Martin Luther King Jr. Day
This weekend please take a moment to observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Consider checking out the Living the Dream Partners virtual event at 1 p.m. tomorrow. If you can’t do that, visit that organization’s website. Living the Dream evolved from the great work done by Lura and Robert Smith and Middlesex Community College.
If you’re reading this newsletter, you’re likely among those who know that everything in the world can somehow be connected to Lowell. Here’s further evidence of that:
On Sunday, April 12, 1953, Martin Luther King Jr. spent the day preaching at the First United Baptist Church on Church Street in Lowell. At the time, King was a doctoral student at Boston University. The pastor of the Lowell church, Rev. Otto Loverude, invited King to come to Lowell and “tell us something of what it means to be a member of the minority race in the South.”
King replied:
This is to acknowledge your letter of February 18. Following your suggestion I will use as a subject at the 5:30 discussion group: “What it means to be a Negro in the South.” My subject for the regular evening service will be: “What does it mean to believe in God?”
I am very happy to be able to serve you and your church and I will look forward to this occasion with great anticipation. Please feel free to contact me about any additional information. I would appreciate it very much if you would give me some directions as to getting to the church. I will be driving out.
I have not been able to find a copy of Dr. King’s sermons from that day.
Finally, please read my review of Hidden in Plain Sight: Stories of Black Lowell. Produced by The Free Soil Arts Collective, the book shares the stories of two dozen Black people who have lived or worked in Lowell over the past half century.
City Council Meeting: January 11, 2022
Tax Bills Delayed
The process of sending out city property tax bills is complicated. The fiscal year runs from July to June and tax bills are due quarterly. However, there is a state law that says if the December quarterly bill is not sent out before the last day of the calendar year then it cannot be sent out at all and the amount that would have been due on that bill will be combined with the bill that comes out at the start of April.
This means that when you receive your tax bill in the spring, it will be for double what you would normally pay on a quarterly bill (because it will be two quarters combined). Those with mortgages who pay into a tax escrow account controlled by their lender are unlikely to notice this, however, people who pay the tax bill directly to the city will have to retain sufficient funds to pay the twice-as-big bill in the spring. (And because of increased valuations, a new tax rate, and the Community Preservation Act surcharge, the bill will be even bigger).
At the council meeting, city CFO Conor Baldwin explained that the delay was due to Covid-related issues at the company that prints and mails these bills for the city and should not reoccur. He added that if anyone wants to pay the city now the amount that would normally be due at this time, that can be done and the money will be credited to the resident’s account.
Council Motions in General
It used to be that when you bought a new car, it was important to observe a “break-in period” which meant that for the first 500 miles, you were not to drive faster than 55 miles per hour to gently break-in the engine’s components before stressing them with higher speeds. Modern car manufacturing has eliminated the need for a break-in period but many will remember it as a thing.
City councilors used to have a break-in period too. When first elected to the council, most would wait a few meetings before filing a motion. They also tended to refrain from talking too much early in their tenure. It wasn’t a rule as much as it was an advisable “break-in period.”
But just as new cars no longer have a break-in period, neither do new councilors. That was apparent at last Tuesday’s meeting when roughly 75 percent of the talking was done by the five new councilors while the six veterans were more targeted (and more effective) in their remarks.
Maintenance of Buildings
There’s a saying that the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again and to expect a different result. That came to mind in the discussion on building maintenance, especially of heating systems. Lowell has a major problem with the reliability of the heating plant in city owned buildings, especially schools, but the measures discussed Tuesday – hire more HVAC personnel, pay them more, get regular reports on outstanding work orders – have all been talked about by prior councilors over and over. Yet we still get no heat. And burst pipes. And big invoices from vendors hired in an emergency.
Maybe a better approach is to ask the City Manager for a detailed plan for fixing the existing problems now and then for performing preventative maintenance and timely upgrades before heating equipment reaches the end of its useful life. Equally important is for the council to commit to paying what is needed to make this happen. At budget time in the spring when the weather has turned warm and no school cancellations are being caused by failed heating systems, councilors will have other priorities.
The councilors truly interested in solving this longstanding problem aren’t the ones demanding reports in January; they’re the ones making tough budget votes in May.
Modifying Plan E
I was interested in Councilor Corey Robinson’s motion that requested the City Manager “hire outside legal firm to provide detailed outline on steps necessary to change the city charter to include the position of city solicitor as a council oversight employee similar to the City Clerk, City Auditor and the City Manager.”
Let me start by saying this is a bad idea. But I was curious to hear Councilor Robinson’s explanation for why he wanted to do it. That never really happened because as soon as the motion was called, Councilor Robinson moved to amend the motion (changing it from “hiring outside counsel” to “issue a request for proposal for outside counsel”) and never offered much of an explanation of why he wanted to make this change in the first place.
