Save FitchburgTaking Back Our Community

Last night, February 16th, I was in attendance for the City Council Meeting hoping that some form of resolution or a change in zoning might be put in place to keep organizations, like Planned Parenthood, from opening on Main Street.  Neither the Resolution drafted by City Councilor Dean Tran or the Zoning Petitions put together by City Councilor Rosemary Reynolds passed in a city council vote.  The question is why; and in a moment I will give you the answer.

First off, I believe that City Councilors Dean Tran, Kevin Starr, Rosemary Reynolds and Marcus DiNatale should be commended for standing their ground and pushing towards a resolution that many Fitchburg residents and business owners wanted.  How do I know that people want to keep Planned Parenthood off of Main Street? From the more than 500 signatures that were collected by residents the past week in support of Councilor Dean Tran’s Resolution to prevent it.

So let’s take a deeper look at the issue in hand.  The resolution presented late last night did not keep Planned Parenthood out of Fitchburg; it merely suggested that an organization of this type should be placed in a better medical suited area, like Burbank Hospital, and not smack in the middle of Fitchburg’s business district.  Which, from the signatures that were collected, seems like a reasonable compromise then just saying “no”!

The reason I believe that this did not pass is because once again City Solicitor Michael Ciota backed the rights of Planned Parenthood and ignored the concerns of City Council members, residents and business owners; even admitting at one point that Tran’s Resolution could not bring any legally ramifications against the City of Fitchburg.  So the question then is why is the City Solicitor not looking towards other legal solutions that the city can take to prevent Planned Parenthood from locating on Main Street, or is it because deep down certain members of City Hall actually want this organization in the center of Fitchburg’s Revitalization program?

Truth be told, when it comes to zoning, every city or town has specific laws allowing or disallowing certain businesses or organizations from opening in specific areas.  How about adult entertainment?  There’s an easy one to discuss.  Do you see them located near a church or a school?  No.  And why not.  Because the city prohibits such an establishment from doing so.  And do you see any lawsuits pending against the city of Fitchburg because of this.  No.

So then, why is the City Solicitor dictating (deciding) what the city council should do.  Is the city council not a representation of the residents of Fitchburg; are they not our voice.  If the people are saying no, why is it that the City Solicitor is threatening the City Council with a lawsuit on behalf of Planned Parenthood.  Is it not the Councils responsibility to stand up as the voice of their constituents?

Planned Parenthood is not like other social services that Fitchburg has had before.  When it comes to sexual health and education, yes, they are like Pro Health and a few other organizations in this city.  But I don’t see people outside picketing against Pro Health because Pro Health is not a controversial social service that offers it clients abortions.  And yes, I know that Dianne Luby (CEO Planned Parenthood in Massachusetts) said that there will be no abortion procedures done at the Fitchburg location (which I think in the long run is a lie) but the simple fact is that Planned Parenthood does do abortions at other facilities.  Why does this matter?  Because no matter what, you’re going to have protesters outside of their location and the two combined are going to bring an even larger negative stigma to Main Street.

The people of Main Street, the business owners and the residents who shop here, have worked hard to bring life back to downtown.  When crime overran this street, it was people of Fitchburg who stood up and fought back to regain what was theirs.  We believed City Hall when they told us that Fitchburg was rebuilding and that at some point it might be able to return to its days when people truly had pride in their city.

But now the City Solicitor is telling us that we can’t fight; that an organization who knows nothing about the city of Fitchburg has more rights then the people who live here.  Shame on you Mr. Ciota!  And shame on the city councilors who backed down to him!

You wanted the people of Fitchburg to help you rebuild and they have.  We believed in you.  I believed in you; that the city was sincere in revitalizing Main Street.  People have jeopardized everything they have to keep their homes and their businesses in Fitchburg, even when it was at its worst.  But now when residents are asking you to stand up for us, you sit down.

Businesses are going to leave, and the businesses you hoped would come to Main Street won’t look twice at us.  You know that this fact and in doing so Fitchburg will lose out on extra revenue while increasing citywide unemployment.

Is this what you wanted?  Is this how you pictured Fitchburg’s rebirth?  In the middle of more controversy?

If you allow Planned Parenthood to open on Main Street, you’ll be just as guilty as they are for putting an end to Fitchburg’s revitalization.  You’ll be the nail and they’ll be the hammer!

It’s time for the City Council to stand up and remind City Solicitor Ciota that he works for the city and not Planned Parenthood.  Backing down to the threat of a lawsuit only encourages organizations to take advantage of a situation.  Fighting back, however, will show that Fitchburg has had enough of the bullying and the threats.  It’s time for the City Council to draw the line.

The people are speaking.  You need to listen!

