Time for Lantigua to step aside

Will somebody please tell Lawrence Mayor Willie Lantigua that it's time to leave?

Lantigua is under fire on several different fronts.

Things started off poorly for Lantigua, as he initially tried to hold (and get paid) for dual posts as Lawrence's mayor and state representative.

Thankfully, that's over now. But wait, there's much more.

There's an ongoing investigation by state campaign finance officials regarding Lantigua's fundraising.

Then, there's is an ongoing state and federal investigation supposedly looking into towing contracts, nightclub licenses and hackney licenses.

Meanwhile, back at City Hall, there are allegations that several Lantigua family members and romantic interests are on city payroll - and that they might have also improperly accepted fuel assistance.

And, to cap it all off, there's news in the Boston Globe that Lantigua has been sending surplus vehicles to his native Dominican Republic, basically as a thank-you for supporting him in his candidacy for mayor back here in the USA.

All of this, in a city north of Boston that has sky-high unemployment, benefitted from a recent $35 million state loan (bail-out) and receives enormous sums of local aid. Sadly, Lawrence is also a city with a proud industrial heritage and with lots of promise, so it's really tragic to see this happening to the city and its people today.

We're all for innocent until proven guilty, but the allegations against Lantigua are serious, growing, and starting to sound an awful lot like a pattern of corruption.

Will this be the last straw for Lantigua? We certainly hope so. Lawrence needs an extreme makeover, and it should start at the top. Lantigua needs to leave.