Happy Father's
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VOL. 120 - NO. 25 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, JUNE 17, 2016 $.35 A COPY North End Nursing Home Closing Happy Battle is Joined by Jeanne Brady On Monday night, David ing another set of damning in detail the horrible conditions Father’s Day E. Storto, President of Part- points and reinforcing one at Wingate during the two years ners Continuing Care and the another’s testimony. Key ques- he was visiting his son there. Spaulding Rehabilitation Net- tions, in no particular order, One woman described how ex- work, attended the North End/ included: hausting it was to work full-time Waterfront Neighborhood Coun- • Who actually owns the build- and take public transportation cil meeting “to do some ‘splain- ing and the land? every day to Brighton to visit in’” about Partners’ recently • Why was the property al- her mother. Daniel Passacantilli uncovered unilateral decision lowed to fall into such claimed and his daughter Alissa Tizzano to close the North End Nursing disrepair while being operated gave impassioned testimony on Home. I will give Partners credit by Partners? what moving her 93-year-old for sending the top guy, and • How much is it going to cost to grandmother with Alzheimer’s not some powerless minion (al- renovate the Wingate facility in after eight years in what has though he seemed like one most Brighton? How does that com- become her home will do to of the evening). Storto stood up pare to the estimate to renovate her. Basically, it’s a death front and took everything the the North End facility? sentence. John Graffeo spoke neighborhood had to throw at • Why can’t our nursing home with equal passion about his him. But he gave us nothing be renovated one floor or 99-year-old mother, another in return. section at a time? patient at the North End Nurs- The meeting, which had ad- • Why has there not been a ing Home. He read from Part- vertised the Partners agenda public hearing? ners’ website: “Partners Health- only days before, was packed to • Why was the North End Care is a not-for-profi t health overfl owing. Several people left community not part of a care system that is committed to because they could not get in. conversation on how to deal patient care, research, teaching, Our elected offi cials, alarmed with the building’s condition? and service to the community lo- by local media coverage and • Why did we fi nd out what cally and globally.” “Well, this is no doubt hundreds of irate was happening through the locally. So, what is Partners do- phone calls, were represented press? ing? They are doing completely th Sunday, June 19 by State Representative Aaron • What approvals are required the opposite!” he exclaimed. Michlewicz and State Senator for Partners to move forward All these testimonials were Joe Boncore. Both spoke at the with their plan? met with loud applause. And start of the meeting, express- • Is there any scenario where the “peanut gallery,” as my ing the requisite outrage, but we can keep the nursing home, father would call them, were News Briefs offering nothing in the way of or is this meeting just a waste extremely vocal throughout. action as yet. City Councilor Sal of our time? The comments were not kind, by Sal Giarratani LaMattina was unfortunately • And my favorite — would but they were legitimate. out of town and the City was you do this to YOUR mother? One question that was even- holding its vigil for the victims No answers were forthcom- tually answered concerned the An Ass on Page One? of the Orlando massacre that ing, even when moderator John actual ownership of the proper- I always thought the New York Times had a lot of night, hence the understand- Pregmon (newly elected Council ty. Over and over again, people asses writing for it over the years, but I never thought able absence of Mayor Marty president) quieted the crowd in questioned whether Partners I would see an ass on page one. However, there it was th Walsh. The North End’s city order to give Storto a chance actually owns the property, on Saturday, June 4 , in a front page story on severe liaison, Maria Lanza, was there, to respond. He claimed he was including one gentleman who fl ooding at the Louvre in France. The NY Times ran although she initially declined unfamiliar with the structural insisted that Storto return with with a photo of several ancient Roman statues getting to speak, problems at the Wingate facil- a bill of sale! Several people ready to be moved to higher ground and right there Meanwhile, Storto’s plan ity, he didn’t know how much remembered in some detail the on page one, there it was, the ass from ancient Rome. seemed to be to repeat all the renovations would cost, or promise that was made to the Of all the photos one could use about fl ooding at the the corporate-speak excuses why, specifically, the Fulton community by the City when Louvre, the NY Times went with an ass photo remind- already communicated in an Street building couldn’t be the Nursing Home fi nally be- ing me of Kramer from the Seinfeld Show. open letter from Partners to renovated one section at a time. came a reality so many years A Revoluntary Idea Here the neighborhood earlier that He claimed there were no plans ago — that the property would “When government decides to take away the right of day, and then answer ques- yet for selling the Fulton Street always be utilized for the benefi t citizens to bear arms, it is time for the people to take tions about how they plan to building (although he seemed of our North End seniors, that away government’s right to govern.” move forward with their done sure that Partners owned it). He they might grow old in famil- — President George Washington deal. But he can’t possibly be claimed that they were planning iar surroundings in the care The above quote shows just how radical our founders that dumb. If he didn’t expect to contact the families of the and company of their families were back in 1775. They believed government sprang the onslaught of fury that inter- patients to discuss the plans, when they were no longer able up from the people. Government rests in the hands of rupted him before he could get a but were blindsided by the so- to live at home. I fi nally asked its citizens and not the other way around. Our rights in full sentence out, he would not cial media and news articles. the Mayor’s liaison, silent until the Constitution and the Bill of Rights itself are rights be in the position he is in. From Hey, who’s blindsiding whom this point, how the mayor feels that cannot be stripped away by government. the specifi c question of whether here? Again, they can’t be that about all this and can the City However, today’s liberals and radical progressives the bathrooms are wheelchair stupid. And we aren’t, either. get to the bottom of the prov- have turned the American Revolution upside down. accessible — his claim that they They should have been way out enance of the property? Lanza What Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders wish for even are not was quickly met with ahead on this. They just didn’t responded that Walsh feels more is the end of our Constitutional-based Democratic derision as people told him how CARE. this issue is very important, as Republic. they push wheelchairs through I can’t possibly do justice to evidenced by his sending her. The choice is clear. Even if you dislike the way Trump those bathroom doors every the eloquent speeches made She then went on to describe an (Continued on Page 14) day — to the general question that night, so I hope that if you existing LDA — Land Disposi- of whether the Wingate building were not there, and you haven’t tion Agreement — held by the Partners is buying in Brighton seen the video yet, you will go BRA that does indeed specify is in better condition than our to northendwaterfront.com and that the parcel must be used as Fulton Street building — quick- watch. Francine Gannon did a a nursing home for North End POST-GAZETTE SATELLITE OFFICE ly denounced by folks describ- great job of summarizing the residents or revert to the City, ing how often that facility had to history of the North End Nurs- and there must be “community 343 CHELSEA ST., DAY SQ., E. BOSTON close due to fl ooding on the fi rst ing Home and questioning the process” if Partners leaves. [Re- fl oor, Storto was shouted down. legality of Partners’ current ac- ally? Would she have mentioned Tues. 10:00 AM-3:00 PM — Thurs. 11:00 AM-2:00 PM He had no answers. tions given recently passed laws this if I hadn’t asked? Perhaps Call 617-227-8929 for more information Many people spoke eloquently concerning the closing of nurs- during the evening, each mak- ing homes. Joe Testa described (Continued on Page 2) PAGE 2 POST-GAZETTE, JUNE 17, 2016 Simple TIMES . by Girard A. Plante In journalism school at Utica struck and attempts to estab- College during the mid-1980s, lish a separate Father’s Day I learned that when writing a never took hold as business THE CHARACTER OF THE EARLY ROMANS story, the basic reuirements owners and consumers alike are Who, What, When, Where struggled to justify such spend- The character of the early Ro- The “Patria Potestas,” or the supreme and Why, as I built my article.