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| THIS is Norman Rockwell |
Tonight I did the same thing that Kangas and Lenihan have been doing for years (decades?) -- I skipped Town Meeting. I stayed at work -- I've lost enough billable hours to the Town over the past few years. I decided Democracy would survive just fine without my fat ass sitting at the High School tonight!
A few things became blatantly obvious as I watched most of the show while I worked:
1) My client was not getting their money's worth that night (so much for marketing accounting and computer services!)
2) Everyone who complained about the financial mess the Town is currently facing was correct.
3) The people who were complaining about the mess had at least an indirect hand in creating it.
4) Some people should be fitted with shock collars that would allow the Town Moderator to immobilize them if they attempt to approach the microphone. Barring action by the Moderator, a 2/3 majority of members present should be allowed to activate the shock collar. You know who I'm talking about! (hint -- if you think hiring the police chief is relevant to the condition of the roof --- ZAP!. If you feel the urge to explain things to Town Meeting based on your prior experience in other Towns -- ZAP!; If you think a building should be saved because you went to Kindergarten there 50 years ago -- ZAP! If you haven't read the warrant, or a newspaper, or watched a meeting, or called a Town Official in an effort to gain an understanding of an issue BEFORE you get to the microphone -- ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! -- those people annoy me the most!!)
We are in the mess we are in because people have not faced up to the realities of maintaining our infrastructure for decades. Once upon a time, a brilliant decision was apparently made for the Town to discourage commercial development -- except for the Big Dirty Power Plant (BDPP). Well, that means homeowners are going to be writing the checks. And, since Sandwich isn't Dennis, we don't have the luxury of huge amounts of summer people who leave big tax checks and don't bother with schools, police, fire or DPW services for 9 months of the year. Face it -- we're Milton by the sea!
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| This isn't ... |
Several times tonight, comparisons were made with other Cape Towns -- all the things they have that Sandwich doesn't (I have 4 kids -- I hear the same argument on a regular basis!). Every person was correct -- but we don't have those things because nobody ever figured a way to pay for them. If you haven't got a commercial tax base (or any realistic hope of developing one), and you're already running one of the leaner local governments, there's not much alternative to asking homeowners to kick in. And, if they say no?
We could take the popular route and blame the schools -- the tax rate was made artificially low for years and people moved to Town. Unfortunately, they couldn't leave their kids on the other side of the canal -- some even had the audacity to breed once they landed in Sandwich (unavoidable -- there was never really much to do here --- after you've been to the Glass Museum, Heritage Plantation and the Trout Hachery it's time to make more little Sandwich students -- or just go to Barnstable for lunch !!) Anyway, people had kids, we had to build schools -- you can't unring that bell -- no matter how much you torture the Superintendent!
Now What?
At the risk of committing Treason -- our current form of volunteer government doesn't work. The Town of Sandwich has an Operating Budget in excess of $60 million -- it has 23,000 shareholders, 500+ employees, numerous large facilities, vehicles & specialized equipment. It can't be run solely by volunteers with no relevant experience beyond being popular with the local soccer league -- or running a damn fine bake sale.
Even when we hire qualified, experienced, professional managers they end up reporting to an unqualified, inexperienced and unprofessional supervisory Board. Hardly the way to encourage the Best & Brightest !
I know any suggestion of tampering with Town Meeting will draw cries of protest and discussion of images of Farmers in plaid shirts somewhere in New England solving all the Town's ills around a wood burning stove.
Don't get me wrong --- I certainly have issues with this Override as well as the one that we will be discussing next Spring. But, forget the Rockwell vision --- think about fist fights over wind chimes !!
To be continued ...
23 comments:
We stayed home too for the first time in 18 years and refused to even watch it on t.v.
Time for some new young people to quit their b---chin, step up and run for an office.
Our town problems are long term and were never addressed logically by prior BOS.
#1 Goal Create a Commercial base ASAP!
It's a common problem, folks who have a lot of free time volunteer for local government. Those who have the useful education and relevant experience that we so badly need are usually too busy working.
