Cops throw out over $30,000 in cash

Cops throw out over $30,000 in cash
By George P. Hassett

   $31,535 in cash was mistakenly thrown out by Somerville Police Monday, said Acting Police Chief Robert Bradley today. The money had been seized by police in various criminal investigations. Evidence and other seized property was also inadvertently disposed, said Bradley.
   “Everyone in the Department – myself most of all – understands the severity of this error,” said Bradley.  “Everything we know now points to human error rather than any deliberate misdeed, but it’s still a very bad mistake.  Because we’re talking in some instances about seized property rather than actual evidence, this may not end up affecting many cases, but that doesn’t excuse what happened.”

    Bradley said the cash and evidence was disposed of as part of cleaning the evidence room in anticipation of installing a new, federally funded automated record-keeping system.
The seized property and evidence items, including the $31,000 in cash, had been temporarily stored in the drawer of a detached portion of a metal desk located in a secure room that formed part of the evidence storage area at police headquarters in the Public Safety Building on Washington Street.  The broken drawer unit was not in an office area and was leaning on its side when it was mistakenly identified last Monday as junked furniture and tossed into a dumpster for disposal.
    The cleanup was initiated at the request of Bradley by Captain Charles Femino, whose command includes the evidence room.  “Items that we no longer need to preserve for evidentiary purposes are supposed to cleaned out of the evidence room and either returned to the owners, disposed of or auctioned off annually,” said Bradley.  “The amount of material stored in the evidence room had grown so much in recent years that we’d had to expand into additional secure space – so we were determined to get the room cleaned, sorted and organized in advance of deploying our new record-keeping system.” 
      Captain Femino hired two retired officers to assist him with the project, and maintained a record of all the items thrown out in the cleanup. “Unfortunately, this piece of broken furniture did not appear to be in use,” said Femino, “and the officer who knew that items were stored in the drawer was not on duty on the day of the cleanup.
     Two officers went to New Hampshire Wednesday to inspect the waste disposal company’s site for the desk. They discovered the contents of their dumpster had already been buried under hundred of tons of industrially compacted trash.
    There’s no way to recover it, even with heavy equipment.  We know what it is and where it is, but we can’t get to it – and neither can anybody else.”
    Bradley said the incident will be investigated internally.
   “Obviously, our Office of Professional Standards will conduct a full review of this incident.” said Bradley. “Only after we’ve completed that review will we be able to assign responsibility and make a decision about whether there’s a need for disciplinary action.  In the meantime, it’s very important for the public to know that this error has no effect on the integrity of the evidence system as it affects any other cases, past or present.”

Comments

[Cambriville News]

CAMBRIVILLE NEWS
SPECIAL EDITION
MAY 11, 2006

RESIDENTS REACT TO POLICE DEPT. ACCIDENTAL DISPOSAL OF CASH....................

You Have Got To Be Shitting Me!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tommorow In Cambriville News.........

Computer glitch adds tens of thousands to individual property tax assessments..........

All zoning restrictions lifted, build whatever you want..................

Parking fees reinstated..............

Mayor mulls city income tax levy........

State of Massachusetts forecloses on City Hall mortgage.....................

MWRA shuts off water flow to City.........

[Money Money Money... Money!]

Did any of the people involved in this work at Traffic and Parking , say, Chrsitmas of 2005?

Just thought I throw that one out there.

[What is wrong with this picture?]

This is #^*%^@$& unbeleiveable. Why are they bothering with the investigation? You know the result will be "we've determined that there was no foul play and it was a simple mistake so no one will be punished."

Do you think you'd look in the drawers before YOU threw something out in the trash to make sure nothing was in them? I would. How about if it was in an evidence room. Gee, I think I would look. What is wrong with these Bozos. Or, maybe they DID look and misplaced the money in thier pockets.

I just saw the Mayor on the news tonight at 11 making some lame statement about this. He should be humiliated by the Traffic and Parking Money and now this. It is disgraceful.

What is this crap about it not making any difference in any cases or anything else. What exactly happens to cash in the evidence room? Does it get returned to victims? Does it get put in the City's general fund? Does the police chief use it to start fires in his wood stove?

Does the city now have to return money to whomever this ill-gotten funds came from? Was it perhaps drug money?

We'll never know. Just like the traffic money, all the cash, the inquiries, the answers, everything....its all like water down the drain.

