All That Glitters is Not Good Public Policy

All That Glitters Is Not Good Public Policy

The City Manager of Worcester released his report on how to make Worcester a more diverse city on April 24, 2015. His ideas are reasonable, but late, inadequate, beside the points, and corrupting. The ideas raised by Manager Edward Augustus are mainly old ideas that have failed or old ideas that should have been implemented decades ago.

The big idea in the report is the creation of a “Chief Diversity Officer” whose job is to make sure that different populations in the City know about and apply for City jobs. This should have been an ongoing effort by the City with or without a Chief Diversity Officer. I suppose the Manager will now have a scapegoat to point to when due to institutional racism the City’s work force does not reflect its population.

Another big idea that failed and is being reestablished is the so called Clergy/ Police Alliance. The problem with this “alliance” is that the well meaning Clergy do not have much influence beyond their own congregations. The cops, the Mayor, and the Manager will get well meaning Clergy to stand behind in photo opts, but do not expect anything substantial to come of it.

The restructuring of the Affirmative Action Advisory Committee is just a reshuffling of papers. Nobody in City governments listens to them and the good people there do not want to get on the bad side of their sponsors by being too critical. Like other committees the Affirmative Action Advisory Committee serves at the pleasure of the Manager.

The issues of police body cameras, cruiser cameras, and lock up camera should have been done years ago. It is being done now because of the pressure of the Black (all) Lives Matter new civil rights movement. As the report says the use of these items are being “investigated”.  What is not in the report is civilian review of the police. Neither the Manager who is the boss of the cops nor Worcester Human Rights Commission has a mention in the reports as a means of review by the public of any alleged police misconduct. There is evidence that the Manager and the Police Chief are malicious prosecuting some of the protesters in the Black (all) Lives Matter movement.

The other items in the report regarding education, voting, youth jobs, etc are already being implemented. There is nothing new in the report.  

I am sure all of the politicians, including new candidates, will be happy with the report as it relieves them of the responsibility to tell the truth about the lack of transparency and be critical of the Manager’s report. Some of the right wing politician will be critical because they do not want to do anything about diversity and are ready to move out to Holden when the City becomes too diverse.

People I like to call “misleaders” who ingratiate themselves with the politicians will be scrambling to take advantages of some of the so-called new ideas in the report. Many of them are now thinking about how they can be hired as the “Chief Diversity Officer”. Others actually like to be photographed with the bosses to show they have juice.

I have been called elderly by many people and I am. During my many years I have seen this bait and switch before. It is used to defuse the militancy of oppressed people by holding out the false hope of substantial change and corrupting the people who should know better. 

Tale of Two Tapes

The Tale of the Tapes

A Worcester police officer, Michael Motyka, was arrested recently in Worcester Massachusetts for allegedly violating the civil rights of a Black man being held in the Worcester Police lockup on Belmont St.  He allegedly beat the handcuffed and shackled victim while calling him racial slurs.  The incident took place in December 2014 and videotaped by the cameras in the  lock up. 

The Worcester District Attorney’s (DA) office has refused to release a copy of the tape to the public. The spokesman for the DA stated that a special prosecutor will be appointed and that it is policy not to release tapes of criminal acts until after a trial.  The problem with this policy for this case is that at least four other officers witnessed the alleged beating of the victim by officer Motyka and did nothing. 

The issue in this case is not only the civil rights violations by officer Motyka, but also the civil rights violations of the officers who witnessed the alleged beating and racial sluts and did nothing to protect the victim.  This is a civil rights violation in itself and a violation of Worcester Police Department policy. The tape should be released to the public so that the public can review the policies and actions of the Worcester Police Department. The Worcester Police Department which is responsible for the tape has the ability to release it. It should be fully transparent on this issue.

The irony of the tape is that the City is spent a lot money and used a lot of resources based on a tape of Black Lives Matter protestors at Kelly Square. The City will likely not be able to use this tape in court  as it can not be authenticated. The protestors did not beat up anyone and did not use racial slurs.  A motorist might have been “annoyed”. The protestors never ignored any police commands to “disburse” as the police were not present at the protest. The protestors disbursed on their own volition.

