Alderman & City Politics
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Retirement Board

A "little bird" told me today that the City has been paying three "city employees" (not those of the retirement board staff) out of retirement funds, in an arrangement concocted by Patrick Dello Russo, the City Auditor/CFO, and the Mayor's ex-officio appointee and Chairman of the Retirement Board.

I have no knowledge personally if this is true or not, but I have no reason to doubt that the "bird" believes it to be the truth. He'she is in a position to know, and has told me things in the past that have all proven to be true. If this is true, an explanation is certainly in order.

Re: Retirement Board

Sounds very illegal - doubt that even the Mayor would stoop that low for friends knowing that a paper trail could convict him later when discovered.

I can't think of a better place to circulate unsubstantiated rumors than this message board - where reality and fantasy frequently meet!

Re: Retirement Board

Well, Inspector Clouseau, yours is exactly the kind of response one would expect from someone who has no idea what he's talking about. It's not "illegal" to transfer money from one account to another, as long as it's approved by the aldermen, but I don't recall seeing any such transfer being approved. I'm not even sure if it's "illegal" to do it without approval - improper would be a better description. After the mess Dello Russo made in Plymouth, and the way the water/sewer rates are being handled, it wouldn't surprise me at all if this were true. I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him.

Re: Retirement Board

Not Too Bright....where did you learn your legal and constitutional understanding of the law, from comic books? So you think that using retirement funds to pay salaries of city employees would be legal and that Aldermen voting for this would make it right?

Please do us all a favor and never run for public office, we have enough fools in there already without adding one more!

Re: Retirement Board

Get a clue. At almost every alderman's meeting money gets transferred from one line item to another as the need arises. You send a communication to the Mayor, who then sends it to the aldermen for consideration and approval. It could also be done by supplemental appropriation, again with aldermanic approval. Here's how it's done - start at about 4:30. http://www.mmtv3.org/index.php?categoryid=28

It would be illegal to tap into retirement contributions, but PERAC would be all over that in a heartbeat, since they scrupulously audit. http://www.mass.gov/perac/melrose/melroseapprop15.pdf.

Here's some words of wisdom for you - it's better to be thought an idiot than to open your mouth and confirm it.

Re: Retirement Board

Listen, I just put out there what I was told by someone who should know. I'd like to hear if it's the truth or not, and if it is, what was done, how, why, and by who. If it is true, an explanation is in order.