Methuen Mayor Bill Manzi EndorsesEileen Donoghue for Congress!

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Laboy: Race Politics is Ruining Lawrence

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Volume 4, Issue 7 July ~ 2007 36 Pages

V a l l e yV a l l e yV a l l e yV a l l e yV a l l e y P a t r i o tP a t r i o tP a t r i o tP a t r i o tP a t r i o tV a l l e yV a l l e yV a l l e yV a l l e yV a l l e y P a t r i o tP a t r i o tP a t r i o tP a t r i o tP a t r i o tA MONTHLY JOURNAL OF NEWS, COMMENTARY AND OPINIONS, SERVING THE MERRIMACK VALLEY

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Editorial/Opinions P. 2 & 3Dr.Ormsby P. 3Haverhill P. 4-5Lowell P. 22North Andover P. 8-9Duggan’s Notebook P. 12-13Local Cartoon P. 13Lawrence P. 10-16National Voices P. 17Seniors & Vets P. 20-21Georgetown P. 23Methuen P. 24-31Sudoku P. 33Classified P. 34-35

Pictures of HispanicWeek in Lawrence

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TonyAccardi

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Haverhill Mayor

JimFiorentini

Lowell Columnist

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Lawrence Superintendent of SchoolsWilfredo Laboy has been under fire bycritics over the last month for his decisionto house newly arrived immigrant studentswith lack of English proficiency in the “old”high school building on Haverhill Streetonce the new $110 million campus isofficially opened.

Teacher’s union president FrankMcLaughlin has publicly protestedSuperintendent Laboy’s decision calling it“segregation,” a word that has spread likewild fire in the Spanish Language media inLawrence.

“Latino activists” have taken to the radiowaves calling Laboy a racist and likeninghis decision to the racial segregation of the1960’s. Spanish language newspapers alsojumped on the bandwagon to brand Laboya “segregationist,” arguing that Laboy waspurposely denying “Latino” school childrenthe privilege of getting an education at thenew high school campus.

“It’s utterly ridiculous,” Laboy told TheValley Patriot.

“This community needs to come to gripswith its diversity,” he continued. “We needto have inter-group relations in Lawrenceand we have to stop blaming each other,stop whipping up racial resentment, and putan end to the racist allegations that alwaysseem to be made in Lawrence.”

“We need to pick ourselves up and dowhat’s right. Everyone has the sameopportunity in America and using the wordsegregation to describe a program for at riskimmigrant kids who are temporarily housedin a separate building is just plain wrong.It conveys to new immigrant children thatthey are being picked on. And because theydon’t know any better this word‘segregation’ continues to get repeated and

I’m Teresa ZingalesI’m Teresa ZingalesI’m a Member ofTeam Zingales

I’m a Member ofTeam Zingales

Please See Our Ad on Page 30360 Merrimack Street, Bldg. #5 in Lawrence

Continued on Page 15

“It is really painful that people usethis loaded word, “segregation”. Andthey know what they’re doing ...They are using this word which, tonewly arriving Latinos meansracism. Those who say we aresegregating are telling them that

they are being discriminatedagainst because of their race andthat just isn’t fair to anyone.”

Wilfredo T. Laboy, Superintendentof the Lawrence Public School System

Lawrence Mayor

MikeSullivan

Page 3

in Lawrence, Andover, N. Andover,Methuen, Haverhill, Lowell, Billerica,Chelmsford, Dracut, Tewksbury andWestford!

InsideInside

Methuen Mayor BillyManzi and his “team” en-dorsed Lowell CityCouncilor Eileen Dono-ghue to replace MartyMeehan in congress.Donoghue (2nd fromright), was also endorsedby State Senator SteveBaddour, formercouncilor Mike Condon,State Rep. Linda DeanCampbell, former StateSenator Jim Jajuga andCouncilor Debbie Quinn.

See Story Page 25See Story Page 25

2 The Valley Patriot July - 2007

Email - ValleyPatriot@aol.comThe Valley Patriot is printed at thebeginning of each month. The ValleyPatriot is not liable for errors appearingin advertisements provided to us. All adcopy must be submitted seven daysprior to publication. Subscriptions to TheValley Patriot cost $20 per year and aredelivered via U.S. Mail.