In the case of Motyka the City should suspend the officer who did nothing, while officer Motyka allegedly beat up a shackled prisoner, until their cases are adjudicated. The Motyka tape is a part of the review of violations of Worcester Police Department policy. These charges are exponentially worse than the charges against the protesters who might have  annoyed a motorist.

A defense for the protestors seems to be “legitimate purpose” which means that there was a need to bring attention to the misconduct of the Worcester Police. The Motyka case is evidence of the legitimate purpose of the protestors.

There is evidence that the City is maliciously prosecuting the protestors. Malicious Prosecution is a civil rights violation and it has four elements : 1. Commencement of criminal proceedings, 2. the proceedings is adjudicated in victims favor, 3. There was not probable cause, 4. The proceeding was brought with malice. This should be investigated by the Department of Justice when it comes to Worcester.

When I first heard of the arrest of officer Motyka, I was encouraged,  thinking perhaps Worcester had changed its review of police misconduct.  If the review process is taken more seriously by the City, the protestors at Kelly Square had a lot to do with it. Now I am not sure if there is substantive improvement in City government.

Mayor Petty has come out against civilian review of the police. It is time that Mayor Petty realizes he is now a part of the problem. The City Manager’s refusal to drop the charges against the protestors in light of events shows a business as usual policy at City government.

Disturbing The Peace

The Connection Between Disturbing The Peace And Civil Rights Violations?

On April 15, 2015 four Black (all) Lives Matter protesters were summoned to a Clerk Magistrate hearing. The Clerk Magistrate ruled that there was not sufficient evidence for the assertion by the City of Worcester that the four protesters were disorderly, but he ruled that there was sufficient evidence for a complaint of disturbing the peace.

The evidence presented by the City of Worcester consisted to a larger extent of a police report. Although mentioned in the hearing a video was not shown.  The police report is suspect as the police were not witnesses to the protest at Kelly Square. One of the protesters, summoned to court, never entered the roadway and was at least one block away. The police report said another protester was wearing clothing he was not actually wearing. The report went on to say that the manner by which the police identified the protesters was from interviews days AFTER the protest.

The Worcester Police have been known for its secrecy and lack of transparency which allows it to escape scrutiny by the public. It is an environment which can lead officers to be less than truthful or unable to resist unlawful instructions from superiors

The City Manager and the Chief of police stated in the media that they only pursued the summons after they saw a video. They ordered an investigation.  Based on knowledge and belief the police report was ordered to be written by Chief Gemme and City Manager Ed Augustus.  They pressured officers to create the inconsistent and possibly false police report presented at the Clerk Magistrate hearing.  It will be interesting to see how the writers of the report respond to questions under oath at the trial.

There is no dispute that the complaints brought by the City Manager and the Police Chief against the protesters are political.  They both say that they would withdraw the charges if and when the protesters promise not to demonstrate in the streets. A non political complaint would not have such a condition.

There may be a violation by the City of the civil rights of the protesters. This violation is a separate violation from the issue of disturbing the peace. The City is threatening jail time and fines in order to gain a political end. The protesters have a right under the first amendment to protest the unjust killings of unarmed people especially young Black men. The issue is whether the City Manager and Police Chief conspire to deny the protesters their first amendment rights. The complaints have had a chilling effect on some people.  There seems to be some evidence that the Manager and Chief applied pressure to some police officers to create an inconsistent and possibly false police report.  This issue of conspiracy to violate civil rights should be an issue brought to the Department of Justice when it comes to Worcester.

This harassment and intimidation of the protesters by the City Manager, Chief of Police, and its mostly White City Council  might not rise to the level of a civil rights violation, but it is something  that should be investigated. It is certainly a large political mistake. A much better way to achieve the goal of a stop to protests is to engage the protesters in honest dialog. It is what the protesters have been demanding. The protesters have demanded increased scrutiny of the police. It is something that seems to be needed, given the recent arrest of a City police officer for civil rights violations. 

