Airport For Sale

Over the past ten years, it has become obvious that we, the City of Worcester, does not belong in the airport business. This year alone, the airport will cost the tax-payers of Worcester (after the MassPort subsidy) approximately $1,800,000. I have been exhorting the City of Worcester to sell the airport for three years now so to see it in the paper today is good news.

Right away we save $1,800,000 if someone else takes over the airport. At the same time, however, the airport although it has gone unrealized is an asset and we should not sell a valuable asset like this on cheap. My main concern right now is that it seems that we are only in discussions with MassPort. We should be conducting a nationwide effort extolling the virtues of this modern airport "FOR SALE" and getting the best possible deal for the tax-payers..

Anne Feeney

Hey - come join the party for the Lynne Simonds campaign! Folk legend Anne Feeney is in concert for Lynne Simonds at STONE SOUP, 4 King street, Worcester. Thursday, April 4, 2007 at 7PM. Come here some great music for a great cause - getting Lynne simonds elected. Meet Lynne and here our opening act, the Simond's campaign's own Corey Dolgon, musician and Chair of Sociology at Worcester State College.

It promises to be a great night, hope to see you there.

Dave

$21 Million Deficit

I was wrong, tha actual number is $21 million not $20 million. First thing we need to do is privatize ORH (something I have been saying for three years). The sad part is that we are going to end up long-term leasing it to MassPort for less then I think we could have gotten on the open market. Putting that aside we will save $1,800,000.

Second thing we need to do is stop spending on things we do not absolutely need, can you say Skybridge. The whole special finance district is complete smoke and mirrors. If we do not create sufficient net new sales taxes. the burden of this $7,000,000 Skybridge will only increase the current deficit.

Thirdly, we need to start getting some accountability on projects like City Square or closer to District 4 the South Worcester Industrial Park.

City on the Move

City Manager O'Brien was on WTAG this morning and painted a picture of the city finances that I have never heard. Our financial pictured was described as being on the bubble with a School Department deficit of 12 million dollars and all the other departments basically have to cut their budgets 5%. I may have some of the number slightly wrong, but it does not sound good at all.

Assumption College Homelessness Forum

I had the opportunity to sit on a panel discussing homelessness last Friday at Assumption College. Capacity crowd of over 100. The issue remains divisive. Lynne's balanced position on keeping non-profits accountable while insisting on quality services for low-income people is what is needed for a healthy district - she discussed this all at length at the Elm Park debate in 2005.

An idea was floated at Assumption that shows the lack of seriousness with which Haller sometimes approaches this issue. The ideas was for colleges to build housing for the homeless on their campuses with their endowments. Where does one begin with that absurd proposition?

We need real-world solutions that will reduce PIP's census, include the surrounding towns, and help these homeless citizens succeed who lack strong representation in the district currently. Pie in the sky notions like building homeless beds at educational institutions makes it sound like the Khmer Rouge are in charge in the ideas department of district 4.