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"Building a
Better Brockton" |
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In City Council, July 20, 2009
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WHEREAS,
questions have arisen as to the planned expenditure of Federal funds awarded to
the City;
WHEREAS, the City Council involvement in the expenditure of such
funds is limited;
WHEREAS, the citizens should be informed as to the process followed
in applying for and distributing such funds; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the CEO of Building a Better Brockton, Inc. be
invited to appear before a committee of this Council to provide
information concerning the practice and procedures relative to
receipt, award and distribution of Federal funds (Home Funds, CBDG
funds, Neighborhood Stabilization Funds I and II) to applicants
within the City of Brockton, including a description of what due
diligence is conducted and the screening processes followed prior to
awarding said grants/funds.
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COUNCILOR LINDA
BALZOTTI
COUNCILOR ROBERT SULLIVAN
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Commentary |
Balzotti, Sullivan lead effort to call Building a Better Brockton
CEO back before City Council
Move comes amid ongoing push for greater
accountability
of agency’s use of taxpayer dollars |
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July 20, 2009 - Mayoral Candidate Linda Balzotti recently joined
fellow Councilor-at-Large Robert Sullivan to introduce a resolve in
the City Council that calls for the CEO of Building a Better
Brockton to testify before the Council’s Finance Committee to
explain the planned expenditures of Federal funds awarded to the
City. The meeting is set to take place on Monday, August 17.
Since Mayor Harrington’s restructuring of the City’s planning
agencies, and the loss of a dedicated City Planner, Balzotti has
been a frequent critic of the seemingly autonomous authority granted
to Building a Better Brockton.
“The challenges facing our City won’t be met with the input of only
a select few,” Balzotti said. “They’ll be solved by putting
Brocktonians first and promoting a collective vision between the
Mayor, the city’s planning agencies, the City Council and all
Brockton residents.”
As
Federal stimulus funding has begun to flow into Brockton to advance
ongoing plans to promote economic development and combat the city’s
foreclosure crisis, Balzotti has repeatedly called for input and
oversight from the City Council and Brockton residents to ensure
that these funds are used by the Mayor’s office and Building a
Better Brockton to coordinate with our plans to make our former
‘Shoe City’ a regional economic hub and one helps to ensure that all
city neighborhoods thrive.
“As a City Councilor, I know that some of my best ideas haven’t
necessarily come from City Hall. Rather, they’ve come from
neighborhood meetings and talking with folks in the business
community. Now more than ever we must ensure that all Brocktonians
are actively engaged in our city government, and that’s what I’ll
pledge to do as your Mayor,” Balzotti added.
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Wastewater
Treatment Facility |
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In City Council, June 22, 2009
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WHEREAS, the operation of the City’s Wastewater Treatment Facility involves use
of an incinerator and the burning of sludge;
WHEREAS, the residents of areas surrounding the Wastewater Treatment Facility
should be kept informed as to this aspect of the operation and any
potential impact;
WHEREAS, the City should ensure that the potential impact is monitored to ensure
that there is no threat to the health and safety of the public; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the DPW Commissioner and the Contract
Manager be invited to appear before a committee of this Council to
discuss the current situation and future plans for the incinerator
and the burning of sludge at the Wastewater Treatment Facility. |
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Councilor Linda Balzotti
Councilor Robert Sullivan |
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Commentary |
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Balzotti: New report to Council sheds light on increasing emissions
levels at AWRF, adjacent to site of proposed power plant |
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June 22, 2009 - Joined by state and local officials at the
final meeting of the state’s Energy Facilities Siting Board on the
proposed Brockton power plant, Mayoral Candidate and
Councilor-at-Large Linda Balzotti once again called on state
officials to require a comprehensive air quality review for Advanced
Power’s proposed 350-megawatt combined-cycle power facility on
Brockton’s south side.
At the hearing, Balzotti – a former Ward 4 councilor and a limited
participant before the Siting Board – highlighted recent information
presented to the City Council at the request of her and
Councilor-at-Large Robert Sullivan (see resolve here)
regarding the release of PM 2.5 levels from the incinerator located
at Brockton’s Advanced Water Reclamation Facility (AWRF). This new
data showed that recent upgrades at the plant have caused the
production of, and the need to burn, additional sludge cake. This
additional burning has resulted in an increase in PM 2.5 levels at
the plant which – notwithstanding the construction of the proposed
power plant – could put the entire region dangerously close to the
EPA’s threshold for safe emission levels.
Linda’s testimony at the July 30th hearing comes as the latest part
of her longstanding opposition to the proposed power plant based on
the area’s already-burdened air quality, the environmental justice
issues that have surrounded the project, and Advanced Power’s
ill-feted plan to circumvent the local approval process and seek
blanket exemptions from the city’s zoning ordinances. It was also
based on her significant experience as both a Ward 4 Councilor and
Councilor-at-Large in advocating for the environmental health of her
constituents.
“I’ve been steadfast in my opposition to the proposed power plant
since day one,” Balzotti said. “I have not flip-flopped on the
issue. I have not opposed it to win elections. I’ve opposed the
power plant because of the dangerous environmental impacts and
health risks associated with it, and because it’s not a good fit for
Brockton.
“As Mayor, I will continue to work with the City Council and city
officials to do all that I can to make sure the power plant stays
out of Brockton, and pledge that my office and the city’s economic
development officials will work to invite ‘green’ industry leaders
into Brockton. Instead of politicizing tired ideas and yesterday’s
technologies, we need to work to promote sustainable industries in
our city that produce longstanding jobs for all Brocktonians,” she
added.
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more resolves
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