Marginalized People Stand Strong

The Marginalized People Stand Strong

The Community United Collective (CUC) held a rally of one hundred people in the City of Worcester on April 14, 2015. Although peaceful and relatively small, this rally has had a disproportionally large effect on the City.  A couple of days before the rally began City official brought out the big guns threatening to arrest people. A well meaning group of clergy seemed to have been organized by the City to preempt the rally. City Councillors said that protester should be charge with some kind crime.  A Worcester Police offers was arrested for civil rights violations. After the rally the City Manager said he would drop charges against the Kelly square protestors, if they agreed to behave. A City Councillor reportedly called for a Civilian Review Board. Councillor Lukes has an agenda item to punish the people at Mosaic Center.

No Worcester Police officer has ever been arrested for any action he took while on duty. No City Councillor in recent history has called for a civilian review.  The rally of Community United Collective as a part of the Black (all) Lives Matter new civil rights movement has compelled something of a social upheaval in the City of Worcester and the USA. Cops are being arrested for murder for killing unarmed people while on duty.  .

There were no politicians at the rally, not even candidates. There are twenty nine candidates seeking seats on the City Council. There seemed to be no clergy. There were street people, there were middle class working people, there were students, there were radicals, and there were the peace community. Marginalized people were at the rally.

CUC read a statement that said that it and its friends would not be turned around by the City government, the cops, the politicians, and other misleaders. There was a question and answer session after the statement.  A member of the CUC said that the stories appearing in the Worcester Telegram were inaccurate and possibly intended to intimidate protesters. No protested has been charged as of the date of the rally. Two protesters were being summons to a Clerk Magistrate Hearing to determine if the City had enough evidence to file a charge.

A spokesman for Progressive Labor Party who has been active in the CUC said that income inequalities were one of the material conditions leading to racism and gender disparities.  Income disparities eventually lead to killing of unarmed working people, especially young Black men.

The Black Lives Matter protests are continuing,  on April 14, 2015 the Brooklyn Bridge in NYC was blocked and in Springfield MA a roadway was also blocked.

The discussion about race is heating up and it seems that the CUC is not backing down. Let us see if the City can have a candid discussion without hiding behind the Department of Justice or some other interlocutor.

 

Faith community Press conference, Real or Illusion?

Faith Community Press Conference against Hate Speech, Illusion or Reality?

Councillor Sarai Rivera is a good and sincere person. She has fought against racism since I have known her. She was a leader in the Justice for Chirstino Hernandez Committee in the 1990s and she has taken courageous positions subsequently. Like Sarai Rivera others in the community who took part in the Clergy against Hate Speech are good people seeking only social justice.

That being said I question the timing and organization of the so called press conference of the Clergy against Hate Speech held on April 13, 2015.  The event was probably organized by the City Manager or people associated with the City Manager who likely hand picked the participants  to exclude all of the Black Lives Matter protester and supporters.

 There was almost no publicity before the event in the community; possibly to prevent people who might disagree with the City‘s scripted lines or who might embarrass the City Manager. What working person can go to a 2:30 PM meeting? Was this press conference called by the Manager or his friend as a preemption of the Black Lives Matter demonstration the next day?

The City Manager is under some pressure for his oppressive application to the Clerk Magistrate to charge Black Live Matter protesters. There is no evidence that can be used in court which is why the City Manager or the Chief Gemmed did not to the District Attorney.  A large demonstration is planned on April 14, 2015 at City Hall to protest the continued killing of unarmed Black men and other working people by the police.  These demonstrations, including the demonstrations in Worcester have compelled a change in police policy. Now the police are arresting police officer for violations that are committee while on duty. 

This Clergy group has been absent when hate speech has appeared in Worcester previously and it still does not want to say what hate speech it opposes. It was absent when the Nazis used the Library as their bunker headquarters in 2011. It was absent during the Tea Party’s racist activities against immigrants. It was absent when TurtleBoy called our students “savages”.  It has been absent as a group at the City Council when Black Lives Matter protesters called for better scrutiny of the Worcester Police Department.  In fairness the Clergy group is relatively new and seems to have taken on some of the goals of the City Manager’s Committee against Bias and Hate.

