Author Archives: billmanzi

Republicans Slug it Out Over Sarah

Posted on July 2, 2009 by billmanzi

How could I resist! The Vanity Fair article detailing the train wreck that was the Vice Presidential candidacy of Sarah Palin has triggered some rather heated exchanges amongst the operational wing of the McCain camp and the neo-cons who were … Continue reading →

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Methuen’s FY2010 Budget

Posted on July 2, 2009 by billmanzi

I have posted the FY2010 Municipal Budget for the City of Methuen in pdf format. This budget achieves balance without layoffs and includes nine one year agreements with all city side unions. All managers took a one time ten percent … Continue reading →

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School Budget Passed by School Committee

Posted on July 1, 2009 by billmanzi

The Methuen School Committee passed their budget on Monday night, and we were able to bring back the two band positions that will allow us to continue the level of instruction that we give today. It was a difficult budget, … Continue reading →

Posted in Methuen, Methuen City Council, Municipal Finance | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Franken Declared Victor

Posted on July 1, 2009 by billmanzi

Al Franken yesterday won a victory in the Minnesota Supreme Court in his long battle to be declared the winner of the closely fought Minnesota Senate race with Republican Norm Coleman. The Court victory prompted the incumbent Coleman to concede, … Continue reading →

Posted in National News | Tagged | 1 Comment

Baddour to Promote New Driving Safety Measures

Posted on July 1, 2009 by billmanzi

State Senator Steven Baddour announced his support for mandatory road and vision tests for individuals who reach 85 in light of a series of recent crashes involving elderly drivers. Baddour indicated support for a bill filed by Senator Brian Joyce … Continue reading →

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New Rasmussen Poll on Governors Race

Posted on June 30, 2009 by billmanzi

A new Rasmussen poll on the Massachusetts Governors race shows lingering political problems for Governor Deval Patrick, who trails Republican Christy Mihos in a head to head matchup. Governor Patrick has a 5 point edge over Republican Charlie Baker in … Continue reading →

Posted in State News | Tagged | 3 Comments

To Tell the Truth

Posted on June 29, 2009 by billmanzi

A new feature that will allow me to shed the light of day on some comments made over at the Eagle Tribune site. Yes I do read them, and lets get started with our old friend and candidate for political … Continue reading →

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Municipal Budget Passed

Posted on June 28, 2009 by billmanzi

Yesterday the City Council met in Saturday session to vote a municipal budget, which was approved unanimously. I will post the full budget here tommorow, and talk a little bit more on some of the specifics. The School budget was … Continue reading →

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President Obama on Markey-Waxman

Posted on June 27, 2009 by billmanzi

The House passed the Markey-Waxman bill yesterday by a narrow margin, with the bill prevailing by a 219-212 vote, with eight Republicans voting to support the measure, and 44 Democrats voting against. It was a tough political slog to get … Continue reading →

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Accord Reached with Patrolman

Posted on June 26, 2009 by billmanzi

I am happy to be able to announce that I have reached a tentative accord with Methuen’s Patrolman’s Union that will avert the twenty layoffs that had been scheduled to occur with the adoption of the FY2010 Municipal budget. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Methuen, Methuen City Council, Municipal Finance | Tagged | 5 Comments