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Court4Fred
Advanced Member
1201 Posts |
Posted - 12/27/2007 : 8:26:40 PM
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Tetris...apologies for being out of touch. T'is the season. BTW, Merry Christmas all!
Your description of the pension fund is accurate - but you're forgetting a few things. The first is that the city finished up the year with 11 million dollars in free cash, partly due to the recision of the initial residental 20% exemption. Nevertheless, despite the added pension payment, the city still finished out the year with a significant cash pile. How the tax rate went up $2.00 on the thousand (if all things are equal), despite the free cash bears more review than I can give right now.
You should also take a hard look at that link to the report, which indicates just how many employees have been added. From 546 employees on 01/01/06 to 622 employees on 01/01/07. That's an increase of 76 employees. That's an overall increase of nearly 14% within a single year and doesn't include any new hires this year. The executive summary on page 6 indicates that the payroll increased more than $3 million dollars in a single year for FTES...so none of the part-timers are included. That's worth mentioning relative to the tax increase. |
Edited by - Court4Fred on 12/27/2007 8:28:28 PM |
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tetris
Moderator
2040 Posts |
Posted - 12/27/2007 : 11:36:25 PM
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Court,
No problem; we all have plenty of other things to attend to this time of the year. Merry Christmas to you in return.
I think that we have both agreed in the past that we don't have enough information available to us to figure out where all the free cash came from. The only additional information that we've gotten since it was originally announced is that a small portion of it was unexpended money as of June 30th that has since been returned to its respective departments (Medicare reimbursement money to the school department and remodeling money to the police department). I hope that someone really understands how we got to this point and what, if any implications there may be going forward, i.e., was it just an accounting anomaly and could it swing the other way in the future? I hope that the new mayor and his team have a full grasp of the issue.
I almost felt guilty by providing somewhat of a defense of the Hanlon administration when trying explain what I thought the numbers in last Sunday's Globe meant to the average tax payer. If I was right, those of us that are lucky enough to qualify for the 20% exemption will only be just about breaking even with last year's tax bills. I find that to be astounding. I feel particularly bad for those seniors whose houses are in trusts and don't qualify for the exemption. I felt even more guilty when I was doing some research to find that linked document. I didn't really look at the payroll information in that document but I did see payroll data in other documents that I found on the state web site. The figures were even worse in those documents. It was late that night and I couldn't get my head around them but I knew it wasn't good. I hope some day soon I'll find the time to go back to figure them out and share my findings.
A couple of questions about your last post. I'm not sure that I understand how the recission of the initial 20% residential exemption added to free cash. My understanding of the exemption is that it is only a method of redistributing the burden of the residential portion of the tax levy. I don't see how that could add to free cash. Please share more detail of your insight. Also, I thought FTE stood for full time equivalent. In that case, part timers would be included in those numbers. Please correct me if I'm wrong. |
Edited by - tetris on 12/28/2007 12:00:45 AM |
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Court4Fred
Advanced Member
1201 Posts |
Posted - 12/28/2007 : 08:17:23 AM
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Tetris,
My understanding is that in FY 2004 or 2005, the year that the original RTE went into effect, there was a significant tax increase, largely due to the rapid increase in home values to help "fund" if you will, the exemption. No city government could fully place the exemption on the backs of the homeowners whose homes were greater in value...there would have been an insurrection. Once the exemption was rescinded and the residences were again fully valued - the result was the increasing revenue that led to the historic free cash pool. Medicaid reimbursement is a fragment of this money, as was the police grant. I would bet that most of it was due to the recision of the RTE, which the Hanlon administration didn't factor in when it was planning the year's tax rate. If they had - they would probably be still in office.
And the situation with the Globe is this - the DOR has all that information on the website. It does have Everett with an average $687. increase. You have to wonder if the paperwork regarding the RTE had been filed in a timely fashion, because the DOR site was updated on 12/27 - yesterday, and Everett's numbers still stand. I guess we'll find out when the tax bills arrive. The other thing that has me concerned is the declining home values...I hope Carlo's team is ready for this.
