Mayor Hanlon is a nice man and a gentleman, but I think he's got unqualified people running the city," McGonagle said. "Our budget has gone up $24 million in the past two years and that's a cause for concern."
McGonagle said city morale is low, there are too many new hires at City Hall, and development has remained stagnant. If elected, he said, he will put together a five-year spending plan that will tackle fixed costs such as the retirement system and health insurance, as well as set up a capital improvement account.
"I want to know how this current mayor can tell me how in the past two years, $24 million has benefited the residents of Everett," McGonagle said. "It's just mismanagement from the top down. I will straighten that out."
McGonagle said he would reinstate the residential tax exemption. He also favors turning the old Everett High School into senior housing, and he doesn't think the old Devens School should be sold.
If elected, McGonagle said he would audit the mayor's budget books.
"We're going to have another increase in taxes," he said. "People are outraged." |
|
|
|
arthur
Senior Member
212 Posts |
Posted - 08/09/2007 : 05:28:32 AM
|
27 arrested in identity fraud raid
Officials say all in US illegally
By Maria Sacchetti and Ryan Haggerty, Globe Staff and Globe Correspondent | August 9, 2007
CHELSEA -- Twenty-seven Brazilian nationals were arrested in a supermarket parking lot yesterday in connection with three identity-fraud rings that offered workers' permits and green cards to illegal immigrants for thousands of dollars, federal authorities said.
Seven of those arrested are facing criminal charges, along with an eighth person, who is a fugitive, according to the US attorney's office. All 27 detainees are in this country illegally and eventually will face deportation to Brazil, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said.
The arrests were part of a national crackdown on false or stolen IDs, ICE officials said. Though the arrests were made in Chelsea, authorities said the rings were not based there. They operated out of Everett, Framingham, Woburn, Malden, and other cities and towns.
"It's definitely organized groups of people that are doing this," said Bruce Foucart, special agent in charge of the ICE investigations office in Boston. "It is a systemic problem around the country."
Authorities would not say why the groups had gathered in the Market Basket parking lot because the information was part of the investigation.
Officials arrested Fabio Santonione Almeida, Marcos Rodrigues Da Silva, Wirlei Goncalves Dias, his sister, Creone Angelina Dias, Welton Ribeiro Damaceno, Fabricio Dutra Lopes, and Walace Dias Goncalves, who allegedly bought documents or helped others to procure them, according to the US attorney's office and ICE. Rokwdson Da Silveira Gato also faces charges, but was not arrested yesterday, according to the officials.
All are charged with conspiracy to possess unlawful identifications, punishable by up to five years in prison, three years of probation and $250,000 in fines, said the US attorney's office, which is handling the prosecution.
The arrests stemmed from an undercover investigation launched just over a year ago. According to the affidavits, an ICE agent posing as a Department of Homeland Security official offered to sell bonafide papers to illegal immigrants. Work-authorization cards cost $4,000, while green cards, which grant legal, long-term residency, cost an additional $9,000, according to the affidavits.
The immigrants were told the documents were genuine, but that it was illegal to buy them.
The total amount paid for the illegal documents was unavailable yesterday but the affidavits said authorities collected more than $100,000 from Almeida alone.
US Attorney Michael J. Sullivan declined to comment through a spokeswoman but issued a statement.
"It is understandable that many from around the globe would want to come to live, work, and raise families here in the greatest democracy in the world," he said in the statement. "However, this must be done in compliance with U.S. immigration laws, not in violation of them," the statement said.
The arrests sent a shudder through Chelsea yesterday, home to a large immigrant population and sympathetic city officials. Municipal officials recently declared Chelsea a sanctuary city, a largely symbolic measure that welcomes immigrants regardless of their legal status, though they are still subject to federal laws.
About 40 people gathered at the police station yesterday, where elected officials and immigrant advocates tried to reassure the public that the federal investigation had targeted criminal activity.
"The one operation that the city of Chelsea would not be supportive of . . . is a random rounding up of undocumented residents for no reason other than the fact that they are undocumented residents," said Jay Ash, Chelsea's city manager.
Gladys Vega, executive director of the Chelsea Collaborative, a nonprofit organization, said she received many phone calls from immigrants who feared that ICE had conducted a raid at the supermarket. She assured them they had not.
