Images via the City of Quincy
— Quincy Massachusetts News by Quincy Quarry News – News, Opinion and Commentary
Agalmatophilia is a tough monkey to have one’s back
Image via Wikipedia
As was reported by Quincy Quarry News earlier this month to expect happening most any day soon, the American Civil Liberties Union, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, The Freedom From Religion Foundation, and a number of local taxpayers filed suit yesterday over Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch’s readily arguable misuse of public funds to feed his apparent Agalmatophilia fetish and which now also looks to have metastasized to include the appearance of an unholy religious manifestation along with perhaps a thing about fire hoses.
Further problematic for Mayor Koch, the lawsuit includes a listing of what is said to have been be spent to date on the two statues at the heart of the dispute totals up to over a million dollars and thus much more than the $850,000 that was posed by Koch’s Chief of Staph Pinocchio Walkbacker last February to be an insignificant cost of the impending $175 million new public safety headquarters, a project that has so far officially ran $23 million or thereabouts overbudget.
Happier days long past for Pinocchio Walkbacker
An old and ill-advised Facebook image posting
Conversely unmentioned, however, is how the City of Quincy has been sued by the former owner of a property taken via an adverse eminent domain taking by the city to help accommodate the siting of the impending new public safety headquarters as well as two other adverse eminent domain takings, takings that are likely to end up costing local taxpayers upwards of tens of millions dollars that will likely end up having to be paid out given Mayor Koch’s apparent additional fetish for land takings also running amok.
Fortunately, there is perhaps some light — however admittedly faint — at the end of what has so far been both a wicked long and very costly manner of blanket partying of local taxpayers.
“I find for the plaintiffs. Find for the plaintiffs big time.”
Image via Paramount Television
For starters, while but small benefit to long suffering taxpayers, Mayor Koch was cited in the locally weekly tabloid recently as claiming to have lined up private money to defend himself in a then but anticipated lawsuit over the statues rather than yet again tap public funds to pay for legal expenses he has incurred on all manner of other losing legal disputes during his maladministration as mayor.
Then again, he all but assuredly had to score private money to help defend himself given that he is a named co-defendant in a lawsuit suit which includes assertions that he illegally used public funds to feed his clearly apparent agalmatophilia as well as his even longer know to be out of control spending habit relying on public funds.
Koch and his consigliere finally facing justice?
An old Columbia Pictures still image
Further, as a named co-defendant, Mayor Koch is not only facing the likelihood of having to at least partially cover the court costs of the complainants, he could well also end up ordered to reimburse local taxpayers for both slaking his apparent agalmatophilia jones and feeding his Edifice Complex.
Granted, any such financial sanctions imposed in this matter will likely only run around a couple million tops as compared to the looking likely to be upwards of a handful of hundreds of millions of dollars in other more costly mistakes and frequent profligate spendings by Mayor Koch over the years, at least something coming back even if but chump change beats yet another painful hit to locals’ bank accounts.
A shaking his head and a facepalming twofer
An iStock image
Additionally, there is the intertwined further potential for setting the stage for a long overdue end to the unbridled reign of at least financial terror imposed by the Koch Maladministration as would surely provide some long overdue solace to long suffering locals.
Further, it should prove interesting to see what the Massachusetts Inspector General and perhaps also Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell might pursue over the clearly apparent to have been misappropriation(s) of public funds to pay for religious statues and perhaps even more give a proper review..
Needless to say, Quincy Quarry News is looking forward to media askings of the mayor for comment.
Maybe he wants to use private funds to hire a real lawyer as Timmins always loses.
Where the Separation of Church and State is Just a Suggestion
Ah, Quincy—where $850,000 of taxpayer money buys you two towering bronze saints to guard the new public safety building. Because nothing says “inclusive community” like 10-foot-tall Catholic icons looming over a municipal facility.
Mayor Koch insists these statues are mere symbols of “good versus evil,” not religious endorsements. Right, and I’m sure the next city project will feature a Flying Spaghetti Monster to keep things balanced.
The ACLU is suing, citing violations of both state and federal constitutions. Meanwhile, the mayor’s office downplays concerns, suggesting that the decision was solely the mayor’s and that the statues are “prominent, not dominant.”
It’s comforting to know that in Quincy, fiscal responsibility and constitutional adherence take a backseat to unsolicited religious art installations. Can’t wait to see what’s next—perhaps a shrine to fiscal mismanagement?
Is there a patron saint of BS? That would be the Lord Mayor’s patron saint.
Dismis comes close, however, invoking him entails owning up to one’s misdeeds and you know where I am headed …
Then again, perhaps St. Simeon Salos of Emress could work.
Either or both seem to fit.