I went to a bar and....

A debate broke out and it was OK, but I was holding out for some fist-pumping and name calling. I guess in Worcester, we should be grateful for what we get.



Take a look at this awesome video courtesy of Worcester Love.

Thankful?

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, I wonder what's going to take place on Tuesday night at the City Council meeting.

I wonder if Konnie will "rub it in" and wield her power, showing Rick that she is the HLIC (that's Head Lady In Charge, for those not familiar with the term)? Is Konnie going to play "nice" and give Rushton a pass, or will she lay the smacketh down on all them candy-asses? Only time will tell.

In other news, Worcester Is MAJOR is proud to report that the formerly-known evergreen holiday tree that we still call a Christmas Tree, was delivered to the Worcester Common. More information to come soon.

Change is inevitable

"Change is inevitable, except from vending machines"
- Author unknown

This statement couldn't be more true, especially these days when those running for City Councilor, Councilor-at-Large and the Mayoral seat are grabbing for headlines. Sure, the fact that they want the "big seat" or the responsibility is something to be commended, it still doesn't sit well with residents that many of these men and women are doing nothing more than stroking their ego. Oh, the word ego evokes feelings from every person, even the homeless person on Main Street.

The fact that today is August 17th, and Mayor Lukes, Councilors Irish, Palmieri and now Perotto, who has taken the approach to gaining name recognition by taking the high road calling on his competitors to, "to dispense with the political sniping and concentrate on the issues." as printed in Richard Nangle's article in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette Newspaper.

Earlier this week, at the City Council meeting, Councilor Philip Palmieri directed some strong comments about "doing better and working harder" towards Robert Moylan, DPW Commissioner, regarding the litter and graffiti in the city. Commissioner Moylan responded by stating that DPW, for the past 10 years has loss positions, and is "doing more with less". During this exchange, Moylan commented that DPW has picked up and removed over 2 tons of litter in the city and needs more man power and money to correct these issues. Doesn't it always come down to money? Well, it does take money to pick up all the trash that many residents casually throw in the streets, or in the case of the Granite Street neighborhood, folks drive southbound, towards Route 20 and dump their tires, mattresses, bed frames and whatever else they don't want to pay to have removed along side the Street.

As I wrote in my post earlier this week, a large issue facing the City of Worcester is the lack of PRIDE. People who have called Worcester home for many years, have seen Worcester go from an industrial blue-collar city to one where many businesses left or couldn't afford to do business in the US due to outsourcing and cheaper labor costs elsewhere. Coupled with the fact that Worcester doesn't have any significant destination sites that would attract people from throughout New England or from around the world to visit the city.

Worcester hasn't done a good job of marketing itself as a "College City" because the colleges and universities themselves don't communicate often or see the benefit to cross-marketing to get the best students to select a college/ university in Worcester. The so called "brain drain" is in full effect, and it doesn't seem that people care that many graduates choose to leave Worcester and Massachusetts for that matter. When key factors such as the cost of living and the salaries that graduates are being offered are out of whack, it should come as no surprise that graduates are leaving the city in high numbers and moving to states such as Virginia, North and South Carolina and Georgia in record numbers.

Again, as the city moves into a serious time when "Change is inevitable", there should be no surprises when September 11th comes and we find some politicians shocked and upset to how residents voted.

Wal-Mart: The battle continues

The proposed Wal-Mart in Quinsigamond Village has caused a heated debate on either side of the coin. Many residents in Quinsigamond Village feel that a Wal-Mart Supercenter is not the appropriate business to be built in the City nor in their back yard.

There have been articles in the Worcester T&G and certainly on the Worcester First website, but what I find interesting is that few people are calling for Mayor Lukes, City Council and, even, City Manager, Michael V. O'Brien, to give their opinion on the box store and what impact, if approved, the store may have on the City.

With this year being an election year, it seems as if city leaders are in a "wait-and-see" mode, because with the recent vote (7-2), to move Medicare-eligible municipal retirees to a Medicare supplement plan for their future health care coverage, City Councilors aren't the most popular people in the City at the moment.

This is coupled with the City facing a $5 million budget deficit, and the Council wanting to cancel the August 7th meeting and wait until the August 28th meeting to decide how the City is going to address the deficit. One council member, Frederick Rushton, representing District 5, put words to paper and stated, "We can’t wait until Aug. 28 to figure out how we’re going to deal with a $5 million budget deficit. We’ve got to face the music and make some decision as soon as possible. Now is not the time to go on vacation. The longer we wait, the deeper the cuts will be", as told to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.

District 3 Councilman, Paul P. Clancy, Jr., chose to recuse himself from the vote due to having immediate family members who would be affected by the council's vote. Some people may say that Councilor Clancy and Rushton, made the fact that immediate family members may be affected by the vote as a cop-out, but due to a law dealing with conflict of interest, Clancy and Rushton chose to recuse themselves.

So, the City of Worcester is facing some hard times, but I've been told that the City has faced dire times and has come up with viable solutions. I certainly hope so and remain optimistic that the Council, will make the best possible decision for the City.

Be sure to listen to Episode #2 of the Talkcast regarding this topic and hear what listeners think about Wal-Mart.