I agree with you that its time to consider a mayor/city council structure -- although I think there is little chance of anybody willing to "break the tradition".
I guess we'll have to wait to see how big "The Crash" will be.
I also like the shock collar idea -- there were definitely a couple of animals at the microphone last night.
The Truth Maker would agree with the above commontary.
Unless and Untill we as a town except a commercial based operation, we will never get out of this quaqmire our previous leaders got us in.
Why not a few fast food places to start with?
That would create Jobs, but not the kind our town should visit. We are better then that[Really]
How about promoting a building for assisant living that has some reality to it.
How about putting a dirt bike trail on the Golf Course.
How about putting a windmill farm at the Sandwich Marina?
How about getting a hotel to build a hotel,resteraunt at the same place?
When all you have are folks that talk about increasing economic development and really not engaged in the process. [Thats all we get]
Town meeting just approved placing the Capitol overide on the ballot next week and yet we do not have a plan in place to verify the actual needs for each project presented to the taxpayers. Each year we approve #450,000 dollars for capitol needs and we have all theses buildings that need windows and doors, never mind other issues. Where are the long range plans we keep hearing about? What happened to the long range plans for each town owned property and why was it not made clear last night by Mr. Baker that he led the Finance Committee when they insisted on deferring these repairs for other reasons?
The continued problems with in the School District in regards to the Union led leadership on salary and benifit issues has held the town of Sandwich hostage long enough and before we worry about getting more business here we need to address how we are going to balance our budgets to keep what we have in place now.
Outlet Mall right off Route 6 on some land next to the golf course would be a good start, then give tax breaks the first few years to new businesses to set up shop in the golden triangle.
BOS & Town manager, Please stop with all the long range plans and research groups and get something done plz! Sandwich is pretty much exactly where we were 15 years ago. Stop talking about it all and get something concrete done.
Bud inadvertantly hit the nail on the head when he waxed enviously about looking across from Mashpee Commons and seeing our neighbor's beautiful town center with a new fire department, police department, and library:
MASHPEE COMMONS!!!
Yes, the town needs to broaden its tax base; any reasonable development should be appreciated. I agree with Anon 3:06 with regard to planning and studies.
Remember when tried to develop and site a Shaws in the Golden Triangle a few years back? We tried extorting the developer for a new library, a senior center, affordable housing, and other such stuff. Between dealing with us and the Cape Cod Commission, Shaws and eventually the developer packed it in. I think it was close to a five year process all for nothing.
We still have non-revenue generating “green space” and remain a one supermarket company town. The next time someone comes in with a commercial development or business, let’s just let them build it without trying to arm twist them for all the extra stuff. Had the Shaws been built, we would have had market competition (lower prices), jobs, and revenue bearing development. That is good enough for me. As far as dealing with the CCC goes, they have two strikes against them in my book. One more and I say we leave that bureaucratic nightmare as a couple past selectmen suggested.
Steve Susko
The Truth Maker would echo MR.Susko posting.
I would also like to add that all those meetings that were held by various groups over many months wewre all a smoke screen. To many voices with good intensions, but only for themselves. Some who have participated over many years , expressed a saddenes about such a waste of time by many, only to be outvoted by a few that used there power to defuse what ever good was being brought to the table and then a stalemate. Nothing was acomplished, no progress, just another bunch of who shot john, with no real plan to go forward. Sandwich seems to always get into this situation, where good ideas are brought to the table, but they were not thought about, by those that were leading the charge, so they did not count.
We need volunteers that have an open mind that can make it happen, rather then volunteers that have closed adgendas and find some way to circumvent the whole process.
Where was the School Committee Monday night? Mrs. Susko got up briefly --- but where was Chairman Sherry or Vice Chairman Jesse?
Did the others even attend?
Half of the override was for school roofs & windows -- and a major portion of that will be reimbursed by the State -- Why weren't they talking about THAT?
Why didn't they comment on the cut to the School budget and offsetting increase in Fed Aid ?
