Dracut After Dark

After reading a few of the responses over on that other message board in Town regarding the Deed Covenant (a.k.a. Deed Restriction) of Louisburg Square, it becomes obvious why most of the proponents pushing this ripoff wanted to just leave this little tidbit conveniently swept under the rug.

Simply put, the Deed Covenant issue would literally kill this particular Louisburg Square proposal in the hearts and minds of most logical and rational individuals. Truth be told, this whole proposal is nothing more than a ploy to dupe Dracut taxpayers into bailing out a very greedy millionaire developer in Gerry Lussier from a piss-poor investment, YET AGAIN.

Its absolutely hysterical to read the comments from that 40 something year old single woman, whos lived with her mommy and daddy all her life, never actually owned a home or even a piece of land herself, lecturing everybody on that rival site how easy and inexpensive it would be for Mr. Lussier to just waltz into Court and dissolve this Covenant off the Louisburg Square deed as if it never even existed in the first place.

In reality, for Gerry Lussier to do something like that, hed have to pay off any outstanding mortgage owed on that property, AS WELL AS reimburse the government every red cent he made in tax breaks since he purchased Louisburg Square back in 1990. I would guestimate, thats at least a couple million bucks Mr. Lussier would have to fork out, up front, before he can even consider going to Court and removing that Covenant off the Louisburg Square deed.

If Mr. Lussier really wanted to bail out of Louisburg Square and not lose too much money in the process, hed be much better off lowering his sale price to the Town by a couple hundred thousand bucks. Otherwise, Lussier is basically married to Louisburg Square at least till the Deed Covenant expires around the year 2040.

In a vain attempt to add some sort of validity to all her half cocked claims, this woman refers to this Deed Covenant as, unconstitutional, illegal, and, unenforceable. To this woman I would ask, how is the circumstances surrounding the Louisburg Square deed any different from the tax breaks pertaining to IRA accounts and 401Ks? Rather than helping provide inexpensive housing for senior citizens, IRAs and 401Ks provide a retirement nest egg for the participants. Should you withdraw the money from those government subsidized retirement accounts prior to the age of 59 and a half, youre penalized and required to pay back all that interest on your Income Tax the following year. It’s all perfectly legal, Constitutional, and enforceable.

Are there any questions as to why this woman in question hasnt been elected back to Dracut public office in the past 17 years, despite the fact that shes unsuccessfully tried to get voted back about a dozen times?

Lussier comes back to Dracut taxpayers for a second big $$$ helping

For those of you who are new in town or just dont follow politics that much, this aint the first time that Mr. Lussier has porked the Dracut taxpayers via the Community Preservation Act. Back in 02, one year after Dracut had implemented the CPA, Lussier sold the town a 40 acre parcel off Marsh Hill Road, which he had owned for 30 years. Lussiers selling price of that property was about 10 times its assessed value. Word around town at that time was, if the town refused to purchase this property off Lussier under the guise of Open Space Preservation, he would proceed to build all condominiums on that land.

Now if this was such prime property for condominiums, why would Mr. Lussier just hold onto it and pay taxes on it for 30 years without developing it earlier??? Sound a wee bit familiar??? Like, if you dont buy this building off me by the end of the calendar year, Im going to go to Court and have the Deed Covenant dissolved,  just you wait and see!!!!!

I swear, the more things change, the more they just stay the same, especially when it comes to greedy millionaires. Speaking about greedy millionaires, did I mention that Warren Shaws government subsidized home on Marsh Hill Road, which he currently has his girlfriend residing in, is within about a half mile of the property Lussier sold the town for Open Space Preservation? What a small world, eh?

Stay tuned for more Louisburg Square garbage as it unfolds.

If the Louisburg Square proposal were like a chess match, then saying, Covenant would be like saying, Check Mate.

If the Louisburg Square issue were like a tennis competition, then saying, Covenant would be like saying, Game, Set, and Match.

Since the balance of power shifted on the Dracut Housing Authoritys Board of Commissioners last May when Ken Cunha bounced long-time incumbent Bob Audet off that panel and it appeared that the purchase of Louisburg Square might be in jeopardy, the supposedly objective and unbiased Lowell Sun has yet to mention the word, Covenant in any of its articles surrounding this issue.

Perhaps The Sun could do an investigative report and interview both Finance Committee chairman Gary Marsella, and Housing Authority commissioners chairman Ken Martin and ask them what exactly this Covenant included in the Louisburg Squares deed is all about so it can put this issue in proper perspective for its Dracut readership. Are there any questions as to why the Lowell Suns circulation numbers are dwindling down the proverbial sewer pipe by leaps and bounds every year?

Douche Bag Warren Shaw, who writes a bi-monthly column in the Valley Dispatch which about the last half dozen or so have been favorable to the possible purchase of Louisburg Square, has yet to mention the word, Covenant once in his writings, or even on his weekly radio show, regarding this issue. Gee, I wonder why?

Shawn Pee Wee Herman Ashe, whos the producer of Warrens weekly radio show, has publicly called out Roger L. Daigle on several occasions for having the audacity of posting comments on, that other website in town (Heaven forbid!)  out of the process of elimination, I can only assume Shawn was referring to, Dracut After Dark. YET, when Daigle has submitted letters on Louisburg Square for the posting on Shawns blog, it might get posted for a couple of hours, perhaps even a day, then Pee Wee squelches and hides Daigles commentary down on his blogs Archive files. Personally, if I were Mr. Daigle, I wouldnt give Shawn Ashe the time of day even if I were wearing watches on both my wrists.

Is this how both Pee Wee and Douche Bag define, transparency in government?

It should be noted here also that Shawn has a Poll on his blog, at least as of this particular posting, citing about 15 people and/or entities as whos most to blame if Louisburg Square is not purchased by the Town by the end of this calendar year, as you mightve already guessed, Deed Covenant is NOT one of the choices in this particular Poll on Mr. Ashes blog. In reality, however, whats the single-most deciding factor that would change most peoples minds 180 degrees in just three years on Louisburg Square?

