October - 2006 The Valley Patriot 15

DEET... DEE DEE

TOM DUGGAN'S NOTEBOOKcouncilors’ credibility when they startmaking speeches about “protecting thetaxpayers’ money.”

Tribune’s “Expert” aThree-Time Loser

Have you noticed in the last few yearsthat the Eagle~Tribune has nobody else to

get quotes from except for Lenny Degnanwhen doing stories on Lawrence and

North Andover elections? Now, howfunny is this? The three-time loser,

Degnan, was appointed actingmayor for a few weeks inLawrence back in 1994(?) andis still trying to recapture theglory of that high point in hislife! You can’t make this stuffup, especially given Degnan’s

political resume. The Tribune’s go-to-guyon Lawrence politics, Degnan, LOST a city-wide race for mayor (in a primary, no less).Desperately seeking to be relevant, Degnanmoved to North Andover and ran forselectman against Susan Haltmaier (andLOST) and in a last ditch effort to get electedto ANYTHING, he then tried to run for whathe calls “DA VOKE” School Committee andcouldn’t even get elected to THAT - eventhough he was running against a guy whojust moved into town that nobody knew!He hasn’t picked a winning candidate in 10years and the only election he has ever wonhimself was a district City Council seat inLawrence. Yeah, a guy with that kind oftrack record is just the kind of “EXPERT”the Tribune should be quoting on electionstrategy! I guess birds of a feather really doflock together.

Too Much Time on the Links?Try getting Myles Burke, aide to

Lawrence Mayor Mike Sullivan, to returnphone calls or actually show up for workthese days (it’s called doing your job). Youmight as well be waiting for Lawrence policeto arrest Dirma Espada for identity theft.Burke is spending a lot of time out of theoffice (it has been great golfing weather)and seems to show up late, leave early andabandon the mayor when work needs to bedone. Maybe ole’ Myles is spending toomuch time on the links up at the AndoverCountry Club, or maybe he is just hidingfrom Andrea.

Broadhurst is a Class ActMethuen state Representative Arthur

Broadhurst is a class act and has honorablyserved the people of Methuen in theLegislature for 14 years. He had good namerecognition, a large war chest and theendorsement of almost every elected officialin the area. So, when Broadhurst lost the

Lawrence

You can’t make this stuff up!

Footnotes from

Habitat for HumanityCommits Fraud?

Former Lawrence SchoolCommitteeman Amy McGovernhasn’t been employed by Habitatfor Humanity for nearly a year. Yet,Habitat’s leaders continue toadvertise Amy McGovern as theirpublic contact person in all theiradvertisements, in an effort thatmisleads the community as well as usingMcGovern’s public name to recruitvolunteers and raise donations. (See theTribune’s weekly posting below.) Both theEagle~Tribune and Habitat have beeninformed that McGovern no longer worksfor the “non profit,” yet both have refusedto discontinue using McGovern’s name intheir advertisements. Would YOU call thatfraud if your former employer was still usingyour name to drum up business long afteryou left employment?

Nothing Like ThatLawrence Pride!

The racists at the “Latin Pride Awards”(white people need not apply) held their littleaward ceremony last week where theyhonored Wilfredo Laboy (for being a Latino,quite an accomplishment, I guess) and PoliceChief John Romero (who was also honoredfor his ethnicity). “Latin Pride” is broughtto you by the same racists who run LatinoNews (is anyone a legal citizen over there?).Besides the racist element of this farce andthe fact that Dirma Espada (or should wesay Milagros Dominguez?) was one of theorganizers, what made this gathering ofLawrence Latinos so hysterical is that theyheld the ceremony at the Wyndham Hotelin ANDOVER! So much for Lawrence pride!

Speaking of Lawrence Pride...During last month’s primary election, state

Representative Willie Lantigua’s WIFE wasallowed to be the warden of a

polling precinct in NorthLawrence, where her husbandwas on the ballot seekingreelection. (Can anyone sayconflict of interest?) Then,

Nazario Esquea was seenactively participating in therecount process betweenLantigua and Devers even

though he is not a voter or even a citizen ofthe U.S. (Can anyone say election

fraud?) Who is to blame? Well, forone, Billy Maloney, the city clerk

who directly oversees theelection process, then his boss,Patrick Blanchette (who is aLantigua ally), and then youcan blame Secretary of StateBill Galvin who oversees

elections at the state level and supports the“right” of illegal aliens to vote and take partin the election process. (I wonder if DirmaEspada voted in that election?) Like I say,you can’t make this stuff up!

Not Quite the Power BrokerHe Thinks He Is

City Council President Patrick Blanchettelikes to play power broker at election timeand frequently shows up at fund-raisers forother candidates to lend his “publicendorsement.” But how much does thecouncil president’s endorsement reallymean? Well, Blanchette endorsed ArthurBroadhurst for Register of Deeds (thoughthe Kelley supporters swear he promised toendorse Kelley) and Tim Murray for Lt.Governor before last month’s primaryelection. So how did Blanchette do in hisquest to show power at the polls whenendorsing other candidates? Well,Broadhurst overwhelmingly lost inLawrence and though Murray won state-wide for Lt. Governor he lost in Lawrencetoo, (Goldberg 2061 - Murray 1726 - Silbert1084). Maybe everyone on the city councilshould worry about the job they aresuppose to be doing instead of constantlyusing it as a stepping stone to feather theirown nests.

Recount Is a Waste of MoneyFormer Lawrence Mayor Marcos Devers

far exceeded expectations on primaryelection day when he garnered more than700 write in votes in his bid to unseat WillieLantigua as the State Representative inLawrence. Lantigua garnered more than1,800 votes in contrast but his name wasalready on the ballot, Devers name was not.

