I once again return after a surgery, so please forgive my temporary absence. Things are well and I am feeling just fine. It's just the overwhelming sense of fatigue I feel whenever the topic of "Fall River" arises that deeply concerns me. I have to admit to you all that I am clinically depressed when it comes to all things Fall River!

I thought Bob Correa was the worst thing ever to happen the the city. He was not. It is this new clown-king, Mayor Will "Bag-Boy DEE-luxe" Sylvanagan, aka "Mr. Shock and Awe", and his coterie of hangers-on, handlers and mindless followers. That includes the reprehensible Editor and Publisher of the only daily newspaper (HA!) in the City, the Fall River Herald News (FRHN)

 This is a politician who never did anything before coming to the city as Mayor, has done nothing since being here, and will never, ever accomplish much in the future. It simply is in his makeup to be an errand boy and a failure. More is the pity. But you all voted for this fool. You own him Fall River, lock, stock and TWO barrels. Maybe it's time for residents of the city to accept what THEY have done to Fall River and end the fetishistic decrying of all things political in Fall River, as if pointing outward and blaming everyone except the person in the mirror will make your lives whole once again. It is probably the saddest and most telling of all Fall River rituals. In reality it is nothing more than cheap blame assessment and acknowledgement that Fall River has become the essence of ignorance and apathy. Just collectively lay down on the railroad track of life and await your end! Isn't that what you have been doing for the past three decades and longer? Be honest,  and admit that in your heart you know I'm right! (Thank you to the late Senator Goldwater)

You see, you can only blame those "dirty, rotten" politicians for so long. At some point the ultimate reality of the situation, that you yourselves keep voting for talentless, unqualified thieves and scoundrels has to hit home, has to be acknowledged and accepted. Your fate will not change until then.

Many want the state to take over. They may well have to, because one thing is crystal clear - the procession of unqualified managers, especially financial managers, this current clown-king has paraded before the citizens of Fall River are a laughable and sad lot. They lack the experience and ability to solve the serious issues laying before you all. So do not look toward your hired hands to do anything to improve Fall River. At this point my dear ones, the city's financial, municipal and education management  crises are beyond professional intervention. That is a reality that will become apparent when the state eventually comes in to take over the School System and the City's Finances.

What of salvation from your elected City Council and School Committee? What?! They are the worst collection of public misfits you could actually have elected. They have no real fat in the fire, only a desire to collect more years towards a public pension and health insurance. Each and every one of them is concerned with only that and possibly succeeding Bag Boy DEE-luxe Sylvanagan at some point in the future. Oh yes, and garnering far more than their fair share of "FAVORS" from the institutions of government, like placement of grandchildren in the very few open slots at the most desired programs for children in the Schools. I guess that comes with being a member of the School Committee, an institution that represents the very apex of failure in Fall River, as the state has told us very recently. Don't listen to the spin folks. We are doomed as a School System. MMB has done NOTHING to change this situation. She has been backed completely by YOUR elected School Committee. You see, just like Sylvanagan needing talentless patsies to fire whenever the state tells them the financial operations are emabarrassingly bad, so too will the School Committee. That is the only explanation for MMB still being here after all these bad recent reports from the state. But what have YOU done about it? Have you not voted for many of the same feckless fools for decade after decade, especially those found guilty of infractions of state statutes as listed by the state Attorney General? Yes, in fact YOU HAVE! Therefore, look in the mirror once again my fair Fall Riverites. You , and you alone, are responsible for the condition of your city government, your city finances and your schools. You and you alone. The truth stings a bit, doesn't it!?

The thieving and unscrupulous Redevelopment Authority (RDA) and it's sister group, Fall River Office of Economic Development (FROED) and all of their crooked minions exist with it's current cast of employees and Board members because of WHO you elect. You want change in these institutions, vote for better politicians who will make appointments to critical boards.! It's really that simple. It's really that profound.

So you see, I have little faith in the voters of Fall River to be able to constructively respond to their own dismal fate. As the head of DESE stated in the Boston Globe two weeks ago about Fall River and several other "gateway" communities poor and worsening performance on basic portions of the MCAS, (and I'm paraphrasing here) " the people of these locations are ignorant to the situation they face, of how truly awful their performance has been, of the utter seriousness of the education situation". Ignorance. Now there's a word that Fall River can embrace. Citizen ignorance. That just about describes the situation and is the genesis of my depression whenever the topic "Fall River" pops up. It is the profound and unabiding citizen ignorance that is destroying the City of Fall River, not elected officials or lack funds. Only an educated and motivated citizen-voter can change the direction of the city..

Therefore, you can immediately see why I see little hope for Fall River.

And in your heart you know I'm right.

WHAT, ME WORRY?!!!

Our Fearless Leader, Mayor Will Sylvanagan

Take a few months off and look what happens!

 It appears that "ANTOINE WALKERVILLE" has gone the way of all of Little Willy's promises and projects,  we loose a Finance Director and gain a retired "good old boy" type who tried to wrangle a lifetime contract from his last employer , illegally, and are getting ready to place the collective Fall River municipal neck on the DOR guillotine, and much, much more.

Excuse me while I suppress this urge to laugh out loud and screech "I TOLD YOU SO!!!!!!!"......nope, can't do it...

I TOLD YOU SO!!!!!!!!!