Also - FTE is full time equivalent - but as you recall, Mayor Hanlon did state that his part-timers were not going to be on the pension plan, which led me to believe that the number did not include part-time. Of course...hizzoner could have been less than truthful once again. |
Edited by - Court4Fred on 12/28/2007 5:11:33 PM |
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H1ghCh4r1ty
Advanced Member
967 Posts |
Posted - 12/28/2007 : 08:50:35 AM
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Court,
Please do not expect much (or anything) from the new administration. I am afraid, if you do
my friend, that you will be sorely dissappointed.
Carlo's team is not ready for anything. This will be a worse two years than with Hanlon.
The Pup and Emile Schoeffhausen
_____________________________
"Time to make the donuts" |
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justme
Advanced Member
1428 Posts |
 Posted - 12/28/2007 : 08:58:25 AM
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Emile, Your negativity in regards to Carlo is beginning to wear thin. You may very well be correct in your assessment however, it would be prudent to at least allow him the opportunity to be sworn in before you drive the bus over him!
When he stubs his toe, please feel free to say, “I told you so”. Until then, why not give it a rest? |
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massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
Posted - 12/28/2007 : 2:58:42 PM
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| I think we are all starting to get a little anxious about what will be coming down the line. There has been next to nothing for news coming out of City Hall. This is one of the most lowed keyed transitions that I can remember. I hope that means everything is going smoothly and not incompetence on either Hanlon or Carlo's part. I just can't help being skeptical, after all, Hanlon is involved. |
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Court4Fred
Advanced Member
1201 Posts |
Posted - 12/28/2007 : 5:18:50 PM
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| Emile, MassDee - I think it's always good to manage expectations, and I have - while at the same time, hoping beyond hope for a miracle. The under-the-radar transition isn't exactly inspiring confidence in the hearts of the gods, but it doesn't reek of despair either. I think we gave Hanlon six months? We can certainly do the same for Carlo. |
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massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
Posted - 12/28/2007 : 5:28:05 PM
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| Court, it didn't take me six months, I knew pretty quickly that I had a huge error in judgment when I voted for Hanlon. I can remember clearly when I knew. It was either the first or second city council meeting and Hanlon was speaking. I don't even remember what it was about. When he was through I called my mom on the phone and said, "we made a huge mistake, this man does not know which end is up." It's been a very long two years since then. |
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massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
Posted - 12/30/2007 : 08:54:01 AM
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Newburyport landfill still uncapped, odorous
The uncapped landfill at 20 Crow Lane has drawn complaints about noxious odors and debris. The uncapped landfill at 20 Crow Lane has drawn complaints about noxious odors and debris. (lisa poole for the boston globe)
PROBLEM: Noxious odors from the Crow Lane Landfill in Newburyport and debris from trucks entering the site have sparked litigation, state and city intervention, and a neighborhood outcry.
more stories like this
HISTORY: The unlined landfill closed in 1987 but was never capped. In 2003, state environmental officials approved a plan by Everett-based New Ventures to add construction debris to the landfill mound before capping it. Neighborhood complaints about odors from this new debris prompted the state attorney general's office to sue New Ventures.
In October 2006, a Suffolk Superior Court judge ordered the company to install odor-control technology and to complete the landfill's capping by Aug. 30, 2007. But ongoing neighborhood complaints about odors from newly imported construction and demolition material prompted city and state officials to halt most work at the facility since the summer.
New Ventures has since demanded that the city shoulder most of its costs. A Suffolk Superior Court judge ordered New Ventures and state officials back to court earlier this month to review the status of the project. The landfill remains uncapped.
PROGRESS: The court order gives state officials authority to penalize New Ventures for violations, but the city's Board of Health is in charge of the daily monitoring of odors and reporting violations to the state. Late last year, the city hired a person to monitor odors and other violations at the site, funded from a $60,000 account New Ventures was ordered to create. Mayor John Moak said there is about $20,000 left in this account, but if the fund is depleted, he is determined to keep the employee on, at city expense, until the landfill is capped and closed.
