– News about Quincy from Quincy Quarry News.
Cleaner Greener Quincy cleaning scam exposéd?
This past Saturday was the City of Quincy-sponsored and thus local taxpayers’ subsidized annual Cleaner Greener Quincy volunteer clean-up of some of the Q.
Apparently as civilian volunteers were busy cleaning up selected municipal properties, a crew of City of Quincy Park and Forestry Department workers were photographed while apparently cleaning up one of the crew member’s private residence if one is to believe the photos taken by a Citizen Photojournalist and which have been bouncing about on the Internet.
As yet unconfirmed rumors suggest that the homeowner’s Park and Forestry overseer(s) also approved this work crew using a green Park and Forestry dump truck to haul away waste material from the Park and Forestry employee’s yard.
Uncertain at this time, however, is if these Park and Forestry employees were also on the clock; in particular, were they assigned to work in support of Cleaner Greener Quincy.
While – clearly – this little part of Quincy appears to ended up cleaner, most reasonable people would find it inappropriate to use City of Quincy taxpayer-funded resources to accomplish such a personal favor for a city employee.
Needless to say, expect Quincy Quarry to follow this breaking story and report further upon it as might be deemed appropriate.
In the meanwhile, Quincy Quarry’s ever-growing legions of loyal readers can see the full set of this daring Citizen Photojournalist’s photos below – as well as a video of city workers at least appearing to be actually working here – and decide for themselves if taxpayer-funded resources would appear to have been improperly abused by a city employee for his personal benefit.
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A QUINCY QUARRY NEWS UPDATE!
This Quarry story spiked Quincy Quarry readership by 700% and thus placed this among story among the previous most widely read exposés about Quincy’s (now. ed.) Number One Ward Heeler.
Not only did the Quarry enjoy consider local readership, Quincy Quarry’s analytical tools have discerned that its international reach included a dozen readers in Great Britain, handfuls in Canada, France, Korea and Brazil as well as several in Australia, China and apparently in Iran of all places.
This story also received the most reader comments ever for any Quarry story. Apparently, those whose relations benefited from the exposéd free landscaping were not amused.
Conversely, however, loyal Quarry readers duly rose to the occasion in response.
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So I volunteered to help clean up a city park on Saturday and didn’t get paid while city workers cleaned up private property on while city time with city equipment?
Sybil,
So it would appear. Yet again, only in the Q…
The only thing getting clean in Quincy are the taxpayers’ pockets – “CLEANED OUT!”
What address is this?
Really mind your business
Andrea,
Are you also Mr. Frye or do you two just share the same email address as well as on occasion rely on the same email access device?
If the former, please note that the Quarry doesn’t care what you use as a nom de blog so long as you only use one.
Ok, Nancy Drew where’s The hardy boys?
Andrea,
It’s spelled “Drue,” not Drew.
On the other hand, the boys have discerned that perhaps you may personal ties to the residence featured in this Quincy story. If so, most would surely view due disclosure of same to be in order.
The house that you’re displaying was one of the houses completely desimated by the flooding that occurred from the March 2 storm that pummeled Houghes Neck, Adams Shore, Squantum , Wollaston and many other towns in the South Shore. The areas of the City mentioned above saw levels of destruction the likes of which life long residents of the area had never seen.
Mayor Koch and the City poured out resources to every single resident effected. I was part of the community outreach to those areas to make sure everyone was safe, warm, dry and fed. In fact, the house that you are displaying, has over three feet of sea water up to their first floor. They were homeless and staying in a hotel until the City stepped in to help. They will not be able to return home for the next six months as their house was completely destroyed. A house that was in the residents family for generations.
The men from the park were there that day cleaning out all of the wood chips from the near by City playground that were
embedded in their front own from the flooding. The Mayor , the DPW, inspectional services, the parks dept along with countless other departments has provided countless resources to help restore these families to some sense of normalcy. There have been extra trash trucks on hand constantly removing debris from that area. Thats all these men were doing. Therefore your article seems really misplaced and mean spirited. I think the men out there helping a family who lost everything as a result of the storm are the courageous ones NOT those hiding in their house taking pictures of those just trying to help residents who lost everything in the storm.
Mrs. Logan,
Quincy Quarry is well-aware of the damage caused by the March 2 nor’easter, including to the very neighborhood featured in this Quarry story.
It is also aware of the various government entities rising to the occasion in response to all of the March storms as well as other storms.
