Lt. gov discusses stimulus aid in Peabody

PEABODY – Lt. Governor Tim Murray made a cameo appearance at Peabody’s Student Government Day ceremony at City Hall Thursday night, shortly before hopping over to the A.O.H. Hall to speak at their Democratic City Committee meeting.At both events, Murray addressed the concerns of Peabody residents pertaining to the federal stimulus package.”Our intention is to get the money out as quickly as possible,” he said before hundreds of guests inside the Wiggin Auditorium.Peabody was one of few cities on the North Shore not to receive any funding for education during the first round of distributions. The news had School Committee members outraged, as well as residents.School Committee member Dave McGeney called the formulas used to disperse the funds “inherently flawed.” Murray agreed.”There seems to be no way you can run that formula without creating winners and losers,” he said, adding that he and his staff have already begun changing the formula and will continue to do so until they find one that works. “We’re open to suggestions.”Murray described the current financial crisis as the worst “this country has seen since the Great Depression” and the next fiscal year looks just as grim. He said it will take time, perhaps two years, before revenue streams start flowing in the right direction and things get straightened out.There is hope, however small it may be, that Peabody students will see additional funding during the second round of stimulus distribution. Murray said he is most confident that such will be the case.”As we speak, we’re working to get that money out to communities that didn’t get hit first,” he told members at the A.O.H. “I’m fairly confident that Peabody will get money.”State Representative Joyce Spiliotis, who was also in attendance, added to Murray’s statement. She expects that Peabody will receive at least $1 million from one source and much more from others.Without the help, Murray said the city, and others across the nation, would be in an Armageddon-like state.”We’ll be able to access more than our fair share of the stimulus money through our green jobs,” he said, closing on a positive note. “One thing we can’t do is nothing.”