LAWRENCE — Gubernatorial candidate Christy Mihos is just one of dozens to become a fan of a new Facebook page aimed at convincing the state to bring in a financial control board to run the cash-strapped city.
The Republican candidate immediately became a fan of the page "because he's all about fiscal oversight," said Mihos' campaign manager, Joe Manzoli.
"He's all about making sure we are getting what we are paying for," Manzoli said. "The word transparency is overused. What we really need to have is civic leaders come in and look at how the city is spending money. ... Every citizen has a right to ask that question."
The page "Finance Control Board for Lawrence" was created by Michael Sweeney, who was laid off by Mayor William Lantigua last Friday. He launched it on the social networking site Tuesday night and within hours more than 60 people became fans, including Mihos.
"I'm doing this because I think with everything that's gone on in the economy over the past year, taxpayers now, more than ever, are demanding accountability," Sweeney said. "I think in general taxpayers have been very clear, enough is enough."
Despite receiving almost two-thirds of its $240 million budget from taxpayers across the state, Lawrence faces a $24.5 million budget deficit. A bill for $35 million in bailout loans is now in the hands of state lawmakers.
Sweeney said the city cannot rely on Lantigua's administration to fix the city's dire financial situation. The city needs a fiscal control board, he said.
"We need a professional board of outsiders to come here. One doesn't make sense without the other," he said.
Having a control board in a city, a financial practice known as receivership, worked in years past in Springfield and Chelsea, Sweeney said.
"They are the successful models to follow ... but the accountability needs to be even stronger," he said.
On Jan. 5, Lantigua's first day in office, Sweeney was fired. He appealed his termination to the City Council and last Wednesday night, got the four votes needed to reverse the firing and keep his job.
Come Thursday morning, a police officer was waiting for Sweeney at the planning office when he arrived at work. He was escorted to the personnel office and told to go home.
Friday night, a constable delivered a layoff notice to Sweeney's home in Andover. Nine others also were laid off that night, a move Sweeney described as "personal and political vendettas" and classic cases of "political payback."
While a control board is needed now, Sweeney said he's been asking for state oversight of the city's finances since 2003, when he served as a city councilor.
