Posted on 11/09/2013 6:15:52 AM PST by raccoonradio
The Lawrence Board of Registrars met Friday evening to vote on whether or not provisional ballots and absentee ballots would be added to the election totals of Lawrence Mayor Willie Lantigua or Challenger Dan Rivera.
On Tuesday Rivera was declared the winner by 60 votes, but the day was marked with ballot machine mishaps, challenged votes and people voting in Lawrence after also voting in other communities.
The Board of Registrars is comprised of Annie Medina, Larry Collopy and City Clerk Billy Maloney.
After considering more than 41 provisional ballots and two absentee ballots that were “found” in the Election Department behind a file cabinet, Lantigua gained 11 votes and Rivera gained only 8.
The unofficial tally now has Dan Rivera beating Willie Lantigua by 57 votes.
Lantigua’s attorney Sal Tabit said tonight that Mayor Lantigua had not yet decided if he was going to call for a recount. He evaded direct questions by reporters as to Lantigua’s intentions and said that they wanted to wait until the city released the “official results”.
Rivera and his team, (including former North Andover State Rep. David Torrisi, his sister, North Andover Town Moderator Mark DiSalvo) joined Lantigua’s team as both sides inspected the sealed ballots and witnesses the ballot inspections as the board voted on each ballot.
Michael Graham wrote in Aug.:
>>Another day, another “Lawrence Mayor Willie Lantigua Broke The Law” story. Is anyone surprised?
BOSTON — Attorney General Martha Coakley sued Mayor William Lantigua yesterday for alleged campaign finance violations amounting to tens of thousands of dollars and dating to his years in the Statehouse. Among the allegations, Coakley said, Lantigua accepted illegal cash contributions; failed to disclose in-kind services provided by a catering hall, a weekly newspaper and a radio station; and allowed a city hall secretary — now his wife — and a Methuen cop to serve as financial officers in his campaign. Public employees are not allowed to hold official positions in campaign organizations or to solicit or receive political contributions.
For Lawrence’s little Willie, this is small potatoes. He’s got political allies awaiting trial for outright theft right now (they’re still on the city payroll, of course), and there are grand juries looking into his blatant criminality–like swapping city cars with a car dealer/Willie supporter that cost taxpayers $30,000.
Lantigua’s already been sued for many of these violations of state election law. He ignored it. He’ll ignore these, too, and he’ll be easily re-elected as mayor of Lawrence next month. So the question is “Why should I care, Michael? I don’t live in Lawrence, and I wouldn’t go to that crime-riddled rat hole on a dare.” You should care, because Willie’s playing with your money. $35 MILLION of your money–thanks to Deval Patrick. He pushed through a $35 million subsidy to the city of Lawrence under Willie’s leadership. As of today, the city has only borrowed $24 million, but the line of credit–on your name–is there. And that doesn’t include the $173 MILLION in state aid Lawrence is getting from the rest of the state this year alone! If Gov. Patrick and Beacon Hill Democrats are going to dump hundreds of millions of our dollars on Lantigua’s criminal enterprise zone, shouldn’t they have something to say about his behavior? When will Gov Patrick speak up about his pal Willie?
More good news: Lantigua has finally filed his campaign finance reports. OK, so they were two years late.
And do you realize that it has been one week — seven whole days — since one of his pals has been convicted of a crime? That would be Wilfredo Laboy II, son of the political prisoner, former School Superintendent Wilfredo Laboy. He got the jail time, the old man did, but Junior got probation. All he did was lie to the grand jury.
Willie Lantigua pointed out last night that the majority of drug suspects in Lawrence now come from out of town. Not to mention out of the country.
“I ask you to join me in refusing to allow distraction to keep us from the job at hand.”
In case you were wondering, “distraction” is another word for grand juries.
Alas, Gov. Deval Patrick was apparently unable to attend. But he is a gracious patron to his dear pal Mayor Lantigua. On the way to City Hall, perhaps Willie heard Republican state Rep. Jim Lyons talking on the radio about how the state — Lyons’ constituents, people who actually have jobs and pay taxes — are forking over $152 million for the Lawrence school system.
Of course he didn’t mention that the city of Lawrence is also making its own contribution — $4 million. Lyons calls the city an “ongoing criminal enterprise,” like Lawrence isn’t an equal-opportunity mob.
Take Lennie Degnan, the mayor’s suspended-with-pay chief of staff. His father-in-law is an ex-con, Nick Rizzo, the guy who looted Paul Tsongas’ campaign account back in 1992. And he’s from North Andover. Lawrence doesn’t care about your native tongue, or the color of your skin, just the length of your rap sheet.
Just ask Deval Patrick. The mayor should have thanked Patrick for the “loan” of an additional $35 million. I’m sure it’ll be paid back.
But look at how much Lawrence gives back — not just the votes to elect the fake Indian, but also, when his man Ron Bell allegedly drinks too much in Boston, who’s there to hire him off the waiver wire? Willie Lantigua, that’s who.
The mayor has much to be proud of. Think of all the arrested cops he’s still got on the payroll. And how about the three kids in the anti-gang program who were allegedly supplementing their income by sticking up bodegas?
What’s the big deal? There’s a word for it ... double-dipping.
>and he’ll be easily re-elected as mayor of Lawrence next month.
Oops, wrong Michael! (thankfully)
Tell this d-bag to show up a few minutes late. He won’t be offended.
The police chief seems to be on the Boston nightly TV newscasts almost every week making some statements about crime or criminals in Lawrence.
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