It was a pretty impressive showing andcertainly proved that Devers is a lot strongerin that district than anyone had given himcredit for (even me). But now Devers hascalled for a recount (HUH?) because hebelieves his vote total should have beenhigher, citing the same tired rhetoric aboutelection “irregularities”. And maybe he’sright. But costing the city thousands ofdollars on a recount that will not effectthe outcome of the race is a totalwaste of time and taxpayers money.I support Devers’ plan tocontinue his write in campaignfor the final election, if for noother reason but to driveLantigua crazy for six moreweeks. But Devers should havelooked at how much this recountcost the taxpayers at a time whenLawrence needs every penny it can save,and he should concentrate on doing whathe does best, harassing Willie Lantigua!

DePena Was Lowest Bidderon Broadway Property!

The Lawrence City Council voted lastmonth to give favorite son Bryan DePena apiece of property on Broadway despite thefact that he was the lowest bidder (soundfamiliar?). The highest bidder was willing topay more than three times the amountDePena offered the city for the lot. Onlyone city councilor, Grisel Silva, refused tovote to give the property to DePena, buteven she didn’t expose the specialsweetheart deal DePena was getting.According to documents obtained by TheValley Patriot, the original Request forProposal for this land on Broadway had aminimum bid which was mysteriouslychanged after being issued to the public -so that DePena could qualify to purchasethe land and others would be discouragedby the minimum bid. It isamazing that the City Councilcries about the budget andhow little money Lawrencehas, and yet it keeps givingaway property to the lowestbidders. It kind of ruins the

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EAGLE~TRIBUNE advertisement:Merrimack Valley Habitat for Humanityis seeking volunteers of any skill leveland expertise to help on a project site,serve on a committee, contribute aprofessional skill or lend a hand in theiroffice. For more information, visitwww.MerrimackValleyHabitat.org, callAmy McGovern at 978-681-8858 ...

Senator Sue Tucker was the chief sponsor of a bill signedrecently into law that strengthens the services providedby Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners – SANEs – both foradult and child victims. The Massachusetts SANE programis a national model to help sexual abuse victims receiveproper medical treatment and put sexual predators behindbars. Senator Tucker is pictured here commemorating thebill’s signing with Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey andMary Sue Howlett, Lawrence General Hospital adult andpediatric SANE and SANE Training Coordinator.

Bob Andrew

State RepresentativeMethuen

“ R e p r e s e n t i n gMethuen’s Prioritiesin the StateHouse instead ofrepresenting thepriorities of theState House inMethuen!”

paid for by the Committee to Elect Bob Andrew

New Owner

New Hours

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Coming Out for Don Stewart: State Senator SteveBaddour, state Rep. Barbara L’Italien, David Torrisi andstate Senator Bruce Tarr pose for a picture with former N.Andover Selectman Stewart, who was honored by residentsof North Andover for his years of service to the town.

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“Family members” is defined as; spouses, children, siblings, brothers, sisters,parents, grandchildren, grandparents, stepchildren, stepbrothers, stepsisters,stepparents, sister-in-laws, brother-in-laws, mother-in-laws, father-in-laws, daughter-in-laws, son-in-laws, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, and any person whomaintains his or her principal residence in the same houshold with a member.

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Kenneth A HenrickState Representative 15th Essex District

Vote Representationfor Methuen. NOT for

Special Interests.

PERSONALHigh School Guidance Counselor, 27 Years,Dept. Chairman, 2000, Married 45 YearsFive Children Pro-Life Conservative

EXPERIENCE!

INTEGRITY!

DEDICATION!

Northern Essex Community CollegeUniversity of Massachusetts, LowellB.S. Management, Fitchburg State CollegeMasters in Counseling, Fitchburg StateCollege

EDUCATION

EXPERIENCE3 Terms Methuen City Council3 Terms Methuen School Committee2 Terms Gr. Lawrence Tech School Committee5 Years Essex County Selective Service Board32 Year Union MemberVeteran U.S. Marine CORPS

Give your word, Keep your Word !It’s Called Integrity

VOTE HENRICK, NOVEMBER 7, 2006INDEPENDENT

ELECT

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Photo: Ted Tripp

Come visit Sal’s newest conceptOur new 300 seat authentic family Italian Restaurant offers cafeteriastyle luncheons and casual-elegant evening dining; with panoramicoutdoor riverside seating available. Executive Chef AntonioVeneziano from the Amalfi Coast in Italy has created a menu thatchallenges any Italian Restaurant in New England.

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354 Merrimack Street, Lawrence, MA(978) 291-0220

Riverwalk Mills in Lawrence …Exit 44 off Route 495

Sal’s Pizza and Italian RestaurantConference and Function Facility

View From the Deck of Sal’s Riverwalk onMerrimack St. in Lawrence, just before dusk

British Club Condors Hold 30th Year ReunionGary Carbonneau, Mike Detollenaere, Jim

Gilhooly, Jim Rennie, Jack Gilhooly, Ray Pellerin,Phil Mouradian all celebrated the 30th reunion ofthe British Club Condors last month at the ElksClub in Lawrence.

Lawrence High Cheerleaders. Front row, l. to r. ThanhHuynh (junior), Ariel Silva (freshman), Llisel Hiraldo(junior). Second row: Ashley Hiraldo (junior), MichelleGarcia (sophomore), Michelle Costello (sophomore), LietteRodriguez (junior), Kathy Guillen (junior), MariaHernandez (junior), Michelle Fernandez (freshman),Dionabel Graciano (captain, ‘06 graduate). Back row:Kristen Domenech (senior), Ivonne Nunez (junior). Notpictured are the coaches of the cheerleading squad forLawrence High School: Sondra Longo (head coach) andJenny Cannella (assistant coach), who is also a teacher atLawrence High School and a Lawrence High graduate.