[anon]

I don't believe this for a second. First off, anyone with common sense (something Cops should have) would check the drawer before throwing it away. Second, 30k would be pretty heavy, especially in a metal drawer.. so it's not like it was simply thrown out, there was some time involved here. I completely doubt the person or persons involved didn't check.

Perhaps the off duty officer who knew was in on it? Perhaps the person/s who threw it away came back to the dumpster later with their car to put the money in? I don't know what happened, but I'm not buying this story one bit.

my two cents.

[WHAT?? AGAIN?? OUTRAGED]

DO NOT SAY THIS WAY A MISTAKE! WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THIS CITY? IT'S CRIME FROM THE INSIDE AND IT IS ALOWD TO HAPPEN!! WHY?
I WILL TELL YOU THIS WAS NOT A MISTAKE AND EVERY ONE INVOLVED IS RESPONSIBLE, NO MORE QUESTIONS, NO MORE LIE DETECTER TESTS, THIS IS CRIME FROM THE ADMINISTRATION!!!

[A. B. C.]

Here we go again. Another accountability issue that will get placed under the rug of all the other ones. Make room under there, many more to come.

As the above posts indicate, How, Why, Are You Kidding ME and the rest of the simplistic questions that would be asked. We all have tossed out something at one point or another. If it had value, we would retrieve the articles. Most recently, a husband had tossed out two diamond heirlooms inadvertently in a paper towel of which they were stored. He felt so bad because they were his wives' family jewels.

They hit the news when they took the bull by the horns, when to the dump and searched in everyone’s filth to locate their property. They found it after about 3+ hours of searching, two people on a mission.

We get to throw out a desk and cabinets and inside is $30,000+ and some evidence! How lame is that? What is to become of the upcoming court cases when evidence cannot be produced to back up their cases? I know when I throw something out, I go through it to ensure that there is not anything I would regret in there they would mistakenly get tossed. If I were the cleaning people of that property room, or if I were the building department moving the items, you can best guess I would have checked every draw inside and out before I considered throwing them away. IF I was to THROW IT AWAY.

"IF" I threw them away, that is the other avenue to be prospected. What may have been trash to the SPD to make room might have been someone else’s treasure. Someone could have been looking for a desk or cabinet else were within the system. If the items were working and were only sitting taking up space due to laziness, then heck yeah, in my storage area it goes for a rainy day.

I would hope the lead investigator is not the same one working on the Traffic Departments theft, or the other one in the farm league paper yesterday at the High School. Nothing was produced in those two incidents, what makes us think there will be something coming from this one either?

Let me just spell out on word from the lips of this Administration that keeps on ringing in my mind from his Inaugural Speeches,"A.C.C.O.U.N.T.A.B.I.L.I.T.Y."

Need I say more about why A.B.C. is going to be the campaign sticker of the 2007 preliminary???

[Krarken]

Well well well here we go again it happened again? Also ward six the real reason that you will get nothing done, not because "HIS ONNER" is mad at your Alderperson or is it

[brickbottom]

What a total and utter disgrace! The Acting Midget used to be in charge of traffic and parking when he was a captain. He leaves to become acting chief and all of a sudden ten grand is stolen from their coffers. After an "investigation" there are still no suspects among his buddies.

Then as the acting chief the Midget and his butt boy Femino are disgraced again under their own noses. Thirty grand "thrown" away in an old desk! Yeah right! Even an idiot would check the drawers before they threw out an old desk. But not under the Midgets administration.

So Mayor Joe are you still making the moron Midget your first choice as Chief? What a lot of confidence this city will have in their Police department being run by a bunch of inept politically connected dopes!

Also, why would they hire two retired police officers to become janitors? I wonder who they are? Someone down there is thirty grand richer and the city police department gets national attention as a bunch of morons. WHAT A MESS!

Tell me Mayor Joe who are you going to make "accountable" for this mess? Or is this another situation that will be swept under the rug like the traffic and parking fiasco?????