Moak said New Ventures hired a crew to clean up litter at the site and has since improved its record on that problem. There has been a flurry of neighborhood complaints recently about odors since New Ventures installed some of its court-ordered odor-control technology, but Moak said the system is expected to be fully operating soon. State officials recently approved a plan by New Ventures to bring in crushed asphalt and clay to build an access road and to temporarily cover the landfill until permanent capping is completed.
GRADE: Moak gives himself a "95" for making sure New Ventures has adhered to all city and state orders and regulations concerning odor complaints. But he said he merits only a "65" for not being more "creative and diligent" in moving the project forward, while also holding down the odors.
He is vowing in 2008 to work more cooperatively with New Ventures so the company can bring in the materials it needs to cap and close the facility.
Kay Lazar can be reached at klazar@globe.com. |
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tetris
Moderator
2040 Posts |
Posted - 12/30/2007 : 4:00:35 PM
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There is an Everett connection to this story near the end of the article.
Law put candidate atop Fire Dept. list
By Donovan Slack
Globe Staff / December 30, 2007
William Hayhurst III's dream of joining the Boston Fire Department and carrying on a family tradition - his late father was a Boston firefighter for 32 years - appeared to be dashed when he received relatively dismal scores on the civil service exam all three times he took it.
Then, in what critics call an example of the patronage and favoritism lingering in Massachusetts government, the Hayhursts' political connections turned things around.
A special state law passed this year for the benefit of the Hayhurst family vaulted William III from 623d place to the pinnacle of the hiring list. As a result, he is now slated to be the next person hired by the Boston Fire Department. His brothers Marc, who ranked 202d on the list, and Michael, if he passes the test, are also guaranteed head-of-the-line status.
The jumps were made possible in large part by state Senate President Therese Murray, who, said two public officials involved in helping the Hayhursts, told several influential people throughout the process that the Hayhursts were family friends and were deserving of special treatment.
The bill for the Hayhursts gave them the same benefits that are given to survivors of a firefighter who died in the line of duty, even though their father died of eye cancer in 2002, not in the line of duty. The bill flew through two committees and the state Senate in less than two hours in September.
The Hayhursts were also supported by Mayor Thomas M. Menino, the Boston City Council, and Governor Deval Patrick.
A group representing minority firefighters says the political boost that resulted in the preferential treatment of the sons of an Irish firefighter over dozens of nonwhite applicants with higher test scores is "disgraceful."
"It's just another example of the favoritism and nepotism and patronage that exists," said Karen Miller, president of the Boston Society of Vulcans, an organization of black firefighters.
For 30 years, a federal court order required the department to hire one black applicant for every white applicant it hired. But in the four years since the order was lifted, the department's nonwhite ranks have dwindled by nearly 50 firefighters.
Common Cause Massachusetts, a watchdog group dedicated to open government, said special legislation benefiting individuals can be justified in some cases, but always deserves extra scrutiny.
"It can be used to rectify individual injustices," said Pamela Wilmot, Common Cause executive director. "But it should never be used to help an individual because of their connections."
Murray declined to discuss what steps she took to help the Hayhursts. Her spokesman, David Falcone, would also not discuss her role, saying only that Murray "knows of the family, but she is not a close, personal friend of the Hayhursts." Falcone said the Hayhursts exercised the right of every citizen to lobby politicians for legislative relief.
The Hayhursts did not return messages seeking comment.
Boston fire officials also declined to comment on the law. "We have nothing to do with the establishment of the hiring list," Steve MacDonald, department spokesman, said.
The state Civil Service Commission, created to prevent nepotism and patronage from undermining fair hiring practices, administers tests for police officers and firefighters statewide. It produces hiring lists for cities and towns based on applicants' scores. It also takes into account special preferences granted to classes of individuals, such as veterans and disabled veterans. Children of public safety employees who die in the line of duty are given the highest preference.
The Boston firefighters exam is highly competitive, with the department hiring only about 200 firefighters from each hiring list, which is created every two years.
After the death of the Hayhursts's father, William Jr., the Boston Retirement Board granted his survivors disability benefits, including a larger pension for his widow, based on a presumption that his eye cancer was job-related.
