MEET THE CANDIDATES NIGHT

• 458,838 @ 2:29 pm
• 
  
• Dear Mr. Campbell:
• 
  

I have a question for the candidates for Mayor, Bob Penta and Stephanie Burke.

As a board member of a radio station based at a public access TV station, I have

concerns that Mayor Michael J. McGlynn, supporter of Mrs. Burke, is squelching free speech during an election cycle, specifically, denying the public access TV funds  that we pay via our cable TV bill.

Do Mrs. Burke and Mr. Penta APPROVE of the Mayor:

a)taking the title of "Issuing authority" to control the monies when the city council would be a more appropriate "issuing authority." (In Winchester it is the selectmen, not the town manager, in charge of the P/E/G tv contract)

b)taking Two Hundred Thousand Dollars per year of the monies designated for the
Government Channel to pay 3 salaries at the high school

Allison Goldsberry    CY 2014    50,158,32  7,000.06 add'l (webmaster + misc) *

John Dempsey        CY2014    72,486.41 reg 8,008.35  add'l(coach)

Lisa Dunphy            CY2014    78,419 reg + 2,600 add'l (misc)

 

*Allison Goldsberry is the city webmaster, paid via those monies, yet the Mayor, not the

council, gets access to the city website.

c)This outrageous use of the government channel monies, of course, frees up monies at in the school system for other teachers.  Two of Michael J. McGlynn's daughters are teachers- a huge conflict of interest seeing that the Mayor is both Issuing authority over cable monies and the head of the School Committee, 

Will Mrs. Burke and Mr. Penta continue hiring the Mayor's daughters and keep paying their outrageous salaries - look at the raises per year:

Jennifer Belanger was employed starting September 1, 2006. She was paid the following amounts:

SY   2009-2010  $49,646

        2010-2011  $47,521

        2011-2012  $58,985

        2012-2013  $63,658

        2013-2014  $70,135

About 21,000.00 in raises from 2009 - 2014.  WOW WOW WOW!

Amanda McGlynn was employed starting September 1, 2007. She was paid the following amounts:

SY  2009-2010  $43,548

       2010-2011  $50,275

       2011-2012  $53,450

       2012-2013  $57,322

       2013-2014  $60,522

Almost Seven Thousand Dollars in raises between 200i9 and 2014, wow!

Why hasn't Mrs. Burke spoken out about the lack of access television in the community when:

a)Mrs. Burke specifically told me that she could possibly get us funding for a radio station from Homeland Security when I brought the idea of a local radio station to her attention as Budget Director

b)Mrs. Burke knows that I offered the sole proposal to operate access TV on March 26, 2015, per the Mayor's request, and that I have - arguably - more experience in access television than any one person in the city of Medford, my experience dating back to 1979 in Somerville.

Mr. Penta has demanded access TV.  Why is Mrs. Burke so silent on the issue?  Is Stephanie Burke afraid of access TV and that is why she is allowing McGlynn to squelch free speech and put a MEDIA BLACKOUT over Election 2015?

Here's what Mark Rumley, the city solicitor, told the retired judge overseeing access in 2008:

City Solicitor Mark E. Rumley / Medford Daily Mercuryon or about Nov. 16, 2008 (quoted from the 2nd Judge Jackson-Thompson hearing) saying:

“The one sentiment that I have heard that I take great exception to is that the city is trying to limit speech,” said Rumley. “The notion the city would censor or squelch free speech is baseless and as city solicitor I would find any such effort repugnant.”

I would like some answers from the candidates

on this critical issue

Stephanie Burke's silence on the matter

speaks volumes

respectfully,

Joe Viglione