Bill Manzi.com

Tommorow night Wednesday March 26 at 7:30 I will be hosting a live show on MCTV that will allow you to call in and ask me questions on the air. The call in number is 978-689-8627, and the show will be broadcast on Comcast Channel 22, and Verizon Channel 33. This show grew from some suggestions made to me on this blog that a more direct way of asking questions or making comments would be a good thing. I look forward to taking your calls on air, and I respectfully ask that no jokes be made about my weight. If this show attracts some interest I will do it on a regular basis. You can email me questions that I will read on air if you prefer that to calling. You can email those questions to mayorsoffice@ci.methuen.ma.us Look forward to talking to some of the readers of this blog Wednesday night.

With State Representative Linda Dean Campbell doing the honors of announcing the countdown over 300 Methuen youngsters enjoyed our annual Easter Egg hunt at Veterans Park in Methuen, making a mad dash to collect the eggs hidden all over our play area. My thanks to Recreation Director Bill Pare, who puts together a great program for our kids every Easter. Read the Tribune article on the hunt here.

The Valley Patriot has posted a headline on its website that is factually incorrect and leads to an inference in the smaller print that needs correcting. The headline:

With Chief’s fate “officially” undecided Methuen Posts Chief and Deputy positions

Methuen has not posted (which means that the City is declaring the position vacant or soon to be vacant) either position. The State’s Human Resources Division has posted civil service promotional exams, which have nothing to do with Methuen. The position of Deputy Chief of Police is not, and since its re-introduction, HAS NEVER BEEN a civil service position. Additionally that position (of Deputy Chief) has been phased out by Chief Katherine Lavigne
(Please read my posting of March 4th, which details the administrative changes in the Police Department, including the abolishing of the position of Deputy Chief of Police.) I am not sure why I would “post” a position that has already been abolished.
As far as the Chief’s position goes Methuen’s City Council voted to take that position OUT of Civil service by Home Rule Petition, legislation which is pending in Boston. That means that any potential successor to the Chief’s position would not be part of the civil service system and hence would not need to take the promotional exam posted by the State. I do not know why anyone would post a position inside civil service when the facts show that the position will be OUTSIDE of civil service.

The facts outlined here are public record and hopefully will get my friend “the chief” Tom Duggan to issue the necessary correction.

State Representative Linda Dean Campbell has issued a report to City officials detailing some of the many issues she has been actively involved in at the state level. As a first term Representative she has done a great job, and was instrumental in working to get the High School project placed on the State funding list in year one. As many of you know Methuen was one of forty nine communities selected to go to the feasibility phase of this process, a huge achievement for a freshman Representative. From the Campbell report:

Dear Community Leaders:

As State House sessions always convene at noon and extend through the evening to accommodate those traveling long distances, it generally prohibits me from attending evening meetings. I thought it would be helpful to update you on the status of some of the larger state projects and funding line items that impact our Methuen community.

The Budget:

Under the Governor’s proposed budget, Methuen will fare very well regarding Chapter 70 funding — receiving an increase of approximately a million dollars. Historically, the Governor’s proposal for this budget item usually remains intact without significant modification by either the House or Senate.

Lottery Aide to Cities & Towns:

As a result of current 1.3 Billion dollar shortfall, but more significantly, because of expected continued revenue declines, the Chairman of Ways and Means warns that distributions will likely be level funded for FY 09.

Current proposals in the House to Address the Deficit Include:

Budget cuts to state-wide programs; reforms expected to generate several millions of savings; enhanced collection of revenues partially through the closing of corporate tax loopholes; freezing the unemployment insurance rate; increasing the cigarette tax to help fund health care; and use of the state’s stabilization fund. These and many other options will be explored as the House and Senate begin debate which should continue on through to the end of July. Given current revenue projections, Methuen should plan for level funding for FY 2009.

My personal input to the budget process will include advocating for additional cuts to state programs across the board so that cities and towns can receive slight increases in aide. I shall also advocate for measures that will further facilitate City and Town participation in the state’s health care plan. Significant savings can be realized by cities and towns by switching over to the excellent and versatile health care plans offered by the Commonwealth.

The Rotary (At Routes 110/113 and I-93):

A committee of extraordinarily committed Methuen Citizens, state engineers and transportation experts are just concluding the very technical and complex task of selecting from among the many, one or two viable proposals to fix or replace The Rotary. These final proposals are being documented in technical detail and will be soon be available on the website: (www.methuenrotarystudy.org) for everyone’s review. The next step in the process will be public review with the goal of obtaining community consensus on a finalized proposal. This final proposal will require state and federal environmental reviews before work starts.

Current planning also calls for one more immediate improvement that will be included in any final plan. Utilizing federal funds, and funding put forth in this transportation budget by Senator Baddour, will allow the state to address the back up of traffic that occurs on routes 93 north and south during rush hours. Additionally, a bypass for trucking traffic from Route 113 to 110 has not been ruled out by either Dracut or Methuen. The website (www.methuenrotarystudy.org) is very informative and helpful — I highly recommend that you disseminate it to all of your constituents and/or neighbors who are interested in this project.

The High School:

Mayor Manzi, Superintendent Whitten, and our local state legislative delegation have had a very productive first meeting in Boston. The state is presently reviewing our School Building Committee members to ensure it meets all of the many statutory requirements. Methuen citizens constantly ask me, “How long will it be before our students are in our new high school?” The SBA’s answer for a school project of this magnitude is typically four to five years if everything proceeds without unexpected roadblocks.

Home Rule Petitions:

Home Rule Petitions to convert our police chief’s position into a non- civil service one and to move our credit union from City Hall to the Quinn Building are progressing at a good pace through the House and Senate and will be completed before they are needed.

Bea’s Boat Launch:

After considerable negation between the state and city whose aim was to address the concerns of local residents, the state and the city are finalizing the contract which will allow the permitting process to begin (usually a six month process.)

Frye Road Flooding:

Mass Highway has completed what it perceives to be its responsibility to address flooding. However, Senator Baddour, at my request is scheduling a return visit of Mass Highway this spring which will finalize responsibilities for Methuen and Mass Highway.

Please contact me regarding any city or state issue that is of concern to you – Most sincerely – Linda

You can contact Representative Campbell at campbellmethuen@comcast.net