The mayoral election is over and Mayor Wong won by 30+ points, that is a mandate and a half. Her first decision since the election. No Christmas decorations for Fitchburg! Even the Sentinel & Enterprise is not on board with this one:
Fitchburg Mayor Lisa Wong — who earlier this year decided to save money by turning off more than 60 percent of the city’s streetlights — announced last week that the city would not put up Christmas lights or other holiday decorations, and instead encouraged residents to donate money to the Fitchburg Senior Center.
“We’re going to focus more on getting people out to the downtown, and getting people to donate, and less on the holiday display,” said Wong, following a Wednesday press conference.
Her announcement likely stunned and angered many residents and business owners, as it did us, even as it comes in the wake of many puzzling decisions made by the mayor during her first term.
Even worse our hated rival next door Leominister is doing even better.
The timing of the announcement must have been particularly infuriating for Fitchburg residents because it came at the same time Leominster officials announced they were spending $20,439 to install their Christmas decorations, including new energy-efficient LED light strands.
That’s gotta leave a mark! The comments have been, shall we say, lively?
My take, if the city has decorations in storage that are not lights there are no reason why they can’t at least go on the common, but I can see see her point, if we can’t afford street lights which are a matter of safety, I really couldn’t justify the Christmas lights which is a matter or morale. (and mayor they are Christmas lights, not holiday lights.)
Two really sad things about this. If we didn’t have to have the city counsel primary to get one guy eliminated that would have saved more than enough to put up the lights and have cash left over.
In addition thanks to Ted Kennedy refusal to resign and a State Legislature desperate to give Harry Reid one more vote for obamacare we are paying for two extra elections, this weeks primary (can someone explain to me why that couldn’t have taken place in November on election day?)and Next months election to replace him. The cost of either one would have paid for the Christmas lights.
Ironic, The Champion of the little guy Ted Kennedy’s final legacy for those little guys who voted for him year after year is to help keep Christmas dark. Fitting isn’t it?
Da Techguy's (no longer backup) Blog 