P.O. Box 453, North Andover, MA 01845Phone - (978) 557-5413 Fax (978) 258-1964

All contents (c) Copyright, June 5, 2007

You can read us on-line at www.valleypatriot.comThe Valley Patriot is printed by GRAPHICDEVELOPMENTS in West Hanover, MA

Ralph Wilbur

Advertising Director: Paula PortenPresident: Tom Duggan, Jr.Vice President/Director:

Editing/Layout: Tom Duggan, Jr.

Valley Patriot, Inc.The Valley Patriot is published by:

Chief Editor: Ted Tripp

Talk Radio: CongressShall Make No Law ...

Opinions

Valley Patriot*Editorial*

See page 13 for our new political cartoon from David Sullivan of Dracut

Dear Dr. Ormsby,

My name is Elaine Jiadosz Brasseur. I inNorth Andover, Massachusetts for 70 of my71 and one-half years. Our local cableaccess television programs covering thevarious town board meetings are what Iattempt to observe every time they arebroadcast. My heart is heavy today when Ilearned of the success of the overridepassage. My husband and I live on a verylimited fixed income. We are certainly notdestitute, but as the taxes increase, ourliving expenses increase, water billsincrease, but our incomes do not increase.Our health insurance costs us almost $700per month. But, do our town fathers care?NO!!!

I love this town. My Polish grammyraised me in this home from 1937, and whenI was wed in 1954, my husband and I stayedat this address. We have dutifully paid ourtaxes over the years, as well we should.Riverview Street is located in the poorestneighborhood in town. However, I wouldnever want to live elsewhere. Our home was

assessed for $27l,200 in 2006. Now, theassessed value is $290,700! Our real estatetax is approximately $3,300 per year! Wehave tried to keep our property in goodrepair, but have not made any updates forover 35 years (except for painting ... whichI have done myself in order to save money).When I spoke to one of the assessors thismorning because our home’s assessedvaluation had increased by almost $20,000,and I wanted to know why, he told me thatwas because this is a mandate of the state.

I wanted you to know how much myhusband and I appreciate everything you,Mr. Tripp, and Mr. Wilbur have attemptedto do to educate our citizens. Unfortunately,insanity has won!

Thanks for listening and I look forwardto your unending concern for our town.

Sincerely,

Elaine Jiadosz Brasseur

North Andover

To the Editor:

I have been a resident of the MerrimackValley since 1990, and until last week I feltvery welcome. The first and only insult Ihave witnessed was your editorial cartoonfrom the issue of “The Valley Patriot,” datedJune 2007. I was extremely offended byyour insinuation that any Jew orChristian that believes that God created theuniverse and all that is in it, should be in amuseum of stupidity.

“The Flat Earth Display.” What is wrongwith someone’s belief that does notinterfere with your way of thinking? If youwant to believe in the Big BangTheory, fine, you have the right to thatbelief, as I and other Christians and Jewshave the right to believe in creation by a

Higher Being. My belief won’t hurt you; itwon’t prevent you from printing your paper,nor interfere with your wages. Indeed, itwill not have any impact on you. So, whythrow insults at us?

Overall, I enjoy your newspaper. I enjoythe stories of the heroes of WW II & of theKorean Conflict. I share other ideas withyour publication, but I do not believe thatyou have the right to insult those who donot agree with all of your thinking. That isnot what the Constitution guarantees youas a free press.

David A. Sheehan

Atkinson, NH

Editor’s Note; It’s clearly Tom Duggan’s Fault. He is mistakenly thought that thecartoon was making fun of evolutionist (sometimes, he really doesn’t pay attention).We are sorry, however, that your misguided reading of the The Constitution of theUnited States has left you with the impression that speech you disagree with shouldbe left unprotected.

Careful readers of this paper have probably noticed the above bylineunder The Valley Patriot banner since our very first printing.

We chose this byline, the first five words of the First Amendment tothe U. S. Constitution, because we believe that this amendment isthe first line of defense against government trampling our rights asindividuals. It is a boldly stated “No Trespassing” sign that tells thegovernment to do nothing that interferes in any way with our right topractice whatever religion we choose and our right to openlycommunicate our beliefs — whether orally or in writing, and whetheralone or in concert with others.

The legitimacy of our government is critically linked with the traditionof forbidding any government interference with our right to freely re-ceive, formulate and communicate ideas. If our government interfereswith the very intellectual discourse that results in the selection of ourelected representatives or that shapes our laws, then the institutionof government itself is illegitimate and will ultimately lose the supportof its citizenry. Often, violent revolution is the only remedy.

Today, our First Amendment rights are under attack.

