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justme
Advanced Member
1428 Posts |
 Posted - 08/07/2007 : 7:29:03 PM
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Anyone watching this meeting? Councilor DiDomenico had hanlon up there and now the city solicitor. The solicitor is being rude, arrogant and argumentative. It's long past time for that man to retire and stay retired!
This is a disgrace and I can't believe these people. September can't come soon enough. I want hanlon OUT!
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Edited by - justme on 08/07/2007 7:57:20 PM |
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tetris
Moderator
2040 Posts |
Posted - 08/07/2007 : 8:05:11 PM
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| I just happened to come across this meeting....I'll have to catch the replay...I want to see all of this disaster! |
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massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
Posted - 08/07/2007 : 9:00:15 PM
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| I just walked in on the last few minutes of the meeting, I didn't know there was a meeting. I wonder if they will show the tape tonight at 10 or maybe 11, anyone know? The part I saw was the solicitor giving Cynthia Sarnie a hard time and he was extremely rude to her. Who in the hell does he think he is! |
Edited by - massdee on 08/07/2007 9:19:48 PM |
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EverettsPride
Advanced Member
1140 Posts |
Posted - 08/07/2007 : 10:45:17 PM
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You should have seen before that when Sal Di Dominco got into it with him. Hanlon and Dragone were tlaking in circles as usual.
Sally |
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Citizen Kane
Advanced Member
1082 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2007 : 12:14:10 AM
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| I don't even know where to begin. I'm so disgusted with this whole process at this stage of the game -- I have never seen department heads show such disrespect toward an elected body and, by extension, to the taxpayers, as I witnessed from John Kryzovic and Victor Dragone this evening. The arrogance was indescribable. I have NEVER seen anything like this. |
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massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2007 : 07:30:17 AM
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Is there a meeting for the BOA scheduled at all?
I am pretty sure that under previous administrations, if the city council was about to make an error on a vote, the city solicitor has signaled to come forward to let them know they were making an error. In this case, the solicitor goes home at 9 PM, with a extremely important meeting in progress. The solicitor works for the taxpayers, we pay him, not John Hanlon.
I hope I can catch the tape of this meeting, I am sure Sal Di Dominico was able to hold his own against these two Hanlon cronies. I was told Mike Mangan also had a lot to say and made some valid points, as well as Joe Hickey. Anyone know which three voted to agree with the mayor? I am sure Faia was one of them. |
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Citizen Kane
Advanced Member
1082 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2007 : 07:47:48 AM
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I couldn't watch the whole meeting. I just, physically, couldn't do it. I was so appalled by the behavior of the city solicitor and the assistant city solicitor that I turned it off. Mangan was making some valid points; unfortunately, that's when I switched off the television. If I had to guess, massdee, I'd agree with you that Faia was one of them. If McKinnon and Simonelli were there, I'd put my money on them as the other two, but I didn't notice whether they were there or not.
DiDomenico did an excellent job of standing up against these clowns. Hickey used the opportunity to make a stump speech about the need for charter reform. I didn't think it was appropriate under the circumstances, but Dragone's attack at Hickey was something he should've been gaveled for; in fact, I still can't understand how he was allowed to just suddenly present himself before the Council to lecture them. No one asked him to come forward. I've never seen anything like it. |
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massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2007 : 08:05:07 AM
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| I wonder if Hanlon and his flunkies understand that last nights appalling display, did not help Hanlon's re-election bid at all. In fact, it did just the opposite. I am so sick of the arrogance and rudeness of this administration. As I have post previously, and I believe it more with each passing day, Hanlon will be knocked out of the mayor's race in the primary. I hope everyone gets out and votes. The primary is very important, especially this year. |
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Citizen Kane
Advanced Member
1082 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2007 : 08:18:57 AM
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Hanlon and his band of merry men don't understand the PR disaster that has earmarked his entire administration. I'm sure they think they're showing "tough love", but these guys are interested solely in coddling their own egos.
And I'd like someone to explain to me how, after all of his years as city solicitor, John Kryzovic didn't know about these statutes that they're now citing until after the fact. He's always so quick to point to his years of experience; to me his years of experience have been nothing but a drain on city resources with no return on investment. |
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massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2007 : 08:25:21 AM
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| Has Kryzovic ever won any court cases for the city? I can't seem to remember any in "ALL" his years of "service." |
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tetris
Moderator
2040 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2007 : 09:28:50 AM
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I know that it is almost impossible not to get yourself tied up in knots over this situation. The process has been appalling and embarrassing. For me, the only way to deal with this situation is to cut through all the baloney and concentrate on the bottom line.
