Jacob Cohen is the recipient of the SOAR Award for Mathematics

Posted on November 18, 2009 by billmanzi

Jacob Cohen was recognized at our last School Committee meeting for his outstanding achievement in math and science. An 800 on the SAT’s? WOW! I struggled to hit 800 combined English and Math! Great job Jacob.

Jacob scored a perfect 800 on his SAT’s in Mathematics

Reasons for Recognition:

Jacob presently takes AP Calculus, AP Physics, AP Biology, and AP English Literature. He is in the top 4% of his class with a 4.03 GPA and is ranked 18th out of 453.

Last year Jacob was one of two juniors who excelled in the UMASS Lowell Teams Academy Program. At Teams Jacob was in class with some of the top science and mathematics students in the Merrimack Valley while completing four rigourous interdisciplinary math, science, and engineering-technology courses as he was bused to UMASS Lowell each day from MHS. Jacob will be applying to Penn State, Cornell, WPI, and RPI. He plans on majoring in Nuclear Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or Biomedical Engineering. Although these majors are physics focused, Jake claims that math is his favorite subject because it is easy for him and the key component in all of his courses. Jacob has been described as not only very studious but also a very respectful young man who is always willing to lend a helping hand. He leads through his quiet confidence and with his responsible character.

SOAR Award November

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Senate Dems Struggle to Get to Sixty

Posted on November 17, 2009 by billmanzi

The effort by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to find consensus that will get him sixty votes to consider health care reform in the Senate continues to be a difficult task, with the Congressional Budget Office playing a large role in that effort. Yesterday’s New York Times details his difficulties with the CBO scoring process, and how centrist Democrats are insisting on cost controls as well as extending coverage. Ben Nelson is a pretty good example:

“The message at times has gotten garbled, where it has been more about extending coverage to individuals than it has been about bending the cost curve,” said Senator Ben Nelson, Democrat of Nebraska. “I think we need to control costs.”

Reid’s conundrum is not limited to centrist Democrats however. A potential tax on cadillac plans, included in the Senate version, is opposed by organized labor. If Reid drops the provision he needs to replace it, and the alternatives available to him will make it difficult to get to sixty. Reid is in a tough spot, and the fact that he will be in a tough re-elect fight next year has got to be weighing on him as he considers alternatives. Does Reid get to sixty? Right now he has to be considered a slight underdog. Read the Times story here.

And read about the head bean counter at the Congressional Budget Office here.

Posted in National News | Tagged | 22 Comments

Job Growth? Not With These Numbers

Posted on November 15, 2009 by billmanzi

The President is focusing on the horrific job situation, and he here announces a job creation forum to be held in December. But regardless of forums today’s Boston Globe detailed (again) the huge hike coming for small business in the area of health care. A local company, Coady’s Towing, is looking at a 28% increase in health care costs next year. That translates to about $58,000 for that one company. The CFO at Coady’s is stunned by the increase.

“We’re a small company, and that’s a huge raise,’’ said Bouchard. “How much more can you expect an employer and its employees to contribute?’’

The answer to that question ends up being pretty straightforward. Cost shifting by all players, outright dropping of coverage in some cases, and certainly a perverse incentive to not hire anyone new. The cost shifting is highlighted in the Globe story:

According to Blue Cross, the majority of its customers have been redesigning their plans through “buydowns,’’ which use higher deductibles and other features to shift more of the cost to employees.

And Blue Cross of course highlights the fact that those companies that engage in this type of cost shifting can expect increases of “only” 10 to 12 percent. Wow. What a bargain.

It is the same story that has been occurring annually for years, and then folks express puzzlement at the fact that jobs are disappearing and not coming back. You can’t grow anything with numbers like that, especially jobs. Health care cost escalation needs to be addressed. If not I do not believe that the jobs situation will improve any time soon. Read the Globe story here.

Posted in Methuen, National News | Tagged | 22 Comments

Where's the Beef?

Posted on November 15, 2009 by billmanzi

Yes those old Wendy commercials, which Walter Mondale brought into political debate, have now been introduced in Methuen! Jamie Atkinson and George Scione have brought a new show called “Politically Active” to Methuen Public Access Television, and here is their first promo.

Posted in Methuen | Tagged | 2 Comments

November Artist of the Month

Posted on November 14, 2009 by billmanzi

MAYOR MANZI NAMES KATE ZEHNTER AS NOVEMBER’S ARTIST OF THE MONTH
Methuen Artist’s Work on Display in the Mayor’s Office

Mayor William M. Manzi has named Kate Zehnter as November’s Artist of the Month. Kate has been an art educator and visual artist since graduating from Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, MA. The hard-edge oil narrative paintings with complimentary colors that emerged after attending college have been transformed since then into soft translucent multilayered acrylic paintings that represent light, passage of time and space. Examples of her new painting style with translucent images that appear and disappear as the viewer moves, are on display in the Mayor’s office at the Searles Building.

Kate has always been passionate about the importance of art and uses her teaching and artistic skills to teach Color and Design at Northern Essex Community College. The desire to make art has always been an important part of her life. In the 1980s, she concentrated her creative energy in fiber art specifically a joining technique known as Twining. Her one-person show of wearable art at the Whistler House Museum in Lowell, MA was a success. However, the desire to paint was ever present and while she continued to explore other mediums she always returned to her first art passion painting.