I can certainly see why the Supt wouldn't be there -- since they fired her -- but IO would expect my elected School representatives to be present and adding appropriate commentary.
Dr. Johnson was there (sitting in the non-voter section). Mrs. Crossman was there too. I didn't see any of the others, but that doesn't mean they weren't there.
Anon 12:49
They were there and what comments needed to be made except by the super and why wouldn't she be there ?. She still has a contract and getting paid. Bud already stated about the reimbursement.Town meeting redundancy and superfluous comments made by people who feel they have to say something make town meeting drag on
The Truth Maker would like to set the record .
Dr. Johnson was in attendance for the whole meeting , unlike some that left after they had came to to do what they normally do, stacking the meeting with enough votes to get something passed.
As far as the Union led School Committee they do not understand budget problems presented by DR Johnson, how do you think they would understand Mr Bakers power point presentation, which was off the wall.
Dr. Johnson and Sherry did attend Town Meeting
They should have gotten up during the discussion of tabling the motion to explain why delaying the vote could cost the Town the state reimbursement.
I was certanly sick of listening to npeople who love theirown voice -- but that would have been an important point to stress.
Sheri/jesse got lucky that somebody else did their job and made that point -- or the whole article could have gone south.
(Although, I doubt it will matter after Tuesday anyway.)
The school committee was obligated to make a statement with regard to article 1. The school committee’s position should have been addressed during a regular school committee meeting in preparation for town meeting remarks. Taxpayers have a right to know how a $400K budget reduction affects or does not affect education in Sandwich Public Schools. Dr. Johnson was present, but it is not her job to speak for the school committee with regard to the impact of the budget reduction unless called upon to do so by the elected school committee. Where was the committee leadership on this one? Ms. Marshall?
Steve Susko
Sherry and the 3 other stooges were deer caught in the headlights on the budget issues again. The super was there in the non voting section, but it's actually the Chairwoman Marshall that should have spoken on behalf of our schools. Twenty years later she still has no clue on what or how to lead our schools......OMG our kids are in a mess.
If the School Committee wants to be taken seriously, they need to speak up on budget issues -- otherwise they will be ignored and overpowered by both the Selectmen and FinCom at every turn.
Barbara Susko was the only SC member who had the gumption to get up during Town Meeting. She made the point that the reimbursement from the state for the school repairs would endangered if the capital improvement article was tabled. I think that it would have been tabled if she had not made this point and once again Sandwich would have screwed itself.
It was obvious that the SC did not have any plan/strategy in place regarding Town Meeting. I agree with the other comments that Mrs. Marshall should have made a statement. Asleep at the wheel is an appropriate analogy.
Anon 6:57
How many people does it take to screw in a light bulb. Barbara made the point why is it necessary for others to make the same point over and over.
Susko got up because neither her Committee Chair, nor the Committee Vice Chair rose to address the issue.
While members can certainly speak individually, The Chair is supposed to be the "voice" of the Committee.
Pay attention Anon 6:57, Barbara Susko made a technical point with regard to Article 2. She did not represent herself as speaking for the majority of the SC on that issue and did not make a policy statement. She did not speake to Article 1.
My point on an earlier post was that we just lopped $400K from the school budget and NO ONE SPOKE TO IT! All I heard were chirping crickets. Were they kidding when they budgeted the money in the first place? Was it really not necessary? Do we have a mitigation plan? Is it chump change and should I therefore not be concerned? Have requirements changed and is it no longer necessary? I'm not saying it was right or wrong to reduce the budget. I just want to know that my SC looked at it and I would like to know their opinion. Isn't that their job?
Steve Susko
Anon 1:58
Is that your opinion or did Barbara tell you thats why she spoke
Steve you have your own built in sc member what did she say. Didn't she already ans your questions
Anon 1:58 - it seemed clear to me as an observer that Barbara spoke to make a point about the reimbursement. She did not appear to be speaking on behalf of the school committee. It's surprising that the SC did not have any comments regarding the budget reduction or the school repairs. Bud spoke regarding the repairs on the municipal buildings. Where was the SC leadership?
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