Impartial observers are needed to ensure the integrity of the ballot recount process.
City Clerk Kaitlin M. Wright said a recount for the preliminary election in the mayoral race is scheduled to take place next Wednesday, Sept. 27, beginning at 11:30 a.m. and continuing until completed, on the main floor of the Citizen Center, 10 Welcome St. She said all those who are interested are welcome to attend. WHAV Article
You don’t have to be there from start to finish, anytime you are available between 1130 and close is appreciated.
If you’d like to sign-up for a timeslot, the Barrett Campaign has setup a link to help make sure there are no gaps. If interested, click this link and towards the bottom of the signup genius page, select “Sign Up” and then “Save & Continue” at the bottom. Please put your information and comment on the times you are available. Please see the link for more information.
Please contact Tim Carroll or Ryan Fairbanks with any questions.
Please stop giving bad press good engagement. What this means is that when you engage with fake news, dishonest journalism, and “click bait” meant to illicit reaction or feedback, all you’re doing is rewarding bad behavior.
When an article comes out with a heavy bias and you can’t help but react and comment, all you’re doing is encouraging more bad press. In the modern era of social media algorithms, the more time you spend on a post, the more likely you are to bring your followers and friends to that same content. When you interact and comment, the same thing occurs: you drive viewership to the very thing you view. If that content is bad press, even if it is objectively incorrect, the time and attention you give it only spreads the bad. We get false and/or misleading stories written about us all of the time; what we have learned is that the more we interact and react to those stories, the more popular they become. We end up using our influence to direct good people to dishonest content with the small hope that they give our response more weight than the media turned against us, often by malicious actors. Here’s the worst part: Whether the new viewer believes our side of the story or not, we have still helped generate real income for the fake news source and therefore incentivized the reproduction of more bad-faith “news” from these organizations. As hard at it is to leave it alone, the better we’ll all be when we can turn our other cheek to content geared against us.
If it sounds like we’re talking in code, it’s for the same reason. The last thing we should be doing is driving good people, their precious time and attention, to bad press.
Subject: F.E.M.A. Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant
The Haverhill Firefighters of the IAFF Local 1011 would like to thank Fire Chief Robert O’Brien, our U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives, our State Senators and State Representatives, our Haverhill City Councilors, the International Association of Fire Fighters, and the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts. Along with a special thanks to our amateur fire department grant writers James Bizeur, Brian Ray, Ryan Fairbanks, Michael Foustoukos, and Timothy Carroll, led by Richard Shellene.
Five years ago, the IAFF Local 1011 stood in front of the Haverhill City Council and presented them with a plan to incrementally increase staffing levels to eventually provide the residents of Haverhill with a desperately needed second ladder truck staffed in Bradford. Proving a need for a second ladder truck on the basis of our call volume, the abundance of current high-rise buildings, and the more approved to be built in the city, Haverhill was far below the national staffing standard.
After researching and writing the grant, our local firefighter grant team, with an endorsement from Haverhill’s mayor, submitted an application for funding a fully-staffed ladder truck in March 2023. Our grant application, with the backing of our elected leaders, requested 16 firefighters to staff a second ladder in order to help Haverhill meet the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1710 standard in continuation with previous staffing increases at both High Street and Water Street. Combined with previous staffing increases, this grant will soon allow Haverhill to meet the 80% threshold set forth by the NFPA for responses and response times sometime next year. The FEMA SAFER Grant gives the City of Haverhill $4.1 million to be spent over three years, covering 100% of the salaries and benefits of 16 firefighters. Upon the expiration of the grant, we look forward to working with local leaders to continue to staff the much-needed ladder truck in Bradford. At an approximate cost of $1.4–$1.6 million annually for these firefighters moving forward in the 4th year, FY2028 will be the first full fiscal year the city will need to realize the cost of these critical firefighters at about 0.6% of the current total annual city budget.
We look forward to continuing our work with the Haverhill City Council, the Federal and State Legislature, and Haverhill’s next mayor to continue to find solutions for these fiscal hurdles, including additional grants. Haverhill Firefighters IAFF Local 1011 have and will always fight for the safety of the residents in our great city. We know that many of the past years haven’t been easy, but we believe the best is yet to come for Haverhill, its firefighters, and the residents we are here to protect.
Haverhill Firefighters IAFF Local 1011 is very happy to announce that the Haverhill Fire Department has been awarded a FEMA SAFER Grant! This $4 million dollar staffing grant will allow Haverhill to hire 16 additional firefighters to staff a second ladder truck with 100% of salaries and benefits covered by the federal government.
Thank you to each and every individual who aided in this achievement. A very special thank you to the Haverhill Firefighters Grant Writing Team made up of your local firefighters: Grant Writing Team Lead Richard Shellene; Grant Writers and Support: Brian Ray, James Bizeur, Michael Foustoukos, Ryan Fairbanks, and Timothy Carroll.
A lot of work was done to setup the HFD for success in this grant catagory, including previous department landmarks & staffing increases. There will be a lot of people to thank in time, but without these dedicated individuals and the integral help from Fire Chief Robert O’Brien, the Haverhill Fire Department would not have been able to fund these positions so quickly.
100% salaries & benefits for 16 firefighters to staff a Bradford ladder truck for 3 years!
A lot of politicians talk about supporting public safety, but few people actually do it as well as City Councilor Melissa Lewandowski. Melissa has been one of the strongest voices on the Haverhill City Council for public safety, responsible growth, and transparency. For those reasons and many more we unanimously voted in June to endorse Melissa Lewandowski for Ward 4 City Council. We ask you to stand with us, your Haverhill Firefighters and vote for Melissa Lewandowski for Ward 4 City Council.
Today is the day! This Labor Day weekend, like every Labor Day weekend for decades, firefighters across the nation take the opportunity to raise money for a very meaningful cause, the Muscular Dystrophy Association!
Come by the Water Street Fire Station (Friday through Monday) and help us fill the boot or see us outside of one of the city’s Market Baskets (Friday & Saturday 9am-3pm) and help us fill the boot there. If neither of those work, good news, we have a QR Code and a website you can go to and directly help us fill our digital boot and raise money for this great cause!
Reminder: The 2023 endorsement surveys are due by 8/31/2023.
The Haverhill Firefighter’s IAFF Local 1011 mission remains focused on keeping our neighbors and firefighters safe by exhibiting excellence in public safety. As part of that goal, our organization also represents Haverhill’s firefighters by endorsing candidates for office who understand this mission and support public safety.
What an endorsement from the Haverhill Firefighters means:
A vote for these candidates is a vote to support our hardworking firefighters so they can keep you safe. We support those who support our mission of keeping you safe.
If you are interested is seeking an endorsement from the Haverhill Firefighters, you can start that process here by completing our short survey…