First there was the McCain-Feingold campaign finance legislationthat not only interfered with the use of private property to exerciseone’s rights protected by the First Amendment, but also placed explicitlimitations of the exercise of political speech – a clear violation of“Congress shall make no law … .” What is it about “no law” thatCongress or the Supreme Court doesn’t understand?

Now there is a concerted campaign to impose a “fairness doctrine”on talk radio. Anybody who thinks he wants government to be thereferee of fairness when it comes to political speech – and, like it ornot, talk radio is clearly political speech — is woefully naïve andignorant of history.

Our freedom of speech has never been put at risk by an institutionwith greater resources. The New York Times may have tremendousresources, but radio, TV, cable, satellites, the Internet, and evenpapers such as The Valley Patriot ensure that a wide variety of ideaswill be available to readers/listeners.

The only risk to our First Amendment rights comes from government.

How do we determine what is “fair”? Should the idea that suicidebombers are positive role models be given the same amount of airtimeas a discussion of education reform? Why not? Who is to say howavailable airtime should be parceled out? Do we want the governmentto decide that?

Freedom works. Just as the raving lunatic on a street corner inNew York City only draws a handful of listeners while others, withmore valuable messages, fill Yankee Stadium or draw millions ofreaders or listeners, the marketplace of ideas responds to the people’sdemands.

When governments pollute the process of their own evolution, theyevolve tyrannies. If we let that happen, we will set the stage forJefferson’s remedy: “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from timeto time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”

July - 2007 The Valley Patriot 3

Hi, I’m Kathy Mamos

Please see our ad on Page 30360 Merrimack Street, Bldg. #5 in Lawrence

I’m a Member ofTeam Zingales

I’m a Member ofTeam Zingales

Hi, I’m Kathy Mamos

Opinions

Snookered

Thinking Outsidethe Box!

Dr. Charles Ormsby, N.A. School Committee

Lawrenceon the Move

Lawrenceon the Move

Mayor Michael J. Sullivan

Salisbury Beach Summer Entertainment Schedule July 2007

Tuesday, July 3rd - Music Perfor-mance: B-Street Bombers - Time: 7 PM

Wednesday, July 4th - Music Perfor-mance: Smokin' Joe and the Henchmen- Time: 7 PM & 8:30 PM

Thursday, July 5th- Music Perfor-mance: R.B. Entertainment -MasterEntertainer - Time: 7 PM & 8:30 PM

Friday, July 6th - Music Performance:Reminisants - Time: 7 PM & 8:30 PM,

Saturday, July 7th - Saturday NightSock Hop with Gary Francis - 7 PM

Friday, July 13th - Music Perfor-mance: R.B. Entertainment - MasterEntertainer - 7 PM & 8:30 PM

Saturday, July 14th - Saturday NightSock Hop with Gary Francis - 7 PM

Friday, July 20th - Rico Barr and theJump and Jive Revue - 8 Piece Band - 7PM & 8:30 PM

Saturday, July 21st - Saturday NightSock Hop with Gary Francis - 7 PM

Friday, July 27th - Music Performance:B-Street Bombers - 7 PM & 8:30 PM

Saturday, July 28th - Saturday NightSock Hop with Gary Francis - 7 PM

August 2007

Saturday, August 4th - Saturday NightSock Hop with Gary Francis - 7 PM

Friday, August 10th - Don't Call MeShirley - 7PM & 8:30 PM

Saturday, August 11th - SaturdayNight Sock Hop with Gary Francis - 7PM

Friday, August 17th - Music Perfor-mance: Squeezebox Stompers - 7PM& 8:30 PM

Saturday, August 18th - SaturdayNight Sock Hop with Gary Francis -Time: 7 PM

Friday, August 24th - Music Perfor-mance: R.B. Entertainment - MasterEntertainer - 7 PM & 8:30 PM

Saturday, August 25th - SaturdayNight Sock Hop with Gary Francis -7 PM

September 2007

Saturday, September 1st - SaturdayNight Sock Hop with Gary Francis -Time: 7 PM

WCAP’s Gary Francis willhost Saturday Night SockHops at Salisbury Beachstarting Saturday, July 7th -at 7 PM

It is easy to be cynical when it comes topolitics. We have come to expect lies,distortions and outright misrepresentations.

Unfortunately, we now tend to viewpolitics as a sport and, except for the mostegregious violations, we accept whomeveror whatever prevails as deserving of praiseand congratulations despite the legitimacyof tactics, methods, or claims.

