By Rosalie Tirella
How pathetic. How pathetic to see how unethical your city is when you pick up a Boston rag. A Boston newspaper – The Boston Banner – recently opened my eyes to what is supposed to happen in the City of Worcester but never happens in the City of Worcester – especially in the Department of Public Works and Parks, headed by Robert Moylan.
In the Boston Banner you will see a 1/4 page ad. It reads: “ATTENTION CONTRACTORS: The City of Boston is seeking applicants to prequalify for City contracts to provide the following services:” And the list begins; it’s lengthy and very specific. In short, the ad is telling Bostonians that the City of Boston is opening up its hiring process and making its jobs available to all qualified applicants – not just their pals or relatives (a la Worcester).
I will list just a few of the many jobs (blue collar) that were listed in the City of Boston’s (very large) ad. Remember, these are not full-time jobs but “projects” or seasonal work for Boston. But we are not talking tiddly winks here, either – we are talking thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars to be made.
Again, some of the listings in the Boston ad:
* constable services
* asbestos, lead paint and mold inspection
* locksmith work
* snow removal
* supplies and equipment
* hazardous waste and/or oil removal
* exterminator
* excavation, demoliton and site work
* iron works/welding
* dumpsters
… ”
and on and on. There were 32 listings in all.
Then the City of Boston ad tells you where/how to apply: in person, over the Internet or call them ….
At the end of the ad: “City of Boston, Thomas M. Menion, Mayor …:
Very straightfoward. And classy.
Now look at Bizzarro-Worcester-Moylan’s-Fiefdom. Constrast the Boston ad to the City of Worcester and Bob Moylan’s MO:
Example #1: I am outside Flagg Street School with my dog Jett. There is a guy examining the school’s windows. I go up to him and ask him what he is doing. He says he is checking the building for lead and is doing the other Cityof Worcester school buildings. Guess where this City of Worcester subcontractor comes from? Derry, New Hampshire!
Yup! That’s right, Worcester, in the middle of brutal economic times hires ALG Environmental Consulting LLC from DERRY, NEW HAMPSHIRE!!!!
Yup, let’s keep our local dollars in town! Let’s support our local small businesses. I wonder who Stephen Powell of ALG (that’s the consultant’s name) knew in the City of Worcester to get the job? Who was his pal? or uncle? or nephew?
Why does Worcester give lip service to local biz folks – and nothing more? (Certainly not the city’s business/dollars!)
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Why don’t we see ads like the ones I saw in the Boston Banner? Where is the City of Worcester getting its subcontractors? How are they getting them? Is there a legitimate process? A special thumbs up to the City of Boston because The Banner is geared to the Boston’s African American citizens. When did Worcester actually try to hire minority plowers, lead testers, etc???
Why is it that City Councilor Joff Smith’s family has three or four snow plows going for the city of Worcester when there are so many regular working folks who need jobs? Why not give a lucrative and relatively easy 10 storm job to someone else? Why not advertise for contractors – just like the City of Boston does – instead of giving precious city jobs to people from New Hampshire?
Why give City Councilor Joff Smith’sfamily all those plowing contracts?
Welcome to the Worcester DPW and the City of Worcester, where it’s who you know, not what you know.