What the Quarry is questioning is why were taxpayer-funded Park and Forestry Department resources used to clean up a great deal more than just the wood chips from a nearby park that you cited from the yard of the home of a city employee over two months after the storm.
Such things as hosting emergency shelters and providing enhanced trash hauling for storm-impacted Quincy residents are perfectly appropriate steps for a local municipality to undertake.
In this case, however, only this city employee’s yard was cleaned up by Park and Forestry personnel using taxpayer-funded resources on the day in question.
If posing perfectly understandable questions about such an apparent curious use of City resources to benefit only a city employee is mean-spirited, please feel free to again endeavor to provide a convincingly explanation as to how it is.
To this offer, please be sure to note that the Quincy Quarry does not view generations of local residency or employment by the City of Quincy as making “some more equal than others” when it comes to the receiving of local municipal disaster recovery assistance.
That and please also keep in mind that the Quarry did not name names.
While you may not agree, surely at least some would see such as endeavoring to be as balanced and fair as might be practicable.
That and please further consider checking your spelling before hitting “submit.”
I don’t think there was one person or family who lost everything in the storm that day that did not get personalized help from the City in getting back on their feet. I disagree that the park employees were doing extensive yard work for this family. Again, they were removing wood chips which covered this family’s lawn as a result of the storm. To post pictures of these men and this persons house in your article without knowing all of the facts is absolutely mean spirited and wrong.
I’m writing these comments on my phone in the limited space which you provide making it difficult to read. However, as an attorney I can certainly spell. Much better then you, the editor of an unread publication and a defunct museum.
Mrs. Logan,
Quincy Quarry did not address what all was done by the City of Quincy for those who lost everything during the March storms.
Rather, what it is did address is clear photographic evidence of city employees is using taxpayer funded resources to clear more than just wood chips while cleaning up the yard of a city employee over two months after the storm and only that yard.
Say or think what you may, such baits entirely understandable questions.
Next, I can’t speak to your make of smartphone, but all have spellcheck features. And as for your stated writing space constraints, you might want to consider the use of a larger screened devices rather than blaming Quincy Quarry’s software.
You might also care to refrain from endeavoring to recast the narrative even if such is a base lawyerly tactic.
And finally, just how might you have Quincy Quarry’s readership data as such is both proprietary and behind various firewalls, not to mention that is widely read – especially today by the way.
That and just what defunct museum are you referring to?
“They will not be able to return home for the next six months as their house was completely destroyed.”
But the yard looks good!
Ms Pamela,
As a matter of policy as well as to endeavor to fend off frivolous lawsuits, Quincy Quincy tends to not provide such particulars.
The Quarry would like to hope that you can at least appreciate the second reason.
Talk about a one sided story , these poor peoples house was destroyed buy the storm and yes city workers were there cleaning up park stuff that flowed into there house and yard I really think there’s a vendetta against the city or the homeowners who’s house was destroyed basically instead of taking pictures they should have put the camera down and helped thy neighbor.
Mr. Frye,
Think what you may, this Quarry exposé focused on addressing that only this city employee’s yard was cleaned up by city workers relying on taxpayer-funded resources on the day in question. After all, other nearby houses were similarly impacted by the storm.
Please also note the Quincy Quarry’s responses to other commenters as regards related points which are clearly open to questioning.
Why do you guys keep deleting my comments? I find that curious
Mr. Frye,
Please note that Quincy Quarry did not delete your comments.
Rather, comments submitted to the Quarry are automatically held in a pending queue until they can be reviewed by a human being.
Among other reasons, while various legal protections exist for the Quarry as regards what commenters may care to post, it still seeks to provide protection to commenters from their perhaps engaging in such actions as the use of especially inappropriate language or hurling arguable libels.
Quincy Quarry may be many things, but at least it is not Facebook before its Cambridge Analytical and various bots messes hit the fan.
Hold on… so it’s stealing from tax payers on cleaner greener for helping clean up debris for a family who lost everything in that huge storm we had? Who lives next to a park in Quincy that got flooded with debris from the park and the beach? Helping clean is the meaning of cleaner greener right? Confused on why helping to clean up is an issue. Those people lost EVERYTHING. Weird
Nicole,
Historically, cleaning up Quincy on Cleaner Greener Quincy day has been focused on public venues.
In this instance, however, ONLY the grounds of the private residence owned by a city employee were cleaned of whatever was littering the yard regardless of its source at this particular clean-up site.