That is sad because truth does matter.

The recent override election in NorthAndover provides an excellent example.

A variety of claims were made by theoverride proponents – North AndoverUnited (NAU) – during the recentcampaign. One claim was the subject of awell-designed and widely-distributedpostcard sent at the very end of thecampaign, which left no time for rebuttal.

The claim, seemingly supported bylegitimate data, was that North Andover’slack of willingness to raise taxes andprovide greater funding for its schools wasresponsible for a 17 percent loss of realestate value since 2002-03 when comparedto Andover. The data reported on thatpostcard – plus two previous yearsconveniently NOT REPORTED by NAU– is provided nearby (years are mid-Juneto mid-June).

In reviewing the table, what “%Difference” value seems to be the most outof step? Could it be the –2 percent chosenby NAU as its “starting point”? ALL theother percentages, including the twopreceding values, are between –9 and -16percent. Was 2002-03 chosen as thebaseline year to create a perception of asubsequent decline that didn’t really occur?

Given NAU’s analysis methodology andits claim that under-funding our schools iscausing a decline in our real estate values,it is particularly odd that in the 12 monthsimmediately following the voters rejectionof the $4 million override in May 2002, wesupposedly gained 8 percentage points(from –10% to –2%) in market valueagainst Andover.

This is the same override campaignduring which school accreditation loss wasthreatened, 42 teachers were to be fired, andAP Calculus was going to be eliminated.Now in 2006-07, after having doubled ourAP enrollments, our real estate valuesplummet? Very odd!

A more realistic assessment of the dataindicates that, over the seven years listed,North Andover property values haveaveraged approximately 10 percent below

Continued on Page 8

American Training: Changing Lives inLawrence and Beyond

One of the greatest honors I have asmayor of Lawrence is to witness thetremendous efforts being made byLawrence residents and business owners tomake this community a better place to liveand work in every day.

This month I would like to take theopportunity to tell you about Tom Connors,one of the unsung heroes in our city. Tom,a lifelong resident of Lawrence, is the CEOand President of American Training, Inc.on Glenn Street, right in the heart of ourindustrial park.

Along with his partner, Arthur Brady,Tom started American Training in 1979 ina small office on Haverhill Street. Theystarted American Training to help peoplein the community better prepare for thechanging job market and to provide lifeskills and education to people most in need.[I had the pleasure or experiencing firsthand the tremendous success they haveachieved at their recent Business AwardsCeremony. I learned quickly that when itcomes to consistent performance they arethe go-to agency in our area!

American Training started with 28 em-ployees and a budget of approximately$700,000. Thanks to the Herculean effortsof Tom, Arthur and their business partners,American Training now employes over 300Merrimack Valley residents and has a bud-get of more than $15 million. From that lit-tle office on Haverhill Street so many yearsago, American Training has grown to ser-vice more than 10 cities and towns – fromas far south as Cambridge and Boston tocommunities in Southern New Hampshire.

The services provided to people in thisarea by American Training runs the gamut

from helping those with disabilities, toretraining and reemploying those who losta job at Lucent Technologies or MaldenMills, to helping those looking for a careerchange and wanting to brush up on theirskills to better prepare themselves for newlyemerging job opportunities.

American Training also manages 12homes throughout the valley, servicing at-risk youths who are coming out of programsrun by DYS (Department of Youth Servic-es) and DSS (Department of SocialServices) as well as individuals withphysical and other disabilities who oftenfind it difficult to master life’s basic skillsor job-related skills that would encourageemployers to give them a chance.

In short, American Training is like aprivate community college, serving theyouth of the Merrimack Valley as well asthose well established in the world of work.From senior citizens who need help gettingto and from the supermarket to youngparents who’ve had children at a veryyoung age and did not finish their owneducation or acquire work experience,American Training seems be able to dosomething to help everyone who walksthrough their doors.