However, I found most of Councilor Robinson’s comments on other issues, especially on city hiring practices, to be accurate and thoughtful so I would like to have at least heard his reasoning on this issue. Perhaps I’ll get that chance because the council voted unanimously to refer this motion to the council’s personnel subcommittee although given that most of the councilors who spoke on the motion seemed opposed, it might be a while before it comes up at a subcommittee meeting.
As for why I think having the city solicitor under the council’s authority is a bad idea, when it comes to the day-to-day operation of the city, the solicitor is second to the city manager in importance. Legal issues touch the operation of every department, including the schools. But a lawyer needs a client and the solicitor’s client is the city and the daily operation of city government is the job of the city manager. Part of the city manager’s job is making decisions on legal matters often that need immediate answers. It’s absurd to think that a council of eleven equal members could provide the effective and timely decision making in legal matters necessary to run a major city.
Upcoming motions
There are 14 motions on the agenda for this coming Tuesday’s city council meeting:
C. Mercier - Req. City Mgr. Have Proper Department Restore The Drop Box To Pay Bills At The JFK Plaza Entrance To City Hall For Residents Who Do Not Wish To Enter The Building.
C. Jenness - Req. City Mgr. Have Proper Department Investigate Drainage Issues Around The Crosswalk At The Corner Of Market & Palmer Streets.
C. Jenness - Req. City Mgr. Provide A Report Regarding Current Policies For Maintenance Of The Riverwalk Area, In Particular Winter Snow Removal, Including Any Coordination With Stakeholders Abutting The Walkway (NPS, UML, Etc.)
C. Nuon/C. Jenness - Req. City Mgr. Update Council Regarding Hiring Of Permanent Full Time Director Of Elections.
C. Yem - Req. City Mgr. Have Appropriate Department Paint The Word “Stop” On The Streets At All Stop Signs Throughout The City.
C. Gitschier - Req. City Mgr. Have All LHS Renovation Building Committee Meetings Aired Live On LTC.
C. Gitschier - Req. City Mgr. Provide Council With The Covid Protocol Policies For Disinfecting All City Buildings, Schools, City Owned Equipment, Vehicles And Common Areas.
C. Gitschier - Req. City Mgr. Provide Council With A Report On The Number Of Homeless That Use The Lowell Transitional Living Center, The Eliot Day Program, Life Connection Center Or The Non-Congregate Hotel During The Recent Cold Snap.
C. Gitschier - Req. City Mgr. Provide Council With The Current Yard Waste Contract And Future Schedule For Yard Waste Pick-Up.
C. Robinson/C. Gitschier - Req. City Mgr. Provide Council With An Update On All Fully Funded Positions That Are Currently Vacant In The FY22 Budget; Including The Length Of Time They Have Been Vacant.
C. Robinson - Req. City Mgr. Provide Council With An Update On Missed And/Or Delayed Solid Waste Pick-Up.
C. Robinson - Req. City Mgr. Look Into Feasibility Of Installation Of Solar Panels On The Robinson School Property.
C. Robinson - Req. City Mgr. Provide Council With An Update On The Current Status Of The City’s Plan To Mitigate And/Or Eliminate The Practice Of Brownouts Within The Lowell Fire Department.
C. Rourke - Req. City Mgr. Contact MassDOT Concerning Rourke Bridge Inspections And Any Upcoming Plans For Redesign And Construction Of New Bridge.
State Politics
The Lowell Democratic City Committee met last Monday via Zoom. The LDCC is a formal organization governed by state law with its members elected to four year terms during presidential primary elections. (I assume there’s a mirror organization for Republicans but I’ll stick with writing about Democrats).
The Democratic Committee is especially important during gubernatorial election years. For a candidate for statewide office to appear on the ballot in the Democratic Primary election, the candidate must receive the votes of 15 percent of the delegates to that year’s Democratic State Convention. This year, that convention will be held on June 3 and 4 at the DCU Center in Worcester.
The majority of delegates to the state convention are elected at caucuses in each community in the Commonwealth. Because Lowell is a city, each of the city’s 11 wards holds its own caucus to elect its quota of delegates. This year, the Lowell caucuses will all be done virtually on Saturday, February 12.
All registered Democrats may participate in the caucus. For more information about that, contact the Democratic City Committee.
Also at Monday’s meeting, Committee members heard from State Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz who is a candidate for governor. She was introduced by her Senate colleague Ed Kennedy who is supporting her candidacy. Chang-Diaz has represented the Second Suffolk District since 2009. Prior to that she was a community activist and a Boston public school teacher.
Thank you for sharing your insights on our new city councilors. It's going to an interesting ride. Best of luck going forward.
Great to have you back on a weekly basis to share your thoughts on local political issues. I always enjoyed your columns, your insight and your opinions on various issues. Whether I agreed with you or not wasn't and isn't important, what I appreciate is your openness to share your opinions in a well thought out and written manner. Best of Luck going forward Richard.