Does it really matter which budget got adopted? If you believe the city auditor's assertion that the mayor's budget needed to be cut by $2.5 million to avoid a possible Proposition 2 1/2 override, probably not. I don't have the exact numbers in front of me but I seem to remember that the city council's final budget came close to that mark but fell a little bit short of it. Even with them cutting out most of what the majority of the people who post on this board feel is the "pork" of the budget, they were unable to make much of a dent, if any, in lowering the tax levy below the levy limit. If the city council's cuts had been deeper, then it would have made a difference which budget was adopted. Unfortunately, no one came foward during the budget process with valid cuts that would have made a greater impact.
If the auditor's numbers hold up, the budget will still need to be balanced. It won't happen via a Proposition 2 1/2 override; even the Mayor knows that the voters would not support it. Given the acrimony between the Mayor and the City Council, it is highly unlikely that the budget will be balanced with a transfer from free cash or the stabilzation fund. Therefore, the budget will still need to be cut.
No matter whose budget got implemented, the tax paypers of this city are going to pay for the sins of this and past administrations and city councils. If we stay in this city, we are stuck with this mess. The only thing that we can do is to use the power of our vote to put the candidates into office that we feel will best manage this situation going forward. What this process has shown is the power of the mayor's office in this city and how important it is to have the right person in that position. In my opinion, it is unfortunate that not one of the candidates for this job has demonstrated, as of yet, that they are the right person for the job. |
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massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2007 : 11:03:00 AM
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| The tape of last night's meeting has just started, 11:00 AM. |
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Tails
Administrator
2682 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2007 : 12:42:12 PM
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| I did not hear of any meeting. Was it about taxes? If it was about the budget then I guess taxes would fall in that category. Any word on the tax rate? Sorry… I am a little concerned about what my new mortgage payment will be as I am sure a lot of other people are. |
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Citizen Kane
Advanced Member
1082 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2007 : 1:02:02 PM
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Our taxes will be going up, Tails. You may as well resign yourself to that fact now and prepare for it as best you can. How much taxes will go up remains to be seen, but if the Mayor is allowed to go forward with his original budget, minus a paltry $96K, we're in for some stormy seas. Whether the mayor wishes to acknowledge it or not, with future budget cuts and transfers from the stabilization fund and/or free cash, we will be facing a vote on a proposition 2 1/2 override. I remember that the Mayor was asked to come before the city council during the budget hearings to present projected revenue figures. Does anyone remember if those figures were ever brought forward? Do we know whether the projected revenue figures are enough to offset the increase in the budget? The Mayor himself stated last night that we would not know this until November. As I also recall, he claimed that the sale of the Devens School would help to offset the budget increases; however, there is no guarantee that the Devens School will be sold; therefore, those projected sales figures cannot legitimately be used as a projected sources of revenue.
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tetris
Moderator
2040 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2007 : 1:02:27 PM
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Tails,
Last night's special commom council meeting was to discuss the mayor's decision to adopt his own budget instead of the one approved by the city council. No real changes came out of the meeting.
There is a joint convention scheduled for 6:00 PM this evening to discuss the adoption of the residential homeowner exemption. A special meeting of the common council is scheduled to follow at 7:00 PM to vote on adoption of the exemption. Tomorrow night at 6:00 PM, a special meeting of the board of alderman is scheduled to vote on it as well. If it passes, it is probably good news for you. However, as we have discussed before, it is very likely that we won't know what the actual tax rate will be until after the November election. |
Edited by - tetris on 08/08/2007 1:04:22 PM |
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massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2007 : 1:17:00 PM
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| I heard a figure thrown around somewhere that with the budget as it stands, the average tax bill increase will be about $1000.00. That is before the residential tax exemption is applied if approved. I am afraid to see what my tax bill is going to look like since my home, the only one I own, is not owner occupied. I'll get the $1000. hit plus have to help make up the difference for the residential tax increase. What a mess this city is in. |
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Council Meeting 8/7
