Parking Meter Fiasco

There has been a lot of bickering because of the 150 parking meters that were approved to be installed around the courthouse on Rock Street. First of all, I have to say that it is a shame that the City Council voted unanimously to approve these new parking meters without reading the recommendation that came from the Traffic Board. That is one of my biggest pet peeves with the City Council. They are always waiving the reading of ordinances during the meeting so that they can go home early. From now on every ordinance should be read out loud by the City Clerk for the benefit of the City Council and the residents who are watching the meeting.

Also during an Ordinance Committee meeting, where this issue was also discussed, City Councilor Leo Pelletier stated that Parking Clerk Laura Ferreira should have told the City Council that they were voting on these new parking meters. I am sorry Councilor Pelletier, but it is not her job to babysit the City Council. It is the responsibility of the City Council to understand and know what they are voting on.

Now that I have said that, there is one thing about this debate that did make sense to me. Councilor Pereira said that she received calls from residents in the Rock St. / High St. neighborhood who were concerned that if parking meters were to be installed they would have issues parking on their streets where there are no parking meters. To me this is a valid point, and today I actually was able to witness this.





I drove by Rock Street this afternoon, and to my surprise there was only one car parked where the new parking meters were installed. Seeing all of this empty parking spaces made me think; Where are the people, who use the courthouse, parking?



As I drove around the courthouse I noticed that there were more cars than usual parked on the side streets, which dont have parking meters, around the courthouse. (see images below)






Maybe the point that Councilor Pereira was trying to make is actually a valid one. Only time will tell if people will use the new parking meters, or if they will park on the side streets that don’t have parking meters.

Dirty Politics

After hearing a campaign ad on WSAR by State Senate candidate Mike Coogan on how he has been the victim of dirty politics, I was surprise to see in my mailbox a postcard from the Committee to elect Mike Coogan targeting two of his opponents (Mitchell and Rodrigues) that most of us would consider dirty politics as well.

Now the information in the postcard was not news to me since these issues have been discussed at length in the local media. What caught my eye were the images that were used to describe the so called “Booze Run to New Hampshire” by State Representative Rodrigues. One image shows Rodrigues car at a state liquor store in New Hampshire while the second picture shows Rodrigues carrying a case of wine.

Now at a glance the recipient of this postcard would most likely assume that both images were taken at the same time and place. But I have been informed that the image of Rodrigues carrying a case of wine was actually taken a few years back. Upon closer inspection you can see that the label in the box is “Westport Rivers”, a local vineyard in Westport MA.



If this information is correct it shows that the Committee to elect Mike Coogan is trying to mislead and misinform the voters which makes me think that maybe Coogan might had mislead us on other issues as well.

I also found interesting that the postage for this postcard was paid in Newport RI. Why would Coogan go on a “Postage Run” to another state?

I couldn't believe my ears when I saw this interview yesterday. The tribe has already submitted an application to place the land in Fall River into trust.

Capt. Daniel Racine to be choosen as the new Police Chief

I just heard from someone involved in the process that Capt. Daniel Racine will be the new Police Chief. It seems that representatives from the different neighborhood groups feel that he is the one candidate that has previously been involved with the community groups. I am not sure if that is the most important requirement for the Police Chief.

I personally don't know much about him, since I did not have a chance to view the questioning by the representatives from the different neighborhood groups, so I am not sure how effective he will be.

I must say that I was very impressed with Deputy Chief Cathleen Moniz from watching the last City Council meeting. I am not sure if Fall River is willing to promote a woman to Police Chief. From what I have seen so far, the people of Fall River don't seem to have confidence in women when it comes to high ranking positions within the City.

After two years of Bob Correia, the residents of Fall River were tired of the political hack appointments and the “It’s my way or the highway” style of management of Bob Correia. So when this unknown candidate appeared in the horizon promising to end politics as usual and promising change, it was like a breath of fresh air. Some believed him; some like me saw it as just campaign promises. Once Flanagan was sworn in I decided to take a break from bashing him, as some commenters had commented in my earlier posts, and decided to give him a chance.


Well it’s only been a month and I must say that so far I have not been impressed. Today we read in the Herald News that he has hired two campaign supporters to positions in the CDA. There was uproar when Bob Correia appointed two long time aides to these positions, but should there be the same uproar for the appointments made by Flanagan? How can you promise to end the culture of politics as usual and then appoint two of your campaign supporters to these high paying positions? And yes a $40,000.00 job is high paying job in the City of Fall River.


Also why do we need to have a $50,000.00 position that has been vacant for the past two years? I can name a few local community activists that would gladly volunteer as neighborhood outreach coordinator.


And to just make today even sweeter, yesterday it is revealed at the City Council meeting that Flanagan has given Corporate Counsel Torres a 4 year contract at a base rate of $115,000.00. Included in the contract are provisions to reimburse Torres for his cost of health insurance if he decides not to accept the health insurance provided by the City. There is also a provision that allows Torres to practice law outside of his duties as the City Corporate Counsel. Mayor Flanagan on numerous occasions stated that this would not be the case. Some of the City Councilors voiced disappointment over the long term contract and provisions in the contract.


