Fitzgerald joins Bettencourt in race for Mayor

Sean Fitzgerald, the current Town Manager of Plaistow, New Hampshire, has joined the race for Mayor of Peabody.

Salem News: Ex-chief of staff is mayoral hopeful

This can only be good news for all the citizens of Peabody. I think that the public can only be better served with a healthy debate of the issues and the platforms of these two men.

I only hope that the campaigns can be kept positive and informative... instead of diving into the muck and mire that has plagued our political system as of late.

I have actually not seen Mr. Fitzgerald for some time. But I have found him to be an honest and forthright person. Don't get me wrong, he's still a politician... but he seems to have high expectations for himself and I have rarely seen him lose his cool.

While I would say that Mr. Bettencourt has gotten off on the right footing... and is leading the charge at the moment, I look forward to seeing what Mr. Fitzgerald will bring to the table.

But no matter who you favor now in March... it is going to be a much more interesting election season after today!

Bettencourt wins, Niz loses, Peabody needs to be spending less time in courtrooms

First of all, hello to the folks who sometimes read this blog.

I have been VERY inattentive to this space and can't promise I will do any better in the near future. All I can say is when I have something to say I will try and find the time to say it.

A few stories of late have me thinking about Peabody...

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Bettencourt winning his pension is a terrible miscarriage of justice. The idea that he was not going to be able to somehow profit from his illegal activities is really besides the point. He broke the law and he did it at work... using work computers... and knowledge he could only illegally obtain through his position as a police officer. The fact that he simply was doing it to be a giant snoop and a big-shot know-it-all is really of no concern to me. This simply smacks of one public servant helping another one. Seriously can you even begin to say that what he did has no connection to his job? And THAT is the legal stance of whether or not someone should be allowed to keep their pension after they commit such a crime.

And spare me your comments about 'his poor family' and 'all his good deeds' because I'm sure that many of the people he had arrested in his career were equally 'good citizens' who happened to also be criminals. Just like he is.

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The good news is that even when the City does some REALLY STUPID STUFF... such as having the City Solicitor advising public employees to NOT TELL THE WHOLE TRUTH IN A DEPOSITION (what the heck was he thinking?) the TRUTH of the matter comes out and an idiot like Niz loses BIG TIME.

I would say that in a normal world NOT telling the whole truth to the general public concerning the 'transition' (read FIRING) of an employee - under the thought that the employee might salvage a little of his good(?) name - I would say this was a thoughtful thing to do. It happens everyday in the private sector. Someone gets called into the bosses office and is given 2 or 3 weeks to find a new position and 'move on' in good standing... or be let go if he/she decided not to go.

So here the administration of the schools tried to protect the long storied career of a man some hold in high esteem by NOT acknowledging serious misdeeds and just saying it was time for a change.

But being the type of person he is, Coach Niz couldn't do the right thing and instead of accepting responsibility for his poor choices and bad actions... decided to blame everybody but himself. And at the trial the truth came out and it looks like his reputation will never be the same.

At least he lost. Maybe he will quit politics completely and do us all a favor.

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Is anyone else tired of the same old Salem News rant about EVERYONE WHO WORKS IN PUBLIC SERVICE IS PAID TOO MUCH AND DOES NOTHING!!! The latest "outrage" is a woman who has been working for the teachers union for many years and yet is allowed to maintain her standing as a public school teacher (since she is representing them.) The idea is that she can still log the time as if she was working AS a teacher when it comes to her pension. The Salem News is typically in a giant snit about how unfair this is to the public.

Except that this is part of a contract that was agreed to by both the union and the administration (representing the public) many years ago. The idea that people today are not happy with it is, frankly, too bad. I can't sign a contract with someone and then change the rules after the fact.

Suppose I signed a year long lease for $1000/month. But after the first month the landlord calls and tells me he isn't making enough profit and wants me to pay $2000... SORRY MAC! A contract is a contract. I don't know why it was scene as a good idea to allow this 20+ years ago, but both sides felt it was good and they agreed to it.

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I will try and be a little more active on the blog. I may or may not be successful. Leave a comment or not. If you have an idea, add it as a comment and I'll try to get to it.

The future of Downtown: Medical Hub?

I have been trying to find out more information about the plan for a "Medical Hub" for Downtown Peabody that Councilor Bettencourt brought to the City Council several weeks back. I was not at that meeting and I do not have cable so I, like so very many Peabody residents, did not get the opportunity to see this plan as presented.

I do not like to critique plans I have never seem, nor would I wish to point out flaws that might have been addressed in some fashion during the presentation by Councilor Bettencourt. And so I asked (via facebook email) if he would share a copy of this powerpoint presentation either with me, or in some online venue, so that everyone might have the opportunity to see this much talked about plan for Peabody's future.

Sadly, but not unexpectedly, I received no response, nor did any such public presentation become available (to my knowledge - and I have been looking for it).

So I am going to give my response to this plan based entirely on the reports of the presentation made to the City Council which appeared in local media.

In general... bringing new businesses into the downtown area is a good idea for Peabody. We should be looking for a wide array of activities to populate our downtown.