It is my hope that this group is not being used by the City as a wedge to divide the Black Lives Matter new civil rights movement; the same way that the Department of Justice discussion on race might be used. Let the City talk directly with the people. There is no need for an interlocutory.  I would like to see who from the Clergy goes to the Black Lives Matter demonstration on April 14, 2015.  During the old civil rights movement some of the clergy disassociated themselves from the street people in the hopes that the bosses would perceive them to be more respectable.

I am hoping that this Clergy group is real and not pawns for the City Manager. 

Worcester Hides Behind Department of Justice

Worcester Hides Behind Department of Justice.

It was announced recently that the City of Worcester invited the Department of Justice to hold discussions about race. The question arises why doesn’t the City hold these hearings directly. People have been demanding that there be increased scrutiny of the police, a review of the seemingly racist overreaction at North High School, and the lack of written policies on construction projects and Worcester residents.  Many people have raised that the schools are underfunded and a part of a system that will have adversely negative racial impact.  The people who have gone to City Council meetings, School Committee meetings, and other meetings are still here and no one from the City has asked them for a “discussion “on race.

The Department of Justice will interface in the City with the City Manager’s Coalition against Bias and Hate. This group consists of very well meaning people, but as a group it has not spoken out against the racist murders of unarmed working class people, especially Black men. The Coalition against Bias and Hate has not spoken out against the racist over reaction against North High students and students in general. It  have not spoken out against the racist underfunding of schools. It remained silent when the issue of job for Worcester resident was raised. The Coalition against Bias and Hate is run by the City Manager to give him cover on issues of race.

This cover for the City is seen in that it went to the media first before it contacted any Black or Latino person who has raised their voices against racism. The Coalition is said it would announce a schedule for the race discussions on April 24, 2015. This makes no sense given the urgency of the issue. The arrest of a police officer for allegedly beating a handcuffed prisoner at the City lock up adds more urgency to the situation. I don’t think that the Coalition against Bias and Hate has the experience or will to do anything  substantial against racism, given it track record. However I have an open mind on the issue.

The discussion of race should include the urgent discussion of police conduct and that of City Manager Ed Augustus. He and the Police Chief Gemme are seeking charges against two people who have participated in Black Lives Matter new civil rights movement. The is an obvious attempt by the City to intimate other people who have raised their voices against racism. There is no evidence that can be used in court against the two, but the City is going forward with its prosecution on April 15, 2015. There will be a rally on April 14, 2015, 6:30 PM at City Hall in support of the people being persecuted by the City. On April 18, 2015, 1 PM there will be a discussion of race and police conduct sponsored by the Massachusetts Human Right Commission and the Progressive Labor Party at the Worcester Library.

Councillor Lukes owes the City and its residents an apology for her “support the cops absolutely” resolution. Her resolutions and statements by Michael Gaffney have made it harder to appropriately scrutinize police conduct. This issue should also be discussed in the discussion on race.

The Department of Justice coming to Worcester and the arrest of the police officer in Worcester for alleged Civil Rights violations are a sign that the Black (All) Lives Matter new civil rights movement is having a positive effect on society. These things would not have happened if it were not for the protests, meetings, workshops, and marches of the people speaking out against racism.

A Pig In A Poke

A Pig in a Poke

The public learned two things at the April 7, 2015 Worcester City Council meeting. The first is that the City might have bought a pig in a poke.  The second is that City Councillors are easily intimidated by so called business capitalist investors; specifically Brady Sullivan.  The City Council approved Brady Sullivan’s purchase of  the Old Courthouse and project without a written contract, without a purchase and sales agreement, and without a Community Benefits Agreement.  It seemed that all of the City Councillors know this is bad business practice.