The help they give people with little orno public recognition is truly amazing. Buteven more amazing is the attitude andphilosophy of Tom Connors, Arthur Bradyand the rest of the dedicated people atAmerican Training who are making such ahuge difference in the lives of Lawrenceresidents and the others they serve outsideour city limits. They truly believe and have

Continued on Page 11

4 The Valley Patriot July - 2007

Haverhill Mayor James Fiorentini

Moving Haverhill ForwardHaverhill

Jim Fiorentini is the mayor ofHaverhill and is in his second term.He is seeking a third term inNovember. You can email him atjimfior2@aol.com

Eliminate Your CreditCard Debt Through

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This edition is about more — morefireworks, more businesses, more jobs,more downtown improvements and moreabout our budget. Most importantly, wehave more good news for our schools.Earlier this year the state said that theywould label Haverhill’s school districtunder-performing. Now the state says thatthey will NOT label us under-performing.More later. Thus far this year, 64communities have asked for overrides. Allthroughout the state, communities arelaying off police and fire, cutting music andsports, cutting library hours and asking fortax increases. We are adding police, addinglibrary hours and increasing our budget foreducation by 4%. Our long term problemsof a structural deficit remain, but this yearwe have more. Thanks to an anonymousdonation, this year’s fireworks display isgoing to be bigger and better than ever!Fireworks start at 10 PM on July 3rd at thestadium. More details are in this newsletter.We are sprucing up our downtown andputting in flower baskets, new docks and abocce court — all as public/privatepartnerships. Read on! We have morebusinesses, more jobs and more places toshop. Until the next edition, I remain at yourservice, your mayor, Jim Fiorentini.

More Good News for Haverhill

Manufacturing Business in Ward HillExpands, Adds Jobs. Over the past fouryears we have made a concerted effort tostreamline permitting and bring newbusiness to our city. Our latest success isAdom Engineering, a Ward Hill basedmanufacturer of jet engine parts. Adom isexpanding and adding top-flightmanufacturing and engineering jobs.

More Fireworks

Thanks to an anonymous donation of$10,000, this year’s fireworks display atHaverhill stadium will be twice as big(twice as intense, but not twice as long).This will be the biggest fireworks displayin the Merrimack Valley and our biggestever. Our fireworks display is completelypaid for with funds we raise privately.Fireworks start at 10 PM at the stadium.Before that, we have entertainment gearedto families and kids starting at 6 PM. Pleasejoin us.

More Improvements to ourDowntown Parks

If you have ever driven by the outsidepark in Boston’s North End, you often seegroups of people gathered around to watcha game where people throw a small woodenball on a stone-dust court. The game iscalled “bocce” and is rising in popularityaround the country. Thanks to a public/private partnership with a number ofHaverhill businesses, we’ll be installing abocce court downtown in the area behindthe Tap Restaurant. To improve recreation,we’ve added swing sets, removed baseballtournament fees, added our outdoor skatingprogram, and added free, indoor ice skating.

Bocce courts are very inexpensive — about$1,500 for materials. Our highway/parksdepartment is installing it. Thus far, we havepledges of about $4,000 in private moneyto help pay for the court and to improvethe park area. We want Haverhill’sdowntown to look nice and be a fun place— fun for senior citizens, fun for kids andfun for families. Last year we added morebenches, tables with umbrellas, and barrels.This year we partnered with one of thebusinesses to add movies downtown, addedhanging flowers, put in more docks, andnow, a new bocce court.

More About the Budget — Stoneham— and More

Thus far this year, 64 communitiesthroughout the state have asked theircitizens to pay more through an override.Other communities are forced to lay offpolice and fire. Most of the 64 proposedoverrides went down to defeat. In Stone-ham, where I got my start many years agoas a substitute teacher, a failed overridemeant that all school sports’ programs werecanceled. In Haverhill, there is no overriderequest. Instead of cutting services, we areadding two police officers, increasingmoney for police patrols, and increasing ourschool budget by 4%. This budget is a farcry from where we were just 4 years agowhen we were closing fire stations, closinglibraries and our high school was threatenedwith loss of accreditation. Despite our suc-cess this year, we still have serious long-term financial problems called a “structuraldeficit.” Long term solutions are required.The Municipal Partnership Act proposed byGovernor Patrick is one such solution. Lastweek, I traveled to Boston to join with Gov-ernor Patrick and mayors throughout thestate in lobbying our legislators to pass thebadly needed Municipal Partnership Act.

Forest City Wants to Improve This...

Forest City Ltd. of Cleveland, Ohio, oneof the largest residential developers in thecountry, wants to turn this old junkyard andbuildings downtown into upscale resi-dential housing. The area shown here wouldbe their parking, and the buildings to theleft, which long ago housed Hamel Leather,would be housing. The Forest City devel-opment is the largest development in thehistory of the city, about a $60 million in-vestment in our downtown. The devel-opment means an additional $300,000 intax revenues over and above what thebuilding pays now.