Someone better get a grip in  this City before REALLY bad stuff starts to happen. How can it get worse, you ask? OK, lets discuss this for a few moments.

First, the "Destination Casino" fiasco.....NO Bio-Park, no billion dollar casino, no jobs, no hope, no way! This is the centerpiece of the Sylvanagan administration. It showcases everything this hideous cast of characters responsible for making the idiot-boy as mayor are truly like. Greed, obnoxious power grabbing, incompetence, disrespect for the average Fall River citizen and a level of recklessness in the face of sworn fiduciary responsibility that , in any other municipality away from the South Coast, would result in being thrown out of office by public opinion, votes and, possibly, legal action.

A naked parade of stupidity and Chutzpah is what we have all witnessed. FROED, the RA, all the associated so-called "kingmakers" in what is quickly becoming a rather rancid and tawdry City all share total responsibility for the systematic failure on this project, of this administration, and this City. They have selected mayoral candidates, they have arranged political fortunes and have become involved in censorship in the only daily newspaper serving Fall River. They have wholly backed Sylvanagan in the hiring of unqualified administrative and financial "professionals" and have had only one thing in mind - maintaining control over City Hall, the City's budget and financial resources, regardless of source,  and getting as much of it as possible through related businesses and personal relationships. They should all be ashamed. They have destroyed this City for personal gain. Their final aim is to see their puppet boy mayor gain higher political office. Fortunately, educated individuals and voters outside of the South Coast would laugh this collection of buffoonish morons and obsequious thieves back into their mother's wombs.

As long as the voters of Fall River allow the continuation of this sad charade by electing the candidates favored by the minions of FROED, the RA, and the powers that be things will continue to deteriorate to a point that even eventual state intervention will be too little, too late for most Fall River committed and bound property owners. These thieves are draining Fall River in the same manner the Mafia "busted out" the restaurant in the movie "GOODFELLA'S"  This is not any kind of exaggeration. Think your property values and your related net worth are too low now? Just wait until the state steps in and takes over. But hey, you voted for Sylvanagan, not me.........



NEXT....Ah, yes, Mr. Grab. No one in the business knew who this guy was. How he became the City's Finance Director had to be more of an issue of someone desperate for a job than a "nationwide" search for qualified individuals. Trust me, not even in today's job market would a truly qualified professional leave one job willingly to take a pay cut, and never to take a job in a sadly run financial miasma like Fall River. The crapola about a shorter commute is just that, CRAPOLA.

What I suspect is that Mr. Grab, a municipal accountant by trade, must have either been asked to "go along" with some "creative entries" on required state reports to insure a tax rate would be approved by the state's DOR, or he started to become more familiar with the true reasons why Fall River has struggled so mightily to balance it's cash accounts from several past fiscal years , as well as reconcile some grant account activity from previous years at the School Department that are preventing Fall River from finishing past years audits.

So you, the reader, can understand the situation better, the DOR refusing to let  Fall River to set a tax rate as a result of non compliance in filing required audit reports is as rare as hen's teeth - it's simply never done. In other words, the state is in the process of taking over the City's finances. In my opinion, one of the reasons the so called 'kingmakers" in Fall River are so desperate to control City Hall is because we all might find that many, many bad and illegal things have been done with City money, your tax dollars, over many previous years and administrations. To maintain control they must maintain control of those audits and the details of what OBJECTIVE auditors might find out about where the money went as opposed to where it was supposed to go. I believe it involves both , as Randy Moss would say, "straight cash, Homey" , as well as grant funds. All  the reason you need to think that and probably be right is the one time existence of a video camera over the cash drawer "cash out" area in the Tax Collector's Office, no doubt made necessary by the outright theft of cash by City employees over time. What other conclusion could possibly be reached? Also, it would be a very interesting thing to see if auditors could actually find records detailing who was being paid out of various grant funds over several previous years not currently verified and included in completed audits. Grant requirements detail precisely what functions and positions may be covered by grant funds. One way to make audits impossible is to "misplace" required source documents detailing things like expenditure details and payroll reports. It would also not surprise me one bit to find City-side employees being paid out of School grant funds. Would that surprise YOU? I don't think so. Actually, the very fact that most people could expect such activity is both regrettable and self defining.

Also, Mr. Grab's part time , retired replacement, the ex-fiance director of Dartmouth, is a concern, and emblematic of the type of "go along-get along", malleable individuals this City demands right now. This guy was involved , along with most other finance department heads and the Town Administrator of Dartmouth in arranging an illegal "contract for life" with that town, as has been widely reported. The Town Administrator was fired over the entire affair, and it was widely accepted that there was a conspiracy, of sorts, with other department heads, to arrange these illegal contracts. This is the kind of man the City wishes to place in charge of the City's Treasurer's Office. This will fail gloriously as you would expect. Look for one of the  current "puppet" employees within the current Treasure's Office staff, supported by a particular member of the FROED Board of Directors, to be the real controlling person in the office on a day-to-day basis. That's NOT a good thing at all. But, what else would you expect.

And then there was the DOR......