Councillor Rosen would not say whether he was happy or unhappy with the lack of transparency and the lack of documentation provided to the Council and to the public. prior to last night vote.  Regardless of his ignorance on the issue he voted on the approval of the Brady Sullivan “deal”.  He did say that he wanted a good deal. What will say if the cat comes out of the bag?

Councillor Russell also wanted a good deal: he at least gave a straight answer that he thought that the way Manager Augustus did not include the City Council in the negotiations  in a timely manner was not appropriate. He said that information should have been provided by the City Manager before the City Manager made public  the  “understandings”  with Brady Sullivan.

Kyhristian King, a candidate for City Councillor, showed the same caution as did Mr. Rosen. He wanted a good deal, but he would not say if he was unhappy with the transparency of the City Manager in the negotiations.

The head of the Worcester Chamber of Commerce and former Lieutenant Governor, Timothy Murray said that he also wanted a good deal with Brady Sullivan. He wanted Worcester residents to get at least fifty percent of the jobs. However he said that because no public money was involved that the City could not make obligatory legal demands on Brady Sullivan.

Lenny Cooper, a long time activist and a member of the NAACP and the Worcester Community Labor Coalition, said that the demands of the Coalition are fifty percent of hires by Brady Sullivan or their subcontractors be from the Worcester areas. Of that number fifteen percent should be so called minorities and seven per cent should be women.

So what is the real deal today? There is none. There is no written agreement that is legally enforceable on the issues of taxes, employment, mitigation of adverse changes to the neighborhood, or even a purchase and sale agreement. There is only the pig in the poke.

Especially disappointing is Councillor Lukes who used to pride herself as a fiscal conservative and a watch dog for the public.  She is also a lawyer who understands good business practice. In matter of Brady Sullivan Councillor Lukes endorsed the worse business practice of selling without a purchase and sale agreement. She used to slam former mayors for the lack of transparency and now she is silent on that issue.  It seems that she is running out of gas and is just a shadow of  her previous due diligence self.

For decades the City of Worcester have look for the Holy Grail of development. It has gone through several iterations of Worcester Commons Outlet. It has built a poorly designed Union Station that Amtrak did not want and that is losing money. There have been several changes to the plans for City Square and it seems that this might be a money loser as well.

No one can say for sure how the old Court House project will turn out. There are not documents to analyze. There is only the lack of transparency of City Manager Augustus and the wishful thinking of City Council. 

Janice Harvey, Colorblindness, F Minus in Pedagogy

Janice Harvey, Colorblindness, F Minus in Pedagogy

Like many liberal minded people Janice Harvey, a columnist for Worcester Magazine, is influenced by racial stereotypes. In her March 26, 2015 column she not only attacked every Black person expressing an opinion about North High School, but she also defamed them by attributing ulterior and selfish motives to their opinions. So Ms. Harvey, which Black person do you agree with in the City of Worcester?  Are you waiting for Clarence Thomas to return?

There is evidence of racism, albeit the “White Woman’s Burden complex” in her column.  Ms. Harvey mentions Turtleboy in her column, but does not attack him. She does not even mention that Turtleboy is an alleged sexual harasser.  In effect Ms. Harvey gives Turtleboy’s racist rants uncritical publicity, while attacking the Black people of Worcester.

The American Justice System should strive towards the goal of being colorblind. I suppose this is the reason that Lady Justice is blind folded. Although a noble goal in law, we Black people know that the American Justice System is not colorblind. The impact of the American Justice System has always had a disparately adverse impact on us so called “minorities”. It is for this reason many in the Black community consider School Committee woman Briancharia’s insistence of the presence of the police, Department of You Services, and the District Attorney in the schools to be potentially more harmful than good.

The education of children and its various pedagogies should never be color blind. On this issue Ms. Harvey gets an F Minus.  Not only has she failed the basic s in the understanding of the education of children, she has done harm to the children by reinforcing the stereotype that education should be colorblind.  The education of children should be as individualized as possible: small class sizes are an example of this principle.