If Louisburg Squares approved, no new residents will be immediately added

The following was an anonymous posting submitted to this message board last week, which I feel, offers a lot of common sense and perspective on the Louisburg Square proposal:

What is the net gain of elderlly housing units in Dracut if this building is purchased? To me, it won't remove people that are already there. It won't add anymore people becasue there is no more room. All we are doing is changing ownership of the buidling. How does this add to the elderly housing stock in Dracut? The answer that I am sure that will be given is: That's not the point, the advantage is that the town will own it.  Duh, that makes sense. They will also own the up keep, the snow plowing, and future bed bugs

In other words, even if the Town of Dracut does NOT purchase Louisburg Square by the end of this calendar year, the 38 government-subsidized, elderly residents who are currently living in that building will remain there PER ORDER OF THE DEEDS COVENANT till about the year 2040. In the event that the Town of Dracut DOES APPROVE the purchase of this thing, they certainly aint gonna toss the current residents out on the street just to give 38 people who are now on the waiting list a place to live. Why arent all these do-gooder elderly housing advocates seeking out NEW PROPERTY IN DRACUT to purchase and develop for people who are genuinely on the waiting list????

Incidentally, if the purchase of Louisburg Square is rejected by the, Powers that Be in the Town of Dracut, millionaire developer and property owner Gerry Lussier, or whoever he may want to sell it to, will maintain that facility for those government subsidized elderly residents till about the year 2040 PER ORDER OF THAT DEEDS COVENANT.

The Lussier Connection to most of these Louisburg Square proponents

Perhaps the most obvious connection of the bunch is Selectman Jim OLoughlin when Lussiers partner at Draco Homes, Doug Dooley, purchased OLoughlins house mortgage just prior to it being foreclosed upon.

Apparently, OLoughlins now-defunct restaurant in Dracut Center, Jimmy Os, went belly-up, and with it, went a lot of his own personal finances. OLoughlin also stepped off the Board of Selectmen whenever Draco Homes appeared before them publicly, citing a Conflict of Interest each time.

OLoughlin also writes a weekly nostalgia column for the Lowell Sun, which might explain why The Sun has yet to publish an investigative report on the, mysterious Deed Covenant associated with Louisburg Square. Can you say, Payback?

While were on the subject of the Lowell Suns interest (or lack thereof) in the Louisburg Square proposal, lets not forget about Douche Bag Warren Shaw. As mentioned earlier, Mr. Shaw writes a bi-monthly column for the Valley Dispatch, which has been owned and operated by The Sun for several years now. On Warrens weekly radio show, he frequently has Lowell Sun editor Jim Campanini as a guest which, over the course of an average year, I would guestimate about 1-2 times a month.

Arent the Lowell Sun and WCAP supposed to be rival media entities competing for advertisers and an audience in the Greater Lowell area? Oh well, I guess everythings fair game in love, war, and politics.

Personally, I noticed Mr. Shaw started having Jim Campanini as a regular guest on his radio show just about the time Warrens son, Mark got busted by the Feds in Salem N.H., for dealing cocaine, marijuana, and OxyContin almost five years ago. The Lowell Sun, in turn, published the names of the accomplices involved in that Federal drug bust, but CONVENIENTLY left out Mark Shaws name in that article. Now thats what I call, journalistic integrity at its finest!

As for Selectman Bob Cox, I can only assume that Mr. Lussier generously supported his election campaign with a nice financial contribution. Ditto with Mr. Shaw, Mr. OLoughlin, and Housing Authority commissioner Tom Salem. Somehow, someway theres gotta be a reason as to why these politicians are so adamantly supporting Louisburg Squares purchase when they all know its counter-productive to do so since Lussier is contractually committed to maintain this property till about 2040.

As for bloggers Shawn Ashe and Brian Flaherty, these two guys are nothing more than complete imbeciles whod write or say just about anything to please their man-crush boyfriend, Warren Shaw. If you think Im wrong on that last statement, when was the last time you can substantiate either Ashe or Flaherty ever disagreeing with Warren on a major issue in Town? I rest my case.

Someone once told me that in the basic fundamental courses of Journalism, writing an obituary of someone passing away is supposed to be a very sensitive and serious type thing. For obvious reasons, its considered as an individuals, Last Hurrah, so its especially important to get your facts straight and keep it in good taste – otherwise, you’d probably really tick off most of the friends, relatives, and assorted loved ones of the deceased person in question.

That having been said, I think it was extremely tacky on Sun reporter Dennis Shaughnessey’s part to quote former Selectman Warren Shaw as a, bosom buddy in Dougie Willetts memorial tribute article in yesterdays (Fridays) edition of the paper. You couldn’t have gotten another public (or former town) official other than an opportunistic bastard like Mr. Shaw to go on record and give a few heartfelt comments about Dougie in a story like this, Dennis?

A year or so ago, The Sun did the exact same thing when Nick Lambros had passed away, and again, it tried to paint Warren as some, great humanitarian and, bosom buddy of this guy when nothing could be further from the truth. When the Dracut Water Supply District, which Lambros was running at that time, got nailed by the Middlesex DA’s office for stealing millions of dollars worth of water from Lowell back in 98, nobody in town was publicly gloating and boasting about that whole escapade more than Warren. Again, The Sun couldnt have gotten a more worthy public figure than Barnyard Animal Shaw to comment on Lambros final tribute feature?

Is it any wonder that the Lowell Sun is losing circulation every year by leaps and bounds? For any major newspaper (or just about any media outlet), integrity and credibility is such a terrible thing to lose, and as for the Lowell Sun, it just simply doesn’t exist any more. I think I can confidently speak as far as someone who actually knew both Dougie and Nick to say that both of these guys would probably roll over in their graves if someone had told them that Warren would be the keynote speaker in their Lowell Sun memorial tribute article.