What can you say...no audits, no tax rate. You see, now that Deval Patrick has won his second, and according to him,  last term as Governor, and in the face of a required billion dollar cut in the current fiscal years budget levels into FY 12, the state is in no mood to allow any municipality to refuse to comply with base level financial reporting requirements, not when the state funds over 65 cents out of every dollar spent in the Fall River municipal budget. Ain't gonna happen folks. The election year has come and gone and all the  so-called "kingmakers" in Fall River have no juice on Beacon Hill when it comes to Fall River's financial officials and it's mayor not being able to count beans. What does this mean?

First, it means lots of expense, unbudgeted expense, to pay for the borrowing costs related to loans required to keep things happening in Fall River's government, like paying employees, plowing roads after snow storms, and keeping fire and police on the job. No tax rate means no tax bills which means yo have to borrow money from banks to pay for things. It is all so unnecessary yet so predictable.

Second, because this mayor made commitments a year ago to DOR to comply with all reporting requirement in a timely fashion, his entire administration no longer had any credibility with DOR and the Governor's administrative managers at Administration and Finance (A&F), the Secretariat which controls DOR. This, as you can imagine, is not a good thing. In fact, not only is locally produced tax revenue generation halted and more expense faced by the City because of it, the Secretary of A&F can also slow down the City's local aid and grant payments, also not such a great thing.

The bottom line in all of this is that Fall River's purposeful inability to complete audit reports for prior years will be the one thing that will cause the state to take over the City's finances. No one involved in making political decisions in this City is willing to lay bare for all the world to see the mistakes and missteps made by previous occupants in the Mayor's Office and at the School Department. It is all so gutless and predictable to the point of making an objective, right thinking person ill.

The schools you might ask, what of the schools? Apparently a graph has been handed out by administrators to teaching staff very recently that indicated that 80% of all the City's third graders failed the "open answer" portion of the MCAS test . "Open answer" means the child had to fill in the blank in a question or statement  related to a story they just read, a statement like "When it rains the street becomes (blank)", with the child having to write in the appropriate answer mentioned in the story, like the word "wet", for instance. They failed even though they were allowed to re-read the story to find the correct answer! 80%! YIKES!!! This means , quite simply, that 80% of Fall River students cannot read! This means, quite simply that the Fall River School System has completely failed, even gotten worse, since Meg Mayo Brown has been School Superintendent, and state takeover of this failing school system is more than likely, it is probable at this point. Score another failure for Mayor Sylvanagan and his merry band of puppet string pullers. Total failure all the time.

No jobs, no schools, no money, no hope is what Mayor Sylvanagan has delivered to the voters of Fall River.

What a sad joke!

I have always held public safety employees a cut above the rest for placing their lives on the line for all of us every single day. When an issue of particular concern to, say, our firefighters, arises, I will gladly open this forum to those making the case or simply trying to better inform us all about the things they have to face on a daily basis. The following short piece is a case in point.

When I received an e-mail from a reader requesting me to post something of importance to the public, and especially fiefighters, I felt happy to oblige. So, Matthew Phillips, tell your family to look now, your article has been included! Thanks!

Fumble around for the snooze button. Can't find it. Sleep through alarm for 10 more minutes. Make coffee. Fall asleep while making coffee. Pour cereal. Read the back of the box for the 12th time. Take a shower. Yawn. Realize it's your day off. Use a substitute swear word. Go back to bed.


A sort of good day.

But with that yawn, you could have changed your life forever. What's wrong with breathing? Nothing at all. It's the air you have to watch out for.
In older buildings and homes, manufacturers used a natural mineral called asbestos. It can still be found in dry wall and in insulation in those homes. Asbestos is fire-resistant and heat-resistant, and was supposed to make a lot of homes safer for a lot of people.

Today, when those homes are disturbed, for example, as a firefighter breaks down the walls of a burning building, or, less dramatically, if insulation is tampered with, asbestos fibers are released into the air. When inhaled, they may cause a deadly cancer to attack the lungs: mesothelioma.


Mesothelioma symptoms can include shortness of breath and chest heaviness. These symptoms subtle and are often confused with other more common, more treatable diseases. Even worse, mesothelioma symptoms are subject to extremely long latency periods, often for nonexistent for up to 50 years. By then, the cancer has metastasized and treatment is either difficult or impossible. The life expectancy of mesothelioma victims is incredibly short.
So what should you do about it? Stop breathing? Of course not. Ask questions. If you think your home may be asbestos-ridden, don't handle the stuff yourself. Call a professional asbestos abatement contractor. They're trained to deal with the deadly mineral.

Keep your eyes and ears open to information and you can live to see a whole pile of sort of good days.

AND MOSES SAID, "Let My People GO!"

COURT GRANTS INJUNCTION AGAINST
 CASINO LAND SALE!

Beacon Hill politicians misstated the potential of a
Tribal Casino, ignoring 2 SCOTUS  (ed. note: Supreme Court of the United States)
decisions to suit their purposes and cram through flawed 'casino' legislation,
while Fall River officials have betrayed the residents and
taxpayers of a beautiful City that possesses great potential.

Fall River City Officials have danced around a land sale, ignoring
legal opinion from the IG, failing to ensure additional revenues to
protect citizens against the increased costs and impacts
of predatory gambling.


The land sale essentially hands wealthy developers prime
commercial land for $100,000 per acre.

Instead, the Mayor chose to reward wealthy Malaysian
investors with a tax free, low cost venture for a profitable
Slot Barn deal.