The Kate’s Imagery art web site http://www.katesimagery.com showcases all her mediums and artistic skills. On this web site one will see mini-tapestries, which push the boundaries of accepted crewelwork using thread as her paint to create a unique narrative image of scenes from her experiences while traveling.

“In my artwork, I let intuition and risk-taking lead me toward completion. At this point in time it becomes a visual record of my life at that moment. This fact, however, is often only obvious to me in retrospect. Since retiring from being a full-time high school art educator at Timberlane Regional HS, Plaistow, NH in 2008, it has been a delight to be a full time visual artist,” says Zehnter.

Mayor Manzi stated, “Kate is one of the many talented artists living in our community. It is an honor to display her cutting edge artwork. I encourage people to come to my office and view her colorful paintings.”

The Methuen Artist of the Month Program was created by Mayor Manzi three years ago in order to give members of the Methuen Arts Community a forum to display their work and to encourage participation in Methuen’s growing creative economy. Methuen artists interested in being considered for Artist of the Month should contact the Mayor’s Office.

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The President on Veterans Day and Ft. Hood

Posted on November 14, 2009 by billmanzi

President Obama, on Veterans Day and on the Fort Hood tragedy.

Posted in National News | Tagged | 1 Comment

Calvin Kattar Recognized

Posted on November 13, 2009 by billmanzi

The Methuen City Council had Methuen martial arts champion Calvin Kattar in to receive a citation and a proclamation recognizing his outstanding achievements in his field. Calvin is a Methuen High School graduate, and the City of Methuen is proud of his accomplishments.

Posted in Methuen, Sports | Tagged | 2 Comments

Methuen's Veterans Day Celebration

Posted on November 11, 2009 by billmanzi

A salute to all of our Veterans, and a recognition that the freedoms we have and often take for granted are with us because of the blood and sacrifice of our veterans. Methuen’s Veteran’s Day celebration was wonderful, with a parade that started at the American Legion Post on Broadway. Thank you for your service, Veterans of the United States Military, the finest fighting force in the history of the world.

Veterans Day 2009

Tenney Peer Leaders

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State Looks at Pension Extension

Posted on November 10, 2009 by billmanzi

The State House News Service is reporting that Governor Patrick is looking to have pension legislation ready for the Legislature by January that would extend the full funding schedule to 2040 and help the Commonwealth as well as localities avoid the large spike coming in pension payments next year due to the system wide losses incurred by Massachusaetts pension systems. The story estimates that Massachusetts will have close to a billion dollar increase in pension liability under the current schedule. Localities are facing huge increases as well, and as I have pointed out in prior posts these costs are not affordable or sustainable under any economic model that I am aware of.

On the heels of investment losses of up to 30 percent at state and local public pension investment funds last year, the state’s unfunded pension liability rocketed to more than $22 billion on Jan. 1, 2009, up from $13.4 billion four years earlier, according to state financial disclosure documents. Investment gains this year closed some of that gap.

The state’s largest pension fund, the Pension Reserves Investment Trust, shed $15.9 billion in 2008, falling from $53.7 billion to $37.8 billion, a 29.4 percent fall. Smaller, locally managed funds posted similar losses.

Cities and towns, stung by the local fund losses and cuts in financial aid from the state, are appealing for relief from current funding schedules, which call for appropriations increase in some communities of up to 50 percent in the fiscal year that begins in July 2010.

The Governor is correct to seek relief from the current schedule, but this proposal will not be a panacea. Expenses will continue to outstrip revenue in this area, and eventually something will have to give. Localities need this extension, but the long term problems remain. Major change will eventually come, but for now the extension will have to do.

Posted in Municipal Finance, State News | Tagged | 1 Comment

Health Care Bill Passes the House

Posted on November 9, 2009 by billmanzi

The U.S. House passed by a very narrow margin the health care bill that has been the subject of heated debate for what seems like forever. The battle now moves to the Senate, where passage of anything remotely resembling the House bill seems unlikely. The Globe ran a story today on some of the key differences, and they are stark. The Globe also ran a story on the potential for a Joseph Lieberman filibuster of any health bill that may contain a “public option”. So Harry Reid has his work cut out for him on the political end of this equation. Speaker Pelosi lost 39 Democrats on the final vote count, and I believe the Majority Leader is going to have his share of troubles keeping all of his caucus in line. Timing is now critical, as the President has called for a bill before year end. That potential has been called into serious doubt. The President should be concerned, as slippage into an election year can not be helpful to this bill. The December recess should also create political problems for the potential passage of a health bill.

If the Democrats are successful in getting a bill then the results will be clearly owned by the President and the Party. I do agree that universal coverage is a critical component of health care reform, but if that is all that is achieved and we see a spike in premium costs for those currently insured or a massive increase in the debt then there will be a political cost that will not be pretty for the Dems. Cost control in the existing system is essentially left for another day by the current efforts, and while the politics of that decision are obvious the resulting financial strain may not be bearable, even in the short run. Steve Pearlstein over at the Washington Post talks about some of the realities in a recent column, as does Fred Hiatt today. Will the President get a bill out this year? The political focus has centered around the political cost to the President of failure to get a bill. What will be the political consequence of success?

Posted in Municipal Finance, National News | Tagged | 3 Comments