Mayor Names Professional SearchTeam to Choose New Highway Director

Saying “it is time to reform and changethe highway department,” Mayor James J.Fiorentini today named a professional teamto advise him in choosing a new highwaydirector. The mayor named Robert Moylan,Jr., longtime superintendent of public worksin Worcester, to head the search team. Mr.Moylan is an engineer, and is a nationally-recognized public works official. In 1998he was recognized by the American PublicWorks Association as one of the top tenpublic works directors in the country. Also

on the committee: William Pauk, formerwater/waste water director in Haverhill, andPersonnel Director Mary Carrington.“We’re determined to reform, change andbring in the most highly qualified profes-sionals to run that department,” saidFiorentini.

Insurance Reforms Save $1.5 Million

One reason we were acble to providemore resources to public education andpublic safety was that we have been ableover the past three years to reform ourhealth system. Every employee union hasagreed to increase their contributiontowards health care costs. Those health carereforms saved $1.5 million in this year’sbudget, making it possible to add moreresources to schools and police.

New Docks Downtown

A few years ago, we added a dock fee toimprove boating downtown. This year, thedock fee provides for newer, stronger andbetter docks in our downtown. Please, pullup your boats, play some bocce, and havea drink at the Tap or one of our other finedowntown restaurants.

A Downtown Master Plan

Thanks to generous private contributions,we have been able to hire a national econ-omic consultant to put together a masterplan for downtown. The consultant chosenby the Mayor’s Downtown Task Force wasAaron Gruen of Illinois. Here are a few de-tails of Mr. Gruen’s report: Restaurants area key component to revitalizing a down-town — we are on the right track, but weneed more; downtown should not try to imi-tate malls, it should be an anti-mall, withrestaurants, housing, and small niche shops;certain small retail stores, like yarn stores

and small book-stores, work wellwith downtown; wehave a perceivedparking problem,not a real one; bigbox retail on theoutskirts of down-town complements

a downtown rather than competing with it;we should continue with the conversion ofabandoned factories to residences - theresidents provide customers for downtown.

State: Haverhill Schools are NOTUnderperforming

Several months ago, the state educationalaudit division asked the state education de-partment to declare the Haverhill schoolsystem underperforming. This week, thestate education department declined to de-clare us underperforming, and said we aremoving in the right direction. The statenoted we have a new superintendent andthat we have instituted many of the changesand reforms that the state requested in theiraudit report.

Feedback: Last month, most of you feltthat while class size and books are bothimportant, if we have to choose, we need tochoose text books that align with thecurriculum. This month’s questions: 1. Thecity is making an extra effort to keepdowntown clean and looking nice — withnew flower boxes and more street sweeping.How do you feel the downtown looks forcleanliness and aesthetics? ( ) generallygood, ( ) needs work. What can we do toimprove the appearance of downtown? 2.We have a number of programs at PlugsPond and other areas for kids this summer.What other programs would you like to see?How do you feel about the allocation in thebudget I submitted: ( ) As good as could beexpected with the financial situation, ( ) Iam not happy with the allocation ofresources, here is why:

July - 2007 The Valley Patriot 5Haverhill

Mark Palermo, Haverhill (NECC) Professor

Another Point of View

My Summer Wish List

Haverhill, Mass. – The Exchange Clubof Haverhill has been celebrating patriotismlong before it became a fashionable. Foryears, they have been hosting an annualprogram entitled “So Proudly We Hail”, aprogram in which they honor individualsthroughout the city of Haverhill whoproudly display the American flag.

On June 14th (Flag Day) the ExchangeClub of Haverhill invited several membersof the city to enjoy lunch at WinnekenniCastle and receive plaques in honor of theirdedication to patriotism. Sue Ellery, Ex-change Club President, organized the eventand presented each recipient with a beau-tiful plaque recognizing their patrioticefforts. Recipients of the award includedLois and Roger Chadwick, David andRoseann McMenemy and H.L. Farmer &Sons Funeral Homes, which wasrepresented by Louis Farmer. Each of theseHaverhill residents have certainly displayedan enormous amount of dedication to flyingthe symbol for freedom, and the ExchangeClub of Haverhill is proud to recognize

them for their continued efforts. The clubalso sponsored the installation of a flagpoleat the entrance to Winnekenni Castle. Theypre-sented the flagpole to the WinnekenniFoundation that same day, with a ceremonyfollowing the “So Proudly We Hail”luncheon.

“It was wonderful to be able to host thesetwo events on Flag Day,” said Ellery. “Wehope that the visitors to Winnekenni Castleenjoy the flag and flagpole for years tocome.”