Attached, you will find the injunction issued by Judge Richard
T. Moses, the Ten Taxpayers Complaint, the RDA response
and the Purchase & Sales Memo.


Nowhere is there consideration of monies Fall River will receive
from the Tribe.

At the very least, the City should reasonably expect a percentage
of slots participation, worth at least $20-$30 million per year to cover
additional costs.


Foxwoods has defaulted.


Mohegan Sun is laying off.


Twin Rivers is in bankruptcy.


Casinos around the country are filing bankruptcy.


Tribal Casinos have simply stopped making payments.


How is this sensible economic development for Fall River?
Who is protecting Fall River residents while wealthy foreign
investors are rewarded?


This could be your town.


Thanks for all you do.


Jessie Powell
Middleboro, MA

'Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.' Margaret Mead


Middleboro Remembers
 

"Let My People GO!!!!!!!!!"

The above is a copy of an email I received from Jessie Powell, a leading foe of the casino project in Fall River, otherwise known as ANTOINE WALKERVILLE. The things said in that email are quite true. Jessie Powell has an established track record opposing expanded gaming in Massachusetts. WE all owe a debt of gratitude to Jessie Powell.

Charlton Heston as the biblical character himself couldn't have written the judgement any better than Superior Court Judge Moses did in his opinion. It is an injunction which is merely the culmination of a dark, dreary and cynical process the type of which the citizens of Fall River are all too familiar with these past several decades. Once again it's back to the drawing board for this clown posse of attorneys running Fall River directly into oblivion, all on YOUR dime to boot!

Imagine the taxpayer funded City Attorney crew of Dewey, Cheatem and Howe (Fiola, Torres and, of course, Sylvanagan), along with their "high powered" (HA!) paid legal Hessian's out of Rhode Island getting faced big time in court by the intrepid band of Ten Taxpayers from Fall River and their legal counsel. I don't care who the attorney works for outside of this particular decision, the arguments made were quite obviously persuasive and with a much better legal basis, resulting in a decision by a widely respected member of the Court forcing an injunction to any further action to sell the 300 acres of prime industrial land to the Wamponoags and their Malaysian money men.

Surely, the combined forces of Fall River fools like the RDA, FROED, and Sylvanagan himself will drag the City, and oodles of it's tax dollars, back into court with a favorable judge here in SE Massachusetts to attempt the overturn the current decision. Sylvanagan has NO choice! Without something to show for a full year of behind closed door negotiations without any public input, or without consultation with the City Council, and after continued promises of "JOBS!, JOBS!, JOBS!" while not a single other thing has been accomplished by his tawdry administration Sylvanagan will be run out of office even by his most ardent previous supporters if he fails. And well he should.

Sylvanagan's exploits are ridiculous. Sylvanagan's chief legal counsel is even more ridiculous. After what can only be termed a vulgar performance on a local radio station, is there any doubt left at all that Steve Torres suffers not only from delusions of competence but a rather demented Napoleonic complex as well? He is one angry little man. That's about the best thing that can be said about him. He certainly has failed at every turn since being appointed the City's legal counsel. Has he won a single decision? Has he not cost Fall River thousands of dollars with his steel trap legal mind and opinions? What about the "illegal" rainwater tax Steve-O? What about the "refunds"? Oh, that's right , he has more important things on his plate right now, like acting as legal counsel for one of the OTHER worst run communities in MA, Wareham. But I thought he was only supposed to be working for Fall River? Wasn't that the justification for his high salary? Lies, and promises left unmet. These things seem to be at the heart of the Sylvanagan administration. Funny how they have failed to mention the drastic cut in State Aid that looms ahead for FY11! I wonder how they'll spin this one!

No, our new found Moses raised his legal staff and with his decision let out the cry for all Fall River citizens to "Let My People Go!" Now I wish Sylvanagan and Company would do the same.

Who Will Pay? WE WILL of Course !!!!

Fall River Fire Department
swears in 48 new members

By Kevin O'Connor
Herald News Staff Reporter
Posted Oct 12, 2010 @ 10:47 AM
Last update Oct 13, 2010 @ 12:20 AM


FALL RIVER — The fire department is experiencing a major growth spurt.


Department brass is confident they are ready to avoid undue growing pains.

A class of 48 new firefighters was sworn in on Tuesday. Class members will go through a 10-week training program before their assignment to the trucks.

It is the largest recruit class in the department’s history. It will increase the department ranks by almost one third.
The new hires replace firefighters laid off two years ago. Their salaries will be paid for the next two years through a $10 million federal grant.

“This will allow us to have 48 fresh firefighters on duty.” Mayor Will Flanagan said. “It will help us cut down on overtime costs.

“Plus, this should boost morale. The department went through a devastating layoff.

 

Gear for the new firefighters. A helmet, a rope to practice knots and text books.

With the new influx of recruits coming in, you know, when you go into a burning mill or a three-decker, you have backup behind you.”


Fire Chief Paul Ford told the recruits they will learn more in the training program than how to fight fires.


“Fire service is steeped in tradition,” Ford said. “We have a tradition of honor, number one.


“We have to be honorable to ourselves, our families and our fellow firefighters. Don’t ever forget that.”


Ford and Flanagan addressed the new class Tuesday at the fire headquarters. The 48 new firefighters, all men, faced them. Each new firefighter had a new yellow helmet, a thick textbook and an 8-foot length of 3/8-inch braided rope on the table before him.

