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Fall River School Department hires
brother of Mayor Will Flanagan
Will Richmond
Herald News Staff Reporter
Posted Aug 04, 2010 @ 02:51 PM
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FALL RIVER — The school department has hired the brother of Mayor Will Flanagan to a custodial position.
Chief Operating Officer Thomas Coogan said Anthony G. Sylvia is currently in the department’s preemployment process and will soon begin a 180 day probationary period. During that time Sylvia is not assigned to any specific school.
Coogan said Sylvia was one of six people hired for positions that opened following a series of retirements and the negotiation of a new contract with the custodial union. Coogan said all applicants were ranked based on interviews, experience and qualifications and that Sylvia was hired only after the first round of hires was completed and then another person retired. Coogan said Sylvia will start at the first pay step as dictated by the union contract.
As required by state law, Flanagan did notify the School Committee of his relationship via a letter dated July 21. Members were also presented a letter from Superintendent Meg Mayo-Brown. As mayor, Flanagan serves as chairman of the School Committee.
The state law states that “a school district shall not employ a member of the immediate family of a school committee member unless written notice is given to the school committee of the proposal to employ or assign such a person at least two weeks in advance of such person’s employment or assignment.”
E-mail Will Richmond at wrichmond@heraldnews.com.
I'm only surprised that it took this long!
For those of you who bought into the entire " young Will Flanagan is a breath of fresh air" nonsense, I hope you now realize precisely what you have voted for. Nepotism , on top of incompetence and a desire only to run for higher office.
He has lost Fall River a Bio-Park , it appears, because of his decision to gamble on a Destination Casino, but now deals with a suspected bribery maven , Richard Baccari, who has been the subject of a Channel 10 I Team report and has reportedly bribed a RI representative $25,000 to help him with favorable decisions to develop another property, to bring the Bio-Park to Freetown. This the Mayor is doing through the increasingly fishy Mr. Fiola and the Fall River Office of Economic Development (FROED). Does it make sense to you that FROED and the Mayor of Fall River are in any way involved in the development of land owned by a questionable character in a municipality not it's own? It baffles the heck out of me. But then again, NOTHING this Mayor has done has ever made sense, and that includes the rridiculous promises he made prior to being elected.
He has accomplished nothing in office other than destroying the finance departments at City Hall without having a clue how it was supposed to be run, without knowing what time of the fiscal year is optimum to make such changes. It surely is not at the close of the fiscal year! Pure lack of experience and lack of caring. Amazing, simply stupefyingly amazing!
His failures and gaffs are literally too many to list and discuss fully in this post. But this last one is so stunningly STUPID it takes my breath away. How can he look anyone in the eye when he talks about cost controls, or fires a man making $50,000 a year and the head of the City's IT department who refuses to take an 8% pay cut, then hire his own brother for a City job at the school department even if it was merely to enroll him on the City's health insurance rolls? Doesn't he realize how bad this looks. Does he not care what the tax payers think. Wouldn't any number of out of work people in Fall River been qualified to do this job and get benefits tax payers now have to pay? Reports are the job wasn't posted online. It just looks poor, and that's being polite!
Politically, this has the potential to damage the guy beyond repair if Casino Gambling is not approved by the Governor. It means young and stupid Will Flanagan took a gamble with your community and lost big time. His entire mayoralty has been beset with mind boggling arrogance and stupidity of the type everyone thought they had seen the last of with Flanagan's very election almost nine months ago .
YOU who voted for him (not me) were wrong. And his time is running out.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
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Judging by most of the comments on the story on the Herald News website there is no outrage as most of them seem to be calling this no big deal. Perhaps Flanagan's supporters have stocked up on a heavy supply of screen names?
ReplyDeleteImagine if Big Boss Bob Correia had done this during his tenure, the comments would have been off the charts but he didn't have to since after 30 years in the biz he already had most of his family neatly tucked away in the court system.
Oh well, another interesting Flanagan move but not sure I agree with you on this one Laz that it is going to hurt Flanagan. So far Flanny seems to be the teflon mayor. And really the only way something is going to hurt him is if there is a strong opponent in the wings that can step up and beat him. Where is that person supposed to come from? The Council? The School Committee? I don't see anyone on the horizon that will be able to take on and beat Flanagan in next year's election.
I'm not a huge Flanny fan but been trying to analyze this situation and all I see are a bunch of chumps waiting in the wings. If you dislike Flanny then really, who could beat him? I don't see anyone pulling it off.
I agree with the arrogance part of it-- we thought BLOBBO was over the top arrogant and he was. Now look at this guy doing the same thing. What is that all about? Something in the water in FR? YOWZA! How can he look in the mirror when he is doing the very same thing as Blob? He may look like the donkey but he acts like the ass.