But the rules to get preferential hiring benefits are stricter. State law grants head-of-the-line status only to children of public safety employees who die in the line of duty, which is defined for firefighters as death from mortal injuries or death sustained as "the result of an accident while responding to an alarm of fire or while at the scene of a fire."
Since William Hayhurst Jr.'s death in 2002 did not fit the definition, his sons could not qualify for preferential hiring without passage of a special law.
Passing state laws that exclusively benefit certain individuals has been a common practice in Massachusetts, but legislators rarely pass bills requiring the preferential hiring of specific individuals.
A Globe review found that 40 of the 218 state laws passed in 2007 provide benefits to specific individuals by name. Thirty allowed employees of certain state agencies to donate sick days to particular colleagues, and three granted retirement benefits to certain public employees. Six exempted particular police and firefighter applicants from maximum age requirements, allowing them to take civil service tests and apply for municipal jobs at an older age. The Hayhurst law was the only one granting head-of-the-line status on a civil service hiring list.
Lobbying for the Hayhurst law began about three years ago, when the Hayhursts approached the Boston City Council for help in getting preferential hiring treatment.
Murray supported the request, telling Councilor at Large Michael F. Flaherty, president of the council at the time, that the Hayhursts were family friends and that she wanted the petition passed, said the two public officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
But Flaherty refused, saying such legislation "wouldn't pass the smell test," the officials said. Menino also declined to support it at the time, the officials said. Among the reasons for Flaherty and Menino's resistance: Therewas no medical documentation to support a declaration that the Hayhursts's father had died in the line of duty, the officials said.
Still, William Hayhurst III, a Dorchester resident, persisted in his lobbying efforts.
This year the political landscape shifted. Councilor Maureen E . Feeney of Dorchester replaced Flaherty as council president, and Murray, who grew up in Dorchester, ascended to the state Senate presidency.
Feeney agreed to introduce the legislation this summer after a visit from Hayhurst and a telephone call from his mother, she said.
"I said, 'Well, I just don't know if it will fly,' " Feeney said in a recent interview. "She said, 'Will you at least try?' "
Feeney said she spoke about the measure with Murray, who was "supportive" and "very happy that it had come forward." Feeney said she told Menino about Murray's support, and the mayor agreed to sign the legislation if it passed the council.
On Aug. 1, Feeney introduced the petition for a special law giving the Hayhurst sons the head-of-the-line status accorded children of firefighters killed in the line of duty. She asked for expedited scheduling of a public hearing on the initiative, and on Aug. 24, the council's Government Operations Committee held a six-minute hearing. William Hayhurst III offered the only testimony.
"The young man who is about to present this petition to us is in fact the son of firefighter William Hayhurst, who, although he did not die in the line of fire in terms of being, you know, at a fire, but in fact did die as an active member of the Boston firefighters association," Feeney said at the hearing, according to a video transcript.
William Hayhurst, a stocky 30-year-old with short-cropped brown hair, said there has been a Hayhurst in the Boston Fire Department since 1913.
"My father was very well established in the Fire Department, seeing very busy times throughout the '70s, and it's been a dream of mine and my younger brother to also be on the Fire Department," Hayhurst said. He said his father, a district captain, developed terminal cancer behind his left eye and worked until five weeks before his death.
Feeney and the chairman of government operations, Councilor Rob Consalvo of Hyde Park, did not ask how the eye cancer related to his work as a firefighter.
Less than three weeks later, the City Council passed the measure with a unanimous vote, and on Sept. 21, the mayor signed it and sent it to the State House. Flaherty could not be reached for comment last week to explain his apparent change of heart on the issue.
Dorothy Joyce, Menino's spokeswoman, said the mayor changed his position and signed on because of strong support from the City Council. She declined to comment on Murray's influence on the process.
On Thursday, Sept. 27, it made it through two state committees of the Legislature, the Joint Rules and Public Safety committees, and the state Senate in 1 hour and 28 minutes. The following Monday, it passed the House and was sent to the governor's desk for his signature. According to a legislative log of the acts of 2007, the legislation became law Oct. 12, because the governor did not act on it. The log indicates, however, that it was passed with his approval.