If you’re tired of feeling as though you’re being held hostage by your utility company please take a look at the Municipal Choice Bills (H3087 and S1527).

We are encouraging all Massachusetts residents to sign this petition in favor of this bill: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/municipal-choice.html

It’s time we had a choice in who provides us our utility services!

We are still collecting signatures from local residents and business owners in support of City Councilman Dean Tran’s resolution to keep Planned Parenthood from establishing themselves on Main Street in Fitchburg.

If you would like to add your name, please stop by 701 Main Street from 12-7pm today and tomorrow.

The signatures will be collected Thursday night so our time is limited!

After attending last weeks meeting with the City Council and listening to representatives from Planned Parenthood, local residents and business owners, I’ve come to the conclusion that allowing Planned Parenthood to open on Main Street would do nothing but deter businesses from coming to Fitchburg, and even worse drive businesses out.

One of the things that concerned me most was the lack of answers given to the council by Planned Parenthood President and CEO Dianne Luby.  In fact most of the responses she did give proved to support the city councilors point of view that Planned Parenthood is not needed here in Fitchburg at all.

Let me explain: Luby applauded our current social service programs for their dedicated work in bringing down the number of teen pregnancies by 20% since 2006.  She also stated that the Fitchburg average (17.1 pregnancies per 1000 teens) is far less then the state average (49 pregnancies per 1000 teens).  What does this mean?  It means that the programs that are already in place are working!

So why did Planned Parenthood choose Fitchburg?  Was it because Fitchburg needed their services?  Obviously not since our teen pregnancy rates have gone down.  No, they chose us because a little chart told them that Fitchburg was low income community, therefore, we must need them.  Does that sound like a good enough reason?

Now if you listened to Luby at the meeting she says that Fitchburg was chosen because it has easy access to public transportation, but when further questioned it was easily noticeable that she knew little about our community or those surrounding us.

City Councilman Dean Tran asked why they did not consider Leominster or Gardner?  They both have easy access to public transportation and to Route 2 but Luby gave no explanation as to why those cities were not looked into.  Do they not qualify?  From the sounds of it,  Planned Parenthood never even checked into it.  It had to be Fitchburg.

And why not?  Fitchburg already has 40 other Social Service programs; why not one more?  Fitchburg already has their own problems; why not dump it all on us?

The truth is Fitchburg use to be a mecca to the business and industrial community of the North Central Area and beyond.  Now we are known as the Social Service Capital.

Residents, business owners and city officials have worked hard to rebuild this community and to restore the economic structure and foundation of this city.  What some might have lost in the process might not be regained but change was noticeable.  People were beginning to trust again; to make their way downtown bringing a heartbeat back to Main Street.

Do you honestly think new businesses are going to come to Main Street so that they can be next to a controversial organization like Planned Parenthood?  Do you think existing businesses will stay?  Two business owners left Tuesday nights meeting saying that they were done with Fitchburg and that they were relocating their current businesses.  Is this what we want?  To loose what we have already established!

And let’s not forget about the protesting.  Do you think it will actually stop over time or escalate?  If it escalates does the Fitchburg Police Department have the personnel or funds readily available for larger demonstrations.  Imagine Main Street littered with a thousand protesters.  Do you think that is going to encourage economic development?

And then there is the obvious, which is why we will have protesters on Main Street.  Planned Parenthood does abortions, and though they claim they will not be doing them on Main Street in Fitchburg, the negative stigma of it follows them where ever they go.  Which brings me to another point:  What happens in two years when their federal grant money runs up?  Luby told the city council that they could not abortions because they had received federal grant money to set up but that they were looking for a 5-10 year lease on Main Street.  What happens in two years time if they don’t receive money from another federal grant?  Luby told the council that Planned Parenthood had accessibility to other money through private donations.  What’s to stop them from doing abortions then?  Imagine an abortion clinic on Main Street two years from now.  The number of protesters would double in a night; not to mention the possibility of violence that could break out from it.

I’m sorry but placing Planned Parenthood on Main Street would be like putting the final nail in the coffin.  Main Street would fall and businesses would leave and Fitchburg would be left with an organization that cares more about statistics then the actual wants and needs of the people within our community.

And from what I witnessed and what I’ve heard the majority of the people of Fitchburg, including members of our City Council, do not want you, Planned Parenthood, here.  So instead of forcing your organization upon us, try respecting our city by respecting our wishes and find a new place somewhere else, that as you (Luby) put it yourself so many times last Tuesday, will feel “welcomed”.

For all of those who would like to sign a petition in favor of City Councilman Dean Tran’s Resolution to keep Planned Parenthood out of Fitchburg, please stop by 701 Main Street Monday through Thursday of this week.  Dean Tran would like to present his resolution to the Council this Thursday night.