Exchange Club of Haverhill Honors AreaResidents in “So Proudly We Hail” Program

Haverhill and Wakefield – The membersof the Exchange Club of Haverhill eagerlyanticipate the crowning of their Exchangiteof the Year each June, and this year theaward was deservingly bestowed uponKaren Currier.

The Exchangite of the Year is a closelyheld secret within the club, with previousrecipients of the award making the decision.The selection committee is comprised ofGlenn Strauss, Exchangite of the Year 2006(Wakefield), Rick Barry, Exchangite of theYear 2005 (Lowell), Karrie Eaton, Exchan-gite of the Year 2004 (Kingston, NH) andRocky Cimino, Exchangite of the Year 2003(West Newbury). The committee encour-ages suggestions from club members andpresents the recipient with a beautiful pla-que at a luncheon in their honor. Therecipient is not announced until the day ofthe presentation.

“Karen is an outstanding member of ourclub,” said Strauss. “Her work with theHaver-hill Police Department and herdedication to the Exchange Club has beenright in line with our mission of child abuseprevention.”

Currier, a Haverhill resident, has made acareer out of caring for this community. Asa Detective with the Haverhill PoliceDepartment (HPD) she deals directly withdomestic violence cases. Currier has alsobeen responsible for getting sex offendersoff the streets. In her 14 years on the force,she has served as the Accreditation Managerfor the HPD and has held the post ofPresident for the Police Relief Association.Karen is a Board Member for the EssexCounty Child Advocacy Center and isworking to see one built here in Haverhill.

Exchange Club of Haverhill AnnouncesKaren Currier Exchangite of the Year

The Exchange Club of Haverhill is a not-for-profit service club that meets weekly onThursdays at the Olivia’s at 12:00 p.m. (noon).The club is made up of approximately 45volunteers from throughout the community. Theirprimary focus is on the prevention of child abuse.Through fundraising efforts they are able toprovide programs such as the Junior Police, ReadAcross America and Trees for Tots. Scholarshipsare given by the Exchange Club of Haverhill, likethe Youth of the Year and ACE Award. For moreinformation on how to learn more about theExchange Club visit their websi te atwww.haverhillexchangeclub.com

I wish mediocrity were not so politicallyexpedient. My father has always said, “BSwill get a man further in life than talent.”For proof, one need look no further thanMarty “Midas” Meehan, who went along,broke promises, and spent his entirecongressional career railing againstcampaign finance abuses. Yet, in the end,Midas drank more deeply from thepoisoned cup of campaign finance than anyof his ethically-challenged colleagues.Which brings me to my next wish:

I wish all lobbying were illegal,especially by foreign governments.Lobbying is just another word for bribery.How can we have a foreign policy in thebest interests of the American people whenwe allow China, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Japan,and anyone else to buy into our legislativeprocess?

I wish Congress would take a lesson fromDoors’ drummer John Densmore, whorefused a $15,000,000 offer from Cadillacfor the rights to use “Break On Through”in the company’s advertising campaign.Densmore says the Doors music is “not forrent.” (Jim wouldn’t approve) The Doorshad more talent, passion, and artisticintegrity than any other rock group- thenand now.

I wish U.N. observers were called in tomonitor all future public works projects inHaverhill. Then, maybe it wouldn’t take sixyears to replace an 800-foot bridge throughthe center of town.

I wish Howie Carr, AKA “Howie, theJackal,” avowed Nemesis of immigrants -illegal and otherwise- would find one good

thing to say about one immigrant. Anyimmigrant will do. The image of Howie inthe act of praise is somehow inconceivable,maybe even surrealistic. Like George Bushdancing the Macarena. Or Dick Cheneyreading Allen Ginsberg’s poem, Howl, insome smoky, waterfront tavern.

I wish the people of the United Stateswould stand against torture, secretdetentions and similar abuses for which wecondemned the Nazis at Nuremburg. We area nation of laws, not of men.

I wish the government would allow a fulltax deduction for those who pay their ownmedical insurance.

I wish so-called conservative columnist,Ann “the Cruel Nun” Coulter wouldpractice civility and restraint, which are thehallmarks of democracy. Every time theshrewish Coulter speaks, she makesconservatism look more like fascism.

I wish there were an enforced anti-noiseordinance in Haverhill. We shouldn’t haveto legislate common sense, respect andconsideration, but we must.

