I was born and raised in Melrose. Went to Melrose schools, entered the military from Melrose. Melrose is my home town.

Years ago an employment opportunity came my way that meant I had to move to another town - at that time there was a rule that you had to live in the town the job was in. But I always considered myself a Melrose kid, so I stayed in touch and kept up on what was going on there.

I happened to be at a friend's house last night who had the committee meeting on, and what I saw was appalling. Melrose has changed, and not for the better. All I saw was nastiness, bitterness, visciousness, and arrogance beyond anything I can explain. This is not the Melrose I grew up in and was loyal to. I want nothing to do with the Melrose I saw on display last night, so I have to say moving out was the best decision I ever made. I feel bad for you people. You've gotten the government you deserve.

For some, except The Patch, the highlight of the Appropriations Committee meeting Monday evening was the courageous comments by Aldermen Jaclyn Lavender Bird about the process and what went on behind the scenes.

1. She was told by the Mayor on Dec. 14 that he would seek a 26 percent pay increase and replied it was higher than she expected and could not support it as setting a bad precedent. His response was, “Now that McClaughlin is on this, you won’t have a choice.” On Jan. 11, after many calls from McClaughlin, she told him it was nothing against the Mayor, to which McLaughlin said if she did not agree, he would have to get 300 people to the hearing. She explained that she voted based on what she thinks is right whether that decision is popular or not. Two minutes later the Mayor called and she reiterated her position and endured “35 minutes of the Mayor screaming”.
She didn’t want to embarrass anyone but she wanted to make it crystal clear that “this kind of behavior will not be tolerated on this matter or any matter”.
Turns out she was not the only Aldermen who “got the treatment” if they were in opposition.

I guess McLaughlin did as he said and got a bunch of supporters there! To bad the majority of melrosians had no clue this was happening until last minute and didnt know they could flood the place with opposition! Its unfortunate that he had to bully the alderman who opposed it. You are right Tom. This has turned into a horrible place to live.
Isnt it a convenient thing how this was set up to be voted on right after the list of city's top earners came out. Earners who work twice as hard and were asked to sacrifice everything! The exodus of school personnel this past year should speak volumes about the mayor and his shortcomings.

Sooner or later, as history has repeatedly show, tyrants are turned on by even their most ardent supporters. As days go by, and as more and more of these kinds of unacceptable behaviors and actions become known to more and more people, the tide will begin to turn, and we'll have to seek shelter to keep from being trampled by all those jumping off the bandwagon. When it happens, it's going to be really ugly, and I really don't look forward to it, as necessary as it is.

To Don, Monica, and especially to Jackie, I apologize to you for the behavior exhibited last night by the cretins at the committee meeting, and I applaud your courage for taking the stand you did, when you knew full well how it would be received by the thugs and bullies that were so abusive to you.

well...HE got his raise...now HE"LL be able to shop at WHOLEFOODS.....sooooo can we get a Dollar store so I can shop???!!!!

I think it is funny that the year his children go to kindergarten, there is no longer a fee for our children to attend full time. Now he would like a 26% pay increase??? If he gets that pay increase, the tax payers should get a 26% decrease. Ridiculousness when you contact his office about other city officials, who report to him, have bullied and taken bribes from city residents to avoid penalties and legal action. What has this city come to??

You know what's funny? This posting from Melrose Messages:

"Oops! It was resume day at City Hall looking forward to the Mayor's leaving. It seems there was a leak at the UMass Collins Center. Rob it turns out has applied for the Town Manager job in Reading."

Who knows? But Reading is searching for a Town Manager (salary in the 140's), and the Collins Center is accepting resumes for it.

How lucky the H&R director was there to hear Alderman Bird's description of the Mayor and McLaughlin's conduct. I'm sure will investigate the "bullying" and come back with a report.

It is interesting to note that none of the people commenting above have mentioned the increased financial stability and the much improved quality of life progress made in the city of Melrose over the 11 year tenure of Mayor Dolan. It's as if they are unaware of these changes and improvements or perhaps unwilling to acknowledge their existence. As chief executive of this city, Mayor Dolan's leadership and vision has played a major role in the resurgence and vitality of our city. There isn't a single demographic group in the city that hasn't been positively impacted or improved as a result of one of the many of the Mayor's programs implemented. You only need to review this year's State of the City slide presentation listed on the city website.... to see the variety and diversity of programs, activities, community and cultural enhancements, and services provided to citizens in recent years. The position of Mayor, which requires attributes of high energy, multi-disciplinary skills, long hours on the job, a passion and love of the city, ability to motivate people to carryout a clear vision, and a demonstrated level of superior performance, needs to be equitably compensated.