Your voice will be heard!

Fitchburg Police Captain Charles Tasca was fired on Friday after being suspended without pay while under investigation for misusing compensation time.

The termination comes a day after a hearing was held Thursday morning to decide whether or not he had misused 10 paid comp days since June of 2009.

Tasca’s attorney plans to appeal the firing with the state Civil Service Commission.

For more information please check out the following articles:
~ Attorney: Tasca has been fired ~
~ Officer’s use of comp time questioned during hearing ~
~ City cop suspended without pay ~

I’ll update this post as we receive more information in the next day or so as to final findings that led to Captain Tasca’s termination.

According to The Sentinel and Enterprise, Councilor – at – Large Thomas Conry has filed a petition that would require heads of Fitchburg Departments live in Fitchburg.

The proposed petition would give anyone heading a Fitchburg Department six months to relocate to Fitchburg after signing their contract with the city.  Current department heads would be grandfathered until their contract expires at which point, they too would be given an additional six months to move if given a new contract.

The main idea here is that if you are in charge of Fitchburg Departments then you yourself should be a resident of the city, not just a five day a week employee.  This is most evident in the criticism given to both the Chief of Police and the School Superintendent, neither of whom live in the city or in a community which is similar to Fitchburg.  The question then is how can these Department heads know what is best for Fitchburg if they are not a full time part of it.

On the other hand those that oppose the petition believe that the city will lose valuable employees because of this and that where you live shouldn’t dictate where you work.

The petition will be discussed on January 7th at the city council meeting.  What do you think?

From the Mayor’s press conference Wednesday night, roughly 150 streetlights will be turned on in the next few weeks, with possibly 100 more after that.

The money needed to turn these lights back on is the result of $20,000 made possible to the city through a public safety grant.

The next decision to be made is which street lights in the city will be turned back on and which ones won’t.  Which area would you target first?

Free Idea will be hosting a local band show tonight as part of a food can drive for the holidays.

Doors open a 5:15 at St. Anthony’s  Hall at 84 Salem St  in Fitchburg.

The show will feature local bands: How to Become an Explorer, After the Storm, Dakota, Flight Of The Navigator, Convert To Cannibalism and The Sharpest.

Food will be provided by Gia’s Food Services.

Tickets are $7 or $5 with a canned food donation.

Tonight promises to be a lot of fun so come check it out!

While Friday night many Fitchburg residents joined together at the “Ice Breaker” Party to commemorate the one year anniversary of the “Ice Storm”, other residents and local officials gathered in freezing temperatures Saturday afternoon to protest against Unitil.

One year ago, during one of the worst storms this area has ever seen, Unitil failed to deliver when they were needed most.  Many residents went with out power for weeks, with many leaving their homes during the holidays to find warmth and shelter elsewhere.

And though much has changed in the past year with new legislation and stricter regulations being passed on utility companies; people have not forgotten what they have gone through and that Unitils lack of preparation was the cause of most of it.

With Unitil rates one of the highest in the state, residents peacefully protested in front of Unitil’s Fitchburg Office on John Fitch Highway looking for a choice and the removal of Unitil from the area.

With so many other utility companies in the state of Massachusetts, residents and communities are looking for the right to choose the company that is best suited for their needs.  Currently most communities do not have this choice, but as the issues concerning Unitil are in no way dead, it seems with so many residents calling on their state officials for a solution, that this might change.

Is it possible that this area will see an end to Unitil in 2010?

Here is a list of current businesses and organizations participating in Saturday’s Holiday Festival on Main Street:

This N That – Candy, Coffee
The Rabbit Hole (805 Main St) – Raffling Gift Certificates
Flesh By Design (701 Main St) – Raffling Gift Certificates, Grab Bag, Candy
Free Idea (701 Main St) – Donating Clothes and Hats
Premeir Subs (500 Main St) – Raffling Gift Certificates, Candy
Rollstone Studios (633 Main St) – Candy Canes
DeBonis & Davin Florist – Raffling a Holiday Plant
Goodwil Wreath Company – Raffling Holiday Wreathes
Twin Cities CDC (470 Main Street) – Raffling Gift Basket, Candy
The Boulder (880 Main Street) – Holiday Party After Parade
Bandit Clothing – T-shirts
ARC (564 Main Street) – Candy and Baked Goods

Rollstone Church (199 Main Street) will have their sanctuary open to the public from 12-4pm for tours.

I will try to keep this list updated as more businesses get back to me. Their is nothing to buy; just stop into one of these local vendors and grab your free raffle.

Also, please don’t forget about the local food drives and toys for tots to help the less fortunate at this time of year. Donations for both can be given at 701 Main Street until December 18th.

Happy Holidays and we hope to see you tomorrow from 12-6pm!