"After examining past legislative precedent in similar matters, the administration supported the bill becoming law," Patrick's press secretary Kyle Sullivan said in a written statement. "We will continue to closely scrutinize such bills on a case-by-case basis."
Representative Brian Wallace of South Boston, who was listed as a sponsor of the bill, did not return calls for comment.
Representative Stephen Stat Smith of Everett cosponsored the measure.
"The reason I signed on is, as a new legislator, I'm not really familiar about the process," he said. "So I looked to some reps who are friends of mine who had some easy things that weren't going to be controversial, and I just signed on to provide assistance to them and learn more about the process. "
The Boston Fire Department plans to begin hiring a new class of recruits in the spring, fire officials say. Hayhurst will still have to pass physical tests and the firefighting academy before becoming a firefighter.
Miller of the black firefighters organization said she now plans to do some lobbying of her own. "We need a law to make sure this doesn't happen again," she said.
Andrea Estes of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Donovan Slack can be reached at dslack@globe.com.
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charm
Senior Member
264 Posts |
Posted - 01/03/2008 : 06:52:53 AM
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School of hard rocks
A newly popular sport offers lessons of its own
By Maureen Mullen, Globe Correspondent | January 3, 2008
Forget the climbing-the-wall jokes. Eric Curtis has heard them all.
"Actually," said Curtis, a partner in MetroRock Indoor Rock Climbing Centers in Everett and Newburyport, "we use that as our motto for birthday parties: 'Let them climb our walls, not yours.' "
Those parties have served as the entree for many into rock climbing, one of the country's fastest-growing recreational activities. When the party's over, it's a matter of keeping everyone roped in.
While there are no official high school teams locally, Curtis, for one, would like to see that change. MetroRock in Newburyport hosts 10 high school groups for more than 50 climbers. Curtis would like to start a similar program at the Everett gym for high school students in that area.
"I'd love to see it become a varsity sport," Curtis said. "New England is kind of a last adaptor for extreme sports and stuff like that. Everyone at high schools has been grown on traditional ball sports - basketball, football, baseball - and this sport is now getting a lot of interest and seeing some explosive growth. So we want to try to get some momentum behind that with the school systems.
"The students have been phenomenal, but we'd like to really get the momentum going with the administrators, and see them on board to see this as possibly a varsity sport in five to seven years."
Curtis, who began climbing while at Norwich University in Vermont and later became a partner in the rock gyms as an escape from the 9-to-5 banking world, started building business by asking a student from each school to act as an informal recruiter.
"I actually first came here with a friend for my birthday," said Elyse Cosentino, a senior from West Newbury who is the student rep for Pentucket Regional High School. "It hasn't been that difficult to recruit kids, because I have a lot of friends that are interested in outdoorsy activities, like hiking and stuff. It was a little bit harder to get people that I don't know into it, but there are a few people."
Lee Mehlenbacher, a senior at Newburyport High, is one of seven students from that school's group. "I saw a newspaper ad that said there was a new rock climbing gym, and there was a picture of some guy climbing," he said. "I told some of my friends about it, and one of my friends had already been [at MetroRock] and he said, 'Yeah, you got to check it out.' That was about a year ago. So I started coming then and loved it."
Both the physical and mental tests hooked Mehlenbacher.
"It was challenging," he said. "It wasn't really scary. It was just different, a big challenge." He said that the mental challenge "is harder, because you have to coordinate yourself, and think ahead, and try to go fast at the same time.
"It's definitely worth the challenge for the feeling that you've accomplished after. It's really fun."
For now, there are no NCAA-sanctioned college programs, either, but Curtis is working with a group of students from the University of New Hampshire to change that. Gordon College in Wenham, however, has the opposite situation: a rock gym with no team. Rather, the college uses the climbing walls, which are open to the public, as a component of its curriculum.
"It's part of our adventure program, called 'La Vida,' and it's been around since 1976," said Rich Obenschain, the college's outdoor education director. "It's kind of a takeoff on Outward Bound. It's actually a requirement for all of our students to participate in some kind of an adventure program, either a 12-day expedition or a one-quad adventure program out on our ropes course. And we basically use the rock climbing on rainy days and things like that."