ReplyDeleteI also do not see any candidates at the moment that could defeat this gladhanding child, but that could change over night if the gaming bill is not signed and if the Bio-Park is awarded to New Bedford. And yes, leave no doubt that his supporters were encouraged to hit the HN with comments saying how it was no big deal...if this was Correia, who you all know I detested, who had done this, they'd be demanding a recall election.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid the great unwahsed and uneducated mass of people left in Fall River literally don't know enough of what's in their best interests to care, It's a pitty, really. It makes those who have to swim against this constant tide of stupidity, crime and negative inertia want to opt out, leaving the ignorant lemmings and fixed incomes to fight over the scraps off the politician's tables.
Yes...it's in the water...it's a part of hydrogen molecule called "fallrivercus citizenus moronicus" that bonds to anything dark and weak...so yes, it's in what they are pumping via City Hall to everyone everyday!
School Committee is Rick Pavao, Bob Maynard, Tim McCoy, Marilyn Roderick, Joe Martins and Mark Costa. I don't see any one of them mounting a challenge and being able to potentially pull off a beatdown of Flanagan except for maybe Mark Costa.
ReplyDeleteCouncil is Leo Pelletier, Ray Mitchell, Camara, Pereira, Poulin, Kilby, Lund, Bigelow and Casey. Pelletier and Mitchell are too old and wouldn't try it. Bigelow and Casey are too far up Flanagan's backside and lack the ability to speak without sounding overly nervous, they'd be crushed in a debate and that's not saying Flanagan is even a strong debater. Camara, Pereira and Kilby have been the most frequently mentioned as possible opponents to Flanagan but I don't think Camara or Pereira would have a shot in hell, I think they would be crushed. A Kilby race might be closer but I don't think he could pull it off. Lund had a hard time just holding on to his council spot in the last election but he might be a wild card in a one on one mayoral race, he definitely would have a ton of money to spend. Camara was supposedly telling supporters before the Carl Garcia incident that he had a plan for Poulin a la of the Tom Kozak variety to force his resignation. As we all know Joe and Big Bob Correia teamed up to bounce Kozak after Justice Joe was bounced from the Presidency and Bob sensed a shift of the council in opposition to his agenda. I don't see Poulin lasting long enough to mount any kind of serious challenge assuming he would even try to challenge Flanagan. Politics make for strange bedfellows too and I hear Ratso Rizzo Torres and other Flanagan supporters like Garcia, Donovan, etc. are not too fond of Poulin so if Camara didn't run you would probably quickly see him kiss and make up and form an alliance with Flanny to boot that other kid.
Just my predictions. Always enjoy reading your stuff Laz, it's always insightful.
Were any civil service laws broken in the appointment of the bag brother? The civil service list is public information.....
ReplyDeleteCome on John Kennedy appointed his brother US Atty. General. This is not Camalot. The guy got an entry level position. Why should he be discriminated against as a result of his brother being mayor.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I think finding qualified, non-hack candidates in Fall River is precisely why I feel so negative for the City's hopes. They are always this collection of weak and not very intteligent re-treads of liars, like Flanagan, who, despite his law degree, is a mushroom head,running for office. They are not personally original or charasmatic while intelligent and ethical at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI agree...anyone who could debate well, at all, could wipe the floor with Flanagan simply sticking with the subject of administration of the City's departments and it's finances,. neither of which he has a clue in. He's a total fruad, which the hiring of his brother plainly shows. I've heard all kinds of rumors about this kid as well, none of them nice . Just what the City needs, a younger, dumber version of Bob Correia. What makes it worse for me is he's toting the Irish last name while rejecting it entirely...lol...that IS THE LUCK OF THE IRISH! At least he did ONE thing right.
Yes...Flanny boy's hiring of his broother IS a big deal:
" Each such local director shall maintain rosters of labor service employees, by class, for each departmental unit in his city or town in the manner specified by M.G.L. c. 31, §71 and PAR.19 (2)(c).
All registers, requisitions, certifications and reports thereon, records of appointment, or copies thereof, and rosters shall be readily available for public inspection at the city or town hall or offices during regular business hours. Notice shall be posted at the location where such documents are made available advising applicants of their right to appeal to the administrator and, if they continue to be aggrieved, to the civil service commission with respect to any alleged irregularities."
The School Committee did not fully comply...sorry, the hire was bad morally and technically, exactly what I would expect of Flanagan...What's next, putting baccari on the payroll too, so he can get free health care as well? C'mon...you mean to tell me with all those millionaires on the FROED Board Flanagan couldn't find ONE of them to hire this guy as a janitor? Something's wrong here folks! Thise rumors, I'M JUST SAYIN".