What Ms. Harvey is advocating, hopefully without mal intent, is that teachers ignore the important factors in the education of children, such as race and income. This is just plain stupid.  To be color blind means that a White teacher sees a Black child as a White child.  It also implies that poor children will be seen as middle class children. When the Black child does not respond in the same way as the White middle class child in school, colorblindness will place the blame for the “failure” on the child. 

Economics and race are the most significant factors in the educational success of children. Ms. Harvey ignoring this is harmful.

The Education Association of Worcester (EAW), the teachers’ union,  using  a contorted logic has decided to defend Ms. Harvey. Ms. Harvey is a public figure and a columnist; she can fend for herself in the realm of opinion. Whether the principal of North High School is professional is not a contract issue. The union has nothing to grieve.  As seen above Ms. Harvey does not have clean hands in the controversy she created.  The EAW should learn from the other teachers’ unions around the country that the main issue for the union is the education of the children. By fighting for better schools, better programs, and smaller classes the union ensures the good standing of the teachers. The nurses have learned this lesson by having their strike demands mainly regarding patient care.

Based on her past record, I expect Ms. Harvey will not talk with me or any Black person in the City regarding colorblindness and the adverse effects it has on the education of Black children. Hopefully she will do no more harm.

Immigration Day 2015 Announcement

Immigration Day Participants 2012 From Worcester

The Worcester County bus to Immigrants Day at the MA Statehouse will take place:                                     

TUESDAY, APRIL 14th, 2015 

The bus will leave from in front of City Hall at 9 a.m. You can park in the Worcester Public Library parking lot. We will leave Boston at 1 p.m. We will return to Worcester at 2 p.m.

Join us as we advocate for health care, access to higher education, citizenship, refugee advancement, workers rights, immigrant integration and many other issues.                                                                                                                                                                           

We will advocate with our legislators about the most pressing issues affecting our immigrant communities.

There is no charge. All you have to do is emailrmadnick@msn.com and leave your name with a message. I will see you at 9 a.m.

Thank you.   Ron Madnick

Insurgent Teamsters

The Insurgent Teamsters

The Teamsters have tentatively organized the technicians at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester Massachusetts. The nascent unit of the Teamster is awaiting a unionizing election. Should the majority of the technicians at St. Vincent vote in favor of the union, then the Hospital management would be compelled to negotiate in good faith with the new technicians’ union. The negations would then be codified in a contract or collective bargaining agreement.

Given the petition for election to the National Labor Relation Board (NLRB), the management of St. Vincent cannot legally retaliates against any of the technicians for union organizing work done outside of their own duty work time. The NLRB has set a goal of not more than fifty six days from the filing of the petition to day of election, sometime in late June 2015.

The Teamsters union was expelled from the AFL-CIO in 1957 after allegations that its leadership was associated with organized crime. Jimmy Hoffa was president of the Teamsters at the time. His son Jimmy Hoffa Jr.  is now national leader of the Teamsters. The Teamsters today have a similar structure as the AFL CIO and organizes in all industries not just truck drivers.

The Teamsters today is only a shadow of its former self in terms of its working class militancy and class struggles. It sometimes calls for strikes, but in general the Teamsters under Hoffa have become more like a business as usual organization.

In contrast to the business model of the Teamsters, on March 15, 2015 a more militant group of Teamster met in Worcester, Italian American Club. Teamster United is a  caucus inside of the Teamster  and it is working to unseat Jimmy Hoffa Jr. It wants to return the Teamsters to a more democratic and militant practice.  Tim Sylvester is running against Hoffa in the 2016 election. Mr. Sylvester is from the Teamster Local located in Long Island New York, Local 804.  He said that he and his fellow Local 804 brothers and sisters successfully resisted the sellout contract that Hoffa imposed on most of the other Teamsters locals.

Running for Vice President for Teamster United is Fred Zuckerman, from Kentucky’s Local 89.   Mr. Zuckerman is something of firebrand and is certainly charismatic. Given his Kentucky union background I am not surprised that he can hold your attention and inspire people to strive for a world in which workers have more power over their lives.

