MASSACHUSETTS

The following article appeared in the Boston Herald on Saturday - May 24, 1997 and written by Beth Healy with contribution by Jeffery Krasner.

Judge: Broke County's Property Up for Grabs

Calling Middlesex County a "fiscal fiasco," a judge ruled yesterday that PRIVATE PROPERTY IN THE BROKE COUNTY IS UP FOR GRABS BY BANKS AND OTHER CREDITORS owed $17 million. (emphasis added)

Almost no one expects Middlesex County residents actually will see their homes put up for auction. But Superior Court Judge Hiller Zobel's ruling put heat on state lawmakers to act swiftly to head off disaster.

"ALL PRIVATELY HELD REAL ESTATE LOCATED WITHIN MIDDLESEX COUNTY" IS SUBJECT TO SEIZURE AND SALE, Zobel wrote in his order. (emphasis added)

County bondholders, including Fleet Bank and Dreyfus Mutual Funds, say they want their money back, but they don't want to take peoples' homes to get it. They're pressing the state to bail out the county instead.

Jim Mahoney, spokesman for bondholder Fleet Bank, said, "We certainly hope that private property would play no role in the resolution of this crisis."

Said Steven Kasten, lawyer for Horizon/CMS Healthcare, the largest creditor, "We agree with the judge. This is something that demands a legislative solution."

Bills are pending in both House and Senate that would ABOL- ISH COUNTY GOVERNMENT in Massachusetts. If passed, THE STATE WOULD TAKE OVER COUNTY FUNCTIONS of running court houses, deeds registries and jails. (emphasis added)

Rep. James Marzilli (D-Arlington), vice chairman of the Committee on Counties, said, "I think that we WILL ABOLISH MIDDLESEX COUNTY and make good on all of its debts within 30 days." (emphasis added)

Marzilli also called for the Middlesex County commissioners to resign and to name a receiver to handle the county's finances.

Middlesex County Commissioner Tom Larkin said, "I'D BE HAPPY TO RESIGN IF THE STATE ASSUMED COMPLETE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE COUNTY." (emphasis added)

Larkin said the county would be willing to file bankruptcy if no other solutions surfaced.

He said the county could raise at least $4 million on sale of 65 acres of land near the former Middlesex County Hospital in Lexington and Waltham. Larkin also said the state owes the county $4.5 million in back rent on court houses in Middlesex.

Another $4.4 million is being held in escrow from the contested sale of the hospital earlier this year.

Zobel said he would have ordered the county to file for bankruptcy, had such a move been within his power.

MASSACHUSETTS

The following article appeared in the Boston Herald, June 12, 1997, by Maggie Mulvihill.

Weld signs law ending all county government

Gov. William F. Weld yesterday SIGNED INTO LAW A HISTORIC BILL TO ABOLISH COUNTY GOVERNMENT IN MASSACHUSETTS, ADDING HIS OWN MEASURE TO ENSURE ITS ELIMINATION BY 1999. (emphasis added)

"Over the last three centuries, COUNTIES HAVE BECOME OBSOLETE, inward-looking bureaucracies, with dozens of departments and department heads that serve themselves, and not the taxpayers," Weld said. (emphasis added)

"The legislation that we are signing today IS A GOOD FIRST STEP IN ELIMINATING A VESTIGE OF MASSACHUSETTS COLONIAL GOVERNMENT." (emphasis added)

Weld's action means bankrupt Middlesex County will be immediately eliminated and the state will assume all its debt. (emphasis ours)

Earlier this year, Middlesex County defaulted on $4.5 million in bonds.

WORCESTER AND HAMPDEN COUNTIES WOULD BE ELIMINATED WITHIN ONE YEAR under the bill, or sooner if they default on payments. (emphasis added)

However, Weld vetoed sections approved by the Legislature which would have allowed 10 other counties to establish local commissioners to rewrite their charters or face elimination.

Weld said that provision only preserved the "bloated" status quo and would allow counties to continue to unnecessarily soak up taxpayers funds.

Weld said the current inefficiency of the county government system, laden with patronage and poor fiscal management, has accumulated approximately $45 million in debt statewide.

COUNTY GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN AROUND AS LONG AS THE WELD FAMILY, BUT WHILE GREAT-GREAT GRANDFATHER WELD'S HUNTING JACKET HAS NOT YET LOST ITS USEFULNESS, COUNTIES, I'M SORRY TO SAY, HAVE," he said. (emphasis added)

Commentary by Robert Wangrud

I also know that Connecticut has abolished their County Government, too. How many other States have or are contemplating doing the same? I reported some time back how the socialists were moving the State boundary lines out of the State Constitutions.

Is any one aware of how a Republic Form of Government is structured? If the people allow the State boundary lines to be taken out of the State Constitutions and now abolishing the County Governments, what do you have left of a Republic Form of Government? Better yet, what is going to fill the void? The only structure to fill the void is Regionalism. Tell me the socialists aren't re-structuring the State under a Martial-Law Venue!

When will your County be next to sell out their sovereignty and our Republic Form of Government???

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