And that's the issue...I'm sure if the job was displayed the way it shgould have been, more people would have applied, sopme with families that had a background and experience to do the job better. But no...it goes to the maggot mayor's brother...not cool, and actually not very legal either....and please do not embarrass yourself by mentioning this kid in comparison to a great man like Robert Kennedy or his brother John.....I cannot respond to THAT comment....and yes, It's a big deal...unfettered arrogance in a cheif executive is always a big deal!
Please excuse my typos....
ReplyDeleteGood insight Laz and props (proper respect) to commenter at 3:59 for the analysis. Would love to get your analysis too Laz on the dingbats on the School Committee and Council and handicapping their chances. You not too long ago called Linda Pereira the best city councilor which was a shocker. Does that mean you think she would be the best and strongest opponent to Flanagan?
ReplyDeleteI found the comments from anon at 3:59 very interesting in that Lund struggles in a multi person race but with his money and somewhat of an ability to speak could he be a threat to Flanagan in a 1 on 1 race? Also found the comments on Poulin to be very interesting gossip. Curious as to why he seems to have an ability to piss off everyone in power from Flanagan to Joe Camara? Does that mean he is doing something right or doing something wrong? It was also pointed out to me that WSAR has been enforcing a total blackout of only 1 city councilor and that it was Poulin who was and is targeted. I don't listen to that third world radio station but Poulin is supposedly the only city councilor that has never been heard on WSAR in 2010 per order of the Karam Harem as I think you refer to them? If true this does seem unusual that you wouldn't hear from a sitting city councilor even once while presumably others have been regular guests on some of the programming. Is this some type of retaliation for Poulin sticking up for Keri Rodrigues during the whole Herren vs. Rodrigues debacle at the station? Does that mean Poulin is on Herren's hit list too? Anon brings up an interesting point and it makes me think geez, what friends does this kid have at all? Got to be pretty lonely and alienation is one great tactic and way to force a resignation assuming the mentioned rumors are true.
Actually Kozak got tossed because he (like someone in charge at froed some years ago) had a gambling problem and he couldn't pay it. He didn't want to be found out so he went quietly.
ReplyDeleteAnd how was the media going to find out? Joe Justice and Bob Correia to the rescue. Bob Correia had 6 automatic yes votes for a while then Cathy Ann went off on her own and then Kozak defected. Bob-O saw his 6-3 majority go down to 5-4 and then to 4-5 when Joe Justice got bounced. He was not going to deal with a council where Joe Justice wasn't the prez and he only had 4 votes instead of 5 or more. You don't think the wheels started spinning and they concocted a way to dump Kozak and told him about it as in if you don't step down this is what's going to happen? It's not conspiracy theory it is exactly what happened and Joe Justice is cooking up something again...
ReplyDeleteIf I remember correctly, they took him down into Leo's basement to break the news to him. I think the quote was "We had bacon and eggs and sausage", which is now known as "Tom Kozak's Last Meal".
ReplyDeleteSorry to take so long to reply about the various
ReplyDeletecandidates for the various elected offices....rather than shoot from the hip,I think I'll do an entire entry about candidates...so please be patient, I'll get to it in a week or two and dedicate it to you...I will pull no punches either, but we are collecting quite a few members serving the public with extensive connection to the wrong side of the legal system...lol...if you get my drift.
In terms of inside hit lists, you can always tell when there is probably money involved , illegally involved, when small time tin pot tyrants do stupid SH*T like create hit lists...it woprked wonders for Nixon, didn't it?...In fact, If I heard that Eric Puolin was on Justice Joe the Ignoramous' bag guy list I'd or himjust because of it....Grow up joe, your a salesman by trade and out of your league....I still remember the doufas responding to the RI TV reporter, just after the Correia cuts to the Fire Department, which he championed, when the multi family house burned down, that "that's the first I heard of it", looking like he put a load on earlier that night, was so telling and so Fall River priceless!
Justice Wigberto is CORRECT!...lol...that's what I recall as well..."get outta town by sundown, or else"...lmao....like I say...everyone has feet of clay at one time or another!
Nowadays, these clowns who bully the stupidly vulnerable will all suffer the same fate as well...they never think about that...and it's AKLWAYS how they get tro8nced in the end...someone always knows YOUR secrets too...lmao! You can't get away with anything nowadays....and I'm so glad I'm no longer in that filthy , dirty game.
Yes the whells do spin when the criminally crazy feel their soft life and power and money threatened...follow the money, ALWAYS follow the money...that's where the "Schwerpunkt", I think the German term is, the point of attack aimed at the weakest spot with the most concentrated power, will happen. So, Puolin must know alot that threatens the power structure, and they'll do whatever they have to to stop him....it's very sick, tribal stuff....The perpetrators are animals, pure and simple. And to me, the most feral of the bunch, after "Smilin' Jack" Pelletier, the vicious , detestable toad, is Justice Joe, everyone's favorite chourice dog.
sorry for the typos
ReplyDelete