“That is for them to practice their knots,” said fire Capt. Kenneth Lima. “They have to keep that rope with them at all times.


“They have a lot of knots to learn.”


In fact, they have a lot to learn about everything, said District Chief William Pappas, head of training for the department.


Pappas and Lima will coordinate the training along with Lt. Peter Raposa and Lt. Paul Machado. They are all state certified fire instructors, as are 15 more members of the department.


The recruits will be working from textbooks for the first few days, but fire instructors will quickly get them out into the training field behind the fire headquarters to connect hoses to hydrants and trucks and learn to rappel from rooftops or crawl through confined spaces.

“We have a tower and we have a burn room, so we can do training with real fire,” Pappas said. “In fact, we will do several live burns.”


By the time the new firefighters climb onto a truck for the first time, they will have ripped cars apart with the Jaws of Life and learned the basics of handling hazardous materials spills and dousing the flames from flammable liquids. They will also know enough life-saving technique to qualify as first responder medical personnel.


The recruits will spend several days at the state fire academy in Stowe, facing flames from burning tanker trucks, boilers and barrels of unknown substances.


Department trainers began planning for the recruit class as soon as the city learned it would get the $10 million federal grant.


The grant restores the fire department to its roster of 232 members, the number in the department before the city began making cuts and layoffs because of budget problems.


Pappas and his staff worked up a curriculum that involves the entire training staff plus the 15 city firefighters who are certified as instructors by the state.


“It will be a lot of work, but we are pretty excited about it,” Pappas said. “We have a dedicated staff.


“There is no question once they are on duty we will be able to serve the city better.”
E-mail Kevin P. O’Connor at koconnor@heraldnews.com

Let me say at the outset that I fully agree with the idea of fully staffing our compliment of public safety officers in Fall River. What I have grave concerns about is the manner in which we fund those positions.

In an ad on the front page of the herald News' website was a listing, by community, of how much likely funding in local aid would be lost if the proposed cut in sales tax takes place as a result of Question 3 passing this fall. Fall River's hit would be in the neighborhood of $15 million, give or take a few grand here or there. At such a loss, it would matter little how a paltry few thousand dollars went over looked. Such passage of Question 3 would literally bankrupt the City's finances. There would be absolutely no additional or extraordinary state assistance to make that loss of revenue whole again, since this would reflect an across the board reduction to EVERY state budget category, including local aid and aid to education.

So when  we plan to hire these needed 43 firefighters on the basis of a non-renewable two year federal grant, I start to worry about the lack of fiscal planning taking place on the 6th floor of City Hall. I have absolutely no faith in the mayor to adequately prepare for life after the grant's end. No where is there evidence of planning for the potential cost of possible unemployment  for these new hires if the grants run out and no extraordinary funding source replaces the current two year grant, nor retirement funding, nor health insurance coverage for both retirement and COBRA provisions for laid-off municipal employees. The City would be completely unprotected from such costs with the possible lay-offs as a result of no new grant funding. has anything like this happened in the past few years?

Yes. A few years back a federal program to put more police on the street was devised. The requirements of the grant were that the municipality had to commit to gradually take over the full direct and overhead costs (health insurance, unemployment insurance) for theses new positions, with cost's for the municipalities increasing each year until the full cost was borne by the municipality. In many instances communities throughout the state refused to participate in the grant program, or limited greatly their participation, because Prop 2 1/2 was in effect and the financial commitment to take on even these relatively few needed positions were far too risky given the unpredictable financial outlook during a time of extreme local and state fiscal stress. The prudent thing to do was to look out into the future as concretely as possible and make decisions accordingly. Well run communities, especially those dependant on local aid increases to fund current budgets, were cautious to make future financial commitments to the grant program.

So looking at Fall River's current situation, a community entirely dependent on state aid for all of it's daily operations, and knowing that the MINIMUM estimate of state budget reduction for FY11 from FY10 even if question 3 does not pass, is 18% according to MMA,  how then can Fall River agree to a full compliment of new hires without considering the outcome if financial Armageddon occurs and the City is faced with responsibility for unemployment , health insurance, retirement  and increased liability insurance premiums, not to mention increased demands on the fire department's everyday operations budget with an increase in manpower by one third (ie, food, uniforms, air packs, other equipment)? I have no earthly idea!

We all know why this decision was made - for political expediency. Sylvanagan & Co. are scrounging for any, and every, bit of happy news to lay on the public's table going into the reelection campaign. They will do so without any thought about the future consequences to you or I or the City as a whole. It's all about making  happy news statements and getting his picture on the front page of the Herald News doing something  other than looking like a dullard faced vengeful school girl shredding a law suit against him.

 Since day one in office all this man and his minions have been about is gaining reelection and saying and doing those things required to LOOK good as opposed to taking the time and the thought to DO good for the City of Fall River. Even his acquiescence to broadcast more committee meetings on "Sylvanagan TV" is merely an attempt to bow to the popular perception that he's all about propaganda, not proper management of City affairs. I find it ironic that both the broadcast of more meetings and this fire department grant decision encapsulate the entirety of what Fall River has gotten from or fearless leader Sylvanagan - anything to look good for his own sake and no thought regarding the actual future impact of his own decisions on others, especially those he has sworn to serve and protect.

