A few weeks after Lantigua’s inauguration, a garbage truck rolled into town — courtesy of the new mayor of Lawrence.
“That’s the garbage truck that was a gift from Lantigua,’’ said Jose Rafael Gonzalez, the man in charge of garbage collection in Tenares, pointing at the big truck on a muddy, rain-spattered hilltop on the outskirts of town. “It’s in good condition. It’s the father of the municipality.’’
The garbage truck — the only one in town — is the pride of this impoverished city at the foot of the mountains in the northern Dominican Republic. But, like so much that is connected to Mayor Lantigua, the vehicle is at the center of controversy and allegations that he abused his power.
Federal prosecutors are investigating whether Lantigua’s administration has overseen the illegal shipment of city and private vehicles from Massachusetts to the Dominican Republic, including surplus undercover police vehicles and a school bus, according to two law enforcement sources with knowledge of the investigation. Both the garbage truck and the bus were donated at the request of Lantigua by companies that have major city contracts in Lawrence, raising ethical questions about whether the mayor used the companies’ generosity to advance his political career.
“We did give [a bus] to the mayor, who said he was going to give it to a charitable organization in the Dominican Republic,’’ said Debbie Schmidt, controller of North Reading Transportation, which buses Lawrence children to school.
Lantigua did not respond to requests for comment for this article, but he has consistently denied any wrongdoing, saying he is the victim of “innuendo and blog gossip’’ in the wake of tough budget cuts he made to eliminate a $25 million deficit.
The garbage truck is only the most visible symbol of Lantigua’s deep ties to Tenares, the hometown of his girlfriend and a place where many residents view their friendship with Lantigua as a path to a better life for their community.
