In a stunning development, at 4:56 PM today, Thursday, July 25th,
Robert A. Maiocco, the controversial Medford City Council president
didn't pull papers to run for another term.
Is this start of a sea change in Medford Politics?
* * * * *
At
5:04 PM on July 25, 2012 I sent this Patch article out to other media.
It took the weekly paper 17 hours before it ran a puff piece on the
thirty-year Council President with an absurd line like this: "Maiocco said he didn’t tell a soul about the decision, not his City
Council colleagues, his closest friends and advisors — not even his
wife, Cheryl. " Which is utter nonsense as I was tipped off about
Maiocco not running a full month ago. This writer just kept watching
the Registrars of Voters office to confirm what multiple sources were
buzzing about.
* * * * *
Cheryl Maiocco is listed on the City website as a Special Education contact at the Brooks Elementary school
http://www.medfordpublicschools.org/departments-programs/special-education-pupil-services/staff/The
significance of this means that the City Council President's wife works
for the school system and, well, who is the chairman of the school
committee? None other than Michael J. McGlynn, the Mayor
http://www.medfordpublicschools.org/about/central-administration/school-committee/
So
if McGlynn wants the Council President to keep the other six councilors
in line, well, it just doesn't seem objective to have the wife of the
council president working under the auspices of the Mayor when the City
Council is supposed to have some kind of checks and balances in place.* * * * *
The
problem with Medford politics is that the inbreeding and nepotism has
become so commonplace that few pay any attention to it. But it is so
pervasive that you can cut it with a knife; it's just a thick, thick fog
that has kept this city from moving forward. The press - especially
the weekly and the daily print papers - are more than happy to accept
whatever monies for advertising from possibly one of their biggest
advertisers, Medford City Hall, in exchange for being deaf, dumb and
blind to the reality that without an objective and vigorous Fourth
Estate the powers that be have had a free ride.
* * * * *
Which
brings us to the public access TV station. Without an objective print
media in our city, one that will ask the tough questions, and with an
access TV station off the air (which is far more objective when the crew
running that station were actually cablecasting; more on that later),
the only place for Free Speech was what was erroneously called "the
People's Forum." Enter Council President Robert A. Maiocco who would
love to shut the microphone off on people if he didn't like their point
of view. That's censorship and given all the other stumbling blocks to
our First Amendment (if not God-givern) rights, it was stunning in its
arrogance.* * * * *
People advise me I should play nice
with Bob Maiocco now that he's out of Medford politics. Why? It's
very clear that my writings are probably the #1 factor that Mr. Maiocco
considered in his decision not to run. That's all we'll say about
that. Each citizen gets 10 minutes at the City Council pursuant to
Rule #17. In a city that proclaims it embraces the First Amendment,
Mr. Maiocco now has the opportunity to facilitate vast numbers of
citizens to come up and speak their mind. Heck, I'd be happy to stand on
the sidelines and watch other people speak. My mission has been to
promote City Council participation from the residents of Medford. We
have empty storefronts, we have crosswalks in desperate need of a coat
of paint, we have broken roads and an infrastructure falling apart.
And we bring the Dalai Lama in to see rubbish and litter all over Salem
Street and a broken Central Ave and Locust St. that truly need some
attention.
* * * * *
With Robert A. Maiocco stepping down it is a
reason to celebrate. That any Council President can joke "I could have
used that a few moments ago" in reference to a big metal pipe to
allegedly hit a constituent with is beyond "inappropriate", a word
chosen by the chief of police after I complained to him that Mr. Maiocco
said this - at a council meeting - in reference to this writer.
* * * * *
In
the post 9-11 world such joking is hideous - especially from our
elected officials. IN a perfect world Bob Maiocco would have cared
more about his constituents than fixing his tie and primping for the
camera just about every single week at the City Council. This isn't
an "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up"
audition, not at Thirty Thousand Dollars a year. We need city
councilors that respect the monies they accept week after week after
week, especially when not in session over the summer months except for a
meeting here and a meeting there. We have serious problems and we
pay about Two Hundred Thousand Dollars a year for this 7 person body.
Talking about taxis week after week or dragging sports teams up for
their moment of glory are items better suited for the parking
commissioner and public access TV, respectively. It is time this city
council got its priorities straight and the best thing that could happen
to it is Robert A. Maiocco deciding not to run. Good luck, Bob, and
thanks for the memories.
http://medford.patch.com/groups/rock-journalist-joe-vig-/p/city-council-president-robert-a-maiocco-fails-to-pull-papers--the-end-of-an-era