I am not against hiring these firemen. I only wish the powers that be truly knew what their own game plan is to handle the possible array of future outcomes if financing goes out the window. Based on the Sylvanagan administration's demonstrated history to this point, I think it's a safe bet that little or no serious consideration has been given to these matters, only to how it will look to the Fall River voting populace. That's the price we all pay for electing leaders who only react to situations and manage completely in an "ad hoc" manner. It's how we came to the place we are at in our city with entrenched unemployment, ineffective and criminally negligent education, rampant gang life among our youth and soaring drug addiction throughout the city.

But hey.....it's what the voters want. After all, he's only giving them what they want. Right?

" ....Slip Slidin' Away.....Slip Slidin' Awayyyyyy.....The Nearer Your Destination The More Your Slip Slidin' Away......"

Feinstein’s ‘Carcieri fix’ would
‘devastate’ trust land for gaming


By Gale Courey Toensing
Story Published: Oct 5, 2010
(Story Updated: Oct 5, 2010 )

Mashpee Wampanoag Chairman Cedric Cromwell (left) and Shinnecock Indian
Nation Senior Trustee Lance Gumbs, pictured here at the New England Gaming
Summit at Mohegan Sun Sept. 21, are part of a group of tribal nations mobilizing
 to oppose reported efforts by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., to stop the Interior
 Department from putting new land into trust for gaming

Reports that Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., is planning her own version of a “Carcieri fix” that would eliminate the ability of tribes to take newly-acquired land into trust for gaming are raising concerns in Indian country.


The issue came to light at the New England Gaming Summit at Mohegan Sun during the week of Sept. 20.


Mashpee Wampanoag Chairman Cedric Cromwell said during his presentation at the summit that he had learned Feinstein would propose an amendment to Section 20 of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act – the part of the law that deals with putting land into trust for gaming when the land has been acquired after Oct. 17, 1988 – or an amendment to Sen. Byron Dorgan’s “Carcieri fix” – a bill that has stalled since being approved by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs almost a year ago. In either case, Feinstein aims to curtail the Interior secretary’s authority to take newly-acquired land into trust for Indian gaming, Cromwell said.


The Cape Cod island-based Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, which was federally acknowledged in 2007, has a pending application for land into trust to build a casino in the Boston area.


Dorgan and other legislators have sought a “Carcieri fix” since February 2009 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Interior secretary had no authority to take land into trust for the Narragansett Indians because they were not “under federal jurisdiction” in 1934 when the Indian Reorganization Act was passed.


Dorgan’s bill – S. 1703 – amends the IRA to reaffirm the secretary’s authority to take land into trust for all acknowledged tribes – a practice that has been in place for more than 70 years.


No one knows exactly what Feinstein plans to do because her activities have taken place behind the scene, Cromwell said.


“Since the senator has not consulted with Indian country, and since her draft language has not been the subject of public hearings, we do not know exactly what the language says. Based on her long-held anti-Indian gaming stance, however, we can assume that her proposed language will be devastating for newly recognized and disadvantaged tribes,” Cromwell said.


Cromwell also questioned whether Feinstein’s motives to alter national law and policy were based strictly on her local concerns to stop the expansion of gaming in California.


“Most disturbing, we are concerned that the senator is using her position as an appropriations subcommittee chair to achieve her local end goal: Shutting down forever the possibility of the Indian gaming in the Bay Area. She is willing to hold hostage the nationally-needed Carcieri fix, and willing to throw newly recognized and disadvantaged tribes from all across the United States under the bus, so that she can achieve this one local goal,” Cromwell said.


Cromwell called on the Obama administration “to take a tough stand on behalf of all tribes. … (and) to tell Congress that all tribes must be treated equally” under the laws.


Barry Piatt, Dorgan’s spokesman, said the senator has not heard about the Feinstein amendment.


“It’s possible she may do so, but it hasn’t reached a stage where it’s an amendment that she’s notified the committee about,” Piatt said.


While Dorgan could not comment on an amendment he hasn’t yet seen, Piatt said, he would not favor creating two classes of tribes.


“He feels very strongly that there should not be two classes of tribes – one that can take land into trust and one that can’t. He stands firm that all tribes ought to be equal on this issue.”
Feinstein’s office did not return calls seeking comment.


Consultant Joe Valandra, Rosebud Sioux, said Feinstein’s reported efforts are happening at the same time that the Interior Department is reviewing the IGRA regulations for “off-reservation” trust land for gaming and encouraging the BIA to move forward with pending applications.


With all these elements and potential actions bumping up against each other, the moment is fraught with danger, Valandra said.


“Right now the Interior Department is in a tough spot trying to respond administratively to the Supreme Court’s Carcieri decision. They hope that Congress will get around to passing a Carcieri fix, but I doubt that will happen soon and it may happen during the lame duck session (when Congress returns after the elections and before new elected officials take office), but there’s danger in that,” Valandra said.


The danger is no one knows exactly what the amendment is, said a Washington attorney who deals in Indian affairs and asked not to be named.