[Huckaroo Redux]

Why is it we are still in the 19th Century when it comes to local government? The problems this city faces can be directly attributed to the unwillingness of certain large group of individuals to let go of the old school political machinations, the narrow minded thinking, the backroom deals and psuedo-mafia-like approach to everyday life around here.
The City Charter should be changed and we should remove the School Committee and make it appointed. There should be more non-elected residents on "oversight" committees and not just local hacks and political appointees. There should be a complete revamping of the Police Department. There should be true long term development planning and not just by friends or relatives to elected officials (past or present).
There should be a very difficult system for multiple members of any family to get jobs in the city. Qualifying factors for every single job in this city, including those stupid wasteful "project manager" appointments. What a joke.
Policemen who act like punks and thugs while on duty should be fired on the spot. That goes for certain city employees who ride around on the clock looking like they just made a drug deal. Maybe they did.
People should boycott places whose owners and/or their kids act like complete asses and contribute absolutely ZERO to the community.
We should vote out all the incompetent elected officials and not return them to office merely because of "better the devil you know, than the devil you don't". That goes for Mayor Joe, SOD, BD, DP, WP, MH, WR and the entire School Committee - there's a useless board if you could ever imagine it - headed by mental midget CH.
Doesn't anyone see these same things? Or are we stuck on watching the cheesey dumbledorfs in the DPW take shots at each other on here?

[oh no!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

YEAH AND THE DOG ATE MY HOMEWORK!!!HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! AH! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!

[Just an observation]

TThis is just an observation but every police room on TV has people behind a gate or something and everything has to be signed for and accounted for when it goes in or out. Once in, someone is responsible for making sure it does not leave without proper permissions and signatures.

In the army and any where else I worked the same deal existed with the supply room. Everything had to be issued and signed for. This system went all the way back to ancient Egypt and grain storage. But so did corruption.

In all cases like this there is a process written down, documented and signed for by everyone involved so that they know their role and how to follow process. Well let’s get a look at this document and process and post it for everyone to see. If they can't provide this sort of paper-work then we have a bigger problem. Someone has to lose their job if they have not this due diligence. Every department should have these types of procedures and processes documented. And if they do have the paper work, let’s get a look at it. Let’s hold them accountable to us. Let’s get the inner workings of all these screwed up departments to become transparent to us so that we can all get a handle on this bull.

Also, The Mayor can't be responsible for this because the police chief does not report to him yet.

[Common Sense]

Common sense? This is the same police department whose members went after a fellow officer who blew the whistle on a crooked piece of crap to the point that he had to be paid off to go away. The same group of great public protectors that love to fight with one another. The same ones who, Huckaroo points out, ride around like they own this city. I can't remember a time there wasn't some kind of scandal involving the SPD. From the Pino scandal way back when through the years up to and including the Freitas coverup/scandal recently to this $30k fiasco. There really is no wonder we are laughingstocks outside the city limits. Nothing has changed, nothing.

[somerspeak]

Hey, Somerville Residents!

HAD ENOUGH YET? NO?

Just wait. There's more to come.

[Mrs. McCarthy]

So they threw the stuff into the dumpster on Monday. Waste Management picked it up on Tuesday and transported it to Rochester New Hampshire. And by the time two Somerville Officers arrived on Wednesday, it was buried under "hundred tons of industrially compacted trash."

Waste Management sure is efficient!!!!

[oh yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

OH YEAH AND THE CHECK'S IN THE MAIL AND OH YEAH THEY FOUND THE MONEY IN TRAFFIC AND PARKING! FREAKIN LOSERS!!!!HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!HA! HA! HA!

[John Saucery]

Hey everyone, at least the Mayor and his office was up front about it, its a mistake. We have all made mistakes but at least Mayor Curtatone came out about it. Been watching your nasty postings, its unfortuate mistake that's all.

[Billy Bob]

You know something, it seems kinda fishy what happened to the desk and the money, but you have to give Mayor Joe some props for coming right out about it yesterday. Hopefully its just a mistake and they get to the bottom of it. More importantly, they put new systems in place so it doesn't happen again.

[brickbottom]

"Just an observation",

You said:
"Also, The Mayor can't be responsible for this because the police chief does not report to him yet."

What freakin' planet are you on? The acting police chief Midget has his nose so far up the Mayors arse it's comical. The Midget does nothing unless it's cleared through the Mayor. You don't have a clue!

[Davis Square]

To BrickBottom

This is who works for who:

Swindled

Last night around 11:30 p.m. our doorbell rang. My spouse answered the door, and it was a young woman—"freaked out"—who had locked herself out of her apartment. She asked for $20 so that she could pay the locksmith and said that, as soon as she had paid the locksmith, she would go an ATM machine and return the $20.

Needless to say, she never came back.

I called the Somerville Police Department this morning to report the incident and was treated with condescension by the officer who took the call. I was told that this is an ongoing scam and that, unless vicitms report the crime immediately, there is nothing the Police can do.

