Saturday, April 22, 2006

Scuttlebutt among the no power council

Word on the street is that Larry Dicara will resign from the board that advises on salary compensation. I loved Mike Ross's quote about how any person qualified to advise on those matters already would have business with the city. It reminds me of those maps "a Bostonian's view of the world" that have a Big Boston, slightly big Cambridge, tinier New York, and a far off California, china, etc....
Somehow, I personally believe that in Boston there is professional whose job is to know about salary compensation who doesn't have his hand in as many pies as Larry Dicara does at City Hall. Many of the Big Accounting firms have people whose job it is to assess salaries. The world of Boston does not revolve around City Hall, it puts up with it getting in the way of doing good things in business and in the private sector way too often.

Half an hour before the city council was going to have its hearing on salary increases it cancelled it. What was that all about??? Word is that the city council is afraid of the state ethics commission. I'm not sure why.

I am trying to get a street permit for our neighborhood associations annual fair. I called our neighborhood liason, who didn't get back to me for over a week, so I called again. He gave me the name of whom I had to call.
I called them, and they told me they were the wrong person, and they told me who to call.
I called them, and they told me they were the wrong person, and they told me who to call.
I called them, and they told me they were the wrong person, and they told me who to call.
I called them, and they said to write a letter.

What we should do, is what a neighborhood group in Dorchester did last year. They were unhappy with the Mayor about something, so they just didn't even bother getting a permit and shut down three streets on their own. A lot of people come to that annual picnic, so they were a bit apprehensive but they figured the Mayor would show up.
Sure enough he did (since it was an election year) and nothing happened. Why play by the rules? City Hall doesn't, and they only enforce ones that help them personally. So much for the rule of law....and we wonder what message that sends to our kids and teens, and wonder why they don't talk to the authorities.

1 comment:

theszak said...

What exactly are the matters
that the papers concern that are
referred to in these docket items?
0554 ?...

0555 ?...

0556 ?...

The information is not available at
http://cityofboston.gov/citycouncil


City Council Meeting Agendas
View the Agendas
from a specific week: 4/23/2006
http://www.cityofboston.gov/cityclerk/hearing/see.asp?type=ag

Reports from public officers and others
0554
Notice was received from the City Clerk
in accordance with
Chapter 6 of the Ordinances of 1979
re: actions taken by the Mayor on
papers acted upon by the City Council
at its meeting on
March 22, 2006.

0555
Notice was received from the City Clerk
in accordance with
Chapter 6 of the Ordinances of 1979
re: actions taken by the Mayor
on papers acted upon by the City Council
at its meeting on
March 29, 2006.

0556
Notice was received from the City Clerk
in accordance with
Chapter 6 of the Ordinances of 1979
re: actions taken by the Mayor
on papers acted upon by the City Council
at its meeting on
April 5, 2006.


City Council Meeting Agendas
View the Agendas
from a specific week: 4/23/2006

Or, search the Minutes!

Order of business for
matters presented to the City Clerk
prior to
12:00 on Tuesday, April 25, 2006
for consideration by the City Council
at a regular meeting on
Wednesday, April 26 at 11:30 AM

The following were received:
http://www.cityofboston.gov/cityclerk/hearing/see.asp?type=ag