Author Archives: billmanzi

Union Power Under Attack

Posted on January 6, 2011 by billmanzi

With state budgets throughout the country sinking into the abyss public sector unions are now under attack everywhere. And unlike prior battles organized labor in the public sector is losing the battle where it counts, with the public. From the … Continue reading →

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Tina Gagnon is the January Artist of the Month

Posted on January 6, 2011 by billmanzi

Mayor William M. Manzi has named Tina Gagnon as January’s Artist of the Month. Tina is an exceptional color pencil artist whose work is often displayed at art shows across New England. Largely self-taught, she honed her craft through study … Continue reading →

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WCCM Interview: Michael Widmer

Posted on January 5, 2011 by billmanzi

I joined Lou Blasi on WCCM last week, during the snowstorm, to talk about municipal health care, pensions, and the upcoming state budget. We were joined by Michael Widmer of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Association, who I consider to be the … Continue reading →

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Republican Budgetary Fiction

Posted on January 4, 2011 by billmanzi

The new Republican majority in the House of Representatives has put in place many new rules and procedures, including a gutting of the budgetary pay-go rules that reflect the right wing insanity on budgets and deficits. In plain language what … Continue reading →

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The Liquor Tax

Posted on December 31, 2010 by billmanzi

Saw a couple of media stories on the end of the sales tax on beverage alcohol, including the symbolic dumping of wine into the harbor by store owners. As a former owner of a package store I have tried to … Continue reading →

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Senior Whole Health on Mayors Corner

Posted on December 28, 2010 by billmanzi

Lisa Tkachuk, from Senior Whole Health, guesting on the Mayor’s Corner Show on MCTV. Interesting program for seniors, and an intriguing model for health care payments for patients in the program. The model is the universal payment, as opposed to … Continue reading →

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City of Methuen Storm News

Posted on December 26, 2010 by billmanzi

Due to the severe winter storm I have, in consultation with the Director of the Department of Public Works, declared a state of emergency in the City of Methuen at 4:00 p.m. today. City Hall will be closed tomorrow, Monday … Continue reading →

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Shadi's in Methuen Burns on Christmas

Posted on December 25, 2010 by billmanzi

The Methuen landmark Shadi’s Restaurant, on Osgood Street in Methuen, has burned this Christmas morning. Alarms went off at around 8:00 a.m. The Methuen Central Fire station is right across the street, and the blaze was spotted by firefighters working … Continue reading →

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And Then There Were Nine

Posted on December 22, 2010 by billmanzi

Massachusetts, as expected, will lose one of its ten Congressional seats, opening the door for some real jockeying amongst the ten Democratic incumbents. The national census produced a big gain for the Republican west and south, with Texas picking up … Continue reading →

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Massachusetts Fiscal Forecasts

Posted on December 21, 2010 by billmanzi

The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, following the consensus revenue hearings on Beacon Hill, has released a primer on the outlook for the next fiscal cycle in Massachusetts, with the forecast looking less than rosy. The outlook is cloudy despite a pretty … Continue reading →

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