commentary firegeezer on 22 Jan 2008 08:15 am
Lawrence Aftermath
WASTING NOT A MOMENT, THE MAYOR OF LAWRENCE, MASSACHUSETTS, has already attempted to capitalize on yesterday’s tragedy.
Boston Globe photo
Before the day was over he was threatening even more disasters if the city council doesn’t raise taxes. The Boston Globe reports this morning that:
Mayor Michael J. Sullivan warned that the city might not be so lucky next time if the City Council refuses to raise taxes to pay for emergency services.
Sullivan has warned the Fire Department to prepare for as many as 20 layoffs and the closure of two of the city’s six engine houses if the council votes against his plan to boost property taxes and water bills to cover a budget deficit.
Whether that kind of ham-handed extortion will work remains to be seen. The City Council has a meeting tonight. The Globe further reports:
City Council president Patrick Blanchette said he, too, opposes cutting Fire Department resources, but that he does not want to raise taxes to pay for fire protection. He said the council has urged Sullivan to consider other budget cuts to close a $6 million to $7 million shortfall in the current budget.
Lawrence is like many other communities that have seen their tax base erode over the past decade, putting a crimp on their abilities to maintain city services, some necessary and others only convenient.
Lawrence Fire Chief Peter Takvorian
Globe photo
However, recently the citizens have been reluctant to accept the solution of wringing still more tax revenue out of their wallets instead of re-evaluating the way the city is run. Lawrence is the 2nd city in two months, along with Gloucester, that has had their fragile public safety network shattered by a major fire.
The Boston Globe explores this today in more depth HERE.
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