GOP candidate for lt. governor, Reed Hillman, listensto the concerns of the elderly at Edgewood RetirementHome in North Andover last month. Hillman, a formerstate trooper, is Kerry Healey’s running mate.

Third Annual Ed Griffin Memorial Golf TournamentRaises $6,500 for Merrimack Valley Hospice

Hi, I’m Joe Zingalez

Family members of Ed Griffin present a check to MerrimackValley Hospice. Above, front row: Janine Papesh (Acton) ofMerrimack Valley Hospice, Peggy Zeytoonian (Lawrence), PamSaucier (Derry, N.H.) Vice President of Marrimack ValleyHospice, Linda Griffin (Ed’s wife of Salem, N.H.), JacquelineMendonca (Methuen). Back row: Robert Griffin (Methuen),Michael Griffin (Methuen), and Cathy Ouellette (Lawrence)

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18 The Valley Patriot October - 2006Business

LAWRENCE - Over a year ago theowners of Riverwalk Properties realized thatthey needed to control their skyrocketingelectricity costs. After evaluating severaloptions, they chose to install one of thelargest solar electric power systems in NewEngland to help offset their electricity use.“In retrospect, we feel very fortunate tohave been ahead of the curve in developingthis project which will help to control ourrising energy costs” said Tom Parker, chieffinancial officer of Riverwalk Partners, LLC.

The electricity generated by this 121-kilowatt / 392 panel solar PV energy systemwill provide the equivalent amount of powertypically used by 15 to 20 homes. But justas importantly, because solar uses sunlightand not fossil fuels, the system will avoidthe emission of about 2.8 million pounds ofcarbon dioxide over it’s expected 25-yearlife that otherwise would contribute toglobal warming. This is the equivalentemissions created by driving over 3 millionmiles in the average car, or the amount ofcarbon dioxide that would be absorbed byplanting 13,000 trees.

Sitting atop a refurbished mill buildingthat was once powered by hydro-powerfrom the Merrimack River, this solar PV arrayis helping power the economic developmentof the area using a different renewableenergy source. The Riverwalk Properties,located in Lawrence, Mass, is home to 50tenants, in a broad range of businesses allof which are impacted by rising energycosts.

Not only will this mill complex be partiallyrun by solar power, but the project was alocal collaborative effort led by Solar Works’Massachusetts-based engineering andinstallation team that designed a systemcomprised priMarily of MassachusettsManufactured components from SolectriaRenewables LLC of Lawrence, Mass. andSchott Solar of Billerica, Mass.

This Major solar initiative will include aninterpretive display in the lobby of Sal’sPizza Restaurant and Function Facility

Sal’s Riverwalk Installs 2nd LargestSolar Energy System in MA

located on the first floor of the building.This display will help educate the Sal’s Pizzapatrons about the benefits of renewableenergy. According to Sal Lupoli, CEO of Sal’sPizza, “We are so excited aboutdemonstrating our sincere regard for theenvironment to the community and thatsolar energy is a viable alternative today.”

“Perhaps the most exciting aspect of thisproject is that it can shape the way the nextgeneration thinks about electricity,” saidRenewable Energy Trust Director WarrenLeon. “Expanding the use of solar powerwill increase our energy independence, helpsupport job creation at our high-techcompanies and Manufacturers, and lead toa cleaner environment.”

MTC is the state’s economic developmentagency for renewable energy and theinnovation economy. The agencyadministers the Renewable Energy Trust,which is helping to create jobs for thecommonwealth by stimulating increasedsupply and deMand for green power. TheTrust was created in 1998 through thelandMark electric restructuring law togenerate environmental and economicbenefits for Massachusetts. For moreinforMation, please visit the agency’swebsite www.Masstech.org.

Riverwalk Properties LLC is located at 354MerriMack Street, Lawrence, MA 01843, 978-681-7777. Call or for more inforMation,please visit our website at www.riverwalkdevelopment.com.

Solar Works, Inc. (www.solarworksinc.com) is a renewable energy systemsintegrator and developer, providing solarelectric (photovoltaic) and solar therMalsystems for clients worldwide. Solar Workshas expertise in engineering design, projectManagement, perforMance analysis,project financing and renewable energycredit programs. Founded in 1980, SolarWorks is active in commercializing newtechnologies and developing renewableenergy programs for both public and privatesector clients.

Sal’s Riverwalk Business Center TTTTThe Corhe Corhe Corhe Corhe Cornernernernernerstone ofstone ofstone ofstone ofstone of La La La La Lawrwrwrwrwrence’ence’ence’ence’ence’s Rs Rs Rs Rs Reeeeevitalizavitalizavitalizavitalizavitalizationtiontiontiontion

In January of 2004 when Sal Lupoli waslooking to purchase what is now Sal’sRiverwalk, the building was 60%unoccupied. Now it is 90% occupied withthriving businesses.

In January of 2006 when Sal purchased500 Merrimack St., he tore down the buildingnext to it and was able to formalize anagreement with the Merrimack Valley CreditUnion to move its corporate headquartersthere. The credit union, according to Sal, isgoing to occupy over 45,000 square feet.“This is a $50 million project we are workingon here,” he said.

Lupoli’s complex is also the new home of“Little Sprouts,” one of the largest children’senrichment centers in the Merrimack Valley.The center can accommodate 150 children aday. “And it’s right here in Lawrence,” Saladded. Lupoli has also leased space to achildren’s interactive museum called“Imagine That,” where kids can play, interactand learn in the setting of a friendlymuseum.”

