Spring Food Drive

Posted on March 18, 2010 by billmanzi

SPRING FOOD DRIVE

City of Methuen
Mayor William M. Manzi, III &
Representative Linda Dean Campbell

to benefit:

THE MERRIMACK VALLEY FOOD BANK, INC.

Mayor Manzi and Representative Campbell have teamed up to fight hunger. They are asking city employees, residents and businesses to make donations of nonperishable items to the Merrimack Valley Food Bank. The Food Bank provides food to several local pantries and shelters. Your efforts will help to eliminate hunger in our community so that people are better able to face other daily challenges.

The Drive will run from March 19th to March 26th. Donations of nonperishable food items can be dropped off at the Nevins Memorial Library during regular Library Hours, the Methuen City Hall Lobby, or the Methuen Senior Center Lobby, Monday-Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Friday from 8:00 a.m. to Noon.

Food Needs & Suggestions: Canned Vegetables (low sodium),
Canned Fruit (in lite syrup or juice), Canned Meat & Fish, Beef Stew/Soups, Peanut Butter, Baby Food/Formula, Mac & Cheese, Rice & Pasta, Spaghetti Sauce, Parmalat Shelf Stable Milk

Play a Role in Fighting Hunger – Your Help is Greatly Needed

Food Bank

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Mayor's St Patrick's Day Luncheon Tomorrow

Posted on March 18, 2010 by billmanzi

The annual St Patrick’s Day luncheon will be held tomorrow, with a cast of thousands scheduled to appear. We will have a visit from the Republican candidate for Governor Charlie Baker, Sheriff Guy Glodis, former Lawrence Mayor Mike Sullivan, Rep. Barbara L’Italien, Rep. Linda Dean Campbell, Lawrence Mayor William Lantigua, and Haverhill Mayor Jim Fiorentini, with emcee Senator Steve Baddour acting as the ringmaster. Naturally John Molori will appear with a song and barbs for everyone.
The event will be at the Claddagh Pub, 399 Canal Street, 2nd Floor, in Lawrence begining at 12:30. Hope to see you there.
I have attached my top ten list from my visit to the Lawrence luncheon last week. Mayor Lantigua is still upset!!!!!

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Charlie Baker's Ten Points

Posted on March 17, 2010 by billmanzi

Charlie Baker has put out a ten part program that picks up some of the low lying fruit that Beacon Hill has left for him, including getting rid of the Evacuation and Bunker Hill holidays. I am not sure which of the ten points could be rebutted with a straight face, but like real pension reform and true municipal health care reform there doesn’t seem to be an “appetite” for such action on Beacon Hill. Good political hit for Baker. The full proposal is below.

1. Eliminate Evacuation Day and Bunker Hill Day Holidays
2. Prohibit Bonuses for Non-performance
3. End Double Dipping
4. End Excessive Vacation Payouts
5. Ban the Hiring of Lobbyists
6. Pacheco Law Reform
7. Transparency and Reform of Quasi-Public Agencies
8. Licensing and Permitting Reform
9. Regulatory Reform
10. Ban Confidentiality Agreements

government_reforms_proposals-3-15-10

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New Coalition Advocates for Authority to Redesign Municipal Health Plans

Posted on March 17, 2010 by billmanzi

Mayors and Local Leaders form the
Save Our Communities Coalition
New Coalition Advocates for Authority to Redesign Municipal Health Plans

More than twenty Massachusetts municipal leaders announced today the formation of a new coalition, Save Our Communities Coalition, which will work to advance healthcare plan design legislation. The group gathered at the invitation of Boston Mayor Thomas Menino last week to discuss how cities and towns can control rising employee health care costs without the authority to modify health plan design, as it stands under the current state law. With growing healthcare costs taking a large percentage of already tight budgets, municipal officials are working together to advocate for a more efficient use of taxpayer money.

“This is an issue that affects every city and town in the state. We can no longer ignore rising health care costs. It will undermine our ability to provide services to the citizens of our communities,” said Coalition co-chair Mayor Scott W. Lang. “We must confront this issue and make difficult decisions to ensure that we have a municipal finance structure that is sustainable not just through one budget cycle, but for the future.”

“I am pleased to join with other municipal leaders to push for health insurance plan parity,” said co-chair and Revere Mayor Thomas Ambrosino. “We all agree that the status-quo isn’t working, and is an unsustainable model of municipal finance which is unfair to our taxpayers. We can also all agree that we must work with the Legislature, the Governor, and every stakeholder to resolve this issue.”

The cost of providing healthcare for municipal employees has more than doubled in the last decade, far outpacing the inflation and growth of any other municipal expenditure, and costs continue to grow at an unsustainable rate. Currently, cities and towns in Massachusetts spend about two billion dollars each year on health insurance, which represents an average of 14% of municipal budgets.

Proposed legislation would remove the statutory requirement that municipal officials must collectively bargain plan design changes, giving municipalities the authority to make updates to co-payments and deductibles and bring down total premium costs. This would lessen the burden of health care costs on city budgets and make funds available for other taxpayer services such as public safety, schools, and community centers.