“There was supposed to be a mark-up of the appropriations bills and everyone thought they’d see it then, but Feinstein canceled the mark up. Now the understanding is there won’t be any mark up of the appropriations bill and instead when (legislators) come back for the lame duck session they’ll just wrap a whole bunch of these appropriation bills together so they’ll be tens of thousands of pages long and she’ll just insert the language somewhere and we may never find it before it becomes law,” the attorney said.


A coalition of nations has mobilized to fight Feinstein’s efforts, said Lance Gumbs, senior trustee of the Shinnecock Indian Nation and vice president of the National Congress of American Indians northeast region.
“Obviously, this is another attack on our sovereignty,” Gumbs said.


The NCAI, the largest Indian organization in the country, will also throw its weight behind opposing Feinstein’s actions, Gumbs said.

http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/archive/Feinsteins-iCarcierii-fix-would-devastate-trust-land-for-gaming--104358264.html

It's starting to look like all those claims that the Wampanoags will be allowed to declare the 300 acres of land they wish to purchase in Fall River for the purpose of gaming as sovereign tribal land may be nothing more than smoke signals on a cloudy day, at least if powerful Senator Dianne Feinstein has anything to say about it.

And in contradiction to the above article, recent reports indicate that the Wampanoags have NOT filed application with the appropriate federal agencies to have their land placed into trust. To do so today would result in being tied up in an approval review process that normally takes 5 - 7 years to positive completion. That would no doubt be a massive problem for the tribe and their local desperate benefactors, FROED  , the Redevelopment Authority (RDA) and the biggest potential losers of them all, Bag-Boy Deluxe Sylvanagan, Ken "The Weeper" Fiola and Steve "Hank the Angry Dwarf" Torres! Good luck folks, looks like you're going to need it!

Just when you think it might happen, it seems just out of reach. But that is the illusion the powers that be wish you to see. I think it's all a bit of "blue smoke and mirrors', with no real deal ever having better than a 50-50 chance of happening. Frankly, I think we are past the good 50% as well. What is clear as a new spring day is that there has been no vote to legalize gaming in Massachusetts, the deal between the RDA and the Wampanoags runs out at the end of the calendar year and that all these labor contracts and budgets for FY 11 and FY 12 and beyond have been constructed on a best case scenario basis, that best case being an Antoine Walkerville (destination casino) related cash infusion into the Fall River municipal treasury. I sincerely doubt that will happen. The chances of it happening IF the 300 acres were to be declared sovereign tribal land are pretty much nil, regardless of what statements are being disseminated by the RDA, FROED and Sylvanagan. Has anyone seen the actual agreement? Of course not, it's all very "double secret probation" like and ridiculously "hush-hush". How members of the City Council have not been made party to agreement negotiations if baffling to say the least. It's all very  foreboding and is one of the reasons I think all of this is just a way to maintain the perception that Sylvanagan is working hard to improve Fall River, when in reality such an agreement would result only in improving the political future of the Bag-Boy. And that has always been what this mess has always and only ever been about.

The DIRTY DOZEN? YOU DECIDE!

Ala. senators, casino owner
accused of vote buying


Lobbyists also indicted over allegations
tied to electronic bingo Advertisement
ad info

 Dave Martin / AP

VictoryLand owner Milton McGregor is pictured at the casino in Shorter, Ala., on March 5. McGregor, four state senators and several top lobbyists have been indicted on federal charges accusing them of vote buying on a bill to legalize electronic bingo. The Associated Press

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The owner of Alabama's largest casino, four state senators and several lobbyists face federal charges of conspiring to buy and sell votes for millions of dollars to get electronic bingo legalized, according to an indictment released Monday.
One lobbying firm employee has pleaded guilty to offering $2 million for the vote of an indicted senator.


The indictment, which lists 11 defendants, was made public as FBI agents made arrests across the state. It accuses casino owners and lobbyists of making payments and campaign donations, and legislators of soliciting bribes, to affect pro-gambling legislation. One senator was accused of seeking $100,000 for his vote.


The head of the Justice Department's criminal division, Lanny Breuer, said the criminal activity was "astonishing in scope ... a full-scale campaign to bribe legislators and others."


VictoryLand casino owner Milton McGregor was among those indicted. His casino, now shut down, has more than 6,000 electronic bingo machines. His attorney, Joe Espy, said his client is absolutely innocent and looks forward to proving it.
Also indicted was Country Crossing casino developer Ronnie Gilley of Dothan and state Sens. Harri Anne Smith of Slocomb, James Prueitt of Talladega, Larry Means of Gadsden, and Quinton Ross Jr. of Montgomery.

All four senators voted for the unsuccessful legislation designed to keep electronic bingo casinos operating.
Also indicted were lobbyists Tom Coker and Bob Geddie, who represent VictoryLand; lobbyist Jarrod Massey and public relations executive Jay Walker, who represent Country Crossing; and Ray Crosby, an attorney for the Legislature who helped write gambling legislation.
A hearing at the federal courthouse in Montgomery was scheduled for later Monday.


Federal authorities announced Monday that one of Massey's employees, Jennifer Pouncy of Montgomery, pleaded guilty Sept. 28 to conspiracy. She admitted that at Massey's direction, she offered Preuitt $2 million for his vote and that Massey authorized her to offer $100,000 to Means for his vote.


The indictment alleges that Means, who had abstained from an earlier vote on the pro-gambling legislation in 2010, solicited bribes from McGregor, Gilley, Massey and others in return for voting in favor. In one case, the indictment says, he sought $100,000.