“We are going to focus on the continuingrevitalization of all this property and helpthe revitalization of Lawrence. Wepurchased 350 Merrimack St. It’s a tallseven-story building that is one of thetallest buildings in Lawrence. It has 320,000square feet and we plan on working with

our existing tenants to improve the spaceand continue to lease space the way we doso well. We believe in putting our customersfirst and building to suit what their needsare, not telling them what they have to take.There’s a lot of space, you know. Whenyou go to try and rent mill space, others willtell you, ‘Hey, I have 5,000 square feet Takeit or leave it.’ If you don’t want five and youonly want two, then you are out of luck. Ifyou come to me and you want 2,000 squarefeet, we are going to give you 2,000 squarefeet. That’s what it is all about.”

“We separate everyone’s utilities, weprovide 24 hour security, we have a policesubstation, the bus routes come throughhere, and we just spent $1.2 million on thesecond largest solar panel array for a privatebusiness in the state of Massachusetts.”

“The largest, by the way, is owned byBob Ansin in another community. And justlook at what Bob and I have created righthere in Lawrence. Bob is revitalizingLawrence’s housing by building 600 luxurycondos while we are building the commercialaspect. So you have two projects that arecompletely complimenting each other andthe city of Lawrence is getting a tremendousbenefit. We speak every single day abouthow to improve our projects. We give eachother advice and I am proud to be his friend.”

Lupoli said that the tenants of Riverwalkinclude the Northern Essex Registry ofDeeds, which will be opening on October11th. “They are moving in now. They aregoing to occupy 17,000 sq. ft. NeurologicalMedical Associates is also moving in.”

Lupoli now has over 150 companiesemploying 2,000 people in his complex.“This was empty when we got here. Therewere 35 companies, 600 people working here,and the city was losing money in taxes.When I was getting ready to buy thebuilding, along with the smokestacks, thecity was getting ready to take it by eminentdomain and tear it down. They were goingto spend half a million dollars to demolishit. I had a conversation with LawrenceMayor Mike Sullivan and we talked aboutwhat we could do with the building and I’mglad we bought it now. It is contributing tothe city’s tax rolls.”

Lupoli says Lawrence Mayor MikeSullivan has been the catalyst for much ofthe renovation and revitalization at the millcomplex. “I can tell you that I wouldn’t behere investing millions of dollars inLawrence if Mike Sullivan wasn’t the mayorof this city. That’s just a fact. Mike Sullivanhas been instrumental in the success of thisproject. The people of this city have alsobeen instrumental in this project. You knowhow many phone calls I get from the cityreferring business here? It’s amazing.”

Nothing has ever happened in the city ofLawrence like Sal’s Riverwalk project. Sincehe began purchasing mill space, Lupoli hastaken over 1.4 million sq. feet, leased outover 450,000 sq. feet to new tenants, andincreased the workforce by 300 percent. Byfar it is one of the largest complexes northof Boston.

Lupoli also credits Andover state SenatorTucker for spearheading the soon-to-be=built Riverwalk Park, which has beenapproved by the Legislature and will befederally funded. “You are going to be ableto roller skate, ride your bike, take a walkalong the river, bring your family - allbecause of local politicians like Sue Tuckerand Marty Meehan. The elected officials inthis area meet here once a month to talkabout the Riverwalk and try to figure outways to improve the city of Lawrencethrough efforts like this.”

When you started this, could you haveimagined it would end up this great?

“Actually, no. When we started with thisbuilding - 354 Merrimack Street - there wasa lot of excitement when we started torenovate these mills. But, no, even I amsurprised that it has been such a big successin such a short period of time. Anybodycan go up and down Rte. 128 or go up Rte.93 and find office space for $20 per squarefoot, where you walk in and there’scarpeting with eight-foot ceilings. You getjust the plain-Jane, vanilla box office spacethat anyone can find. Do you know it isnearly impossible to take these 100-year-old buildings and renovate them to suit theneeds of incoming tenants or give existingtenants the flexibility they need?”

Sal says that in the next few weeks thereis going to be an even different look at theMerrimack St. complex. “We are putting inover 30 flags and banners on stainless steel

poles. They are going to surround thiscomplex; it’s going to be absolutelygorgeous. But like I said, it is an investment.It takes a lot of money.”

Renovating old mills in a city like Law-rence takes a lot of time and a tremendousinvestment, but Sal says it is a task he is upfor. “We have a plan to change out over 600windows in the next 18 months. These oldwindows are $3,000 per unit to change.That’s $1.8 million in windows. How do yousave money and sit back on increasing re-venue when you have improvements likethat to make? But my family and I are lookingat the future. The opportunity for us to slowdown will come in ten or twelve years. Fornow we are in an investment mode. We arein a building and improvement mode. Weare in a commitment mode.

Lupoli says even he is shocked at howsuccessful Riverwalk has been and marvelsat how well the project has moved along.“Look at how beautiful this Riverwalk res-taurant is. You tell me where you can gonorth of Boston and find a 300 seat res-taurant that has a 500 seat function room,and a 300 seat deck overlooking the riverwith this kind of accessibility to the hig-hways, in this kind of atmosphere. Let metell you, you can’t find it. Nobody has thiskind of commitment and you know where itis? It’s in Lawrence, Massachusetts.”

