I can't believe that we traded in a great city manager for a small market wonder. It's bad enough that he gets top dollar from the supposed budget watching council but a two year contract as well? I think for that kind of money that he should be forced to move to Lowell as soon as possible, not after his child graduates. Are his children to good for Lowell School system.

Couldn't agree more with you Jim. Overall, John Cox did a very good job as city manager. Things started to go south over the last year or so, but that's to be expected when one person stays on in that kind of a job for a prolonged period.

I'm glad a change was made. It's probably time, or would soon have been. Still, that doesn't mean we can't acknowledge the many positive things the man did and say thank you to him for his service.

Thank you John. Good luck in your future endeavors!

Hate to interrupt the John love-fest here, but if you give John credit for economic revitalization (I debate that, but that's neither here nor there) will you also give him the blame for the incredible number of storefront vacancies downtown? or the increases in property tax when that has happened under his jurisdiction?

I'm just saying.

Lynne, certainly I give Cox credit for helping to make the city more livable, which has increased property values substantially in six years. With that has come higher taxes, although Lowell's increases, at roughly 18 percent on average over the past five years, remains lower than most surrounding communities. Remember, Lowell still remains $10 million under the tax levy. If we were at the maximum - which school advocates want - the tax rate would drive many people from their homes, especially the elderly. Still, I can see taxes rising over the next few years, unless Bernie Lynch, the new city manager, can get the council to knucle under for contract reform.
As for the ghost town that is reapidly developing ghost village along Merrimack Street, I think Cox has to take some responsibility for the failing to jumptstart an economic summit on the downtown's future. All the major players have to be brought to the table, including the Lowell Plan, Downtown Businessmen's Association, Visitors and Convention Bureau, Chamber of Commerce, and most of all, landlords. The big problem as I see it right now is dealing with landlords who refuse to upgrade their properties and are willing to let them rot, while filling the space with stores that have no chance of gaining customers and success. The city has to find a way to bring these people into the core group and make them shareholders in Lowell's future plans. Right now that is not happening. Maybe Bernie Lynch, working with "friendly" council, could get things done in a way that Cox couldn't. Let's hope for the best.

I actually think, from talking to a lot of people, that a lot of the good AND the bad are more than Cox's fault. For one thing, downtown appears to be going through a transition - older businesses are leaving because downtown isn't attracting the same types of buyers as it once was. Also, the economic downturn and maybe the change in busing hasn't helped.

I also think that the plans put into place a decade ago have way more to do with the economic boom Lowell experienced, and Cox came in afterwards. He has had his place; and as manager of the city he has a lot of pull over its direction, but he is not a dictator. The city councils of the past, and circmstances (like the fact that Lowell is on the commuter rail in an age when NO one can afford to live near their Boston job - it's THE reason we moved here originally) have more to do with the economic ups and downs than John Cox ever did.

Are the number of storefront vacancies really much worse than they've ever been? To me the quality of stores (Mambo, Paradiso, Life Alive, etc.) is much better now than prior to Cox. If the dollar stores come and go, I can't say as if I really care.

Lynne, each city manager, like each city council, has the opportunity to place a building block on Lowell's foundation before a.) the manager departs and b.) the council makeup changes through the elective process. Cox has certainly had an impact, whether you refuse to see it or not. Talk to the new business owners downtown and ask them who encouraged them to give it a try? Even better, many developers like John DeAngelis wouldn't have set up shot here if it weren't for Cox's inspiration. I agree with you that the economic climate is changing and Lowell will be hard-pressed to stay competitive with other cities trying to reach out to business interests. But we have a lot of amenities in place, like the commuter train station and affordable condos, that should keep Lowell attractive to newcomers. Of course, the new manager must focus on the details of professionalizing services through and through for Lowell to take another step forward. He'll need council support to succeed and that is always an iffy proposition.
To you Cox was a dictator, to others he was a decision-maker who got things done.