Its pathetic enough, Dennis, that you use former Selectman Warren Shaw as your Go-To Guy, even passing over most of the School Committee members, for a comment about the future status of the School Superintendent – which YOU definitely did in the past – but an obituary tribute feature ought to be viewed as sacred to all parties concerned.

Highlights (or Lowlights) of the Willett-Shaw relationship

Soon after Mr. Shaw retired from the Dracut Board of Selectmen in 02, he was served court papers as a named defendant in former building inspector Ernie Gauthiers wrongful termination lawsuit. Warren being Warren, of course, publicly used his weekly radio show as a bully pulpit to call Gauthier a liar and then guarantee to the residents of Dracut that the courts would dismiss the lawsuit because, according to Shaw, it was frivolous.

A month or so later, Dougie Willett made a big ruckus when the Selectmen were reviewing the Meeting Minutes of a then-recent special public hearing, which was supposed to be held solely for the purpose of the construction of a cellular phone tower off Route 113. Apparently, the Selectmen, along with Town Manager Dennis Piendek used that sparsely attended public forum with no media or local access TV cameras present, to vote and award Mr. Shaw legal indemnity against any financial losses he may accrue in the Gauthier lawsuit.  Had Dougie never raised such a stink over this incident, this thing wouldve been conveniently swept under the proverbial carpet and nobody wouldve known about Warren being given full financial indemnity from the Town regarding this lawsuit.

In other words, while Warren was presenting a tough guy persona on his weekly radio show over being sued by Gauthier in that wrongful termination lawsuit, in the dark and shady backrooms of Dracut politics, Mr. Shaw was actually shaking in his boots.

Barnyard Animal publicly attacks Dougie

Warren, being the vindictive son of bitch he is, of course would retaliate against Mr. Willett on his radio show calling him a liar, crazy and a few other choice names. But when a Cambodian guy who was serving as a Lowell City Councillor ran into a wee bit of conflict of interest problem, that’s when Shaw really started taking Dougie to task.

Evidently this guy in question, I believe his name is Rithy Oung was working as a Guidance Counselor in the Lowell School System and serving as Lowell City Councillor, he was drawing two government paychecks and was subsequently fined by the State Ethics Commission for this conflict. Mr. Oung, it’s my understanding, declined to run for reelection again on his City Councillor seat.

Mr. Shaw then used this example to call out Dougie Willett for being both a Dracut Selectman, as well as a part-time maintenance man at the Greater Lowell Regional Technical (Voke) High School, and drawing paychecks from both gigs. I don’t know if Dougies situation was ever brought before the State Ethics Commission, but it did get a lot of play on Warrens radio show at that time and when Mr. Willett came up for reelection in 05, he chose not to run again. I’m not sure when exactly Dougie quit his gig at the Voke.

So Mr. Shaughnessey, do you still ASS-U-ME that Warren and Dougie were, bosom buddies?

To further establish what a sanctimonious and opportunistic son of a bitch Warren Shaw really is, why not scroll down this blog and read how the Barnyard Animal called the now-defunct Pollys Variety store at the corner of Mammoth and Lakeview, a rats ass type of place.

Make sure you read how the self-proclaimed, Dracuts Foremost Authority on Open Space Preservation, suggested on his radio show to bulldoze the property known as, Pollys Corner, and add another business to that already congestive intersection. Keep in mind also as youre reading through that, that Mr. Shaw made those comments on his radio program 10 years AFTER Polly Urqhart was already dead and buried, so obviously she couldnt call in and defend herself against Warrens slanderous comments.

What a great humanitarian that Warren is, eh Mr. Shaughnessey?

Goodbye Mr. Willett, may you forever Rest In Peace

After God created Dougie Willett, He then proceeded to break the mold. Never before and never again will there ever be another Dougie Willett – he was truly, one of a kind.

At his residence on Mammoth Road, he was probably the only politician I’ve ever known to allow any candidate – whether he was personally supporting them or not – to post a political campaign sign in front of his home. The guy never had a vindictive bone in his body. Some residents, who live on busy streets, allow any candidate to post political signs on their front lawn, but that could be out of fear that if they didnt, their property taxes might go up or something like that.

On, at least, a couple occasions, while I was taking my periodic stroll up and down a good portion of Lakeview Avenue, Dougie would often stop near me in his truck and give me a few fresh tomatoes from his garden. Who does that anymore? Mr. Willett was truly the last of a dying breed. You need to go back a couple of generations to remember that type of charitable generosity – on a frequent basis – in America.

In a small way, Dougie even helped mold and shape Dracut After Dark as he provided us with a few hot tips that none of the other media outlets posted or published. I leave it to your imaginations to try to figure out exactly what they were.

It’ll always be comforting to know, Dougie, that whatever controversies Dracut’s involved with, or any time we just need to smile, we can think back to some of the fantastic memories of yourself and that can help us cope a little bit better with much of the stress we may be experiencing in our own personal lives.

Take care my good friend, and may God bless.

My rant today concerns a certain situation that transpired a couple weeks ago on a VH1 reality show called, "Charm School with Ricki Lake" (a.k.a., Charm School 3). As the title suggests, its a show that transforms wild party girls into supposedly gracious, elegant ladies. I think they may have gotten the idea for this show from the old Three Stooges skit in which a couple of college professors made a wager that social behavior is based on environment versus heredity.

Out of the 17 or so "divas" they initially start off with, only one graduates at the end and wins the $100K top prize. Exactly how much of "a gracious, elegant lady" that this show produces is questionable at best. The winner of the first season of Charm School reportedly spent several months in prison very recently for stealing money from her uncle, while last years Charm School winner ran out and bought herself some silicon breast implants as soon as she received her $100K.

Neither one sounds like virtuous women to me.

And I realize too that ratings have to play a more important role on a show like Charm School than the actual integrity of conforming wild party girls into virtuous elegant ladies. Although VH1 usually repeats its shows frequently throughout the week, the new Charm School episode airs on Monday at 9 p.m., opposite among other things, Jon and Kate Plus 8, and WWE Raw. So, perhaps, a little sleaze as well as shock and awe are good to attract more people to watch VH1s "Charm School".

