Two from the Weekend

The Sentinel checks in with the Randy Richards story, which was told earlier this week here. Scroll down to find it.

The story doesn't fully answer the question of Building Department chief Michael Gallant's situation between Fitchburg and Ashburnham. Is he full-time in Fitchburg? If so, when does he work for Ashburnham? Gallant only says it's not an issue.

The story also includes Mayor Dan Mylott saying he's heard of problems in the past, and they're working on it. Mylott later says the department is appropriately funded. Hmmm.

Finally, the story doesn't really get into the "customer service" aspect of the department. Like Richards, Mrs. Save Fitchburg had an unfriendly visit to the office last year. Simply, everyone in City Hall should treat the people who pay their salaries like gold. At least two people in the last year say that's not the case.

Second, there's the story of Councilor Ted DeSalvatore and his neighborhood work/fight with the police chief.

While it's certainly good news to see a councilor taking a proactive stance on an issue -- particularly one that is so important to the city -- there are some political issues at play here.

First, there's no indication DeSalvatore has any kind of police or public safety training. He needs to be aware of any situation and how to handle it. It's his personal safety that's on the line a little bit here.

Second, he's a city councilor, so he is automatically vested with some kind of city authority when he does something like this. Is he overstepping his bounds?

Third, he's ticking off the police chief, who feels his territory is being stepped on (our analysis, not anything he's said). Not good internal politics on the part of DeSalvatore.

So, what to make of this? If it gets results, good for DeSalvatore, semi-vigilante of Fitchburg. But politically he's laying a lot on the line here.