I wish we had National Orgasm Day hereas they do in Brazil. The town ofEsperantina, whose residents are deeplyreligious and conservative, hosts the annualevent dedicated to “the health givingbenefits of orgasm,” within a committedrelationship of course. Esperantina’s mayor,Felipe Santolia says, “I’ve seen scientificstudies that show when a woman isunloved, when her husband can bring her

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Each semester, Northern EssexCommunity College English professorsselect the top essays in their EnglishComposition I and English Composition IIand recognize the student authors at theWriting Awards Ceremony.

This year's ceremony was held on Friday,May 4th, and 35 students were honored.

With almost 100 sections of EnglishComposition offered at the college thisspring semester and an average of 20students in each class, these awards areextremely selective. According to SuzanneVan Wert, English Dept. Chair, the 35award recipients were selected from a poolof about 10,000 essays. "People are alwaysdelighted when they hear our students'essays at the ceremony and realize thequality of work generated by our students,"she said.

Receiving the Professor Elizabeth ArnoldAward for her English Composition I essaywas Aura Valdes of Newburyport.Professor Arnold, who taught journalismand composition at the college from 1969to 1988, initiated the college's journalismconcentration and was the faculty advisorto the Observer, NECC's award winningstudent newspaper. Valdes received alaptop computer donated by Dell Inc.

The Roland Kimball Award forExcellence in Composition II waspresented to Mark Combs of Bradford forhis Composition II essay. ProfessorKimball served as professor of Englishfrom the college’s beginnings in 1961 until1992 and was the first chairman of theEnglish Department. Combs received a$300 scholarship. All students receivedcertificates of excellence. Students whoseessays were judged to be worthy of specialrecognition were honored withscholarships or gift certificates to theBarnes & Nobles bookstore.

Students Honored Included

Amesbury: Kevin Cotty, English Comp.I, $50 scholarship, Jame’ Joefield, EnglishComp. I, Michael Ortu, English Comp. I.Andover: Katherine Riendeau, EnglishComp. I, $50 scholarship. Bradford: SaraAdams, English Comp. I, Kelley

Danielson, English Comp. I, $100scholarship, Mark Combs, English Comp.II, $300 scholarship and the RolandKimball Award for Excellence inComposition II. Patricia Steele, EnglishComp. I. Byfield: Michelle Fortin, EnglishComp. I, $25 gift certificate to Barnes &Nobles. Dracut: Brenda Caunter, EnglishComp. I, $25 gift certificate to Barnes &Nobles. Georgetown: Laura Driscoll,English Comp. I. Haverhill: DiannelyAntigua, English Comp. II, Donna Johnson,English Comp. II, $50 scholarship, JasonLaBonte, English Comp. I. EmmaLeighLawrence-Wilbins, English Comp. II, ErikaMcCann, English Comp. I, Hope Oulette,English Comp. I, $200 scholarship. KatieRusso, English Comp. II, $50 scholarship,Danielle Taylor, English Comp. II. Ipswich:Candice McLaughlin, English Comp. II.Lawrence: Catherine Blais, English Comp.I, Yanitza Perez, English Comp. I.Merrimack: Holly Flinn, English Comp. II,Mary Pettoruto, English Comp. I, $50scholarship, Nicole Trimble, English Comp.I. Methuen: Jessica Demers, English Comp.I, Christian Gebauer, English Comp. I,Richard Reynolds, English Comp. II,Ashley Smallwood, English Comp. II.Newburyport: Aura Valdes, English Comp.I, Dell Laptop computer and the ElizabethArnold Award for Excellence inComposition I. North Andover: ChunningHuang, English Comp. II. Hampton, NH:David Kepner, English Comp. II, $100scholarship. Newton, NH: Amanda Basler,English Comp. II, $150 scholarship, EileenPatterson, English Comp. I. Pelham, NH:Dave Mullins, English comp. I.

NECC's English DepartmentPresents Writing Awards

With campuses in Haverhill andLawrence and extension sites in Andoverand Methuen, Northern EssexCommunity College is a state-assistedcollege, offering over 70 associate degreeand certificate programs as well ashundreds of non credit courses designedfor personal enrichment and careergrowth. Close to 13,000 students rangingfrom recent high school graduates toworkers employed locally attend classesdays, evenings, and weekends. NorthernEssex is the only state college located inthe lower Merrimack Valley Region ofMassachusetts.

Karen Currier holds the prizedExchangite of the Year Award!