The Eagle-Tribune:
The Biggest Loser
on Lawrence
Municipal Elections
By Jose Alfonso
Garcia
Only three days before the Municipal Elections in Lawrence held last November 8, 2011, at which
time all nine City Council positions and four of the six School Committee seats
were being disputed in the race, I posted on my Facebook page the following
statement:
“The Eagle-Tribune is losing its credibility (if it still has any) by spreading
false rumors in neighboring communities with the clear intention to deprive the
Lawrence Hispanic Community of integrity. But it has reached a new low by
using its Editorial Page to adversely promote specific candidates running on
local municipal elections, while fiercely targeting other candidates.”
That’s not fair. Respected media should always try to tell the truth for
the sake of its community.
A day before the
polls opened on the 24 precincts across the city to give Lawrence residents the
opportunity to choose their own local government freely and democratically, The
Eagle-Tribune (a North Andover newspaper), not only endorsed each and everyone
of the candidates supporting the Recall Movement seeking to throw out our mayor
but acting as one of them, called on the voters to make sure they stop Mayor
Lantigua from consolidating his power.
According to the Constitution, our Democracy is a government created for the
people and by the people. The power of our government is vested on the
people, not in the interest of any media or particular group. I was angry
and very disappointed with it. I knew that thousands of other people in
my community feel that way, too. This powerful regional newspaper, has
been constantly and persistently abusing its power against the people of a poor
community in needs like Lawrence.
During the campaign, William Lantigua, “the
embattled mayor,” as The Eagle-Tribune disrespectfully calls him, repeatedly
and intentionally proclaimed him as someone being under criminal investigation
by a Grand Jury on drugs and weapons trafficking, money laundering, among other
serious charges without any proof of any of that. This mayor, elected by
the people, is facing a second attempt to remove him from office in less than
two years, as a result of The Eagle-Tribune’s attacks. The man they have
described as an evil monster or a fraudulent and terrorizing dictator risked
his leadership on the community by putting his face on a flyer asking voters to
support his candidates against the Recall Movement to reach out to the Lawrence community.
After the ballots were counted on
Election Day, each and every one of the candidates supporting the Recall Movement,
deliberately endorsed by The Eagle-Tribune was defeated, except for Marc
Laplante, who miraculously survived. He had been running unopposed until
three hours before the primary election ended when Randy Jaime, a young man
from District F, launched his sticker campaign supported by Mayor Lantigua
earning a spot on the ballots for November election.
Today, the people of Lawrence
have spoken, and their voice can be heard across the nation. The majority
of the people of Lawrence have demonstrated, with the power of their votes,
that they trust William Lantigua as their mayor and want him to continue doing
his job and trying his best for the community.
With this victory, the residents of Lawrence
are demanding respect from The Eagle-Tribune or any other media that
manipulates information by spreading false rumors to discredit the image and
integrity of our citizens, or by getting involved in local political campaigns to
push for their preferred candidates. This has been a great victory for the city of Lawrence and a
devastating lost for The Eagle Tribune and the Recall Movement. The election
campaign is finally over; it is time to start working together to continue
moving forward the city we all love.