Ashley refers to Bubbles as a retarded child TWICE

One of the better known contestants, Ashley, (who looks like one of these women trying to resemble a Barbie doll via plastic surgery and silicon enhancing, and is a real-life Las Vegas stripper when shes not doing reality shows) called another Charm School contestant, Bubbles (a free-spirited, happy-go-lucky waitress and college student from New York) a retarded child for the second time recently on this program within several weeks. On both occasions, Bubbles was disturbed and literally in tears over this comment.

After the first incident, Ashley gave Bubbles a "Bart Simpson-type" apology by saying something to the effect:

Im sorry, Bubbles, thatll never ever happen again.

And, as with Bart Simpson, Ashley would screw over Bubbles with this same ignorant comment the first chance she got. After the second time she did it, Ashley told the Head Mistress of the show, (has-been talk show host and Jerry Springer wannabe) Ricki Lake, that Bubbles had been pushing her buttons and just wouldnt shut up while the whole group of contestants were enjoying a late-night snack at a local bar. Yet, none of the other three girls in the bunch were affected the same way Ashley was to blurt out an ignorant slur like retarded child at Bubbles.

So when it came time to eliminate a contestant for that particular show, who do you suppose Ricki Lake sent home packing? Why Bubbles, of course.

Ricki Lake said Bubbles was good and all set and that Ashley really needed to be in Charm School to progress and improve. So next Monday, Ashley will be one of three "Charm School" finalists eligible to win the $100K top prize, while NOW FORMER CONTESTANT Bubbles was humiliated twice being called a retarded child by this silicon-implanted boobed Barbie doll.

What message do you suppose VH1 is sending to its audience over this ignorance? Or, if Ashley should somehow win this "Charm School" contest?

If you dislike someone, just call them retarded and have a good laugh over it.

What if this ignorant slur was directed at either Blacks, Jews, or gays???

Just out of curiosity, what if Ashley had directed her ignorance towards Jews or gays? How about if she had used the N word against one of the Black contestants on this Charm School? Personally, if that had been the case, Ricki Lake probably wouldve sent Ashley off that show in a New York minute,  long before their usual end-of-the-show expulsion ceremonies. That would be construed as, "being different".

But since VH1 is ONLY offending mentally-challenged people here, and an ignorant skank like Ashley is great for TV ratings, Charm School just views this incident as no big deal and laughs the whole thing off. I mean, whos out in the public eye actually defending the rights of mentally-challenged people? Sarah Palin?

With the emergence of reality shows since the beginning of this decade, TV has gotten a lot worse in quality and integrity than ever before. Say what you will about, Dracut After Dark, but weve still got a very long way to go before we start muddling in this type of a moral and tasteless cesspool.

It was almost seven years ago, Warren Shaw, a.k.a. Barnyard Animal, had just retired from the Board of Selectmen and he became one of several Dracut public officials who had been served court papers in the then-terminated Building Inspector Ernie Gauthiers wrongful termination lawsuit. Other named defendants in the lawsuit included: Town Manager Dennis Piendak, and, local barroom owner (and then-recently appointed School Food Service Director) Michael Maguire, a.k.a. Chapter 11.

Why would I be bringing up this situation now? I think there’s a strong parallel here when it comes to obscure, seemingly insignificant public hearings between anything remotely associated with the proposed Walgreens on Mammoth Road, and what our Town Fathers experienced in the summer of 02 concerning the construction of a cellular phone tower on Route 113. With Warren being Warren, Mr. Shaw started using his radio show as a public pulpit to trash Gauthier soon after he was slapped with his court papers. Among other things, Warren accused Gauthier of being a liar and he even GUARANTEED his listening audience that the court judge was going to drop the former building inspectors lawsuit because, according to Mr. Shaw, it was frivolous. This rant of Warrens continued on the airwaves for, at least, several weeks.

So the 02 Selectmen advertised for a special public hearing to discuss the construction of a cellular phone tower off Broadway Road (Route 113) sometime in the middle of that summer. According to the Bylaws, the ONLY item a public board or committee was allowed to discuss and vote on in a special public hearing was that contained in the actual advertisement, which in this particular case was the construction of a cellular phone tower on Route 113. Since the subject of that public hearing didnt appear too earth-shattering in the controversy department, none of the local media members or anybody operating a local access TV camera bothered showing up.

Piendak remembered 2 items that needed immediate attention

Soon after the selectmen discussed all the concerns with the cellular phone representatives and any other interested parties, Town Manager Piendak quickly interjected that since the Town Attorney was present there were two more items the board really needed to address:

1)  Whether or not to give former selectman Warren Shaw full legal indemnity (or pay all his legal expenses) in the Ernie Gauthier wrongful termination lawsuit, and,

2) Whether to increase the Town of Dracuts lawsuit liability insurance coverage to $1 million.

But wait a second – why would a straight-shooter like Warren Shaw, who had been ranting every week for the previous month or two on his radio show that Gauthier was a liar and GUARANTEEING to everybody that the judge was going to dismiss this lawsuit because it was frivolous need any legal protection in this case? It appears Mr. Shaw was talking a real tough game on his radio show, but was simply crapping in his stinkin pants behind the scenes.

Can you say, sanctimonious son of a bitch? Dracut residents, specifically his radio audience, got to experience Warrens true modus operandi, up close and personal.

Besides that, the Town of Dracut was now forced to pay Warrens private attorney, Phil Nyman of Lowell, tens of thousands of dollars to specifically represent the legal interests of this BLEEPhole Barnyard Animal who was simply pissing off Gauthier week after week on his radio show. Would Warren have kept his big mouth shut about this lawsuit if HE was paying for HIS OWN legal expenses – I tend to think so.