I told the officer that, while I could appreciate his frustration that citizens are not reporting the incidents in a timely manner, I did not appreciate his condescension. Furthermore, I noted that there has been no public information about this scam. If the City and/or the Police Department had notified the public about the scam, citizens like me could recognize it and report it while it is in progress. The officer replied that there was nothing he could do about the lack of public information.

So I called Thomas Champion, Director of the Executive [i.e. Mayor's] Office of Communications. Champion told me all about the City's new 311 non-emergency service system, which is accessible to Verizon phone customers. (I am an RCN phone customer.) When customers (i.e. citizens) call 311 they will receive a tracking number so that they can track the status of their customer service order on the internet. This part of the system has not yet been implemented.

Champion said that my call was the first call had received about the grift. The Director of the Executive Office of Communications did not state that the City would notify the public about the I'm-locked-out grift.

The swindler:
white, female, late 20s
reddish hair, shoulder length, pale skin and dark eyes
thin build, thin face
clear local accent, though not a really hard Somerville one
wearing black, knee length, quilted parka, no hat, no gloves
called herself "Jen"

Update 23 December 2005: In addition to postting information about the "I'm locked out" scam here on the somerville dog weblog, I also posted to the "davis_square" community on LiveJournal, and to the "unionsquare" on Yahoo! Groups. Members of each group have posted that they have recently been victimized by the same person:

In the davis_square group, a user who goes by the name "mrmiasma" wrote:

I was a victim of this as well last night. She came around my way about 9PM. She gave me the same story, but mentioned that she needed $65 for the locksmith (she even quoted me a locksmith name) and that she only had $45 thus far. She said she was actually one of my neighbors a named a number and street of the apartment which was right around the block from me. At first I asked if I could ask a rude question, which was for her to show me the $45 first. She said she left it at her girlfriend's place on Summer St which is where she called the locksmith from. She said she'd go and run back to her girlfriends place to show me the money before I gave the $20 to her. I figured this was enough legitimacy and figured I'd just give her the $20. . . .

A member of the unionsquare group wrote:

I have also had the same experience with the same woman. It seems she is asking for a lot more money now.

Saturday night (12/17/05), she came by at around 11:30pm asking for $10 for a locksmith explaining that she lived down the street at 125 School Street (by City Hall) and that her name was Jen. Though suspicious, I figured what the heck, it's the holidays...if she's actually locked out, it would be nice to help her out. She also looked teary-eyed. I asked her for her last name (Massey) and gave her the 10 bucks. . . .

The unionsquare group member cc'd the Mayor. I directed both reports to the Director of the Executive Office of Communications. Champion has followed up with the police, raising both the issue of how my call was handled and whether the City should be issuing community advisories through the media or via the web.

Update 6 January 2006: To give credit where credit is due, I recieved a much-appreciated e-mail from Tom Champion today, apprising me of the outcomes of his follow-up with the Police Department.

My report as well as the reports that were posted to the Davis Square and Union Square groups were reviewed by a detective who was also assigned to keep an eye out for additional cases.

The detective found one prior report that might have been related, but in which the suspect's modus was significantly different in several respects. In the days since your report, the police didn't receive any additional reports of this type of crime in the area....

Had they found further evidence of activity on her part, they agree that some sort of community alert would have been appropriate....

Also, Champion confirmed that the tape of my call to the police has been reviewed by senior officers and assured me that the Somerville Police have taken my concerns very seriously: they did not try to excuse or explain away the officer's conduct. Rather the officer who took my call has received counseling and will receive additional training in dealing with the public.

The moral of the story has nothing to do with whether or not the victims of grifters are "marks" or whether or not philanthropists are suckers. It is rather that the right and the responsabilility for public safety are the right and responsability of the citizens. The police work for us.

[Fishy]

"There’s no way to recover it, even with heavy equipment. We know what it is and where it is, but we can’t get to it – and neither can anybody else."

Of course, that ALSO means that were the $31,000 NOT to have made it to the dump (e.g, oh, if it were in someone's POCKET), no one would be able to check...

Are they telling us that if there were a dead body in a known location that they couldn't get to it?

[as for the scammed post--duh! Are you ppl DENSE?]

[Stillfishy]

A cop quote from the Glob:

"Someone told me years ago when I first became a cop that, if you don't do anything, you can't get in trouble," Bradley said. "It's when you start trying to do things when the problems start."

That about sums up the attitude of many MANY (but not all, but still, MANY) civil "servants"...

[snoops02143]

it reminds me of the book "The Cops are Robbers" !!

