New deal provides larger base salary, fewer bonuses

By Joseph Domelowicz Jr.

The Winthrop School Committee announced last night that they had reached an agreement with Winthrop Superintendent of Schools Steve Jenkins on a contract extension through the 2010 school year, that would also re-structure his salary and benefits and provide him with a raise. Jenkins’ existing deal was due to expire in June 2008.

The new pact runs through June 30, 2010, with a total compensation package of $158,124.25. The new salary figure, which appears to be a sharp increase from his previous base pay of $121,762, was arrived at by making a salary adjustment from the $121,762 to $133,000. On top of that the contract adds a 4.5 percent pay increase for 2008, which is identical to the 4.5 percent raise the teachers and staff received in their contract settlement and then reallocates several bonus items in the previous deal, into the new base salary (see full story in next week’s Sun Transcript for a breakdown of all bonuses).

“When you add up all of the pay and bonuses the superintendent had received last year and add in the money he received from selling back some unused vacation time, we spent a little over $150,000 in compensation for the superintendent this (current fiscal) year, so the actual increase in pay and benefits from 2007 to 2008, is not as sharp as it looks,” said School Committee Chairwoman Pat Milano. “We’ve just moved that money to his salary line, instead of paying him the extra bonuses for travel expenses, professional development and things like that.”

Milano explained that the move by the School Committee, which was under no obligation to restructure the contract was made for a couple of reasons.

“First, it was important for us to take the lead and explain to the public why we’re doing what we’re doing,” said Milano. “In the past, we’ve never really talked that much about the specifics of superintendent contracts, but with the new emphasis on transparency in the new town government, we thought it was important for us to explain the contract and what it means for the school district.”

Milano said that part of the reason for making the move to sign Jenkins to an extension is that he has been solicited by other school districts looking for new superintendents, many of which are offering much higher salaries to start.

“There are something like 40 school districts right now that are looking for superintendents,” said Milano. “Some of them are offering to pay as much as $180,000 a year, and we just thought that from the standpoint of stability and continuity, it made sense for us to talk with the Superintendent about an extension.”

Additionally, Milano said that Jenkins expressed to the School Committee that he is looking at this next contract as his last contract before retirement. With that in mind, Jenkins was interested in maximizing the amount of his compensation that is included in his salary, since bonuses and expenses are not included in the formula for determining retirement benefits.

“There was also the consideration, from our standpoint, that if we didn’t extend his contract, we would run the risk of losing him and in order to replace a superintendent in this market, we felt we’d have to advertise the position at at least $140,000 to start, plus benefits, plus the cost of hiring a search consultant to help us find a new superintendent,” said Milano.

The new deal does include additional protections for the school department, to protect against the Superintendent leaving early to accept another superintendent’s position. The penalty for early termination of the contract with less than six months notice was increased to one-third of one year’s salary, meaning that another school department would have to offer Jenkins significantly more money, in order to make the prospect of leaving seem attractive, from a financial standpoint.

Winthrop residents will be offered the chance to share their views on the $50 million Logan Airport Centerfield Taxiway, during a May 17 WCAT telecast by the town’s Noise, Air Pollution and Airport Hazards Committee.
Residents will be asked to telephone their views in while the show, which starts at 7 p.m., is on the air.
Among topics the Committee expects to discuss will be a $3 million taxiway airplane noise study that is just getting underway, the impact on public health of minute particulate pollution from taxiing aircraft engines, and other effects this long controversial project will have on the town.  Several town residents, including AHC members Bob Driscoll, Jerry Falbo and Harvey Maibor, and are either on citizen committees set up to deal with public issues or have participated in studies already concluded.
The televised discussion will probably address the question of what courses of action the town can take to deal with difficulties raised by the taxiway, particularly in the so-called Maze neighborhood. That area of Winthrop is closest to the portion of airport property where the taxiway will be built.  A health study several years ago found evidence that respiratory ailments likely linked to Logan aircraft pollution strike most frequently in the Court Road-Johnson Avenue neighborhood.
AHC member Brian Dumser, a University of Massachusetts/Boston environmental scientist, is participating in state efforts to study the public health issues associated with the airport and its traffic. State Rep. Robert DeLeo (Dem.-Winthrop), House Ways and Means Committee chairman and an AHC member, founded and heads a Legislative Logan Airport Caucus.
Besides those cited above, other Airport Hazards Committee members include Dick Bangs, Vincent Collins, Charlie Mason, Tom McNiff and Rick Rodes.  Susan Mason, Eleanora Olivolo and Claire Sweeney are AHC Outreach members.