MetroRock recently hosted an open competition with climbers ranging in age from about 10 to 35, competing in five divisions - junior, for those 12 and under, beginner, intermediate, advanced, and professional.
"It was phenomenal," Curtis said. "We had 134 competitors. It was our largest competition. We beat last year's numbers by about 40 or 50 attendees. It's mainly due to the high school surge."
Liam Gallagher, ranked fourth in the state in his age group by USA Climbing, represents the fastest-growing group of climbers. Gallagher, who turned 12 last Friday, is now among the group of 12- to 15-year-olds that make up 35 percent of climbers, according to USA Climbing.
"I tell [my friends] that it's definitely a lot harder than their football practices," said Gallagher, of Amesbury, who won the speed climbing event at the national championship in Portland, Ore., last year.
Liam's father, Don Gallagher, 63, however, represents the other end of the spectrum - those over 35, who make up 8 percent of climbers.
Liam "kind of just dragged me along," said Don Gallagher. "So when I was in the gym with him, I'd try climbing a little bit, and I eventually got to the point where I had to start climbing, too."
Roped in. Just like all the others.
© Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company
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Head
Senior Member
111 Posts |
Posted - 01/03/2008 : 08:51:56 AM
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| have you seen the wall when you walk into the high school it looks like a rock climbing wall either that or swiss cheese. |
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arthur
Senior Member
212 Posts |
Posted - 01/12/2008 : 05:03:10 AM
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Deportees with no criminal past grow
Advocates alarmed by trend in region
By Maria Sacchetti, Globe Staff | January 12, 2008
Federal immigration agents in New England are deporting a smaller percentage of immigrants who have been convicted of crimes than in 2005, drawing criticism from immigrant advocates who say the agency is "chasing landscapers" and other workers who do not have criminal records.
Officials for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement say their policy is to pursue criminals, from violent gang members to fake document peddlers to child predators, and they assert there are valid reasons that deportations might not reflect that. The criminals they pursue include legal residents, immigrants here illegally (a civil offense), and even US citizens.
But advocates and others say deportations should reflect the agency's mission.
According to the immigration agency, about 35 percent - or 916 people - of the 2,609 deported from New England to their home countries during the last budget year, which runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30, had been convicted of criminal charges.
Two years ago, 45 percent of the 2,482 deportees had convictions.
The regional trend mirrors national percentages: Across the country, the percentage of criminal deportees fell to 38 percent last year from 48 percent in 2005, largely because of a dramatic increase in the number of noncriminal deportations. The figures from the immigration agency do not specify which of the criminal deportees were in the country illegally and which were legal residents stripped of their status because of a conviction.
Bruce Foucart, special agent in charge of the agency's office of investigations in Boston, which covers New England, said the immigration agency has not shifted its focus - which is still fighting crime - and rebutted allegations that the agency targets immigrants indiscriminately.
But he said deportations could not be expected to increase every year, partly because they are often subject to court decisions.
It can take years to deport someone; some criminals are still serving jail sentences or are awaiting trial, and others are fighting deportation in court. Some accused criminals do not show up in the statistics because they are deported before their cases go to trial.
Sometimes illegal immigrants are arrested as part of a criminal investigation, and then are not charged with any crimes, which can skew deportation figures, he said.
The massive raid last March at a New Bedford leather-goods factory, which made backpacks and other gear for the US military, was an example, he said.
Agents detained 361 people because they were here illegally.
But only the company's president at the time and two managers have been indicted on federal charges.
"These numbers are not indicative on what our priorities are," Foucart said. "Our priorities are still on criminal work, criminal investigations, criminal aliens, and criminal US citizens."
The decline in percentage of criminal deportees is emerging as the number of overall deportees is rising sharply nationwide - to 232,755 last year from 177,489 in 2005.
In New England, the overall deportations were relatively flat, 2,609, up 127 from two years ago.
Advocates for immigrants said the deportation figures were dismaying because they suggest that many noncriminals are being swept up in raids.
Because federal agents generally refuse to release detainees' names, citing Department of Homeland Security Policy, it is difficult to verify whether detainees are criminals.
Ali Noorani, executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, said the numbers suggest that federal agents are "chasing landscapers" and not cracking down on crime.