The indictment accused Ross of pressuring McGregor for campaign donations before voting for the gambling bill. It accuses Smith of voting for the bill and encouraging other legislators to support it in exchange for promises and payments from Gilley and others of hundreds of thousands in campaign funds. And it says the Preuitt was offered financial support, free polling and concerts by country music artists to help with his campaign.


The probe was announced last spring prior to the final votes on the bill, which died when sponsors could not line up enough for passage.


Backers of the bill, mostly Democrats, accused Republican Gov. Bob Riley's administration of derailing the measure with the announcement. While Riley's state public safety director was involved with the announcement, federal authorities said the Justice Department was handling the investigation.


Of the four state senators indicted, Means and Ross are Democrats, Preuitt is a Republican and Smith is an independent who was a Republican when the bill was in the Legislature. All are seeking re-election except Preuitt, who recently pulled out of his race.


Smith called her arrest "a nakedly political move, coordinated by the prosecutors in cahoots with the governor's office" to influence legislative elections Nov. 2.

The governor's spokesman, Jeff Emerson, said that last spring, Riley had labeled the gambling bill "the most corrupt piece of legislation ever considered by the Senate."


"Today's action by the Justice Department shows he was, sadly, right," Emerson said.
Electronic bingo casinos operated in Alabama for several years until the governor labeled the machines illegal slots and organized a task force to close them down. The unsuccessful legislation was designed to thwart Riley's task force and keep the electronic bingo machines operating.
McGregor's casino, 15 miles east of Montgomery, was the state's largest, but it has been closed since Aug. 9 to prevent a raid by the task force, which managed to close all privately operated electronic bingo casinos during the probe.
Only three casinos operated by the Poarch Creek Indians remain in operation. They are not under state supervision.

My, oh my, this tale of woe could very easily be applied to our own local situation, I'm quite sure. At a minimum it should serve as a true tale of caution for anyone not up to speed on the entire issue of  slot parlors, up to now rejected by Gov. Deval Patrick and the current sticking point with the MA House of Representatives proposed legislation to legalize gaming in the state.

What makes our own states Political/Lobbying situation any different from the "great state of Alabama"? NOTHING, that's what! Anyone trying to convince you  politics are somehow dirtier south of the Mason-Dixon line are drinking way too much Kool-Aid from the Gaming Industry's pitcher. Gaming means gambling and gambling means ORGANIZED CRIME! There's mucho money to be made from gaming, even if run entirely legally, which it seldom is regardless of what folks from Vegas or Atlantic City tell you. So naturally gaming, and it's legalization and expansion, is going to attract many "colorful" and " hyper-aggressive entrepreneurial" (HA!) types within it's highly questionable arena. Just more for the taxpayers of Fall River and the region to be concerned with as these types of horror stories continue to crop up around the country as states look to  expanded gaming as a way to raise revenues to pay for the basics, like schools, police, fire and DPW activities and services. That's what we've become, a society unwilling to pony up more of what we earn to make a better life for our citizens while becoming quite willing to directly involve ourselves in vice like  contemplated legalized and expanded gaming, as well as more extreme forms like legalized prostitution and previously illegal narcotics (legalized pot), just to evade the taxman.

The rich like the Board members of FROED, especially someone like "Yoe-Mama's" Corporation's Yo-Yo Magnate and well known crank yanker Alan Amaral, are doing just fine, thank you, and don't need the extra cash and maybe could afford a few more tax dollars taken out of their egregiously high interest earnings than you and I. But that's a different discussion for another day.

Given the latest news out of Las Vegas that the gaming industry in that city is facing the largest number of direct gaming layoffs since the 1940's, one has to wonder if the original estimates of thousands of jobs paying around $35,000 per year (gaming and related jobs, not construction) for Fall Riverites would be closer to the "Dirty Dozen" FROED  hack Ken "the weeper" Fiola finally admitted would be created from the Bio-Park. I mean, who CAN you trust?

I have a GREAT idea.......let's all take a guess who would be the "Dirty Dozen" in Fall River and it's immediate environs who would be assured employment at the new and exciting Fall River Destination Casino, to be named Antoine Walkerville, once it opens, er , IF it opens, that is. Let's see:

1.  Willy Nilly Boy Sylvanagan
2.  Cedric "I bet we can get Sylvanagan to take Wampum" Cromwell
3.  Ken "The Weeper" Fiola
4.  Steven "Hank the Angry Dwarf" Torres (BaBa-Bouiee)
5.  Alan "Yo-Mama" Amaral (aka "Pocketnuts Troy")
6.  Ex-State Senator Joan "It only hurts when I smile" Menard
7.  Liz "I buy my court clothes from the Hot Spot" Perriera
8.  Brian 'Sport Coat the Lesser" Bigelow (aka "Victoria's Not-So-Secret")
9.  Pat "HUH?" Casey
10.Mike "Listen to my radio show OR I'LL SMASH YOUR LEG IN A DOOR, BITCH!" Herren.
11.Meg Mayo-Brown (aka "The Backstabber", aka "Roy? Why are you making me hire Roy?")
12.Bealzebub (self explanatory)

Well...those are my dozen...let's see yours...I'll print them all, except, of course, those from "non-believers", and you know who you are...LOL!