I hope you'll excuse me for this, but your myopic vision of the Mayor makes me want to puke. This Mayor, regardless of what your opinion is of the job he's done, is forever stained by both his conduct and the conduct of his "supporters" and their treatment of anyone who disagrees with them, which is now on the record for all to see. It's not in the shadows and behind closed doors anymore., and it's disgusting.

"The position of Mayor, which requires attributes of high energy, multi-disciplinary skills, long hours on the job, a passion and love of the city, ability to motivate people to carryout a clear vision, and a demonstrated level of superior performance, needs to be equitably compensated." All correct. What it does not require is the kind of despicable conduct displayed towards those officials who, in a supposedly democratic process, dared to voice a different opinion of what equitable compensation is. If in fact, your Mayor is all those things you seem to think he is, then the very first thing he needs to do is pick up the phone and apologize for both his conduct, and that of those neanderthal cretins in attendance at that meeting.

Please Dave...get a grip on your public emotions and attempt in the future to respond in a civil manner appropriate for a resident of this city. You do no justice to yourself by degrading your fellow citizens. Most of those in attendance at the meeting who spoke in favor of the salary increase for the Mayor's position were either long time residents of Melrose or people who have done much volunteer work in organizations in Melrose. I can't think of a better group of people who understand the city well enough to have a knowledgeable and informed opinion about this matter.

Dave and Ed are right on! How has he helped everybody? I'm not better off than i was twelve years ago! In fact my family is worse. On top of rising gas and food prices, my water bill is ridiculously high, my taxes are high and i now have to pay for trash pick up. Most people i speak with also have the same problem. I paid for my kids to attend kindergarten when my friends in other towns sent theirs for free. I also pay more for mine to play sports. Very few i know are better off. Now, to get some affordable groceries, i have to drive 15 min away! And on a final note, my street is in badly need of repair!

Lol i find it amusing that mfd is telling dave to get a grip on his public emotion! Yes dave do take your tantrums when you think no one is looking, like the mayor does.

I don't necessarily want to continue this dialogue but I need to correct some errors made above. The Mayor is not responsible for high gas and food prices nor is he responsible for the school system which has decided to enact fees to cover certain costs..any issues with these should be directed to the school committee. However, your kids are blessed to be educated in a state-of-the-art Middle School which, under the leadership of the Mayor was built on budget and on time, unheard of in this state! Also your kids are blessed to play on some of the finest fields in any community many of which have been upgraded thanks to the leadership and the vision of our Mayor and which have not cost us any tax dollars! Also, Melrose is getting another grocery store this fall in place of Johnnies which will provide another alternative to Shaw's. Finally, the issue between Alderwoman Bird and Mayor Dolan is a personal one between them.....and Alderwoman Bird had decided to make it public. This was her decision not the Mayor's....and it showed a lack of discretion on her part.

Are you kidding MFD you don't think someone in the position he is calling and screaming at someone because they disagree with him is not bullying. So you're saying when one student is the subject of another screaming at, manipulatin and belittling him it's not bullying because they are peers, both holding the same amount of power in the schoolyard.---and she's at fault for bringing it to public light. Wow!

And no one is saying he is responsible for high food and gas prices but on top of all that we have high tax and water prices, as well as athletic fees, trash fees and kindergarten tuition, so exactly how has he made life easier for me, for any middle class family.. What program has he implemented that helps my family.

A state of the art school means nothing when you have teachers who come and go and you can't attract high quality teachers because the pay is so low. Why are you concerned with attracting someone to run the city and not attracting teachers who can command respect and educate these kids. Let me tell you, I was educated in old buildings with creeky wooden floors but enough books for every kid. Teachers who loved to be there and teach. When I have discussions with my kids about things I remember learning, things they should be learning, they tell me they never learned that. (cont)

Asked my son about James Earl Ray the other day, he didn't know who he was. I said you never learned about this. He said no, they never got past WW2. Then he told us we could never have learned about it because it happened right before we were in school. This happens a lot. I ask my children about history questions, geography question, things diagramming sentences, they say, nope we never learned that. It seems the only thing they learned in the "state of the art" building that I never learned is how to use a smart board. So big deal. It's not about the buildings, it's about what's in them.
As far as the athletic fields, yes they are nice but so is every other towns. Melrose was one of the last to upgrade. And again, it doesn't mean there are better athletes now. Kids were better athletes when they went out to the sandlot and just played all day with their friends with whatever ball they could find. Didn't need state of the art fields.