The issues that Messrs. Sylvester and Zuckerman raised were the so called sell out contracts  that created two tier wage system in which new employees are being paid minimum wages, the underfunded and delayed pensions, inability of the National Union to organize Fed Ex, and Locals being able to veto a contract for their area.

The issues not discussed are the racial and gender disparities, given the number of discrimination cases filed United Parcel Service at the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission.

Although the insurgency has an uphill struggle to unseat the entrenched Hoffa, Messrs. Sylvester and Zuckerman presented what seemed to be a viable plan to the locals gathered at the Italian American Club. It consisted to a large extent of “bring your own voters”.

There is a rumor that Jim Peters who is the present Business Agent for Local 170 and the negotiator for St. Vincent’s’ technicians might not run for reelection in 2016.  It has been alleged that he has tired of making quid pro quo agreements with the employers and being complained to by the employees. The insurgency by more militant union members might prove too much for him.

The future shall bring us the answers about what happens to Hoffa, Peters, and the Teamsters.

White North Main and "Minorities" Main South

Lilly White North Main and 'Minorities" Main South

The Economic Development Committee of the Worcester City Council met on March 31, 2015 and the speaker who surprised us the most was the representative of the League of Women Voters, Lee Bona. The issues she raised, that were off the radar,  were diversity of the workforce that will be working on the Courthouse project, the diversity of the renters of the one hundred and fifteen upscale apartments, and the issue of green space. Ms. Bona is a White woman. Ms. Bona said that North Main St. was becoming  “lily white” and Main South would remain for “minorities”. She wanted to raise additional issues, but the Committee Chair  said  the Committee did not have time to listen to all of her issues

Although there were about fifty people who attend the meeting and about twenty five speakers, the issue of race, gentrification, and green spaces were raised by a White woman from an organization mainly concerned with elections. The City officials did not address these issues. The City Manager did not address these issues. In all  fairness the issue of a diverse workforce was brought up briefly by  Councillor Rushton.

A slogan from a radical group, “ Jobs – Yes,  Racism – No” came to mind when Ms. Bona spoke.

Ms. Bona suggested that a  “community benefits agreement” be drawn up like in other cities, including Boston. Such agreements guarantee benefits to a community including mitigation of any adverse changes.

State Representative Mary Keefe attended the meeting.  The old court house is in her District. Representative Keefe was somewhat tight lipped on the issues. She would only say that she was attending the meeting to learn more. Representative Keefe leans towards issues of worker rights. What  came out at the meeting is that three million dollars of State money has been given to the City for preparation of the site for development.

These three million dollars  are entirely under the control  of the City and City Manager. What contracts and who work  for these contractors and the  makeup of the workforce are issues entirely within the purview of the City Manager . The City Manager did not discuss the details of the use of the three million dollars in State money nor the one million dollars in “supplemental“ funds.  Brady Sullivan  aside,  Manager Augustus is able to make a commitment for a racially and gender diverse workforce with at least fifty percent Worcester residents. City Manager Mr. Augustus did say he thought that the agreement reached with Brady Sullivan (developer) is good for Worcester.

Presently the City Assessor has set the assessed value of the  old court house at one and one-half million dollars. There are no plans to raise the assessment after the completion of the project. Several people said that given the one hundred and fifteen upscale apartments and  additional retail space the assessment after the completion of the project should be closer to ten million dollars.

A spokesman for Brady Sullivan said that his employer is committed to have  at least a fifty percent of its workforce coming from Worcester or within thirty miles of Worcester. He said Brady Sullivan has met that goal  for its Junction project in Main South. The Brady Sullivan spokes man said that it was committed to the same percentages for the old court house project. The City representative, Mr. Trainer, confirmed that it and Brady Sullivan had a goal  of fifty percent  of the court house workforce being from the Worcester area.

The Worcester Community Labor Coalition requested that the agreements between the City  and Brady Sullivan be released to the public for scrutiny. The Committee agreed to post the agreements on line. It also postponed approval of the agreements at least for another week.