This announcement was provided by the Airport Hazards Committee.

Suspect being held, further charges pending

By Joseph Domelowicz Jr.

23-year old Douglas Bitopolous of 98 Bellevue Avenue is behind bars this week, after being arrested and charged with kidnapping, statutory rape of a child, aggravated rape and indecent assault and battery on a child over 14 years of age, after a Saturday night attack on a young acquaintance.
Bitopolous, who was out on bail while awaiting drug charges in Somerville at the time of the attack, has been held for 60 days on the previous drug charges and on a probation detention and is then expected to be held on bail for the rape.
“On Saturday evening (May 5) at about 3:30 p.m., Mr. Bitopolous, we believe, went to a Revere home, engaged in conversation with a 15-year old female, a known acquaintance. He invited her to sit in his car to talk, put the car into drive and at a high rate of speed proceeded to his home Winthrop, refusing to stop for traffic control devices or to let her out, despite her pleas for help,” said Winthrop Detective Lieutenant Brian Perrin, who along with Officer Giulio Bonavita conducted the investigation. “As a result of a phone call that was made by the victim, prior to the alleged attack, Bitopolous was arrested and charged with rape, kidnapping and indecent assault. A search warrant was sought and obtained and evidence was recovered from the scene.”
According to Perrin, once Bitopolous arrived at his home in Winthrop, he told the girl she had the choice of walking into his home or being carried. Once inside the home, Bitopolous allegedly attacked the girl.
Lieutenant Perrin said that the investigation was conducted in concert with detective John Cafarelli of the Revere Police Department, as the girl was abducted from her revere home.
“As a result of that cooperation with Revere police other charges, including witness intimidation and threats are also being considered in this case and could be filed shortly,” said Lt. Perrin.

Council President Reilly announces Seaport Advisory Council approval

By Joseph Domelowicz Jr.

The last piece of a multi-million dollar pier and terminal project at Winthrop’s public landing slipped nicely into place Tuesday afternoon, when the Seaport Advisory Council voted to approve a $1.7 million grant application to the town of Winthrop, with the funds going directly to pay for the construction of a new harborside terminal building, adjacent to the multi-use pier that is currently under construction on the landing.
“There is still some legislative approval that is needed, with regard to bonding authority,” said Council President Thomas Reilly, who made a presentation to the SAC prior to the vote. “But, the project itself does not need to be approved anymore. Once the legislature votes to allow the Seaport Advisory Council to go out to bond for its approved projects, our grant will be completed.
Reilly was quick to the praise the efforts of Winthrop staffers and former elected officials who have worked on the pier and terminal project for nearly a decade, as well as the efforts of State Rep. Robert DeLeo, former Senate President Robert Travaglini and Congressman Ed Markey, who between them helped to get the funding for the pier itself into place over the last two years.
“Certainly, there are a lot of people who deserve credit for all of the work they put in on this project over the years,” said Reilly. “I’m kind of here at the last leg of it, but certainly the previous boards of selectmen were all very instrumental in moving this forward and the hard work of people like Barbara McNeil (in the grants and procurement office) and (former executive Secretary) Ginna Wilder this wouldn’t have happened without them.”

By Joseph Domelowicz Jr.

So here we are one year later and the council is still tying itself up in knots over who they want to be (and who they don’t want to be) on the Planning Board.
Officially, Tuesday night’s vote to table appointments of Richard Dimes and Allan Maruzzi came down to two issues. The first is that neither man was in attendance and the second is that neither had been before the Council’s Appointments Committee –itself a manifestation of Councilors’ dissatisfaction with the way appointments are made.
But let’s forget about the Appointments Committee for just a minute.
The fact is that the reason for the testy 5-4 vote to table is that some councilors simply don’t want to vote for Richard Dimes to be on the Planning Board.
Several have said, off the record, that it is simply time for a change. Others have said, also off the record, that they don’t agree with his stances on recent development issues, such as the Atlantis Marina project, Crystal Cove, and Winthrop Hospital.
Sure, all the councilors are trying to show deference to Dimes, who has served the town in various capacities for more than 40 years, but at the same time it is that long record of service, that has caused at least some of the councilors to come to the conclusion that the town would best be served by having someone else on the board.
The problem, for them, is that they can’t do anything about it. The town charter, as adopted by voters, puts all the power for making appointments in the hands of the Council President – Thomas Reilly.
And Reilly is sticking by his long time friend Dimes.
There are arguments to be made on both sides of this issue and we’re not going to sit here and tell anyone that one side is right and the other is wrong.
Like it or not, there is a change element on the Town Council and there is also an element that is more moderated and less willing to change, especially if they see the change as being for changes’ sake.
However, we do believe that while the letter of the Charter gives the power for appointments to the Council President, we also see it as a usurpation of the Council’s power to concur, every time Reilly attempts to appoint a man he knows does not have the support of the full council.
In fact, the only reason that Dimes is on the Planning Board now, is because Charter allows the sitting member of a committee to continue until a replacement is chosen. And, we suspect that if Reilly is unsuccessful in winning confirmation for Dimes on May 15, he will again choose not to make another appointment to the board.
It also puts the council in the position of having to publicly reject a candidate they are not comfortable with and that, we do not believe is in the spirit of the charter. If the charter did not intend for the Council to have a voice in making appointments to the Planning Board, it would not have required a vote of the Council to make the appointment official.
Furthermore, Reilly’s appointment of Dimes has the net result of embarrassing a man who does not deserve it.
It is our hope that some workable solution to this impasse is found, before Dimes’ appointment comes before the full council again. One that meets both the letter and the spirit of the charter.