Thank God for Dougie Willett making a fuss over this incident

At the next public Selectmens meeting, Dougie Willett deliberately brought up the shady and sleazy implications surrounding that special hearing, which was ONLY supposed to be to address the construction of a cellular phone tower. Then-chairman Jack DiTillio turned to Willett and said:

If youve got a problem with the way the selectmen handled that hearing Mr. Willett, then why dont you report us to the FBI, or the DAs office?

It was that type of pompous arrogance thatll always be associated with Jack DiTillios legacy as a Dracut selectman, I swear to God. Incidentally, DiTillio and then-Selectman Dennis Williams, a.k.a. Bald-Headed Devil, were both regular co-hosts on Mr. Shaws local access TV show, Weekly Round Table, at that time and yet neither had any inclination of publicly disclosing they had a blatant conflict of interest with Warren – and that sure didnt prevent either one of them for voting to give their good buddy legal indemnity in the Gauthier case.

Also, if it wasnt for Willett bringing up this subject at the first available public Selectmens meeting, the Dracut taxpayers probably wouldnt have ever heard anything about Shaw being given legal indemnity in this lawsuit. And, with Warren being Warren, Mr. Shaw then soon turned his slanderous venom on Dougie by referring to him as a moron and an idiot on his radio show -- so what else is new?

If there was any poetic justice involved in this story, Warrens radio station would hit the proverbial crapper in ratings a year or two later. You might say, Mr. Shaw, along with most of his on-air colleagues, had a wee bit of a credibility problem and his prediction on the Gauthier case (the Town agreed to pay Gauthier an out-of-court settlement, which is a far cry from being thrown out of court for supposedly being a frivolous case) was just the tip of the iceberg.

Its too bad we couldnt video tape ALL public hearings which take place with our appointed and elected boards and committees. Unfortunately, theres just not enough volunteers to go around to operate the cameras and help run the studio. Until then, itll probably always be those seemingly obscure meetings thatll generate the most concern and controversy.

(Editor's Note: I couldnt help but notice that my arch rival, Shawn Ashe, a.k.a. Pee Wee Herman, posted some garbage on his pissant stupid blog last Tuesday, April 28, relative to WCAP and its supposedly latest published Arbitron ratings. Truth be told, the only thing I know about WCAP is that it absolutely sucks and I wouldnt even recommend it to my worst enemy. That having been said, I e-mailed Shawns posting to a good friend of mine whos actively involved in the local radio business and this was his/her response. They specifically asked me to leave their name out of it. Hopefully, these comments will help paint Mr. Ashe as an even bigger bold-face liar than he already is.)

Just leave my name out of it:

OK well let's look at it. There indeed is a new way to gauge the ratings. But being #1 in Lowell is like being the best sushi restaurant in Lowell. You'd rather go to Boston but Blue Taleh will do. I'd rather drink Heineken but my buddy from the Acre brews his own beer and it's free so why not? The only other Lowell stations are RINKY DINK. There are semi pro Spanish and Asian stations, an ESPN sports affiliate with a terrible signal and a student run college station, WUML. The one exception with WUML is their morning show with Bob Ellis that is infinitely more interesting than WCAP's. Ellis is also a local radio legend with real name recognition.

It is my understanding (I called and asked) that WUML's signal does not transmit its signal to the PPM (the new ratings system). They have a stronger signal and are on the FM dial and lots of people listen to stations in that area of the dial (the 80's numbers on FM are reserved for college radio and NPR/community radio). For example Boston University gets a 4.7 which is a staggering number for a college station. WERS also performs well at a .8. So it stands to reason that WUML might actually out perform WCAP but there's no way to tell. But again being number one in Lowell is hardly exciting and is besides the point. WCAP reaches north, west and east to towns that could boost CAP's ratings if only more people cared to listen.

WCAP has scored a .2 for Jan/Feb/March 09. A .2 does indeed appear to represent 35,000 listeners. That would mean that each 10th of a point point represents 17,500 listeners. So Kiss 108 with it's average of 8.5 in the same Jan/Feb/march 09 would have 148,750 listeners or 425% more people listening to kiss vs. wcap.

The claim that the folks at WCAP "hear numbers 2nd hand, just like everyone else does" means that they can go to Arbitron.com and bust out a calculator to average out the cumulitives that Arbitron and FMQB.COM provide for free vs. WCAP's ratings number to estimate (ESTIMATE) how many people are listening. It is also technically false to say "just like everyone else does" because not "everyone" hears the numbers 2nd hand. Most stations subscribe to Arbitron because it's not the overall number that tells the story. It's the numbers within the numbers.

Ad rates are based on "the real ratings", not the over all number. A station like WFNX for example is at a .8 but within those numbers you might see that the numbers are stronger with females age 16-29. Well, girls in that age group spend a lot of money on clothes, CDs, DVDs make up, concert tickets. Men in the same age range spend a lot of money on beer, sports games and apparel, concerts, etc. These are large markets that sell expensive products. So even though WFNX at .8 appears to be only a little bigger than WCAP at their .2, when we look at the numbers within the numbers, which WCAP does not subscribe to, we see that WFNX listeners spend much more money than the geriatric set that likely makes up most of WCAP's .2.

Another reason the over all numbers are driven by older people is due to the new ratings system Arbitron uses. A person taking part in the survey has to wear a pager everywhere you go so it can record your listening habits. Not many college students and 20 somethings are going to agree to that because it's geeky, cumbersome and lame. They also would tend to forget to bring it with them. Also Arbitron uses "land lines" to find people who are potential PPM (the arbitron pager) wearers. Many young people are in college or at home or their own apartments and they use cell phones. So they can't be reached to take place in a ratings survey that they don't want to be a part of in the first place.

The dismal WCAP ratings have them jumping from "too low to be measured" to .2 and that is due to the new ratings system, which may or may not be more accurate. To WCAP they mean almost nothing because they tell us what we already knew: WCAP is listened to by older folks who don't spend a lot of money on products that advertisers are trying to sell. They do go to restaurants and to plays and shows at The Lowell Memorial Auditorium but those businesses are doing the same business they were doing before this new ratings system , probably even less due to the recession, so they would have no real reason to spend much money buying ads on WCAP.