"Every time they do a raid they're saying, "Oh, we're just going after criminals,' " Noorani said.
"The numbers prove that Immigration is really just going through neighborhoods and looking for anybody who fits their profile. I just look at it as a real waste of taxpayer dollars."
Even those who favor stricter controls on immigration said the decline in the share of deportees who are criminals is perplexing.
Jessica Vaughan, a senior policy analyst with the Washington-based Center for Immigration Studies, which favors limits on immigration, said it is possible that many detainees are still serving time and will eventually be deported.
But she called the lower percentages of criminal deportees surprising because the federal agency has more resources to catch criminals and because many police departments nationwide have volunteered to help.
"Congress has provided ICE with more resources specifically to focus on criminal illegal aliens, and these numbers don't show any results yet," said Vaughan, who is based in Franklin.
"You have to ask yourself, is ICE really using these resources effectively or is there more they could be doing?"
Jim Rizoli, director of Massachusetts Concerned Citizens and Friends of Illegal Immigration Law Enforcement, said the numbers would be higher in New England if more police departments agreed to help the federal agency. Only two police departments in the region, Framingham and Hudson, N.H., plus the Barnstable County Sheriff's Office and Massachusetts Department of Correction, have volunteered to flag criminal immigrants for the federal agency.
"It concerns me," Rizoli said. "I think [criminal deportations] should be higher."
Chelsea's police chief, Brian A. Kyes, said he would be concerned if noncriminal immigrants were being swept up in raids aimed at cracking down on violent crime. His department participated in immigration raids in August to combat street gangs, and he said he was sure that most of those detained in his city were involved in criminal activity.
But Kyes said the police department's relationship with residents could become strained if federal agents were rounding up hardworking people here illegally. At least 36 percent of Chelsea's residents are immigrants, most from Latin America.
"That would concern me because of the trust that we need to develop between the residents of our community and the police in order to accomplish our joint goals of keeping the community safe," said Kyes.
"It would have the potential to cause the trusting relationship with the police to become adversarial."
© Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company
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Home
Member
97 Posts |
Posted - 01/16/2008 : 11:34:14 AM
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I don't care if they have records YET or not. Illegal is Illegal. Bottom line. Wanna stay? Do the deed. Or as Deval would say go to college for free on us than take the knowledge back to your country, boy we did good by letting him in office didn't we. What a joke.
Now he is trying to get his own to run the entire USA bad enough here in MA. |
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massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
Posted - 01/24/2008 : 11:38:35 AM
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Man fatally shot at Chelsea lounge with history of violence
Email|Print| Text size – +
January 24, 2008 09:08 AM
By Globe Staff
A man was shot to death and two other people were wounded when a gunman opened fire overnight in Chelsea at King Arthur's Lounge, the strip club that was the site of a fatal brawl in 1982 that involved several off-duty Everett police officers.
Chelsea Police Chief Brian A. Kyes said that today's shooting occurred at 12.30 a.m. after a physical altercation inside the lounge on Beacham Street. As shots rang out, 25 to 50 patrons inside the club dove to the floor for cover.
A 28-year-old Everett man was killed when he was shot in the torso. A 29-year-old Everett man was wounded in the upper thigh, and a 41-year-old Charlestown man was shot in the left calf. Both men are expected to survive, Kyes said.
"The gunman fled the scene,#65533; Kyes said. #65533;We are interviewing many witnesses."
The case is under investigation by Chelsea police and State Police assigned to the Suffolk District Attorney's office.
The brawl on July 23, 1982 began with an argument in the motel's lounge between Alfred J. Mattuchio and an off-duty Everett police officer, John McLeod. The officer left the lounge, then returned with several police officers, allegedly armed with nightsticks, baseball bats, and tire irons. They reportedly entered a room in King Arthur's Motel and attacked a dozen patrons and employees. Vincent J. Bordonaro was beaten to death.
Four Everett officers were indicted for murder. One was acquitted; two are serving life sentences for second-degree murder; a fourth was released after serving several years for manslaughter, according to newspaper accounts.
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BOSTON GLOBE