By Joseph Domelowicz Jr.

The Winthrop Town Council voted 7-2 on Tuesday night to work with New Hampshire-based developer Equivise on a plan to demolish the old Dalrymple School and construct a new 30-plus unit condominium development on the property, which could potentially brings hundreds of thousands of extra tax dollars to the town.
The 7-2 vote officially designated Equivise as the “preferred developer” of the property and could clear the way for sale and development of the property, if the company can reach agreement, through the special permit granting process, on what a new building there should look like and how it can best fit in with the neighborhood.
Despite, the fairly wide margin in the voting, it was clear right away, that the decision was not an easy one for any of the councilors.
Precinct Four Councilor Jeanne Maggio, whose precinct borders the Dalrymple School and Precinct Six Councilor Linda calla, were the only two councilors who voted against designating Equivise, essentially telling their colleagues that they favored the a competing bid by the East Boston Community Development Company (EBCDC), that had proposed maintaining the existing Dalrymple building and renovating the building into 27- apartment units for low and moderate income seniors.
Maggio, who delivered an impassioned plea to her colleagues to choose the EBCDC bid, pointed to other high-end condominium projects that are expected to come on line or be developed in Winthrop over the next few years, including the Atlantis Marina project and potential projects at the Crystal Cove Marina and the Winthrop Hospital, as sufficient to meet the high-end condo needs of the community. At the same time she outlined the need for expanded elderly housing in the community, pointing to a six-month wait list for apartments in Winthrop Housing.
Similarly, Calla pointed to the need for the council to “take care of all of our residents,” in planning for the future, when she voted.
However, the majority of the council pointed to the financial realties of selling the Dalrymple and the current fiscal constraints facing the town.
“In my head, I wish I could go with the EBCDC proposal,” said Precinct 3 Councilor Nick DelVento. “But we have to remember back to when we asked the community to approve overrides to pay for two new schools and part of that deal was that the town would put that property out to be developed.”
Citing both the opportunity for additional tax revenue to be earned with the development of condos and the higher sale price offered in the Equivise proposal, At-large Councilor Joseph Ferrino added, “I know that money is not always the most important issue, but at this point it is an issue.”
Following the meeting, Councilor Calla said that her vote was influenced by her constituents ion Precinct 6.
“As the elected Councilor from Precinct 6, I have listened to the residents in my precinct and have voiced their sincere desire to see the Dalrymple School preserved and remain (intact),” said Calla. “The vote I cast tonight for the EBCDC was on their behalf.”

By Joseph Domelowicz Jr.

According to several sources Town Council President Thomas Reilly on Tuesday night, is planning to nominate Planning Board Chairman Richard Dimes to the Planning Board for the second year in a row, potentially setting up a showdown over Reilly’s power to nominate committee members and the council’s discretion to approve the nominations.

Last year, Reilly nominated Dimes and Planning Board member Peter Roache to fill two seats on the board, whose terms were expiring. The Council voted to approve the nomination of Roache, but voted 6-3 against Dimes, with some councilors suggesting it was time for change on the board. Roache was a new member to the Planning Board, having only taken office to fill the end of an expiring terms some months before.

However, since the new town charter allowed for previously elected officials to continue in their capacities until replaced, Reilly refused to nominate another candidate for Dimes’ seat on the board — despite the fact that another candidate had applied to fill the seat — and Dimes has remained on the Planning Board since.

Publicly, there has been no word on whether or not any councilors have changed their minds about allowing Dimes to serve going forward. And several councilors have said that Reilly has not polled the council to find out if there is support for Dimes this time either.