The .2 in the end, means nothing. Young people aren't listening. In the 80's they were. In the 80's A lot of people tuned into WCAP in the morning for local news that directly effected them. These days they don't because the show is Fluff City USA and boring. If you want to learn how to groom your Chihuahua then WCAP is the place for you. If you want to hear lame jokes live from a liquor store, then WCAP is the place to be.

Finally, the claim that WCAP "has come out as being the only English/non-religeous speaking station from outside the city that is getting ratings within the Boston Market." is an odd one. WBOQ gets a .7 out of Beverly. WFNQ is in in Hookset, NH and gets a .7. WOKQ is in Dover, NH and they get a .5. WXRV gets a 1.5 out of Haverhill (that station doesn't come in in Boston very well at all)

Also I don't know how discounting the non English and religious stations that are beating WCAP makes much difference. They exist and they perform better than WCAP. If we're talking about ratings, doesn't that count? If we were talking about parking spaces it would. if we were talking about what foods Market Basket should stock, it does. Why doesn't it matter in the make believe land of WCAP?

This is also a beauty:

"Can you hear whos performing at the Audiorium or at Mickeys on TTK? When the falls bridge is closed down or theres a broken water main on Central Street, do you hear that on BZ? The Spinners, Devils, and high school playoff games? Not on a Boston Station you cant."

The Auditorium announcements are on the River and on WUML, both Merrimack Valley stations. Local news can be heard on every Lowell station. High School and minor league sports are on WCAP, true. But Mickey's? More people can find out who's playing at Mickey's by reading the sign in the window. At least people who might consider going to Mickey's!

It is also interesting to note that the new ratings system samples a puny amount of people. They polling less than 1/10th of 1% of the population, so how accurate can they be?

I realize Im probably coming off here like a broken record, but the Good Book tells us that we ought to give everybody two admonitions before we just shake off the dust and move on. When it comes to my proposed 09 ballot referendum question on Town insurance exploitation, this will be the second and final time that Ill bring up this idea.

Without rehashing every jot and tittle surrounding my proposal, Ill just bring up a few of the stronger points as to why we should pursue this particular issue in this upcoming Town Election, as well as a few items I didnt mention before. First and foremost, the Dracut taxpayers NEVER had their say on whether or not their stipend elected officials should exploit the Town employees insurance coverages (health, life, dental, vision, etc.) for their own personal greed. The people of both Chelmsford and Tyngsboro, however, DID indeed get to vote on this particular issue so it would appear that public officials of those communities obviously have more respect for their constituents than do their elected counterparts here in Dracut.

For the record, we are talking about six extremely greedy elected Dracut officials, most of whom could easily afford their own private health insurance (Warren Shaw, Kathleen DiTillio, Bob Cox, Atty. George Malliaros, etc.), bilking our Town collectively to the tune of approximately $100,000 per year. The specific law which outlines this perk, Massachusetts General Law 32b, makes it optional for every community in our State to either accept it or reject it for their stipend elected officials. Incidentally, M.G.L. 32b makes NO PROVISIONS WHATSOEVER for a retired stipend elected official (Warren Shaw), or a surviving spouse to a deceased stipend elected official (Kathleen DiTillio) to enroll on any Town insurance coverage – please check it out yourself.

Town Treasurer erroneously cites HIPPA law to prevent public disclosure of insurance enrollment lists

Secondly, this situation has evolved yet into another separate major issue with all the markings of a lawsuit just waiting to happen. When Roger L. Daigle requested, via the Freedom of Information Act, to obtain a list of all those enrolled on the various Town employee insurance coverages, along with the specific coverages and the Towns financial obligation for each individual plan, Town Treasurer Ann Vandal refused to honor Daigles request claiming it would violate the HIPPA law. Now, if Daigle were asking about a disease or an illness of a certain enrollee on the Town employees health insurance, for example, that would be blatantly against the HIPPA law and Ms. Vandal would be justified in rejecting Daigles request – but thats not what Daigle requested. How does Ms. Vandal posts ALL the Town employees gross salaries in the Town Report every year? How is that any less of a breach of confidentiality and privacy than publicly disclosing a list of what the Towns financial portion paid is on each individual health insurance coverage? Sounds to me like Ms. Vandal is getting her marching orders from somebody a little higher up the proverbial food chain – like one of the greedy bastard elected officials who is exploiting the Towns health insurance just for themselves. So $100K per year spent on stipend elected officials exploiting Dracuts town employees health insurance coverage might be a very lowball, conservative figure when you factor in that taxpayers really dont know exactly how many are actually enrolled because, according to Ms. Vandal, it might be a violation of HIPPA law privacy.

May Paquette, for example, who lost her reelection bid to the School Committee in 07, immediately enrolled on the COBRA plan in order to still maintain her Town employees health insurance coverage for 18 months after that election. That particular COBRA plan was supposed to have expired last November – did it? Or is Ms. Paquette still enrolled on the Town Employees health insurance plan? How about the newest School Committee member, Matt Sheehan? Is Mr. Sheehan now enrolled on the Town Employees health insurance coverage? I guess thats one of those little secrets privy to only Mr. Sheehan and Ms. Vandal, while Dracut taxpayers might be getting sucked to the tune of about $14K per year to insure Mr. Sheehan and his family.

Furthermore, what if Ron Mercier, whos also enrolled on the Town Employees health insurance plan, hypothetically speaking, loses his reelection bid for the Dracut School Committee this coming May? Could Mercier pull a Warren Shaw and suddenly claim he actually retired from the Dracut School Committee so he can promptly receive the Town Employees health insurance coverage for the rest of his natural life? If theres no specific State law governing this for Warren Shaw, why should there be one for Ron Mercier in that scenario? To me, this sounds like yet another lawsuit against the Town of Dracut just waiting to happen.

