By William Tauro
This past Wednesday morning this very newspaper contacted several of the Somerville City Councilors via email and text in regards to if they were going to look into and discuss the police raid that took place at the Somerville Department of Public Works (DPW) the morning before on Tuesday.
The few city councilors that returned our call reacted as they were dumbfounded and it was actually like we were talking to a wall.
Reactions that we received from our Somerville city councilors ranged from “Hi Billy, i don’t know anything about this. Can you email me info?” and “What happened yesterday?” to “I’m not the police.” Really?
I also made a 9:00 AM phone call on Wednesday morning as well to the mayors office and spoke to Veronica inquiring if the mayor was going to issue a press release or a statement regarding what had happened at the DPW. Her answer was “I don’t think so but if anything changes I will call you back.”
So with that said, it appears that our local elected officials will be sitting on their hands again, keeping their mouths shut, with mums the word hoping it will all go away.
Is this really what it has come to in Somerville?Is this part of our expectations of our elected officials and is this what we voted on? Is there any transparency from our elected officials that we elected to represent us to let us know what is actually happening in our city? Are these the people that we’re going to trust to ask the important questions and investigate what happens on our behalf? I don’t think so!
In 2013 this very paper put the City of Somerville on notice that this was occurring at the Somerville DPW. In 2017 we spoke to and filed a report with the Massachusetts Inspecter General’s office regarding the overtime scandal situation that was taking place in Somerville producing boxes crucial evidence including photos and actual overtime slips. In 2020, this past Tuesday morning, the investigation finally began.
So our readers know on what exactly happened, here it is:
MAJOR SOMERVILLE DPW SUSPENSIONS AS CORRUPTION PROBE BEGINS
Early Tuesday morning outside agencies along with Somerville Police entered the Somerville DPW main building and garage on Frany Road as well as the home of Mike Browne, the UnitA DPW foreman on Robertson Street in Somerville.
The raid was more focused on the long alleged Somerville DPW overtime scandal and the shaking down of city vendors by DPW management.
Computers were also seized during the morning raid. At one point law enforcement authorities ordered a Somerville DPW crew to break into DPW “UnitA” Foreman Mike Browne’s office where he had a installed a thumbprint mechanism lock on his office door preventing anyone entry with a spare key.
As of Tuesday morning Somerville DPW Fleet Manager Ron Bonnie, DPW UnitA Foreman Mike Browne and DPW Worker’s Foreman Carl Winters have all been placed on suspensions and their office door locks changed and criminal charges pending.
All this comes after only one day after Somerville Police Chief David Fallon announces his retirement.
The City of Somerville issued the following statement to the city councilors in an email:
Subject: DPW personnel matter
Honorable President McLaughlin and Members of the City Council,
In response to some questions I’ve received from Councilors, I’m emailing to let you know that there is currently a DPW personnel matter that we are handling. Because this is a personnel matter, I’m unable to provide any additional details at this point.
Thank you for your understanding.
Sincerely,
Annie Connor
Director of Intergovernmental Affairs
Mayor’s Office, City of Somerville
Pronouns: she/her/hers
This story is still developing while this ongoing investigation continues…
I call Bullshit on this story. Then again I call Bullshit on this entire blog. If any of these stories were true, the “Real News Media” would be following up and reporting it. Come on people. You’re not sheep.
Jay It did happen.
The Real TimmyC (not the person who used my name a couple of times last week)
Amen to W.Worthy comment. It’s about time that they will investigate corrupt DPW Commissioner MacEachern…
No need to worry all the evidence was lost as a result of the sanitization program implemented by Mayor Joe. The good news is he will cooperate throughout the investigation.
That’s just like he really cared about Somervillians after he was elected we have a better chance of getting sanitizer or catching the virus
The Councilors will have our back we just won’t know what happens until it does sickness in the Ville as usual. .
Keep up the good work Somerville News so Somerville knows!
Comrades, all is well.
Expect more early retirements, resignations to pursue more hack opportunities in neighboring town halls…..etc. They are all saps who have been doing the bidding of their evil master lured them into a career of deceit, degradation and self destruction. Only a matter of time, they will eventually begin turning on one another to save their own sorry ass. It’s about time they uncover this filth.
The majority of City Counselors and School Committee members, with the exception of very few, are a bunch of liberal progressive moonbats. I’m not trying to defend them. But they most likely have no idea what’s going on. What takes place in the real world on a daily basis as far as human behavior and corruption is pretty foreign to them. People like these are usually distracted in their own utopian world thoughts.
TimmyC, many constituents have been deceived by the councilors. They are politicians who are known to lie in order to protect their own interests. Our city is made up of many good people who want to believe they are being protected, but they are not. The mayor rules with an iron fist and those who trusted him will learn their own fate soon enough. If you are aligned with those who have lived a life of bad deeds, lacking self respect and dignity, it rubs off and sticks. The best they can hope for is to find new jobs in other towns if they will take them. What most don’t realize, neighboring towns have no respect for the mayor or the taxpayers. They see us as fools, but they don’t understand the deeply ingrained web of corruption that lies beneath the facade. It’s been a concerted effort among outsiders we will never know who have aided in the protection of a criminal enterprise call Somerville. Hopefully, it will all be uncovered and soon.
Not surprised at the city council after my dealings with them. The old ignore the problem and it will go away thing again. They are wearing that one out. Do not expect much t happen from this. Juts remember, you can have an underage drinking party complete with stabbing and that disappears. So just wait, we have real experts here that are above everyone else.