“When we opened the restaurant, I washoping to do about 50 percent of what weare actually doing right now. Business isgetting better every single day. We werehoping to have 25 employees within the firstyear. We now have about 60 employees andwe are going to add another 15 by the endof the year. You know, I made a commitmentto the City Council and the mayor that Iwould hire at least 50 percent of myworkforce from the city of Lawrence. Walkthrough my restaurant and tell me if I keptmy end of the deal. We have much morethan 50 percent of Lawrence residentsworking here, because I have never met amore committed community and leaders inany community like I have met in Lawrence.There is just so much pride and hope here.They are so committed to helping business,it is just amazing. And I want to do my partto make it even better.”

When asked about how the MerrimackValley Credit Union came to lease so muchspace at Riverwalk, Lupoli said he had alittle help from the governor’s office. “Whenthe Merrimack Valley Federal Credit Unionwas looking for someplace to move to,Governor Romney and Lt. Governor Healeycame in and rolled up their sleeves andpersonally made phone calls to them andsaid ‘Lawrence is in desperate need of acompany. Like you, this is just the shot inthe arm that they need.’ Kerry Healey washere at the groundbreaking and, you know,Kerry Healey has been here no less than 30times in the city of Lawrence. At one pointwe had Governor Romney, SenatorKennedy, Congressman Marty Meehan,House leader Sal DeMasi and MayorMenino, all standing on this deck and everyone of them said they couldn’t believe theywere in Lawrence, Massachusetts.”

“I’ll tell you this. I was as proud as anyonecould be to tell each of them that this is thestart of great things for Lawrence.”

October - 2006 The Valley Patriot 19

Valley Will Miss Innovator from Golden AgeValley Will Miss Innovator from Golden Age

BusinessInnovation Valley (www.ivalley.org)

“I really wish we still lived in the golden age of old school engineering. Those guys rocked out loud.”

The Merrimack Valley lost an innovator with the passingof my father, Arthur Michitson, who died on August 9th inhis hometown of Haverhill after a bout with cancer. He wasan innovator in industry, in his community and in his familylife.

This is the story about an ordinary person with anextraordinary desire to impact all facets of his life with aninnovative spirit and gobs of tenacity. While Frank Sinatrasang “My Way,” Arthur Michitson actually did it his way.His wife, Demetra, who Arthur boasted was “the best thingthat ever happened to me,” contends that he was so

ordinary that he was outstanding.

After serving his countryduring WW II in the Philippinesand other places until 1945, hegraduated from NortheasternUniversity with a mechanicalengineering degree in 1950.Arthur was employed as amechanical engineer at RCA inBurlington, Mass. for over 20years. His most notableaccomplishment was hiscontribution to the design,development and testing of theApollo 11 moon rocket for the

lunar excursion module (LEM) that enabled the first humansto land on the moon and return home safely. A friend ofmine at work spent considerable time Googling to find anold NASA test report on the LEM. After reading it, he said:“I really wish we stilllived in the golden ageof old schoolengineering. Thoseguys rocked out loud.”The report is blogged atwww.ivalley.org.

This was not merelythe design of an IPod tolure consumers, but abreakthrough scientificendeavor to stretch ourunderstanding of andpenetration into thegreat unknown, space,with human lives on theline. The whole worldwas watching andholding its breath onJuly 21, 1969 when thefirst astronaut set footon the moon.Meanwhile, in anordinary single-storyranch on 47 Lackey Street in Haverhill, there was a hugesigh of relief that the mission was completed successfullyand all of the astronauts returned safely.

Back on the home front in the 1970s, Arthur was trying totake one small step to initiate one giant leap for hiscommunity. He was one of the first activists to recognize anegative trend in public education performance in the 1970s.He was an outspoken advocate for higher standards inpublic education and better management techniques that

he coined “quality control,” to try to help students withpoor academic results so that they would not fall throughthe cracks.

He proposed that teachers, administrators, parents andstudents work together to identify common problems acrossclassrooms and school districts, as well as individualstudent challenges, and to seek and apply solutions. Hereferred to the groups as “quality circles,” an analogy tothe industry best practice at the time that was leveraged toland the first human on the moon. In the 21st century, theycall this collaboration and every public and privateorganization in the world is trying to leverage thecollaborative Internet for better results. He was a firmbeliever that throwing money at the problem alone wouldnot reverse the trend. Better approaches were needed.

Arthur also suggested that the collaborative teams withthe best results be recognized and rewarded for theircontributions. This view, along with his recommendationof leveraging “quality control” techniques to help improvestudent performance, were and are still major points ofcontention with many educators and school committees.Arthur, who was a Greek from the old school, never shiedaway from his position or conflict with educators, schoolcommittees, or with anyone on any topic for that matter.

Arthur was a doer. He didn’t allow the contentious issuesto dent his primary mission, to help students. Recently,state Representative Brian Dempsey recalled Arthur’scandid participation in the state’s education reform hearingsthat took place in the early 1990s that led to higher standards

for public schools inMassachusetts. What isstill missing is the safetynet for the less fortunate(i.e., quality control),collaborative problemsolving (i.e., teamapproach) and successrecognition and reward.Public school systemsgenerate scores of testdata, but new ways ofapplying the informationmay lead to betterresults. Unfortunately,today’s remaininglimitations are mired in abureaucracy that toofew are willing tochallenge.

Arthur also became ateacher; he worked atMinuteman Vo-Tech inLexington and Whittier

Vo-Tech in Haverhill. He also served a short term on theWhittier Vo-Tech’s School Committee. Arthur participatedin Northeastern University’s outreach program that sharedbest practices in math and science with public schools andhe often participated in the Nettle Middle School’s annualscience fair. My father and I initiated a “one-on-one”homework help program at the Haverhill Boy’s Club, andtogether we founded Danny’s Friends mentoring programfor Haverhill’s youth, which is in its 12th year and is beingcapably run by Children’s Friend, Inc.