Warren Shaw is ONLY concerned about himself & couldnt care less about the Dracut taxpayers

Take a good hard look at the arrogance to some of these scum-bags currently exploiting this particular perk. Here we’ve got a direct quote from Dracuts very first stipend elected official to have exploited this perk, retired Selectman Warren Shaw. This is from a Lowell Sun article, dated 11-14-08, titled, Big noise over quiet perk:

 ...Shaw admits that if he was a legislator when the statute was passed, he probably would have voted against it. But its there and its legal and I know many people in my position who are taking advantage of it. Why should I be the only one who doesnt? he asked. The good part is that Im as healthy as a horse and I havent had to use it.

So while America is experiencing perhaps its worst financial crisis in history, Mr. Shaw spewed out these pompous, asinine comments to the media as if to flip the Town the proverbial bird over at us taxpayers for being obligated to pay this jerks health insurance, along with his convicted drug dealer of a son Mark, for the rest of his life.

This sort of sounds like Emperor Nero when he just played his fiddle while Rome burnt to the ground.

The balls now in YOUR court, ladies and gentlemen

If nobody approaches and lobbies the Selectmen regarding this proposed ballot referendum question by the time the Town Clerk is required to send the ballot to the printers (technically speaking, by the Selectmens second public meeting in March, or about one month from the date of this posting) for this years election – which I believe is about April 1st – then Ill just accept the fact that this is a dead idea. If some rocket scientist should submit a post afterwards with the brilliant notion that I publicly debate the limp-wrist Pee Wee Herman over on the other forum in Town – without first sending me a money order for $35,000 – Ill promptly kill their post and then ban them from Dracut After Dark. I have no qualms whatsoever pulling the plug on overly ignorant people.

Ditto with people who come on here and claim this forum never offers any viable solutions to Town issues – only a lot of complaining. Unless you can prove to me right here and now that a ballot referendum question wouldnt resolve this issue once and for all, that argument will become grossly bogus anytime AFTER April 1st. Besides, do you honestly think youre going to get AT LEAST a 30 percent voter turnout with no referendum question on the ballot? I seriously doubt it. The vast majority of voters might not have the slightest clue who the heck is actually running for office yet they could probably form a fairly confident opinion in about five seconds on what they think of this ballot question – especially when you make it a binding one.

I would guestimate that this ballot question will draw far less blank votes than any of the contested races on this years ballot. Having this referendum question on the ballot this year would force contested School Committee and Selectmen races to be that much more contested. Ron Mercier, whos enrolled on the Town employees health insurance coverage, is up for reelection to the School Committee and would probably have to justify his enrollment on this perk during debates and public appearances if this question appears on the ballot. Selectman incumbent Joe DiRocco is enrolled on the Town employees health insurance by virtue of being a retired Dracut firefighter, however, if this becomes a ballot question and a bonafide issue for discussion, one would assume DiRocco will support the successful passage of this proposal due to the fact that his good buddies, Warren Shaw and Bob Cox are both enrolled on it under M.G.L. 32b.

What a fantastic opportunity for a challenger vying in a contested race to establish a nice, positive reputation for themselves! For starters, youd automatically be viewed as, persona non grata by the Good Ol Boy Network for even attempting to eliminate one of their most valuable and obscure perks in town. Political retribution against any proponents (as well as their friends and relatives) of this ballot question is very eminent – ESPECIALLY WITH THIS GROUP OF EXTREMELY VINDICTIVE PUBLIC OFFICIALS. But more importantly – the average Dracut voters would genuinely see you as a doer rather than just a talker, which is truly a rarity in politics these days.

But even if the Dracut Selectmen reject or try watering this ballot question down to make it virtually ineffective (which really wouldnt shock me), thats okay because its the INTESTINAL FORTITUDE of just bringing this item before the Town Fathers that taxpayers will respect and admire. If that is, indeed, the case, itll be especially fascinating to see exactly what the Selectmen say and do to neuter and or kill this ballot question starting with, but certainly not limited to, which of the Town Fathers will first publicly disclose they have a conflict of interest and then, appropriately step down and remove themselves from any potential vote.

A win-win situation from the Dracut taxpayers perspective

Lastly, isnt it just more mature and rational to settle an issue once and for all, rather than bringing it up over and over and over and over again? From the Dracut taxpayers perspective, either way, its a win-win situation.

A NO vote win would save our taxpayers over a $100K per year from not further insuring about a half dozen greedy stipend elected officials, most of whom can easily afford their own health insurance privately.

A YES vote win to my proposed VERBATIM ballot referendum question, plus at least a 30 percent registered voters turnout on election day, would rid the Good Ol Boy Network of a local Internet website – Dracut After Dark – which has constantly exposed most of their corruption and improprieties in town for almost eight years now. Heck, dont you think these folks, who claim theyre staunch critics of Dracut After Dark, would strongly push this referendum question on the ballot this year just to make this forum disappear? Or, how about Yours Truly going on a certain Saturday morning local radio show, and kicking Warren Shaws fat butt up one side and down the other? Or perhaps Ive got this all wrong – maybe everybody really loves Dracut After Dark here in town and just wants us to hang around for another 20 years or so.

As far as pushing this referendum question for this years town ballot, I wont try to lobby for it any further. To use yet another reference from the Good Book, Id simply paraphrase that famous quote by Pontius Pilate and conclude: My hands are now washed of this matter.

I was willing to do it for just an appearance on Warren Shaws radio show, but maybe if I sweeten the pot a little bit, I might get a wee bit more of a reaction to it.

If the following item goes in VERBATIM (word for word) as a published referendum ballot question for the 09 Town Election, and then gets approved by a majority of Dracut voters (with AT LEAST a 30 percent of registered Dracut voter turnout) on May 4th  for stipend elected officials to continue enrolling and exploiting Town insurance coverage(s)  I will promptly dissolve and terminate, Dracut After Dark, Voy.com/54926/ , sometime on Tuesday, May 5th.