We have some very old and decrepit industrial areas that are mostly underused and in some cases abandoned as this type of activity is not going to be done in places like Peabody for the foreseeable future (despite what many of the previous Ward 3 councilors have hoped and wished for... it ain't coming back.)

We have some areas that have been newly renovated - for better or worse - mostly in the southern area of downtown. We have a rather eclectic (bizarre?) mix of uses along the real Main St. area - some that seem to be serving limited populations (specialty toy train stores, fofo's, Brazillian fashions) while others are serving the community at large (drug stores, grocery stores, restaurants, services, etc.).

In general the more consumer oriented enterprises occur on Main Street and in the Square, while the more business oriented activities are on the Walnut Street side. This might have worked well in the days of bustling industry here in Peabody... but those days are gone, and good riddance to them in my opinion. It is time to stop looking to the PAST to try and find some hope for Peabody's future. But that is a rant for a different time and place.

So this brings us to the idea put forth by Councilor Bettencourt. My take on this is that he would like to see downtown become a 'medical hub' of businesses that are ancillary to the more comprehensive and brand new or newly renovated facilities that surround our area.

New facilities at Centennial Park and MGH North and mostly renovated facilities at Lahey Clinic, North Shore Medical Center and more. Councilor Bettencourt is correct that we have already become a medical hub of sorts for the North Shore region.

But lets examine why these places are where they are... and specifically NOT in downtown Peabody. All these new or renovated facilities are located where there is excellent access via the highway for patient, and business, convenience as well as tons of free parking . They are not locating in downtown Salem or Peabody precisely because access into and out of these areas is very difficult, if not impossible, at certain times of the day and space (thus parking) is at a premium.

So if I am a Doctor or an HMO and I am looking to locate my offices/out patient service centers... I am NOT looking to move into a decrepit, industry waste strewn, impossible to access, flood prone area in Peabody with little to no parking and no real connection to the facilities I am currently visiting (NSMC, MGH, Lahey, etc.) Why in the world would these types of higher end medical facilities look to move into downtown Peabody when much better locations adjacent to these main facilities already exists? They wouldn't.

So if the primary (hospitals) and the secondary (Doctor offices and HMO Centers - think MRI, CAT Scan, etc.) are not really going to be interested in Peabody as it is today... what medical uses might be of interest? Frankly, the only businesses that I can think of that would be interested in a location which is equidistant from these major hospitals is medical warehousing and medical reclamation (waste disposal). This seems like the most logical usage for the area if we are going to focus on 'medical hub' services.

And of course that would be a HORRIBLE IDEA for Peabody and the future of Downtown.

You know what... I actually LIKE people who are willing to think outside the box on issues. They often throw out outlandish ideas that may contain a little nugget of a great ideas at times! They also might be completely full of it! Councilor Bettencourt has made two of these VERY PUBLIC, very outlandish and very self promoting pronouncements in the recent past. I recall the idea that the Dearborn affordable housing funds be used to pay for low income folks energy bills as one of these ideas, and this is yet another.

Here is the RIGHT WAY to serve the People of Peabody when you get a GREAT IDEA but have no real clue if it is actually worth anything...

Step 1: Go to the City's Experts on these subjects
We are paying planners, engineers, assessors, lawyers, construction professionals, etc. to be part of the City's management team! Why would you a) work without consultation with these expert people and 2) in some cases work against their recommendations?

Step 2: Seek other inputs from outside City Hall
Arthur Gordon is (was?) the largest landowner in the Downtown area, but he is not the only owner who would need to "buy into" this idea in order to a) get it passed and ultimately to b) make it actually happen.

Step 3: Talk about your ideas to the people most affected by them to gauge their opinions, input and ideas
This is so important. People really do not like to see a brand new idea brought out in a venue like the City Council meeting as a Final and Complete Deal! It makes people nervous that deals were made and that few were considered in the thought process. I am not saying this is actually happening, but it is the perception. And in reality, it is the people who live and work and own businesses and drive through and visit and shop and eat, etc. in Downtown who will be the ones who will make this ultimately become a thriving community again... or just have this be yet another failed 'gee whiz' idea with no real foresight or long term plan.

Step 4: Present your ideas to the government body most appropriate to look into the matter and seek to begin the process of thoughtful public discussion

And this is why I was hoping that Councilor Bettencourt would release his plan... so we could all see it and think about the consequences of his ideas and then allow each of us to make our judgement of the idea on the merits, and not the rhetoric we will be sure to hear in the local media.

So, I for one, think this is NOT a good idea for the future of Downtown Peabody.

Westside Restaurant Updated

It seems to me like the Peabody Weekly News is becoming a better source of good reporting than any other newspaper around. Here is an update from them regarding the Westside Restaurant special permit and the ensuing controversies

The Peabody & Lynnfield Weekly News:
Council postpones vote on alcohol license for Westside
Note: PLWN articles are only available for approximately one week

I sincerely appreciate Councilor Bettencourt informing the public as to the nature of the emergency that led to the recess of the City Council meeting that evening. I am especially glad to hear that everyone is now fine and that his family is safe.