Sorry to say I wont be shopping at the new supermarket so it means nothing to me. Won't be able to afford it. I'll still be driving 15 minutes away for my groceries

The mayor new his salary when he took this job. He is setting a bad precedent by expecting a rasie by comparing his salary to other neighboring communties. By this comparsion all City Employees are underpayed and should also have large pay raises

Bill....the Mayor is an elected official....city employees have bargaining unions to represent their rights..the Mayor has none of those benefits or protects. In addition, his responsibilities are so much greater than any other employee of the city. The Mayor has to be his own advolcate.

MFD
You are correct he is an elected official that new what his salary would be when he ran for the position. I find it offensive when you say his responsibilites are much greater than any other employee. How about the policeman that puts his life on the line when he is there to protect you. How about the firefighter that has your life in his hands when he's extracting a body out of a car wreck or pulling a person out of a fire which you might not believe does happen in Melrose. It's quite obivious that the Mayor stacked the aldermans meeting in his favor. Put the raise on a referendum vote if he is so sure that the people back his raise.( P.S.all city employees don't have bargaining units)

William....please do misinterpret my words or thoughts.....of course police and firemen are occasionally in life and death situations......but again they have strong unions bargaining for them and they have standard work hours, etc. Everyone is aware of the salary increase issue and they should show up on Monday evening to voice their opinion or sned emails to their aldermen. Finally this should not even an issue about our cuurent Mayor since in 2015 we have to elect a Mayor again we are competing against all other surrounding communties for competent people...and by that time if our Mayor's salary has not been increased,
how can we possibly compete against them for qualified and competent people?

Dave....do you really think that someone looks forwgard to this position knowing full well that they will never statify a good percentage of the citizens no matter how good they may do and that many of them will write nasty newspaper articles about their good efforts and spread false rumors about them and their family and that they will have to live in the same town after their term is up.....and you think they do this strictly for power....and not because of a commitment and love of their city and their commitment to publich service? How cynical does one need to be question the good will of others......but only you can anser that one Dave. The Mayor has B.A> in Political Science and a M.A. in Public Administration and I guess as a young man he thought that with those educational skill sets he could help his city advance into the 21st century. Based on his progress to-date....this young man has been very successsful!

I just try to look for the goodness in people's motives, Dave.....and when I do.....I usually find them. You can certainly look for the negative ones.....but that usually involves lots of wasted energy, plenty of non-productive thinking, and exaggerated results.

The in- house study by his H&R people never considered how many other Mayors
also have a Deputy at $88,000 and a Mayor's office payroll of over $200,000. And for a city of 27,000 ! Make your voices known Monday evening.

Arnold.....these are interesting points but that's all they are.....if a Mayor can assemble his team to perform an important value and function to the city.....and maintain our tax rate so that it is average of all the surrounding communities.....given the fact that our city has one of the lowest commercial bases....which means that he must work harder than other Mayors to prevent tax increases .....then I say o.k.....so what's your point?

I think the elected officals in this town have a blank check. I'm on social security and I would like a 25% increase also. Mr. Mayor if you don't like the pay get another job.

Phil....I'm on social security also.....and I also have concerns about the financial health of the city and potential tax increases in Melrose....because it also affects me too. But this Mayor has already demonstrated his sensitivity towards this matter when dealing with city needs.....examples include when the big dig fiasco occurred...Mayor Dolan stepped in and along with Michael Interbartolo worked through the financial problems and avoided a serious disaster for the city back in 2002. Also when it came to needed fields for our kids, the Mayor, working with the Park Commission, Ward Aldermen, and state officials, was able to get the rules changed to make funds available from Mount Hood Golfing to fund the new football filed, the renovated Morelli Field, and a new state-of-the-art track and fields at Pine Banks Park, at no cost to tax payers! What the Mayor did to help bring Oak Grove Village to fruition helped greatly to being in additional taxes to the city coffers. We have a Mayor who is young, energetic, educated, and committed to improving the health and well-being of our city...I can't think of another person living here who is better suited at this time for this job.....can you?

