Monday, October 10, 2011

Strong column in Boston Globe against Cambridge City Manager, whistleblowing analysis

1. Archie Mazmanian reports.
2. Archie’s Whistle Blower Series.
3. Editor's Comment.

1. Archie Mazmanian reports.

Adrian Walker's Boston Globe column this past Saturday (10/8/11) "Change is overdue" comments on the 30-years tenure of Cambridge City Manager Bob Healy, focusing upon the retaliation lawsuit of Malvina Monteiro that was recently resolved. [I was unsuccessful in finding a link to the column.] The column closes with this:

"Which means that every city employee remains under the direction of a city manager found to retaliate against those who cross him and who has demonstrated that he will wage such battles far beyond the point of reason. Two other retaliation cases are still pending against the city. Malvina Monteiro has gotten justice. But has her long battle guaranteed anything for the next woman who s teps out of line?"

A couple of years ago, I contributed a post to your Blog on the MA Whistleblower statute, General Laws Chapter 149, Section 185, reporting on my search at Cambridge City Hall for notices required by subsection (g):

"An employer shall conspicuously display notices reasonably designed to inform its employees of their protection and obligations under this section, and use other appropriate means to keep its employees informed. Each notice posted pursuant to this subsection shall include the name of the person or persons the employer has designated to receive written notification pursuant to subsection (c)."

I reported that I could not locate any such notices on the several bulletin boards at City Hall. I don't know if any such notices have since been posted there or at other city offices, or whether the city has formally adopted a "Whistleblower Policy" pursuant to the statute or otherwise complies with its requirements. Perhaps Cambridge employees/residents might follow up and inform this Blog. While the MA Whistleblower statute is not perfect, it does afford protection to Cambridge employees against retaliation as well as protect taxpayers/residents with some transparency of possible municipal misdeeds.

2. Archie’s Whistle Blower Series.

I find the following posts on the Whistle Blower series:

Part I: http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/whistling-in-dark-part-i.html.
Part II: http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/whistling-in-dark-part-ii.html.
Part III: http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2009_12_30_archive.html.
Part IV: http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2010_01_04_archive.html, second posting.
Part V: http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2010_01_31_archive.html.

3. Editor's Comment.

The fake "protective" group which spent 15 years loudly proclaiming its love of Alewife and which just praised its imminent destruction is not at all unusual in Cambridge.

And there are very real connections to the Cambridge City Manager.

This group is probably the most important single factor in the imminent destruction of this irreplacable part of our world by a city government which constantly lies about its environment sainthood.

Monteiro follow up delayed again, New Report posted.

1. Monteiro follow up delayed again.
2. Cambridge Day provides new information?

1. Monteiro follow up delayed again.

We have been reporting on the case of Malvina Monteiro v. City of Cambridge for quite awhile.

This is a civil rights matter which has the same stench as the environmental destruction which is so much the norm with the City of Cambridge, MA, USA, while constantly, and falsely, declaring themselves saints on environmental and civil rights matters.

The Cambridge City Manager destroyed the life of black, Cape Verdean, female department head Malvina Monteiro in retaliation because she filed a civil right complaint. The jury said $3.5 million penal damages in addition to about $1.1 million actual damages. The judge went into detailed analysis of the City Manager’s testimony and summparized with the word “reprehensible” in her key opinion. The appeals court panel treated Cambridge's appeal with disgust and spoke of “ample evidence [of] outrageous conduct”.

Cambridge has paid Malvina Monteiro $8.3 million and the total cost will apparently exceed $10 million.

Monteiro was one of five related cases filed together. Two were apparently settled handsomely. Two have yet to be tried.

The final pre-trial hearing on the fourth case has been repeatedly delayed during the appeals court process and thereafter. It was scheduled for Tuesday, October 11.

The final pre-trial hearing has, by agreement between the parties, been rescheduled yet again, to January 10, 2012, at 2 pm in Session (courtroom) F at the Superior Court building in Woburn, MA.

It could be strictly a coincidence, but that timing puts the hearing a week or so after the newly elected Cambridge City Council is sworn in.

For the record, final judgment in Malvina Monteiro’s case was entered into the Superior Court docket on September 21, 2011.

2. Cambridge Day provides new information?

Cambridge Day has posted an extended analysis of the case with comments associated with City Councilor / Representative Toomey. This, in turn, cites a YouTube posting which has been pulled and reposted.

http://www.cambridgeday.com/2011/10/09/toomey-says-public-lacks-full-story-of-monteiro-firing/