carriage auto sales
Globe West Updates
- Maynard town official arrested on bribery charge
A Newton man who is the Maynard Superintendent of Public Works has been arrested on charges of soliciting bribes from a private developer, Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone announced Sunday.
A release from Leone's office said that Paul Camilli, 38, of Newton, was arrested Saturday afternoon by Maynard Police and Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Middlesex District AttorneyÂ’s PACT Unit. He is charged with corruptly receiving money and gifts, the release said.
“We allege that this town official abused his position of authority, soliciting cash kickbacks from a private developer in exchange for relaxing the inspection process,” District Attorney Leone said in the press release. “Inspection standards are put in place for a reason, and by relaxing those standards in order to line his own pockets, he undermined public safety and violated the public’s trust placed in him.”
According to the press release, "a private developer began a construction project in Maynard earlier this year. Camilli had frequent interaction with the developer because the construction project required permits and code inspections from the Town of Maynard in order for it to be completed. ''The release from Leone's office follows:
"Camilli would frequently remind the developer that deadlines were coming up and that Camilli had control over how or if those deadlines would be met. Camilli also had many verbal arguments with the developer and made numerous technical demands to be met before he would sign off on specific portions of the project.
"At one point, with a deadline looming, the developer asked Camilli what it would take to get a particular project done, and it is alleged that Camilli made known to the developer that he was looking for cash money in order to see to it that the project moved along easier.
"It is further alleged that the developer later asked Camilli how much cash it would take and that they agreed on a number in the thousands. The developer paid that money in multiple installments in multiple locations."It is also alleged that during this time, Camilli began relaxing necessary standards for the construction project, including important environmental protection safeguards.
"The investigation into these alleged crimes included undercover and video surveillance.
"These charges are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.''
For more information and news from Newton, go to boston.com/newton.
- Local police offices collect thousands in police detail pay
Local police officers have pulled in tens of thousands of dollars a year standing watch on private details at utility and road construction projects, and they show no sign of backing off despite a call by Governor Deval Patrick to curb the practice, according to a series of stories in the Globe's regional editions.
In Burlington, a lieutenant netted $48,640 in a single year in detail pay, for a take-home haul of $189,278, the Globe found in a review of communities northwest of Boston. Of top earners in Arlington, two patrolmen collected more than $39,000 in 2007 on details.
In Lynn, a police officer netted $65,689 in 2007, swelling his take-home pay to $150,729, according to this Globe North story.
In the same year, in Beverly, a captain collected nearly $38,000 in detail pay, giving him a total yearly take of more than $156,000, while a Saugus patrolman made more in details, at $53,086, than in his base pay of $49,584.
Thanks largely to an impressive $68,280 in detail pay, Newton police officer James McCarthy earned $147,207 during the fiscal year that ended this summer - or about 50 percent more than Newton Mayor David B. Cohen's annual salary. He is one of 36 Newton police employees who pushed their yearly pay over the $100,000 mark by working paid details last year, according to city records reviewed for this Globe West story.
A Natick police officer, Christopher Salis, 38, earned $129,022 during the same fiscal year, just a few thousand dollars less than Town Administrator Martha White, thanks in large part to $39,216 in detail pay. And Salis wasn't alone; a dozen other members of the town's Police Department pulled down six-figure salaries with help from details.
In Waltham, meanwhile, 28 members of the force earned six-figure salaries by working details, including Patrolman Gerard Corbett. He made $44,138 in detail pay, helping push his yearly earnings to $121,423, according to records provided by the city.
Patrick has pushed through new rules tightening use of police officers on details for state projects, and switching to civilian flaggers for some state jobs. But at the local level, police chiefs northwest of Boston defend the use of officers on details and vow to continue the practice in their communities.
"There are documented instances where police on details have saved a life by doing CPR, or catching a suspect, or preventing a crime," said Burlington Police Chief Francis Hart. "That's not their main function on a detail, but that's an added benefit that you wouldn't have typically with a civilian.''
For news and information in Newton, Waltham and Needham, go to boston.com/yourtown.
- Firefighter Friday: A Column by Jessica Locke
In honor of the season, IÂ’d like to bring up some of the wonderful things
the Newton Firefighters do for their community.Last week they made their annual holiday stop-over at the Newton Wellesley Hospital Pediatric Unit. They entertained the children by dressing-up as beloved characters: Elmo, Cookie Monster, Pooh, the Grinch, Santa Claus, and of course, as firefighters in full gear. The volunteers of this day-long effort bestowed gifts to the children and took photos with the staff, then proceeded to visit other ill and disabled children throughout the community.
They also visited Ray McNamara, a retired fire lieutenant who suffered serious injuries during an explosion at the 1993 Stark Fire.
Through a generous donation from Best Buy, the firefighters held a raffle and were able to raise over $1,000 for their annual Toys for Tots drive. To donate, stop in at any firehouse with an unwrapped toy.
This week, the Newton firefighters wanted this column to remind residents about the dangers of thin ice:
"Every winter, somewhere, a child or adult drowns going out on the thin ice of a river or lake. Please ask all parents to warn their children about the dangers of thin ice." They also warned that if a dog or other animal has fallen through ice, never attempt a rescue; call 911 instead.
Here are the facts regarding the Newton Fire Department’s ability to perform such a rescue. The department owns just one boat, constructed of aluminum. It is so heavy, six men must carry it. Whenever 911 is alerted to a possible drowning, the boat is transported and deployed to the location, but due to the time it takes to transport the boat, it may just be too late to manifest a rescue. In most of the surrounding communities, fire departments use air-inflated boats. They are lightweight, reliable and – most importantly – quickly and easily transported.
Should we wait until someone drowns before the Newton Fire Department gets the proper equipment to do the job of saving lives?A few safety tips from the firefighters: Water your tree, unplug your lights when leaving the house, check those smoke detector batteries, make sure your chimney is clean, and install carbon monoxide detectors for the safety of all. Happy Holidays!
(Jessica Locke is Executive Director of the Firefighters Fund (www.firefightersfund.org) and author of Rescue at Engine 32, a memoir about her work with New York City firefighters after 9/11.)
- A makeover for Waltham's Moody Street?
By Lisa Kocian, Globe Staff
Everything you need to know about saving downtown can be taught in college?
Quite possibly. An honors class at Bentley University has created a road map for reviving Moody Street in Waltham. Now the onus is on city and business leaders to follow through.
Over the last decade, Moody Street re-created itself as ‘‘Restaurant Row’’ for diners who come from all over the region to sample a variety of ethnic fare.While eateries have been successful, many retail shops and service businesses are struggling, and vacancies are going unfilled. Despite the recession, Moody Street could be much more vibrant than it is, according to the Bentley report and there are several simple ways to accomplish that.
For starters, clean the gum and cigarette butts off the sidewalks,