Flanagan supporters claimed that Cathy Ann Viveiros would just be Bob Correia in a skirt. Well I guess what we have now is a Bob Correia in the making. I guess the voters got what they asked for.

To Strip Or To Not Strip

As promised Mayor-Elect Flanagan has written a new ordinance that will regulate Adult Entertainment in the City of Fall River. This new ordinance is designed to keep someone from opening a Strip Club within the boundaries of the City. It will create an environment that will make it difficult for a business to earn a profit. Mayor-Elect Flanagan is using the By Laws adopted by the Town of Mendon as a model for these new ordinances. Below is the opening statement of the Mendon By Law regarding Adult Entertainment Establishments and Liquor Licenses;

CHAPTER XXV
ADULT ENTERTAINEMNT ESTABLISHMENTS AND LIQUOR LICENSES
The following provisions apply to all Adult Entertainment or Use establishments consisting of an “adult bookstore”, “adult motion picture theater”, adult paraphernalia store”, “adult video store”, and an “establishment which displays live nudity for its patrons” as defined by M.G.L. Ch. 40a, Section 9A located within the layout lines of the Adult Entertainment Overlay District created by the voters of the Town of Mendon on May 2nd, 2008 as forth in the Mendon Zoning Bylaws:

The issue that I have with using the above By Law as a model is that Mendon has established an Adult Entertainment Overlay District. The above By Law placing regulations on Strip Clubs only applies to businesses placed in the Adult Zone.

If the above Mendon By Law is going to be the model for our new ordinance, should Fall River also establish an Adult Zone? And if the City does not establish an Adult Zone will these regulations be upheld in Court? I guess we will only learn the answers to these questions once someone sues the City. I would hate to see the City spend more money to fight this issue.

Also how will this new ordinance affect the current proposal by Mr. Gary Lund? I personally believe that if the new ordinance is adopted, Mr. Gary Lund will sue the City and will win. Mr. Gary Lund has stated that litigation will be used only has a last resort. He has proven to be very cooperative with the current administration with his proposal to open a Strip Club. When the Niagara Neighborhood Association protested against his proposal to build a Strip Club on Rodman St, he worked with the Planning Director to find a more suitable location. His new location near the Brittan Park and the Police station satisfies the current regulations by the City.

I understand that Mayor Elect Flanagan has stated that he will represent the City personally in Court and will fight this issue. He believes that the City will win this fight, but what if the City looses? Is he ready to forgo his salary to pay for this fight? Only time will tell.

Green Hopes

Governor Deval Patrick shook hands with Mascoma president Colin Smith after he signed the Clean Energy Biofuels Act last year at the company’s former Boston headquarters. (David L. Ryan/Globe Staff/File 2008)

As the City of Fall River struggles to create jobs and the unemployment rate shows no sign of decreasing, the residents of Fall River have been promised by our new mayor-elect Will Flanagan that he will create good paying jobs in the nation’s leading emerging industries. He spoke of creating a “Green Park” and attracting green companies to Fall River. To the unemployed of the City it comes as good news, for they are in desperate need of employment, but the question remains, is it feasible?

As I read the Boston Globe online yesterday I came across a very interesting article titled “Michigan luring Bay State business; Incentives, breaks on tax raise ante”. The article speaks of how Michigan has been able to allure companies that started in Massachusetts to move to Michigan. Our state is known as the birthplace of emerging industries but it seems to have a problem retaining these companies. Below are an excerpt and the link to the article.

“During the last three years, Granholm has persuaded A123 Systems, the Watertown battery company, and Evergreen Solar, the Marlborough-based maker of solar panels, to build factories in Michigan. The projects from A123, Evergreen, and Mascoma combined are expected to create thousands of new jobs and generate millions of dollars in the economically depressed state. Those are jobs and revenue that Massachusetts won’t have.”

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/articles/2009/11/09/michigans_millions_in_tax_breaks_incentives_luring_massachusetts_businesses/?page=1

So how will this affect Will Flanagan’s plan to create a “Green Park” you ask? Well, how will Flanagan accomplish his campaign promise if the State, with greater resources and funding than Fall River, is having difficulty retaining or attracting “Green” industries?

I believe that a “Green Park” is a long term plan that the City needs to work on, but it would be a huge mistake for the City to once again only attract a single industry like they did with the Textile Industry. I personally believe that first the City needs to find ways to help our current businesses grow. Being able to show that business can thrive in our City is the best way to attract new companies. It is great to hope that high paying jobs in leading emerging industries will be available in Fall River in the next two years, but we need to be realistic. We need to find a balance of manufacturing, green, and biotech businesses to better satisfy the needs of our workforce.

Unfortunately it seems that our new mayor-elect will have a difficult task creating good paying jobs in the nation’s leading emerging industries. This might be one more campaign promise that might not be fulfilled.