I stand by my previous comments that the meeting should not have been stopped. The fact that one councilor was not able to be present for the meeting (even though he did attend part of it) is irrelevant.

A quorum is the minimum number of meeting members that need to be present in order for official business to take place. For the City Council that number is 6.

Now a special permit needs to have a super majority (in this case 8 votes) in order to be approved. Thus, with Councilor Manning choosing to vote no the die was cast for the special permit to fail.

This is why I called into question the shenanigans that went on with Councilor Bettencourt's emergency call. It was not that he was responding to a family emergency - of course any good parent would have left to take care of his family - it was the closing of the meeting to prevent the special permit from failing.

Aside: I have reviewed all my comments made concerning this matter. I find that I have consistently sought WHY the meeting was postponed instead of continuing and I questioned the legitimacy of such actions. I also stated that IF the entire emergency was a concoction used to postpone the proceedings, that such actions would have been reprehensible. And because of the actions by the Council AFTER the departure of Councilor Bettencout, I felt it was important that it be reported what actually happened.

And while this apparently angered a few readers, it seems Councilor Bettencourt also felt the need to share the reasons for his departure with the press.

Peabody can NOT use affordable housing funds for fuel assistance program

Salem News: Lawyers say no to using affordable housing money for fuel assistance.

I have mixed feelings about this situation. While I still think that Ted Bettencourt was both unprepared and grand-standing when he made these proposals I like that he was 1) recognizing that people in Peabody are hurting in this financial crisis and 2) trying to solve a problem in an innovative way.

Now he really should have gone about this in an entirely different manner, but perhaps this speaks to the kind of person he is… I don’t know as I do not know the man. But my advice to him (or anyone in his position) is to NOT get people’s hopes up if you don’t do your dam homework first.

Councilor Bettencourt, next time you have a good idea why not run it by the experts in the City who understand these matters better than you do? I mean why not go and discuss this matter with the finance and legal teams we have in the City? Talk to the Mayor and your fellow Councilors. Find out what other programs already exist and see if your idea can actually be done legally BEFORE you need to go and announce an IMPOSSIBLE SCHEME to the PRESS… and through them, a needy public, all in an effort to LOOK GOOD.

I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt here. Maybe you simply were excited about a good idea and didn’t think through the whole thing before you yelled it to the world. Okay. That I understand. I actually like to see people having some passion about their jobs. Good for you. But let’s consider this a learning experience and maybe next time you can see if your idea is feasible before someone who is truly in trouble and really needs that assistance you promised hears about your plan and thinks help is on the way... when... it really isn’t.

Peabody's Top Stories of 2008

A quick recap of what the Salem News (and a few others) considers to be the Top Peabody Stories of 2008

The Salem News: The top 10 local stories of 2008.

Dearborn Fire: May 29, 2008
While it has been stated by several officials that a single cigarette caused this blaze, there are others who see something sinister in the construction of the complex itself. I myself am satisfied with a State Fire Marshall’s report, but there are some who find official reports simply smokescreen when they get in the way of a good old fashioned conspiracy theory. Ahh where are the X-Files when you need them?

The Long saga of John “Jack” Brophy might have finally come to an end in 2008. The story, and the story of the story were interesting to follow. I will not bore people with all the details, but simplify it to this: For missing a 9-1-1 call and other issues Brophy was fired from the Peabody Fire Department, ultimately winning back his job, but then losing it again in a prolonged series of I got YOU… NO, I got YOU between the Mayor, the Chief and Brophy (and the lawyers, of course). The more interesting story to me was the horrendously slanted version of the Dozing Dispatcher played out almost daily in the Salem News. They were the ones to make up this silly name and then they REPORTED that people were calling him that! If I had any doubt about the journalistic integrity of the Salem News, I lost it then. By the way… I have known they have no integrity for a very long time.

Then came Lt. Edward Bettencourt, and another unhappy story. This time of a Peabody Police officer who used his authoritative position to spy on his fellow officers in a seemingly nonsensical action that netted him nothing but I know something you don’t know! Oh, and lost him his job and pension to boot. I was a bit dismayed by the reaction to the courts findings from blog readers. Many people were simply unwilling to consider that the courts were correct in their findings. Lt. Bettencourt could simply NOT be guilty because he coached kids baseball (or somesuch) was the general response. I find that so sad when many of these same people are all too ready to convict other public servants who they disagree with on little or no evidence... simply because they don’t like them.

Peabody Police Officer Justified in Fatal Shooting. This is certainly a sad tale for all involved. While the family might have lost a man dear to them, the officer who was responsible for his safety (and the safety of all of us) will carry this tragic action with him the rest of his life.

Peabody public services director resigns amid rumors. Dick Carnevale resigned as Director of Public Services. He has been a much unloved figure on most of the Peabody blogs for his actions/inactions concerning many issues, but chiefly over his handling of the water treatment waste overflows into Spring Pond. This story has fallen off the pages of the local media… but it is still on the minds of most of the folks who participate in these public forums. I must admit I too am of the opinion that we will never know the true extent of any of these issues.

So those were the big five (or so) as reported. What do you think? Are there any stories that should be included on this list? Please feel free to comment and tell us all how you feel.