Just as a clarification - There is a misquote in the above article. "Meanwhile, committee member Gail Infurna said the mayor should not be making a salary that is less than 14 department heads that report directly to him. She also gave an emotional backing of Dolan for going above and beyond the call of duty by helping flood victims in the early morning hours during past storms". While I did make a point about dept heads making less than the Mayor, I did not give that emotional speech - it was Alderman MaryBeth McAteer Margolis that did. I did point out at the meeting that my support regarding the pay readjustment was not about Mayor Dolan but based on the position.

In six months we wil have an election for a U.S. Senator. If the alderman and Mayor believe that the majority of people back the Mayors raise then they should have no problem putting it as a referendum at this time. It will be a minimun or no cost since people will be going to the polls anyway.

I am totally disgusted by this so called group of alderman who vote on the mayors whim for a 26 percent raise. The 3 alderman who stood up for the people of melrose will always have my vote. How can they seriously believe this mayor who would bully alderman bird and everyone else he sits fit to do so and they all stand by and believe he is wonderboy. Taxes and the water bills keep going up -if this was corporate america Mayor Dolan would have been shown the door along time ago. the mayor. Alderman Infurna says she doesn’t know how other CEOs would feel about that" . Please go to your boss and ask for a 26 percent raise-let us know what they say to you. There are no books in the schools-the high school is a mess-wasted money used to have a firm tell the citizens of melrose there are not enough police-how do you explain to the teachers, the police-Melrose does not have enough money for your raises- but we do have enough for the mayor-not a 1 percent raise but a 26 percent raise--You should all be ashamed of yourself--Just because there was only the chosen few who showed up and knew about the meeting you actually believe the man who bully's deserves the raise. How much money did the school system pay for the bullying conferences--Maybe you need to send the mayor and all if you attend as well since you seem to think there is no problem with his behavior.

We have a voice! No matter how personally reserved one is, they can always be “heard” on social media. No more does the schoolyard introvert feel left out, or the extroverted Citizen Joe/Jane, miss an opportunity to publicly speak-up. All of us know that responding to comments on our favorite sites may eventually turn caustic because it gets personal. We certainly all have friends and family who no longer speak to each other because of misconstrued Face Book comments. Please do not to let the ease of responding openly on social media, especially, “The Patch”, define your character. Many of you, on both sides of the Mayor’s raise issue, who have posted quick opinions, are good people with kind hearts. To put vitriolic statements out there that are biting, inaccurate, and over-the-top about about our elected representatives and neighbors is corrosive. Un-retrievable gossip about our mayor, public representatives, city employees, school committee members, business people, fellow Melrosians, or anyone else, makes the entire community look bad.

It saddens me to read statements like:
[she] “got the treatment”, “retribution from a bully mayor and his goons”, “this has turned into a terrible place to live”, “city officials who report to him have bullied and taken bribes from residents to avoid penalties and legal action”, and “tyrants are turned on by the most ardent supporters”

Those statements are not Melrose, and I know you agree.
We are living in a place with good people everywhere. It is unlikely that anyone abused by a public official or citizen group would be silent and wait for postings on the Melrose Patch to expose such allegations, serious allegations. Get positive! Put aside these ridiculous notions of government corruption and start talking about substance. All you experts can engage our elected representatives and contribute ideas, and skills, to improve our city. I would like to read in The Patch how residents from all walks-of-life continually come together to debate, create, and innovate, the Melrose experience.

Making this debate about Mr. Dolan’s personal compensation is very short sighted. If we desire a diverse city that is affordable, safe, and largely enjoyable for various styles of living, Melrose residents will need to think, speak, and act positively in order to attract talented CEO level executives interested in the job. Personally, my family is in favor of increasing the salary to pay for it. Most us pay more for unwatched cable and internet features than the increased tax contribution would be.

Here is a thought:
Good citizens + caring neighbors + an engaged public = quality leadership
Quality leadership + positive social interaction = positive public experience
Positive public experience + innovative Chamber of Commerce = quality merchants
Quality merchants + loyal customers = prosperous business
Prosperous business + negotiated incentives = increased tax base
Increased tax base + open minded tax payers + skilled workforce = quality city services
Quality city services + involved parents + collaborative school board = top school administrators
Top school administrators + committed volunteers = fortunate homebuyers
Fortunate homebuyers + reinvestment in community = better property values
Better property values + all of the above = optimum investment
Optimum investment + responsible planning = a generation of happy retirees
A generation of happy retirees = good citizens
Repeat

Thanks for your insight, Michael......I totally agree with your thinking. Anonymity can sometimes brings out the worse behavior in people.