My Story

Bill Scanlon, a man with absolutely no political experience, was elected mayor of the City of Beverly, Massachusetts in November 1993, sweeping to victory in every precinct in each ward in the city. The citizens of Beverly had had enough of the five-term mayor, Jack Monahan. Beverly, a city of over 40,000 people, was in dire straits and appeared headed for receivership. The city had run up bills for millions of dollars with no means to pay those bills. Beverly's bond rating had been trashed to "junk" status. Beverly's Community Development Office had been closed by the state for malfeasance. Beverly had become a joke across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The city was being lampooned in magazines with cartoons comparing its management to the then popular "Beverly Hillbillies" TV series. Specifically, the city had created a deficit over $8,000,000. A deficit is created by spending money one does not have, the equivalent of cashing bad checks on a large scale, spending the proceeds and then having to make restitution with no means to do so.
I am Bill Scanlon, and this is my story.