"Any individual that was walking by [the store] would have seen that there was a raid," she said. "They wouldn't know that they were taking a group of criminals that were showing fake documents. What they saw was that immigration was at Market Basket. People were alarmed. People have a lot of fear."
|
|
|
|
arthur
Senior Member
212 Posts |
Posted - 08/12/2007 : 08:13:28 AM
|
EVERETT
Barbs fly in budget dispute
Council and mayor battle over cuts
By Katheleen Conti, Globe Staff | August 12, 2007
When Everett Mayor John Hanlon presented his $125.9 million fiscal year budget to the City Council in late May, he made his position clear: It is the job of the mayor to present the budget and the job of the Common Council and Board of Aldermen to cut it.
The councilors and aldermen, however, wanted Hanlon to make the cuts, based on the city auditor's assertion that, if unchanged, Hanlon's budget would be $2.5 million over Everett's tax-levy limit, putting the city in need of a Proposition 2 1/2 override.
Hanlon refuted the auditor's analysis, and the two bodies agreed on July 11 to cut $2.49 million from the budget for the current fiscal year, which began July 1. But in a letter dated July 23, Hanlon informed the City Council that "after extensive deliberation and research," he would only implement $96,000 of the cuts, charging that the council's votes on the budget violated the city charter and Massachusetts General Laws.
On Tuesday, the Common Council voted unanimously to ask the city solicitor, John Kryzovic, to render his opinion on Hanlon's interpretation of the laws. Council members also voted, 8-3, to make a symbolic statement rejecting Hanlon's letter and instructing the city auditor to implement their amended budget, said Common Council president Sal DiDomenico.
But Kryzovic told the council Tuesday that his letter will be brief: "I agree with the mayor's position. Period."
Everett's budget director, Janice Vetrano, said Hanlon has committed to cutting another $1.8 million. Hanlon said he plans to eliminate $190,000 from his office's reserve account and he will not add the $500,000 he was planning to put into the city's stabilization fund this year.
But it's not enough, according to DiDomenico.
"That's still $1 million short of our cuts," he said. "The issue in the end is if the mayor gets his budget the way he wants it, will he come back in the fall to take money from free cash and the stabilization fund?"
DiDomenico said Hanlon's letter did not shock him, but what did was when Kryzovic told the council Tuesday that if it didn't agree with Hanlon's interpretation of the law, the council should get its own lawyer to contest it.
"The city solicitor represents not just the mayor, but the councilors and the people at home," DiDomenico said. "The mayor can't just act unilaterally to impose his budget because of cuts we made that he doesn't agree with . . . The mayor is not king; he is the mayor of the city."
Hanlon acknowledged that neither he nor Kryzovic were aware of charter violations during the budget process until after the cuts were made. But he added that they worked hard to find them because he is "fed up with the antics" of the council.
He said he asked the council to make the cuts, "but they didn't cut it properly. They just arbitrarily cut whatever they wanted. They targeted people."
First, Hanlon stated in his July 23 letter, the council violated a section of the city charter stipulating that the Common Council and the Board of Aldermen "shall not act on the same day upon a matter involving the appropriation or expenditure of money." When the Common Council convened on June 28 to cut the budget line by line, it didn't wrap things up until 1:45 a.m. the next day. Because the Board of Aldermen met at 7 p.m. June 29 to discuss the budget cuts, Hanlon said, its votes are "null and void."
Hanlon also stated in the letter that the council was in violation of the state's majority vote law. A majority of the 18-member Common Council is considered to be 10, and for the seven-member Board of Aldermen, four. Hanlon said that during the budget process there were instances when votes did not attain a majority.
In his letter, Hanlon also said that the council deviated from its past practice of interviewing department heads during the budget process; that some of the cuts made by both bodies were for items for which the city has legally binding obligations; and that the council, because it specifically cut salaries from the budget, violated the charter's separation of power clause that says the City Council should not take part in employment of labor or making contracts.
DiDomenico called this "absurd" and said that the council is not hiring anybody, but voting on the budget, which is mainly personnel costs.
Ward 5 Common Councilor Lorraine Bruno said she is disappointed by the process, adding, "We were left out there just to hang.
"They just let us go thinking we were doing the right thing, and when the time comes they come up with these technicalities that we didn't abide by, which hurts the taxpayers of this community," Bruno said. "The two branches meeting on the same night, not inviting department heads, that's not true. They were invited several times and the mayor took it off the agenda.
"He said we didn't have the majority vote, but in that case, last year's budget was invalid," she said, noting that the Common Council approved last year's budget on a 9-2 vote. "Nobody questioned it then because they got everything that they wanted, but not this year, so they found every loophole they could possibly find. . . . The end result was, 'I get my budget by default.' "
Katheleen Conti can be reached at kconti@globe.com
|
|
|
|
Topic |
|
|
|
today's globe