The Coalition has requested to meet with Governor Patrick, Senate President Murray, and Speaker DeLeo to discuss the proposed legislation. Mayors and municipal leaders across the state have also reached out to state labor groups and continue to meet with local labor unions and municipal workers to discuss the issue.

Founding Members of the Coalition include:

Thomas G. Ambrosino, Co-Chair, Mayor of Revere

Scott W. Lang, Co-Chair, Mayor of New Bedford

Jay Ash, City Manager of Chelsea

Joseph A. Curtatone, Mayor of Somerville

Carlo DeMaria, Jr., Mayor of Everett

Robert J. Dolan, Mayor of Melrose

Kimberley Driscoll, Mayor of Salem

Mark P. Hawke, Mayor of Gardner

Clare Higgins, Mayor of Northampton

Richard C. Howard, Mayor of Malden

Richard Kelliher, Town Administrator of Brookline

Thatcher W. Kezer III, Mayor of Amesbury

Bernard F. Lynch, City Manager of Lowell

Thomas M. Menino, Mayor of Boston

Joshua Ostroff, Natick Board of Selectman

William F. Scanlon, Jr., Mayor of Beverly

Joseph C. Sullivan, Mayor of Braintree

Lisa A. Wong, Mayor of Fitchburg

William M. Manzi III, Mayor of Methuen

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Governor Patrick Unveils His First Ad

Posted on March 16, 2010 by billmanzi

The Governor unveiled an internet ad today, looking to take advantage of a perceived weakness in Charlie Baker, which is the rising cost of health care, especially for small business. I do believe this is going to be an especially rugged campaign, and even in Massachusetts health care will be front and center.

Posted in State News | Tagged | 1 Comment

Pension Reform? Who Needs It!

Posted on March 16, 2010 by billmanzi

A State House News Service story, picked up by the Boston Herald, shows the Legislature expressing strong distaste for pension reform. Governor Patrick has filed a bill which contains reforms that are necessary by any sane fiscal standard. But sanity shall not be the standard here. The bill, from the State House News Service:

Patrick’s proposal bears out the recommendations of a pension policy commission that delivered its verdict last year, boosting state workers’ retirement age, hiking from three years to five the period for average earnings upon which retirement allowance calculations are based, and capping maximum annual pension payments. Budget hawks call the changes necessary to help the state cut back on the system’s unfunded liability, which leapt from $12 billion to $22 billion during the recent market collapse. The state is on track to appropriate $1.4 billion to the system in fiscal 2011, with $1.1 billion of that sum going toward the shortfall.

So the system teeters towards insolvency, with crushing pension payments on localities and the state. And the response to common sense reforms?

“I don’t think there’s any appetite to do any additional pension reform this session,” said one veteran lawmaker familiar with Speaker Robert DeLeo’s view of the bill.

Michael Widmer testified about the numbers that are so bleak, pointing out the obvious. Either benefits must be cut, or the system must be funded with additional tax dollars. But Widmer was followed by labor, who caused the above listed lack of appetite.

A string of labor leaders followed Widmer, at least one attacking him personally. AFL-CIO president Robert Haynes railed against Widmer and Boston Foundation president Paul Grogan, calling them “selfish, selfish businesspeople” and “the Widmers of the world, and the Paul Grogans of the world, all the Goody Two-Shoes people who think they know more about work than working people.”

Describing himself as “angry,” Haynes, who has repeatedly criticized the state’s Democratic officials for what he called a host of anti-labor decisions, dared “one of these business guys [to] criticize a teacher in my presence. They will get the full wrath of Bobby Haynes.”

I have attached the latest report from Widmer’s Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation on state and municipal finance. The numbers speak for themselves. Pension Reform??? Who needs it.

state_local_finances_mar_10

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Methuen Flood Report

Posted on March 15, 2010 by billmanzi

Street closings in Methuen include Morrison Court, Maple Street, and Horne Street. Bay State Gas has shut some gas in the area of Morrison Court and Horne Street. If you have any questions or need assistance please call 978-983-8940, which is the Fire Department non-emergency line. Our website at http://www.cityofmethuen.net will have updated street closings if they occur.

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Central Catholic State Champions

Posted on March 14, 2010 by billmanzi

Congratulations to the Central boys, who won the Division 1 State Championship last night, defeating St Johns 56-55 behind senior Carson Desrosiers, who hit the winner with five seconds left on the clock. It truly was a great game, with St John’s playing a great game. Just too much Carson! Congratulations to the Andover girls, who dominated their State championship game, defeating East Longmeadow 73-37.

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Scott Brown Gives the G.O.P. Response

Posted on March 13, 2010 by billmanzi

Scott Brown gives the weekly G.O.P. response, attacking the President on health care. Is he ready for prime time? Same old Republican talking points on health care!

Posted in National News, State News | Tagged | 4 Comments

The President on Education

Posted on March 13, 2010 by billmanzi

The President talks about education, and how we as a nation may be falling behind in this critical area. He speaks to reforms he is advocating to move our educational system forward.

Posted in National News | Tagged , | 1 Comment