[It *is* funny]

You have got to be kidding me. This isn't funny at all. What do we have to do to get the Somerville PD cleaned up once and for all. You better believe if I threw out 31 large at my job, my boss would make me go through every single inch of compacted waste to get it back. Instead we get a lame apology? WHAT can we do to fix this? I'm not interested in hearing that it really wasn't a big deal, just human error.

[What next?]

So the desk gets tossed on Monday yet it's Wednesday before the pigs go looking for it? Come on guys, for $31,000 you could afford to spend at least $10K looking for it. We pay for these buffoons, show us our moneys worth

[klynch]

Wow, this is some story! I am glad I found this website, I didn't hear about this anywhere. The Somerville PD seems to be a nice group! Wonder why they are always on their cell phones while in their cruisers. "Do you have the money?" "Yeah, let's hit a strip club!"

[James Norton]

klynch -

Well I see you're throwing in your "two cents" in a couple of different places on the weblog today. Good for you, I'm glad you found something to occupy you during playtime.

Now before the men in the white coats return with your evening meds, take a minute to think before you post crap just to whip someone into a frenzy.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's STUPID to throw away a desk without looking INSIDE it, but after the recent fiasco at T&P, I doubt anyone pocketed the cash.

I think it would be reasonable to assume that someone will be held accountable for it as well. I would also hope that some kind of system to ensure this kind of silliness doesn't happen again will be implemented.

It grates me when we stumble as a community. I don't need to talk about the specifics of the stumbles we as a city have had to endure over the past 30-40 years. There's been plenty. It's a tough job and I'll give it to Mayor Joe - at least he gets out there, isn't afraid to take some shit and he certainly doesn't hide from the issues.

I believe he is genuinely trying to get things done, to get some answers and to make some progress. I wouldn't want the job he has - neither would you - don't kid yourself. Is he perfect, hell no. Is he better than what we have had in the past, hell yes.

Get over yourselves.

JN

[James Norton]

klynch -

I have friends who are SPD, and like everything else, I see some good apples and some bad apples. You hear rumors. Everyone sees one or two with the cigars and cell phones that have been mentioned on here.

Does that mean they're all bad - or that ANY of them are corrupt? No. Does it mean some (only SOME) need education in the manner department and/or how to conduct themselves as police officers. Maybe.

But to intimate what you do by those supposed quotes, is almost as silly as your real estate agents greed controlling the local real estate marketplace. Inane, unbased and uninformed comments just keep rolling off people's tongues today on here.

Good to see that mystique that is so apparent to everyone else who lives in OTHER cities and towns see Somervillians for at full tilt today. Good Job.

JN

[no accountability]

I hope the mayor holds people accountable. Mistake or no mistake this is foolish. This doesnt look good for the chief or his captain. I am sure that the board of alderman will hold people accountable. Maybe the chief shouldnt be chief, and maybe the captain shouldnt be a captain.

[no accountability]

I hope the mayor holds people accountable. Mistake or no mistake this is foolish. This doesnt look good for the chief or his captain. I am sure that the board of alderman will hold people accountable. Maybe the chief shouldnt be chief, and maybe the captain shouldnt be a captain.

[To JN]

JN

Can you explain how houses nearly allways appraise for their sell price? And why the realtors I worked with recomended a loan broker that faxed a pre approved letter to me approved for the exact price of the house I was looking at, the house the realtors thought they had me landed on and sold on. And believed a pre approval letter would help narrow my search to that price or lower. Being a little bit of better buyer I shopped lenders and more houses until I got the one I wanted. I was defintely having the squeez put on me though...

Then the sellers agent was real peace of work... I think the owner of the agency was john Bugliani or something like that. They threatoned to hold my deposit after we held their feet to the fire on their agreement to complete the work they promised to do. After obvious fraud was commited they backed down to our attourneys letter about treble damages or somehting.

I can't imangine how young couples or immigrants get a fair shake in the process. I am sure your agency is much better than the sellors I am reffering to here. They were absolutely the bottom of the deep barrel.

[brickbottom]

J. Norton,

I see that you are taking sides with this issue. I have a hint why......but you got to be kidding me!

Give me the goddamn job, I'll take it in a heartbeat and you wouldn't see all the crap that's been going down in this city for the past three years. I'll take it as long as I don't have to spend over two hundred grand to get elected for a hundred thousand a year job!

You know that I know how the inner workings of this administration works....so give me a break!

[James Norton]

Brickbottom -

What issue are you talking about that I'm taking sides on? The retarded discussion about real estate or the retarded money disappearance?