The EXACT WORDING to this particular ballot referendum question has to be as follows:

Should local stipend elected officials -- specifically Board of Selectmen members, School Committee members, and Town Moderator  be allowed to enroll and exploit Dracut town employees insurance (health, life, dental, vision, etc.) coverage(s) under the options granted in Massachusetts General Law 32b? This referendum ballot question includes, but is not limited to, an individual who may have initially enrolled for their Town insurance coverage under M.G.L. 32b, and is now considered either retired from elected public office, or a surviving spouse to someone who may have died while serving in elected public office. Furthermore, since this is a BINDING referendum ballot question, a NO vote would terminate any and all of the aforementioned relevant individuals from continuing their enrollment on any of the Towns insurance coverage(s) immediately after this Town Election is completed.

If the majority of Dracut voters would actually support and vote YES to a bullBLEEP BINDING referendum ballot question like this, then its definitely time for Yours Truly to just shake off the dust and move on. Come to think of it, if the majority of Dracut voters support this referendum ballot question, Roger L. Daigle would either need a new issue to complain about, OR, simply pull the plug on, Inside Dracut Politics.

I would definitely insist on having AT LEAST a 30 percent registered voter turnout participating in the 09 Town Election on a proposal like this because I know for a fact that all the dreaded PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYEES will be well-represented at these polls to personally take care of their OWN SPECIAL INTERESTS.

For this same reason, I would never even entertain the notion of putting something this intense in the form of a warrant article and bringing it before an annual Town Meeting. Aside from the fact that it usually can barely even make a quorum with the minimum required amount of registered voters to officially hold one of these meetings, the vast majority of people in attendance are PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYEES, its no big secret that Town Moderator Gary McCarthy and Warren Shaw are bosom buddies with each other, those who attempt to voice a concern at the microphone contrary to the majoritys opinion on any issue are usually publicly ridiculed and heckled with no help whatsoever from the Moderator, and, although it states in the Town Meeting bylaws that at least 10 people in the audience can request a secret ballot vote the Moderator usually never honors this rule.

For the aforementioned reasons, I feel a heck of a lot more comfortable bringing this before the Town via a referendum ballot question with AT LEAST a 30 percent voter turnout on Election Day, than I would as a warrant article at an annual Town Meeting. Since School Committee member Ron Mercier, whos up for reelection this year, is currently one of the stipend elected officials in town exploiting this particular perk, he could probably serve as the unofficial spokesperson for this ballot referendum question assuming it gets approved and is published on the ballot this year. Although I would assume Mercier would just yield any comments to this subject to his next door (or former next door neighbor?), New Boston Road neighbor, Warren Shaw. Better yet, Selectman and Attorney George Malliaros, a.k.a. The Golden Greek, also exploits the Towns health insurance under M.G.L. 32b, and he might be the most eloquent spokesperson out of that bunch to continue bilking the Town of Dracut for this particular perk.

Good people just dont run for elected public office anymore

As Mr. Shaw indicated in one of his recent Dispatch columns, their whole argument is based on, if the Town of Dracut ever eliminated these free insurance enrollments to stipend elected officials, there wouldnt be any good people running for public office anymore, it would only be limited to -- I assume, according to Mr. Shaw --  stupid people and crooks. Keep in mind here, Warren admitted that he first got the idea to enroll on the Dracut town employees health insurance coverage from convicted felon and former Town Treasurer, Jim Doukszewicz, and now, seven-plus years afterwards, Mr. Shaw decided to finally go public and write a column about this questionable ordeal in the Dispatch.

But whatever happened to voluntary community service? When did serving as either a Dracut Selectman or a School Committee member automatically become someones career or profession? I say, lets roll the proverbial dice via a ballot referendum question, and see what happens.

Besides that, why not take a good hard look at the financial status of some of these people we are currently supporting with free Town health insurance:

Atty. Malliaros, Warren Shaw, Bob Cox, May Gorman Paquette, and Kathleen DiTillio.

If these people arent all millionaires, then they're pretty darn close. I think its fairly safe to say that these five individuals are probably worth more money right now than most people reading this particular posting will ever see in a lifetime. This begs the question, why cant these rich bastards just go out and buy their own personal family health insurance privately? If this isnt a reversed Robin Hood scenario, then I must be the Queen of England.

So throw Mercier back in with the aforementioned bunch and youve got six individuals, which if the Towns share for each of their respective family health insurance plans is approximately $14,000 per year as was reported in the Lowell Sun, that would be a collective total of about $90,000 annually. Consider this  for $90,000 per year, Dracut could hire three (3) new teachers, OR, three (3) new firefighters, OR, three (3) new cops. Instead, Dracut is just blowing that amount of money on six (6) very wealthy individuals who are either not savvy enough, or not considerate enough to go out and buy their own family health insurance.

Lastly, I think it goes without saying, if nobody has the guts to bring this proposed ballot referendum question before the Board of Selectmen for final approval prior to the actual ballot being sent to the printer for publication on or before April 1st, my proposed offer to dissolve and terminate Dracut After Dark will automatically become null and void. If this ballot referendum question doesnt get approved and published for the 09 Town Election, it aint going to take place at all. I will just assume that everybody in Dracut loves Dracut After Dark, and absolutely hates that limp-wrist little wimp who runs that other Internet site in town.

Ill also make it a definite point to bitch and complain every 4-5 months or so, about these stipend elected officials exploiting the Town of Dracut for their own personal benefit. In addition to that, my public media appearances will automatically increase from $25,000 per appearance to $35,000 per appearance. But then again, if you honestly believe what Warren Shaw stated in his recent column relevant to this subject that, Jack DiTillio was NOT a wealthy man, then youd have to agree with me that $35,000 is just a mere drop in the bucket.

Happy 2009, everybody!

I can hardly wait for Dracuts Good Ol Boy Network to sink in their teeth and start wagging their tongues over this latest proposal of mine.