Arthur continued to innovate on behalf of his community.While in his seventies, he and his best friend, EdmondDaly (they graduated from Haverhill High School together),organized the Haverhill Taxpayer’s Association to overseethe city tax structure on behalf of residential homeowners,including seniors on a fixed income.

Early on, Arthur went door to door and recruited severalhundred members. In recent years, Arthur and Ed wouldcarry the load and call upon a couple of dozen long termmembers when they needed support. As always, Arthurand Ed would not shy away from the contentious issues,such as tax overrides and tax classification, whichoccasionally pitted them against their son and daughterrespectively, who served on the City Council together.

Arthur demonstrated his innovative spirit for his family.It was crucial because it underscored the importance andvalue of a sound education for his two sons, my brotherJim and I. Arthur and our mother worked hard to financeour college educations, so that we would have a solidfoundation for our futures.

They also emphasized the need to participate in ourcommunity. Jim is a chemist for the city and is Haverhill’sfirst emergency management director, which is a veryserious matter in the 21st century. He is very innovative intrying to meet critical safety needs with few resources.

Due in large part to my top campaign helper, my father, Ihad the honor to serve on the Haverhill City Council for 10years, including my last two years as president. It is alsono surprise that my current job in electrical engineering forthe MITRE Corporation is to help extend the Internet tospace using future satellite networking technology.

It is an honor and privilege that Arthur Michitson is myDad. We miss him every day.

ArthurMichitson

Photograph above is Astronaut BuzzAldrin, Lunar Module pilot, on the lunarsurface by Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong,commander of the Apollo 11 mission,1969. (www.NASA.gov)

Seth Itzkan is president ofPlanet-TECH Associates, aconsulting agency identifyinginnovations in economicdevelopment. Recently, Mr.Itzkan helped The BostonFoundation to conceptualizeand implement its Hub ofInnovations tool. You can

email him at seth.itzkan@ gmail.com.

John Michitson served as aHaverhill city councilor for 10years; the last two aspresident. He is a manager andelectrical engineer at theMITRE Corporation in Bedford,Mass. John and his wife, Heidi,are enjoying the childhood oftheir 4-year-old daughter and

6 year-old son. jmichitson@mva.net.

The Innovation Valley initiative seeks to helpstimulate economic growth and quality-of-lifeenhancements in the Merrimack Valley. Every monthwe will report on innovative businesses, practices,and ideas that are helping to make Merrimack Valleythe place to be. Look for our article in print mediaand online at www.ivalley.org.

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20 The Valley Patriot October - 2006

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With the 2006 elections fast approaching and the 2008presidential election just on the horizon, the majority of theAmerican public is rightfully demanding border patrols,quotas on new immigrants, and a “get tough” approach toillegal immigration. No country has ever survived in thehistory of the world that has failed to maintain the integrityof its borders and preserve its common culture.

Nearly all of us born in the United States are thedescendents of immigrants who traveled to this country toobtain a better life for themselves and their families. Legalimmigration that is controlled and monitored makes usstronger as a nation and contributes to our overall well-being.

Illegal immigration, on the other hand, amounts to a recipefor disaster since it drives down wages, destroys ourcommon culture, weakens our common English language,and causes an economic burden to society.

The Bush administration and many in Congress areadvocating granting amnesty to illegal aliens currently inthe United States. This amounts to pardons to criminals.Illegal immigration costs each household approximately$1,200 per year according to U.S. government estimates.

The trend of illegals coming to the United States hasbeen increasing substantially. A great percentage of theseillegals is crossing into the United States from our Mexicanborder.

Illegal Immigration Fiasco Means Secure Borders Must Be A Top National PriorityD.J. Deeb

The number of illegals pouring over the borders from1980 to 2000 totaled approximately 6.7 million, but illegalscrossing over the border with Mexico totaled nearly 5 millionjust between 2001 and the summer of 2006. Do our electedofficials really believe that they can make America safewithout properly securing our borders? One in twelveillegals has a criminal record.

A large number of the illegals entering the United Statesalong our southern border are non-Mexicans. They includeIslamic extremists from the Arab world, Asians, Africans,and Europeans. Since the Mexican government has failedto act to stop this, a more proactive response from theUnited States to secure our nation is long overdue and is inorder.

The first action strategy for dealing with this nationalproblem should be to construct a durable fence on theMexican-American border and then enact a militarypresence on that border.

Kudos to all of the members of Congress who voted lastmonth to construct this fence. The great American patriotand former presidential candidate, Pat Buchanan, wasurging that this be done 15 years ago. Obviously, there isno foolproof system and some illegals will find a way tocross the borders. However, a great deal of the crossingscan be eliminated by the fence.

D.J. Deeb is an Adjunct Professor of History andGovernment at Bunker Hill Community College inBoston, Mass., and at Northern Essex CommunityCollege in Haverhill, Mass. He is a full-time SocialStudies teacher at Reading Memorial High School inReading, Massachusetts. He also serves as an electedmember of the Greater Lowell Technical SchoolCommittee and the Dracut School Committee inDracut, Massachusetts.

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The only way to secure America’s safety, as well aspreserve the cultural bonds, language, and values that tieour nation together, is to enact border patrols and empowerlaw-enforcement agencies to crack down on illegalimmigration.

Don’t expect this to happen in Massachusetts, sincegubernatorial candidate Deval Patrick supports not onlyallowing illegal immigrants to come to the Bay (“Pay”) State,but he favors in-state college tuition breaks, driver’slicenses, and other benefits for illegals.

Foreigners who desire to come to the United States tocreate a better life for themselves and their families wouldbe welcome provided that they follow the establishedprocedures for coming to the United States legally.

