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It’s all about ‘tectonics’

Sep 9th, 2009 by Nelson Benton

The mayor of six North Shore cities, joined by Danvers Town Manager Wayne Marquis gathered at the Danversport Yacht Club this morning to talk about the state of the region. All of them are facing another very tough fiscal year given the uncertain state of the economy and the expected drop in state aid.
Perhaps the frankest assessment came from veteran Lynn Mayor Edward “Chip” Clancy, who explained that it’s all about “tectonics.”
Normally a geological term relating to the folding and dividing of the Earth’s crust, Clancy used it to describe what happens when the

Chip Clancy

Chip Clancy

interests of the public employee unions whose mantra is “more, more, more,” come up against the limits imposed by Proposition 21/2, which forces city and town officials to say “no, no, no.”
But rather than earthquakes and tidal waves that result when continental plates collide, Clancy noted, the result locally is the “financial tsunami” many communities are experiencing today.

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments

  • Chip is correct and the issue which can be and is not addressed at the Municipal level is comparing employees to their written job descriptions. Usually, the job description is no more than the posting for the job. Dig in and define the Vision, Policy, Procedures and Practices of the Municipal Operation. Evaluate the appropriate use of RAAT (readily available affordable technology) and there will be opportunities to cut payrolls by up to 66% in administrative functions.

    One option for the additional staff which is under utilized would be to bring in house outside purchases of services and do it efficiently. BEGLS are the local leaders of Business, Education, Government, Labor, and the Spiritual contingencies to be a steering group for developing VISION.

    Chip is a real smart guy. I've seen him play HARDBALL at a Governors Counsel meeting, he tried to keep some citizens who were to testify against a Judicial Appointment he was supporting.

    With my charm, wit, intellect, and good looks, I went nose to nose with him which distracted the State Police long enough for my friends to get into the Public Hearing. I think he respected that as I had been a contributor of his and we shook hands after my friends made it into the room.

    Since then I found a side door which isn't guarded, and don't have to play that game anymore. I don't approach Chip without either a benefit for him or substantial distractions from his focus.

    Chip is a go getter and gets things done. I respect him and even with the adverse testimony, the Judge was confirmed by the Governors Counsel. As it happens, she's a fair Judge and my friends were off base. Still they had the right to voice their concerns.

    I have always had better results with the Superior Court Judges than District Court Judges on the whole. Now retired Justice Healy and Justice Livingstone act like Superior Court Judges at the District Court level.
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