One For The Good Guys, part 2

I'm sure many of you remember the article I wrote a while back about the new mayor of Lawrence, MA, and his dress code for city hall employees requiring them to dress like grown-ups. At the time, I called for anyone willing to show their support for Mr. Mayor to send me a tie which I would present on our collective behalf. What followed led me down an unexpected path, with a pleasant surprise as its conclusion.

In the week following the original piece, I collected nearly 50 ties from among my readers, a gift for which I thank each of you who contributed. Then I got an email from Paul Fredrick, an online clothing retailer out of Pennsylvania, saying they thought this was a great cause and wanted to be involved. I wasn't quite sure what that might mean, but agreed to be in touch with them after contacting the mayor's office.

The next day, I spoke with the kind assistant to Mayor Rivera. She informed me that the mayor appreciated our offer, but that there was a place where this gift might fill a bigger need. She directed me to the Notre Dame Cristo Rey high school in Lawrence. It's a Catholic school that focuses on lower income kids, getting them office jobs as part of a work/study program that helps defray the cost of tuition. Not only do these kids where ties to school, but also to work. Already they're doing better than grown people with government office jobs. Being from  lower income families, the mayor's office felt these kids needed the help more, and I agreed completely.

I informed the representative from Paul Fredrick of this, not sure whether they would still get involved. They did, sending me 350 ties (!!!) as a donation to the school. I was flabbergasted, but my reaction was nothing compared to that of the dean at the school. I dropped the ties off yesterday, in a box so heavy I could barely lift it alone. They are destined to be given to the incoming freshman class.

When those kids grow up and take jobs in places like Lawrence City Hall, or anywhere else for that matter, I doubt we'll have to "force" them to dress, or behave, appropriately. Chalk one up for the good guys.

My sincerest thanks to Mayor Rivera's office, Paul Fredrick, and each of you who donated ties. Generosity and charity never go out of style.

One For the Good Guys

Mayor Dan Rivera of Lawrence, Mass.

Recently, Dan Rivera, the newly elected Mayor of Lawrence Massachusetts, has instituted a dress code for City Hall employees. Read the story here.

Basically, he's only asking grown-ups who work in an office to dress like grown-ups who work in an office, which of course has some of those same grown-ups in a lather. He's banned jeans, sweatpants, spandex, and pyjamas. To me, the only thing shocking here is that we need to have rules in place to get people to do this. Adults used to just know these things.

The rule that seems to have garnered the most negative reaction is the one requiring men to wear a tie. It's been called everything from sexist to elitist. A lot of guys are citing the cost of these clothes as their primary complaint. I'm sure you all can guess how I feel about that. Of the more than one hundred ties currently in my own collection, I'm sure none of them cost more that five dollars at thrift shops.

Lawrence has been known for years as something of a "rough town", one of poverty and crime. Mayor Rivera is trying to clean up the city's image, and he believes that City Hall, effectively his own back yard, is the place to start. I for one would like to show my support of his efforts. As such, I'd like to take up a collection of ties and donate them to the Mayor to give out to his male employees. An Affordable Wardrobe will be donating a dozen or so of its own ties to this cause. I'm sure many of you have at least one tie you don't really need. Find that tie, and send it to me by the end of the week. I'll drive them up to Mayor Rivera's office myself with support on behalf of all the readers of this blog. I guarantee that after a week of wearing ties regularly, most of the complainers will begin to feel better about themselves in the morning.

Let's get behind Mayor Rivera. This really is one point we can chalk up for the good guys.

You can send your ties here:

An Affordable Wardrobe

249 Elm Street 2nd Floor

Somerville, MA, 02144

p.s. the last time I visited a thrift shop in Lawrence, I came away with half a dozen shirts from the Andover Shop. Penury is not an excuse.