Tags: 
A Quincy Quarry News exclusive file folder image
— Quincy Massachusetts News by Quincy Quarry News – News, Opinion and Commentary.
Under construction
A file photo
The controversial $175 million dollar or thereabouts impending new public safety headquarters has not only blow past its projected October opening, there has not been any official chatter about the opening of the building for use.
In any event, the delay continues the Koch Maladministration’s chronic record of never finishing a major project on schedule other than building new schools as the Massachusetts School Building Authority insists on the use of approved project management firms to oversee school construction projects.
“FYI, not my fault.”
A still image from a YouTube
Similarly continues the Koch Maladministration’s arguable near perfect record of not finishing up major projects managed by it on time and/or on — much less under —budget.
In other words, we shall see how the final cost plays out even if the construction contract was supposedly done as a set price project, a contracting approach rarely done for a variety of understandable reasons.
The mayor was asked on AM Quincy about the delay of the building, “hope to be done by the first of the year,” he bellowed.
In his condescending tone, he then told the host a variety of stories about the delay, but then quickly pivoted (like he did with Dan Rhea) to all the “bells and whistles“ that you get for $200m+/-.
QATV’s Joe Catalano attended the open house, and the mayor quipped, did you try out the new state of the art cell blocks Joe? Hahahahahaha!!!
A comment to which an honest journalist would have followed up with, well Mr Mayor your Honor Sir Tommy, are you concerned you might occupy one of these cell blocks soon?
Or maybe Clasby, Walkbacker, and the whole bunch of ’em.
I so can’t wait for the FAB FIVE females with Brains bringing our city back from financial ruin.
A Hough
It is rare for someone so short to be a bully. Then again, innumerable swirlies during at least high school do take a toll.
More importantly, his overcompensating comments clearly indicate that he is packing a schmeckle.
At least Pinocchio will enjoy the showers. I know the type.
The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.
And it’s ugly.
It appears to have been designed by a committee of second-rate designers who never talked with each other. It’s a challenging exercise in futility to attempt to identify all the different architectural styles that have been thrown together to come up with this mess.
Judging by the final design it appears likely that the Lord Mayor exerted influence and put his stamp of approval on this monstrosity — it certainly has all the earmarks of his “architectural prowess”
Louie
Did you miss Mayor Koch patting himself on the back in the Quincy Sun a few months ago about his weighing in along with his longtime major speechwriter to koch-up up the original bland and banal design with tacky gewgaws and gimcracks?
On the other hand, I did get a rise out of the planned bare-chested and buff statues of male Roman Catholic patron saints.
Where is the Quincy Fire Chief?
Granted, there is an acting chief but I’ve seen nothing official about it anywhere.
Rumor has it that (regular) QFD Chief Jackson was placed on leave because he spoke up about how the firefighters union is running the fire department and the union is in essence “the Committee to elect Koch.” If you follow all of the local Facebook groups you will see local firefighters union kissing Koch’s ass because he keeps buying them more trucks as well as adding more firefighter$ and more supervisor$ to the department’s payroll.
Koch insists that departments heads kiss his rump and of course they all donate to his campaign fund. I haven’t checked campaign funds reports but I can only wonder if Jackson cut his “donation” checks this year as he has been on leave?
What is the going rate for a campaign donation for a department head appointment in Quincy these days anyway?
Shrek,
Did you miss that one of the mayor’s nephews is the Quincy firefighters’ union local shop steward?
William Tweed
And another nephew a now former QPD detective accused of allegedly sexually assaulting students down at Cardinal Cushing in Hanover, “that was “taken care of.”
So many memories.
YES A. Hough, the public paid for an investigation by a private firm to investigate the nephew after they hid his behavior from the public and never even reprimanded him.
There were no criminal charges even sought because criminal charges are not for the “connected.” Rather, they are for Joe Citizen. There wasn’t just one case either! When they finally got caught, the new chief (from a family who has donated for years to “the campaign fund” said he was unaware of anything.
In other words, the “Sergeant Schultz” defense.
Everyone in the department knew about the nephew other than Chief Kennedy as the only one who didn’t know as he said “I know nothing” when asked by the media. Koch pretended he knew nothing as well as the officer’s dad (Koch’s brother in-law and the previous police chief) and dealt with the complaint by promoting his son to detective from patrolman.
When asked how come there was no discipline, the answer from City Hall was “That’s not true, he was sent to the Employee Assistance Program.” —-A program for alcohol abuse or stress. In other words, so swept under the rug.
Were any settlements paid out the victims? Will we ever know?
Did his dad (the Chief) retire and get paid out for hundreds of sick and vacation days to the tune of many thousand$$$$$?
Why has the report on the nephew never released to the public? After all, tax dollars paid for the report. All you taxpayers just shut up and pay and “expect a modest tax increase!”
If you donate to the right “campaign” in Quincy the street sweeper sweeps misconduct under the rug. Just ask the “Copper brothers.” Two local Jakes (friends and defenders of the Mayor). That story is for another day.
Maybe instead of installing St. Michael and St. Florian the powers that be should build confession booths at the new public safety complex and Monsignor Koch will surely forgive your sins if you just leave a donation in the basket.
Los Corruptos
All understandable as well as valid concerns.
At the same time, the new Quincy policy chief does deserve some props for quickly after his promotion undertaking a review and then seeing Randy Andy suspended along with in due course seeing Randy lose his badge as well as precluded from scoring a new badge somewhere in Massachusetts.
The new chief also played a key role in seeing a certain double and sometimes even triple dipping police lieutenant first suspended and then convicted back when the current chief was but a sergeant.
Net/net, a huge upgrade from long enabling but now thankfully now retired Chief Beav.
That and how the only viable way to eat a pygmy elephant is one bite at a time.
Yes, “the public paid for an investigation by a private firm”
Well. OK — but who choose the “private firm” to do the “investigating”? Ta da!
Same private firm that was hired to suggest the raises for the Mayor and the rubber-stampers?
Marie,
Amazingly no, however, the firm has been previously retained on City of Quincy pension-related matters as well as looks to have done a proper job on a pretty straightforward matter.
At the same time as well as in all fairness, do be sure to notice the firm is a well-regarded one and thus one can thus only reasonable assume that it won’t do the Koch’s bidding.
At least not to the extent typical for consulting firms, much less to the level that looks to be needed by Mayor Koch in this instance.
It is nice to keep everything in the same family. The Don, Vito Corleone, would be proud of how the mayor is following his example.