In turn, such baits two perfectly valid questions. One is why was only the city employee’s yard cleared? And the other: is it the city’s responsibility to so clean local residents’ yards after a storm?
No argument – a number of people suffered greatly from the March storms. Such is not the issue at hand, however.
Rather, it is the apparent special treatment provided to a city employee which relied on the use of taxpayer-funded resources.
So all flood victims got their yards cleaned?
EVERYTHING? Looks like the house is still there.
It’s seems to me that you must be very friendly with the person that sent these pictures to you!! You don’t post any of my comments other then negative one! Makes you wonder how this site works!!
A lot of information comes Quincy Quarry’s way as the providers feel they can trust that the Quarry will do the right thing with it.
Next, say what you may, only only one of your posts per “Andrea” is on hold in the pending queue given that the Quarry is endeavoring to vet an incendiary assertion in that submission.
That and again please note that Quincy Quarry doesn’t care what anyone cares to use as a nom de blog so long as it is not deemed as offensive.
If, however, Quincy Quarry suspects that someone is trying abuse things via the use of two noms de blog or just being – well – abusive, please be advised Quincy Quarry reserves the right to ban any such abuser.
What about my comments? Hurry up, your colors are showing?
Anthony,
Apparently you overlooked my earlier response to someone you all but assuredly at least know.
In any event, as well as again, unlike – for example – Facebook, Quincy Quarry manually reviews comments posted to it before approving them for publication.
Additionally, given prior posts offered up by you which do not comport with Quincy’s actually fairly accommodating standards, much less basis propriety, they have so upped the scrutiny of anything you submit.
And finally, it would be only proper for you to acknowledge what appear to be familial ties to the property featured in this Quarry story.
Dear Mr.Editor, imagine if it was your home directly effected buy this storm Surely you must know people who would be buy your side to come and help right? Or am I wrong just wondering ? What was the point of a story that is clearly meant to raise eyebrows but come on man. Get a grip on real life stuff thanks
Mr. Frye,
Surely it is but a coincidence that an overwhelming percentage of the critical comments posted on this Quincy Quarry story are by individuals who would appear to be variously tied to property that is the basis of this story and/or are City of Quincy employees.
Additionally, upon follow-up by the Quarry given a number of troubling accusations noted in various unapproved comments, it was advised that taxpayer-funded assets have been used to clear the yard in question on previous occasions BEFORE the March storm.
Please feel free to comment (responsibly) on either of the above.
@Kathryn – Did the mayor authorize city resources to be used for landscaping work on private property? If so, did he also authorize it to be done on the citywide clean up day? Or did these Park and Forestry employees choose that one house of many that experienced flood damage? Surely there are other similarly impacted homes. Are they getting the same care and attention?
I would like to see the schedule of when city work crews will be at all of the flood victims’ homes. Should I have my Hough’s Neck neighbors send their addresses to the Mayor’s office?
There are many resources available to all effected city,state,fedaral those who need help should get help no doubt about it so nothing was really exposed here honestly.
Mr Frye,
So, are you really saying that spending disaster relief tax money on landscaping clean-up work on private property is an appropriate use of such funds? For some funny reason, I rather doubt that MEMA and FEMA auditors would agree with you.
Mr Frye, yes there are many resources available to flood victims but I am quite sure that city employees are not the ones to determine who gets the resources and what they will be. The city employees certainly did determine what they SHOULD be though. Are you saying that the city council or the Mayor approved landscape work be done for just one resident/employee? Does Mr Koch want to chime in and let us know if he approved of just that one flood victim/employee getting his landscape work done?
There were multiple homes in this neighborhood in particular that received the same assistance, but this house is different because a city worker lives there.
Anthony – if you could provide proof that other homes in the area received the same assistance, I’m sure Quincy Quarry would be glad to report it. If this is the grave injustice that you imply, I’m sure your neighbors would be glad to come forward and confirm that the city employee who received landscaping services was not the only one. I suspect, however, that a neighborhood canvas would result in a flood of requests to the city for equal treatment.
Sorry I didn’t have time to take pictures so I guess it didn’t happen. The absence of evidence must be the evidence of absence. I’ll try to be more petty in my day to day life from now on.
Of course you have time Anthony. Just do it on city time.
I’m not a city worker. I work in a hospital
I think alterego is asking the right question! Something tells me that the properties of every homeowner who “lost everything” did not receive the same treatment by the C of Q’s Park and Forestry Dept.