If we do not take these measures to secure our bordersand protect our values, language, and cultural bonds, theUnited States will be destined to face the same fate as theRoman Empire - internal disintegration and self-destruction.History repeats itself.

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October - 2006 The Valley Patriot 21ContinuedGovernment Ineptitude: From Page 3

made and adjusted over time for changingcircumstances. Think of a pick ax being usedfor eye surgery.

That would be bad enough, but it onlyscratches the surface. Even if we reducedthe number of issues to a few thousand anddecided that we would be satisfied if thegovernment could serve the best interestof the majority of its citizens in each case,would it be able to achieve this more modestobjective? Unfortunately, government iseven ill suited to accomplish that inadequateobjective. Why? Because of the underlyingimbalance of rewards and costs thataccompany special interest lobbying.

Consider a bill for a tax incentive toencourage development of a new cancerdrug. Allowing for a moment that there is anoptimum tax incentive that should beenacted to benefit the average citizen (ofcourse there is no optimum level for allcitizens, who are of different ages anddifferent genetic susceptibility to the cancerin question), is there any likelihood thatgovernment can determine or set thisoptimum level? Of course not. The savingsto the drug companies of an extra fivepercent incentive could be millions whilethe cost to the individual citizen may be afew cents. Who is going to be wining anddining the congressmen and givingdonations to their re-election campaigns?

Cause #2: The benefits of mostgovernment programs are concentrated ona few while the costs are spread over many,leaving an imbalance in the pressurescontrolling government decision-making.Note: In some cases this effect is reversed.A substantial number of people may benefitenough from a government policy to form apowerful voting block, while the costs ofthe policy are concentrated on a few whohave insufficient political muscle. Such isthe case with rent control. While suchsituations cause substantial harm – e.g., areduction in the building of rental units,housing scarcities, and decay in the quality

of pre-existing housing – eventually thevictim pool diminishes and the policy mustbe reversed.

But what about biases in decision makingoriginating not from outside pressures, butfrom government employees themselves?Consider a situation in which a newregulation is “needed” and two alternativeregulations are considered. Which one willbe picked if the enactment of one providesbetter job security or compensationpossibilities for the regulator?

If cuts are required due to a budgetshortfall, is a decision maker more likely tocut himself or co-workers or will he makecuts elsewhere – either personnel ormaterials – even if those cuts are moreharmful to society at large? The answer, ofcourse, is obvious. The problem only getsworse when you consider that even if thereis no proximate gain, decision makers willlearn to benefit other decision makers wholater can make decisions that will help themin return.

Cause #3: Government employees willbias decisions to benefit themselves orthose that will later “return the favor.”

Then there is the “Cover Your Ass”problem. Everyone likes job security andpeople are rarely fired if nothing big goeswrong. So the result is that decisions aremade to try to avoid anything big or highlyvisible going wrong. This sounds like a goodthing, but it routinely leads to perverseconsequences. The FDA has been tryingto avoid another “Thalidomide disaster”(which affected approximately 1500newborns) since the drug-deformed babiesemerged in the late 1950s. Tougher testingand reporting requirements wereestablished for new drug introductionsbecause of the Thalidomide disaster.

The cost to society has been way out ofproportion to the original problem: longdelays in the introduction of new drugs …delays that have cost millions of lives. But

for serious concern regarding the ability ofgovernment to properly manage anything.When you consider that these problemsoperate in parallel, often reinforcing eachother, it is amazing that government worksat all. In dictatorships, these tendencies areencouraged to ensure that privileges for thechosen few are maximized. Eventually theyimplode unless the collapse is avoidedthrough terror.

In democracies, freedom of informationlaws, freedom of the press, and freedom ofspeech place a cap on the gross excessesthat these problems engender. But even inopen societies, only the most newsworthyexcesses are ever addressed. A “minorproblem,” like millions of people dying dueto excess regulation of new drugs, leads toan occasional story in the elite press andthen benign neglect a few days later. Theoverall cost to society of governmentineptitude, inefficiency, excess regulation,excess taxation, and perverse incentives isenormous. The only solution to this is torecognize that the concept of governmentis fundamentally ill suited to organizing theaffairs of mankind. Government must berestricted in its scope to only thoseabsolutely necessary functions that noconceivable competitive private institutioncan possibly address – like the military, thepolice, and the courts. Historians might notethat this is pretty much what our FoundingFathers prescribed when they wrote ourfederal Constitution.

A Libertarian slogan popularized byMassachusetts Libertarian Carla Howelldeclares, “Small government is beautiful.”She’s got a pretty good idea, but I wouldamend that to say, “Small government isjust too damn big!”

that is just the beginning. These regulationshave raised the cost of all new drugsdramatically — putting them out of the reachof many — and led to many drugs neverbeing introduced. This is especially true ofdrugs for diseases that are uncommon andtherefore have an insufficient patient marketto justify the increased testing costs.Wouldn’t someone dying of a rare diseasebe happy to take a risk on a less thoroughlytested drug than just kick the bucket with100 percent certainty?

This pattern repeats itself throughoutgovernment, from drugs to food, to aircraftcertification, to environmental regulation.The costs are huge, but they are mostlyinvisible because they consist of theabsence of goods, services, and benefitsthat would otherwise have materialized - butnever did.

Cause #4: The rewards of risk taking willnot be reflected in government decisionmaking because the rewards may either beinvisible (lives that could have been savedin our FDA example) or, since they do notaccrue to the regulator, they are outweighedby the risks of job loss.