By Joseph Domelowicz Jr.

The Winthrop Town Council last week approved a re-written set of parking regulations for the town, including the residential parking restrictions for overnight parking, which essentially legitimizes the parking regulations the town has been operating under for the past three years.

Additionally, the council voted to allow the outsourcing of parking enforcement to Municipal Management Associates, Inc. of Marlborough, which provides similar parking enforcement services in the city of Chelsea.

“Our goal was to address people’s perception of inequity and a lack of consistency in the parking enforcement system,” said Town Manager Rick White. “At the same time, we were mindful of the fact that we were competing for really important police man hours.”

White explained that by hiring an outside parking enforcement service, the town expects to be able to enforce the existing parking regulations, without adding any cost for the town, as the contractor will be paid out of parking receipts.

Additionally, he said that more consistent enforcement of the parking regulations would also provide more predictability for residents and likely greater compliance with the laws.

As an added benefit, the police department would be largely relieved of the responsibility of writing parking tickets, thus giving patrol officers more time to focus on other police duties.

The new parking regulations were drafted by the town’s Traffic Safety  Advisory Committee and submitted to the Council’s Subcommittee on Rules and Ordinances, before being put to the council for a vote.

Council to vote on issue Tuesday

By Joseph Domelowicz Jr.

As expected, Council President Thomas Reilly recommended to the full council on Wednesday, that New Hampshire-based developer EquiVise be designated as the preferred developer of the Dalrymple School.

In making the recommendation, Reilly pointed to the obvious financial benefits of choosing the bidder who had bid the most money for the property, but also alluded to other benefots that could be accrued to the town by working with EquiVise.

“I have been impressed with the diligence in which EquiVise responded by providing alternative designs,” Reilly told the Council. “I am convinced that EquiVise will be capable of pulling together a development proposal that would work. At this point, it would be unreasonable to expect EquiVise to expend any more resources without a commitment from the town. I believe this action should give EquiVise reasonable assurance that we are working with them in good faith.”

Reilly also noted that he had spoken with representatives from each of the qualified bidders, EquiVise and the East Boston Community Development Corporation, and had observed the joint deliberations of the Capital Assets Subcommittee  and Dalrymple Reuse Committee before making a decision about which proposal to support.

Furthermore, Reilly indicated that in offering its alternatives, EquiVise had backed away from its earlier proposal, which would have required a variance from the overlay district zoning requirements.  The more recent proposals would not need any such variance and have also addressed community concerns that were raised during the process, said Reilly.

“As for the economics of the proposal, the differential in sale price between the EquiVise ($2,050,000) and EBCDC ($1,750,000) is substantial,” he said. “The difference in annual tax yield is especially significant. The EquiVise development will produce an annual tax yield of $120,000, which is more than double that of EBCDC.”

Reilly then went on to explain the indirect economic benefits available to the town, with the acceptance of the EquiVise bid.

“The development will capture the attention of middle income and upper income buyers,” said Reilly. “This is an opportunity for the town and the neighborhood as the area is rich with high quality housing, close to the soon to be renovated Winthrop beach and should spur some residual economic activity to the area.”

According to Reilly, Winthrop’s economic household breakdown, as identified in the town’s 2004 Community Development Plan includes 18 percent of homes in the Upper Income category (over $98,251 and above per year),  36 percent in the Middle Income category ($50,201 to $98, 250), 19 percent in the Moderate Income category ($37,251 to $50,200) and the remaining 27 percent in the Low Income category.

“If my assumption about residual economic development in the area is true, then the financial return to the town is even greater,” said Reilly. “By attracting higher income residents it seems reasonable to expect benefits for the town’s struggling retail sector. . . attracting new households in the middle to upper income level will spur economic development in the area.”

In an aside from his official recommendation, Reilly also attempted to clear up some misinformation in the community, by telling Councilors that waiting lists at the Winthrop Housing Authority  are about four months, not a year, as has been reported in the community through other sources.

Proponents of the EBCDC proposal have pointed to overly long waiting lists at the Winthrop Housing  as a reason for supporting the EBCDC’s proposal to create senior housing within the existing Dalrymple building.

By Joseph Domelowicz Jr.

Dalrymple recommendation
Council President Thomas Reilly earlier this week informed the council that he intends to make a recommendation at tonight’s meeting that Equivise be designated as the developer for the Dalrymple site. He also told councilors that the New Hampshire developer, who has proposed demolition of the old Dalrymple School and the construction of a new 36-unit condominium building on the site, has already made some changes to the initial construction proposal, which are expected to make the development more palatable to some in town.