Does anyone else find it funny how the people who benefited most from Lowell's economic revitalization also happened to be John Cox' closest friends and political allies? I'm sorry, but the only people making money in Lowell are the developers and real estate moguls while the average taxpayer gets the short end of the stick every time. How insulting to have my tax rate constantly rise while someone who hasn't payed a penny to the city in years is offered a sweetheart deal over on Jackson and Appleton streets. Meanwhile the city gives away thousands of dollars to businesses that close within a year or two of opening. Is anyone demanding that money back? Tell you what. Throw me ten thousand and I'll go open a store downtown. Then I'll shut it down a year later and say "kiss my behind Lowell" Thank you Gang of Six for listening to the little guy and finally saying enough is enough.

Good Old Boy Network has a lot of pent-up frustration this Fourth of July, but is kind of short on the facts. I don't know who are are referring to precisely when you mention the Jackson-Appleton developer who got off scot-free, bit if it is Jim Lichoulas, he hasn't gotten anything yet although he is due a $2.4 million payment from the city, minus back taxes and unenforceable fines. The Lichoulas deal, or lack of one, will eventually be decided by the courts when the current Gang of Six councilors are probably long gone and living in a coxy retirement. Eminent domain is not the way to go, especially after the backlash by local juries following the U.S. Supreme Court's inane decision last year concerning poor homeowners whose property was taken by the City of New London for a mall project. Even though Lichoulas has not been a good property owner, he still has the right to a fair deal for his land in the court's eyes. Cox tried to avoid a protracted battle that will ultimately be costly and could wind up with a judgment against the taxpayers of Lowell. It's ironic that the Gang of Six has already made inquiries about hiring a top eminent domain attorney to counter Lichoulas' land expert, Michael Sophocles of Boston. Thankfully, Cox urged the council to rely on our Solictor's Office for any initial legal maneuvering, saving taxpayers in the area of $450 an hour for a new attorney. Maybe the council's decision to take on Lichoulas won't prove disastrous. But rolling the dice on this issue wasn't the way to go in my opinion.
As for the developers making money, you're damn right they have. I bought my Canal Place condo in Nov. 2004 from Brian McMahon, via an agent from Taupier Real Estate. Developers take risks too, and their projects produce new tax growth for the city. Canal Place III now has 114 new owners paying taxes, where prior to 2004 it was an abandoned building. Of course, there are developers, like McMahon and others, who have well-known connections to Cox. Some, like the police officers who ar also builders, have pushed zoning laws to the very edge to get projects done on undersized lots. The Sun has written numerous stories about these loopholes, and the council has worked to tighten up the zoning code. No laws, however, have been broken - at least none that have been uncovered yet. Taxes, I'm afraid, will continue to rise as long as the demand for public services increases and the city makes improvements to its crumbling infrastructure. The combined sewer outflow problem is a $100 million project in which Lowell needs some form of federal assistance to complete. We'd go bankrupt trying to do that on our own, yet the EPA has us under court order to begin work. Our streets need paving and the police department might need a new facility soon. Unfortunately, the city's new tax growth can't offset the size and scope of some of the capital projects we face.
I'm sure the new manager, Bernie Lynch, will figure something out. Don't you?

Actually had a very nice holiday Jim, thanks for asking. Those aren't loopholes however. They're gaping holes that only a select few are allowed to crawl through. Ask your average residents who've tried to build on their land only to be denied by some zoning law or connected neighbor who thinks it will ruin the neighborhood. Contrast that to the Empire State Building they're gonna put up on that postage stamp lot that used to be Burbeck's ice cream. You think the neighbors in that area will have their voices heard?

As for our friend Mr. Lichoulas, I don't know how eminent domain will work out. What I do know is rewarding him for not paying taxes all these years by giving him 300 or so parking spots is ridiculous. Do you think its just coincidence he came to the city with a different proposal once the council made it clear they would not approve the sweetheart deal Cox recommended for him? He made that new proposal right in the Sun offices, didn't he? You know why? Because there's a very good chance he's going to lose and he knows it. See, you negotiate from strength, not weakness. Don't give up the farm when you may not have to. Keep the heat on. Get his tail into court for failure to pay taxes and eminent domain proceedings and I'm sure he'll offer to give back even more.

Finally, I'm sure Lynch will at least try something. I didn't see Cox doing much for the infastructure or new police facility. He was too busy trying to oust Chief Davis to put his own people into that role. And that's a fact.