Finally, if we want to reward efficiencyand discourage inefficiency, we need toreward the former and punish the latter. Ingovernment, this reward/punishmentpattern is absent at best, or, more often,reversed. If you are inefficient — oftenrequiring less effort — you are given moreresources to make up for your inefficiency.If you are efficient – typically requiringinnovation and extra effort — yourresources are reduced. This is in starkcontrast to a market-driven process whereinefficiency leads to less business andpossible extinction, while higher efficienciesare rewarded with increased profits and anexpanded business.

Cause #5: Government typically rewardsinefficiency and punishes efficiency. Anyone of these problems would be grounds

Dr. Ormsby is a member of the NorthAndover School Committee. He is agraduate of Cornell and has a doctoratefrom MIT. If you have any questions orcomments, you can contact Dr. Ormsbyvia email: ccormsby@comcast.net

register of deeds race to local attorney Bob Kelley lastmonth, the political insiders were shocked. Kelley, to his

credit, was everywhere during the campaign.He out-hustled Broadhurst, showing up atevents in North Andover, Lawrence, andAndover, walking the entire district, puttingup signs and knocking on doors. By ElectionDay, Kelley had quietly out-campaigned

Broadhurst at the grass roots level,proving once again that it takes gruntwork to win a campaign no matter howwell respected a candidate may be or

how many politicians endorse him. But the day afterBroadhurst was defeated, the Eagle~Tribune wrote ablistering (yet comically inaccurate) editorial attacking hisservice in the Legislature and claiming that Broadhurstlost the race because the people of the Merrimack Valleysimply didn’t like him. The fact is, Broadhurst lost the racebecause he seriously underestimated Bob Kelley. It wasn’tbecause people don’t like Broadhurst. It wasn’t becauseof voter turnout (though that always factors in) and itwasn’t because Broadhurst didn’t tow the line with theEagle~Tribune editorial board. Given the fact that the Tribendorsed him in the last seven campaigns, and alwaystreated him like a favorite son, it was surprising to see suchvitriol from the Alabama newspaper (maybe they are gettingtheir info from Lenny Degnan). A guy like Arthur Broadhurstdeserves to be thanked for his years of service on his wayout of the State House door, not kicked in the teeth aftersuffering a devastating loss.

LCW, Not Quite the Liberals TheyPretend To Be

They pretend to be so liberal over at LawrenceCommunity Works (Poverty Pimp Central), but lastweek an LCW employee verbally attacked a Lawrence

city employee by accusing him of being gay after a publicmeeting. The employee of LCW used homophobic epithetsand accused the male city worker of being another man’s“girlfriend.” Just imagine if it had been the other way aroundand a city employee had made racial and homophobicremarks to one of them? Do you think Bill Traynor woulddemand that the city worker be fired? Ah, so manyquestions. Like, does LCW tolerate or even encouragethis kind of attitude and behavior by their employees? WillLCW fire the homophobe in their ranks or will they givehim a promotion for making blatantly offensive, anti-gayremarks? Is being a homophobe a prerequisite for getting ajob with LCW? You would think a liberal “non-profit” likeLCW would step up to the plate immediately and say “wedo not endorse hate speech; this guy is GONE!” No, no,don’t hold your breath, because that’s never going tohappen. This is just MORE proof of what LCW is really allabout and the tactics they are willing to employ when theydon’t get their own way.

Speaking of LCWBy the way, anyone ever ask LCW what they did with

the $30 thousand the city of Lawrence gave them last yearto “increase public participation in the city budgetprocess”? After all, they were given the taxpayers’ moneyto do just that, yet not one person (not even employeesfrom LCW) bothered to show up at ANY of the city budget

hearings. Now, if you hired someone for yourcompany to do a job and he spent the moneybut produced zero results, would you evergive them another dime? Of course youwouldn’t. Yet, as budget time approachesagain next year, LCW is already geared up to

ask for more of your tax money to producemore of NOTHING! By the way, how muchcity money do you think Chet Sidel andthe poverty pimps got this summer to put

on dance shows on Appleton Way … at the very same timeMayor Sullivan and the City Council were raising yourtaxes? All I can say is this: Any city councilors who vote togive a nickel to LCW will be on The Valley Patriot’s radarscreen come election time because they should be votedout of office.

That Pesky Gay Marriage IssueState representative candidate Chris DiBella seemed to havethe biggest momentum just two weeks before the primaryelection last month until MASSEQUALITY, a gay marriageadvocacy group, started sending out campaign literaturefor the former prosecutor. The literature touted DiBella’sstand on education and other issues, but nowhere in thecampaign pieces did it mention his stand on gay marriage(more proof that even MASSEQUALITY knew gay marriagewas a losing issue in Methuen). DiBella ended up losingthe primary to Linda Campbell who also supports gaymarriage, but also supports putting the issue on the ballot.Campbell will square off against Republican Bob Andrewand independent Ken Henrick in November. But don’t expectgay marriage to be a big issue. From the people we spokewith on Election Day, voters didn’t seem to be angry atDiBella for supporting gay marriage. They seemed moreupset about the “sneaky” (their words, not mine) wayDiBella accepted MASSEQUALITY’s help withouttrumpeting his position on preventing the voters fromhaving a say on the issue. They also seemed to be put outthat MASSEQUALITY stepped into the race in Methuen,but never explained why they supported him in theirliterature. We believe that Chris DiBella has a very brightfuture in politics and we look forward to covering him again.

Tom Duggan’s Notebook, Continued From Page 15

Tom Duggan is the president of Valley Patriot, Inc.,is a former member of the Lawrence School Commit-tee, and hosts the Paying Attention! Radio Programon WCAP, 980AM, every Saturday afternoon fromnoon-2pm. You can email your comments to Tdugjr@aol.com.