I just said Mayor Joe is doing a decent job that I wouldn't want. I've been an elected official, I've sat on boards, I've run companies, but there's no way in Hell I'd want that job. Too much stupid shit stress - call it the Triple S syndrome if you must - but I'm good in my own special world of crazy thanks.

Why do you think I was taking a side on something? I don't mean this in a confrontational way, but if you're a little unsure about my position on something, feel free to call me on it. I have nothing to hide, ever.

JN

[brickbottom]

J. Norton,

Let me ask you three questions:

1) Who do you think should be held accountable for the thirty grand fiasco?

2) And if you think that someone should be held accountable what should the punishment be?

3) If the Mayor's job is so stressful why do you think that the Mayor would do just about anything to hold onto this position?

Just curious about your thoughts on these matters. I too don't want to be confrontational. Thanks.

[James Norton]

Brickbottom -

1. Whomever ordered the desk be thrown out without checking the contents completely and checking against a log that should have been kept of every item in a evidence room.

2. Fired for incompetency.

3. I have no idea.

I hope that helps. If not, keep asking.

JN

[Mrs.McCarthy is a coward.]

Mrs. McCarthy should post his name! Stop being a coward and tell the readers who you really are.

Hint Hint----Powderhouse Blvd.

[Mrs. McCarthy]

Oh goodness. Yes that's right. Why you smart lil fella. You're getting warmer.....

Mrs. McCarthy

[Jimmy D.on Tricking Mrs. McCarthy]

Ohhhh!!! Mrs. McCarthy is a coward. Post your real name if you don't want to be a coward.

Yeah, that's great guys. That'll really flush her out. Real tricky. I know who she is: Hint Hint---- Prospect Hill Ave. Hint Hint----MacArthur Street. Hint Hint---- Somerville Ave. Keep guessing and soon everybody will be Mrs. McCarthy, at least in your mind.

If you really don't want to hear any more from her you can quit reading this blog or, better yet, you and your hack friends can stop giving her so much ammuntion.

I always find it funny that no one evers calls her liar or misinformed, they just call her a coward because she doesn't use her "real name."

I think that's because she tells too much truth for the hacks to handle.

[Saint Nick]

You people trying to figure out who "Mrs. McCarthy" is make me laugh. Who cares?!?!?!!!! It's a freakin' weblog. I take everything I read here with a grain of salt and you should too. It's like staying up as late as you possibly could on Christmas eve when you were 6 or 7 years old to try and catch Santa Claus because you heard your older brother or sister teasing you about it and you always seemed to fall asleep just before Santa showed up. Come on, will ya! Like the prior poster says, it could be anyone. That's the whole point! "Mrs. McCarthy", like Santa claus, IS every one! And EVERYONE has had or still has a "Mrs. McCarthy" in their lives. If you don't, I feel sorry for you. Enjoy it for what it is. All you have to do is keep it inside the lines with JN and you, too, can be Mrs. McCarthy for the moment, although there aren't too many people that I've ever seen who are as consistently witty, eloquent and right on the mark. So, to "Mrs. McCarthy", I say, You go girl! (Or guy).

[Mrs. McCarthy]

Jimmy D.and Saint Nick,

Boys, you darlings of the blogways! Thank you so much for defending the honor and privacy of an old French whore, huh, Irish dame. I haven't had so much interest in my identity since I woke up naked in the Boston College Hockey team locker room in 1948.

I really don't know why so many of the loyalists(Progressives and Good Ole Boys) are having such difficulty with my humor and opinions. Sometimes in life the truth really does hurt I guess.

I've been thinking all day(no wonder the DOW and Nasdaq sank like Mr. Hanky in an empty toilet)about revealing my maiden name which for anyone with at least a modicum of knowledge about Somerville, will be able to connect the dots and figure out who I am.

So here's the deal kids, take it or leave it.

The day that Mayor Joseph Curtatone and Captain Robert Bradley announce the arrest of the theives that stole the cashola from Traffic and Parking AND announce the arrest of the theives that swiped the stash from the evidence room at Police Headquarters, I'll hold a press conference in front of City Hall and reveal all.

How's that for a deal?

Thank you again mon amies.

The Revealing Mrs. McCarthy

[Mrs. McCarthy]

Hi Kids It's Me Again,

One more thing. The Mayor has to agree to appear with me. Wearing his red Speedos and giving us his best "Mr. Syracuse" pose.

Deal or No Deal?

Good Night All,

Mrs. McCarthy