Coffey, Dennis 03.09 - University of Massachusetts Lowell Libraries

meeting with them and saying, “How are you going to work this out?” So you know,
Bobby played, played it well.
A: Yah, yah. He was close to the gas company, wasn’t he?
D: Oh yah, yah he worked for the gas company. Yah, so that would, you know, that was
one angle that he had for the Putmans I guess, that would have been.
A: Right, right.
D: But yah, he knew how to play the angles, absolutely. And you know, like I said you
know, until you reminded me of Bobby’s role, at the staff level we talked about eminent
domain, we talked about the pros and cons and we said, “This isn’t going to work,” you
know, we need to get them to be willing partners in this, rather than kick them out. And
then what do we want the responsibilities for the system for, you know, how are we going
to run this system? Because we still would be obliged to provide the power and all that
kind of stuff. (A: Yah) You know, and we really saw it as a liability for either the city
or the state to have a title to this, to this asset. And but Bobby, you know, smarter than
we were politically, you know, took that campaign into the, to the public you know. And
yah, I mean they were painted with a bad brush and given the bad image and so forth, but
ultimately you know, when you look at their responsibilities and so forth, and the
economic condition of the city at the time too. I mean they still had to maintain the
system. It’s not unlike the railroad you know, they had to maintain the system. But their,
their economic base was gone. (A: Really) You know, so you know, it still cost the
same to run that five miles of canals whether you have ten customers, or a hundred
customers. If you have ten customers and half of them can’t pay their rent, you know,
you’re really screwed. You know, and so where do you, where do you cut cost? Well
you know, don’t cut that check to the city. (A: Yah!) [Laughs] And you know, but that
was not unusual at the time. Vinnie Pitlinsky, when he and I first got together, was the
tax title program under Center Cities. You know, and it was going after um, you know,
landowners of you know, back taxes and so forth. And Vinnie and what was his name?
A: Robert Pelky?
D: Yah before Bob. Before Bob Pelky was another guy. Anyway we had this little tax
program And you know, of course Bobby was Chairman of the Center Cities Committee
you know, and you know, so that was I think what may have been what peeked his
interest by going after the Locks and Canals. But at the same time he was doing this he
was also working his other angles. And like I said, ultimately they came on board and
they wanted to participate. They saw the value in working together, as opposed to having
a negative relationship.
A: I just want to get back quickly to Tom Markham. You said you worked with him.
Tell, just say you know, tell me about Tom Markham first.
D: Yah, yah, yah. Well Tom was certainly a great storyteller.
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