Lawrence Mayor Says He was “Deceived” on Polartec Closing, Layoffs Come One Day Before Anniversary of Historic Mill Fire

Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera says he has been “deceived” in the closing of Polartec on Broadway in Lawrence. The mayor released a statement late on Thursday saying that when he met with the company over their purchasing a similar business in Tennessee. Rivera says he was assured when they made that purchase that the Lawrence facility would remain open.

“ As the Mayor and resident of Lawrence I am shocked and saddened that Polartec has made the announcement they did today. Almost 200 Lawrence families will be affected by this closure and it is especially disappointing to hear of this development the day before 20 year anniversary of the historic mill fire. It is further troublin g that the CEO of Polartec, Gary Smith, d id not deliver this message himself.

I feel that the workers and I were deceived, because just one month ago upon purchasing a similar business in Tennessee, Polartec reassured us (the Union and I) that they would not do exactly what they are doing today. The federal, state, and city governments made a long term commitment to the manufacturing jobs at Polartec. That meant that whenever Polartec had a need or an issue they would bring us all to the table together to figure out a way forward. That did not happen this time. I am calling for CEO Gary Smith to attend or host a meeting with myself and Mayor Zanni, the State & Federal delegations and representatives of the Governor’s office to discuss how they came to this decision and what we can do to fight for every job to stay in Lawrence. The close to 200 jobs that will be lost through this process is not something Lawrence can accept.

Polartec’s brand has become synonymous with the concept that their high quality products are made by a great workforce, and that they have and would do anything for that workforce. This action cuts against their brand. Lastly, it should be known that Lawrence is no stranger to times like these. If this closure happens, it will be a serious blow to the city, we have been knocked down before but the city and its people are resilient and we will get back up and persevere.

Tom Duggan Tom Duggan is president and publisher of The Valley Patriot Newspaper in North Andover, Massachusetts. He is an author, host of the Paying Attention TV/Radio Program, lectures on media bias and police issues, is a former Lawrence School Committeeman, former political director for Mass. Citizens Alliance, and a 1990 Police Survivor. You can email your comments to valleypatriot@aol.com. More Posts - Website Follow Me:

