A Study in Contrasts / Time to Stand Up !

Whitey Bulger was arrested on June 23, 2011 and will be going on trial for 19 murders next week, 713 days later.

Mary Ellen Johnson's filed a lawsuit on November 4, 2010 and it will remain unresolved for 944 days by the time Whitey heads in for jury selection next week.

The cases obviously have nothing in common.    But -- so much for speedy due process!

Both the State Appeals Court and the State's Supreme Judicial Court have ruled the District Court judge made an obvious error in dismissing the case and that Dr. Johnson's contract was never invalidated --- yet the Town is apparently still unwilling to resolve the case.

Instead of working to negotiate a reasonable settlement, the Town has allowed their insurance company's attorneys to drive the financial bus by wasting months of very expensive legal time filing inaccurate motions, and deposing former School Committee members for several hours each about topics that have had absolutely nothing to do with the case at hand.

This isn't fact-finding, this is retaliation.

Yes, I know, the Town has litigation insurance.  The attorney is working for the insurance carrier -- not the Town,  Does anyone seriously think that the insurance company will not recover the fortune they are paying out in legal fees by jacking up the Town's premiums?  Does anyone  think the eventual pay-out will get any smaller by delaying it? Even if the lawsuit outlives Dr. Johnson (who looks damn healthy!), I have no doubt her counsel will continue the suit on behalf of her estate -- if for no other reason than to recover the fees he's built up responding to the Insurance attorney!

So what's the point?

Regardless of posting process, constructive notice, or de minimus standards, the State Appeals Court, and later the State Supreme Judicial Court made it very clear that this stopped being an Open Meeting Law case 21 days after the contract was approved by one School Committee and not properly cancelled by a subsequent Committee.  It's now a straight-forward contract case.

Like so many other issues in this Town, somebody needs to be willing to stand up, and do what needs to be done -- regardless of whether or not the decision is a popular one.

Dr. Canfield has done a good job at doing the right thing -- he's tackled the Community School, The Pool, The Lunch Ladies, and the Athletic Director issues and he has made it clear he will soon be resolving the school facilities usage issue.  All tough issues -- but issues that needed to be resolved.  Unfortunately, given the budgetary restrictions, and the magnitude of the dollars involved in this case, its unlikely he can do much to help this situation --- except maybe to extol the virtues of stepping up and doing The Right Thing --- and sharing his bottle of aspirin.

The 2010-2011 School Committee may have made this mess, but its going to be up to the 2013-2014  Board of Selectmen to clean it up.

There are no Free Lunches !

U.S. Coast Guard boats stationed at Sandwich Marina

I need to start this with my standard disclaimer that I am not questioning the performance of the Fire Department.   I am questioning the inability of our local leaders to ask  more "Big Picture" questions -- and then listen carefully to the answers.

My family and I have had many occasions to utilize the services of the Fire Dept. over the past decade and we have always been pleased and thankful for their rapid response and professional service.  (I can still remember a night during our first winter here when a 911 call brought Police, Fire, EMS and a snow plow to our home in a high speed parade of revolving lights.  I can also remember a morning when an SFD dispatcher "talked down" terrified parents waiting for an ambulance after one of the kids collapsed on the kitchen floor.)

I certainly recognize and appreciate the service provided by our local police and fire departments.  I also appreciate the importance of response time and the  fact that I live moments from Station 3.

I have never questioned the need for a new Public Safety Building.  I have no arguments over the proposed location.  I do have concerns over the originally-proposed $30 million cost.  I also have concerns that the "public outreach" appeared to be far more of a marketing campaign than a "listening tour".  I am annoyed that the Town meeting presentation seemed to assume voters were stupid -- Question:  Do the Chief's have private bathrooms?  Answer:  The Building has the minimum number of bathrooms allowed by the Building Code.  For God's sake -- just say "Yes" and move on!  Who cares?  Just answer the damn question!

I am also shocked/amused that the newest Selectman (who was also a member of the PSC Committee) could claim to be "surprised" by the public sentiment she heard at Town meeting.  

 But enough about the damn building.  

In the Fall of 2011, it was announced that Sandwich had been given a Homeland Security grant to purchase a new 40' Fire/Rescue boat.  The Feds would be kicking in almost $1 million for the boat and initial training and maintenance -- although the Town would be responsible for matching those initial maintenance and training funds and then picking up all future operating costs.

To date, there has been no public discussion as to how the Town will fund its share of  training and maintenance, or the cost of ongoing staffing for the boat -- which would presumably be docked at the Sandwich Marina (where it would likely take space that could be used by a paying customer who may have been on the waiting list for years.).

There has also been no discussion of any actual public safety need for the boat.  The U.S. Coast Guard, the Sandwich Harbormaster, and The Massachusetts Environmental Police, all have boats stationed at the Sandwich Marina.  The Army Corps of Engineers will also soon be upgrading to four new high speed patrol boats operating in the canal.  There are also usually 1-2 tugboats in the canal equipped with water cannons.

If we can't staff our existing stations, and are forced to frequently rely on surrounding towns for mutual aid, can we really afford to spend the time and money to properly  train and equip firefighters to race across Town (From QMH and Cotuit?) to jump in a boat to follow the Coast Guard out to bring in the annual stupid kid on an inflatable raft, or the very occasional boat fire?  

It seems other local governments are having similar concerns about the costly strings attached to "free" boats:

Council Uneasy About Purchase of New Fire Boat -- The purchase of a new fire boat with grant money left some councilors uneasy.

Fireboat costs cause Port to pause -- Commission agrees it would be an asset, but members fear operational costs

New fire boat coming to the rescue? Vancouver City Council will decide Monday whether to accept $2.6M grant for vessel

Mystic Fire Department Receives New Fireboat

Since I doubt anybody will be willing to step up and kill this boondoogle -- lets start a contest to name it!

Potential names:

Albatross One
The White Elephant
Deferred Maintenance One
The Overide
More Mutual Aid
The Gilded Lilly
Overboard
Oversight
Over-the-Hill
Striper Rescue One


SEE RELATED POST

Thank you!

Graduation ceremonies for the Sandwich Police Department Youth Academy Class of 2013 were held at Town Hall last night.  This continues to be a terrific program for many reasons  -- public relations, career information, character-building, etc.

Thank you to Chief  Wack, Lt. Nurse, Sgt Bound, Sgt Lawrence, Officer O'Brien and all of the other folks who continue to offer this program.  Thank you also to the John & Ethel Thorne Foundation for funding it.

As the father of two graduates over the past several years, I can readily attest to the enthusiasm these kids have shown towards the program.  I hope all involved know how much their efforts are appreciated!

Damn !

This week's Disingenuous Moron Awards go to Nancy Crossman and Marie Kangas for refusing to vote to extend Dr. Canfield's contract -- despite giving him an excellent  evaluation. They claim they wanted to leave the decision for the "new" Committee to decide.

Sure, that makes sense ... work with somebody for two years, give him an excellent job review .... and then let somebody else decide whether or not to give him a new contract.

Are they really that F'n stupid?

Of course they are.

In reality, this latest charade is only a very lame attempt to support their arguments from three years ago when they complained about the outgoing Committee doing its job by evaluating the Superintendent's job performance and renewing her contract.  -- regardless of the fact that good business practice would be for compensation to be based on performance and despite the fact that The Mass. Association of School Committees has made it clear that the outgoing Committee is obligated to handle the evaluation and related contract renewal.

But, its not the MASC that's bogged down in a very expensive lawsuit.

Enough!  Please cast a single ballot today for Sean Rausch.  It's time to return one of these idiots to their village!

Your Vote Still Counts Today! (From Paul Kilty)

Tuesday evening at the Special Town Meeting, the article concerning the proposed public safety building failed to pass because it did not get the required 2/3 majority vote. I did not realize, however, that the vote on today's ballot regarding the public safety building at today's polls still counts. If the vote to support the project wins by a simple majority, then the Board of Selectmen have 45 days to call a Special Town Meeting to reconsider the article and at that meeting a 2/3 vote would be required for approval. Although I am very much in favor of this project, the purpose of this message is not to ask for support but rather to inform you that your vote at the polls today counts and the project is still up for consideration. Whether you are in favor or opposed to the project, please get out and let your vote be counted.

Kind regards,

Paul Kilty

Random Thoughts ...

Number One with a Bullet ... Bullet Voting 101

In a situation with three people running for two seats, casting only a single ballot for the best candidate increases the possibility of blocking at least one of the other two candidates.   I believe we can all think of a really good use for that practice in this week's election!

Has anybody else noticed that:

Outgoing Selectmen get glass bowls, while outgoing School Committee  members  get subpoenas?

The people who talk most at Town Meeting usually understand the least.

The proper answer to the question, "Do the Police and Fire Chiefs have private baths?" is not, "The Building has the minimum number of required bathroom facilities."

And ...

The School Committee is scheduled to vote on the Superintendent's contract tonight -- the night before the elections.  That's not a bad thing .....  It makes sense that the folks who worked with him do his evaluation and contract before one of them (hopefully) goes away.  But I do vaguely recall an uproar last time that happened.  Anybody want to read the transcript of my 8 hour deposition?

Hello, Hypocrisy Hotline ?

Yup.  Nothing says "Celebrate Earth Day" more than
 littering  the town with plastic advertising signs 

Historical Tradition?

There are a few inviolate rules in life.

• Water will always follow the path of least resistance. 
• Machines will die the week AFTER the warranty expires.
• You can't spend what you don't have. 
• You can fool some of the people all of the time an all of the people some of the time.
• Covering your eyes will not make something go away -- nor will it make you invisible.

Unfortunately, almost all of them came into play in the demise of the Sandwich Community School.

The decision to suspend Community School operations - except for the self-supporting Early Childhood and Daycare programs -- is hardly a surprise.  It's unfortunate and could have been avoided if the situation had been realistically  dealt with when the issue arose several years ago.

This discussion has been going on since June of 2006.  I'm not going to re-hash the gory details -- this blog is loaded with them and many original source documents are available by clicking here,

The Community School had many excellent programs and was certainly an asset to Sandwich and the whole region.  But it was an asset that should have been funded by its users -- or by a separate Town Meeting Budget appropriation.  It should never have been subsidized with tax dollars siphoned out of the School Budget.  Those tax dollars were intended to fund the K-12 education costs of Sandwich students -- not subsidize the entertainment expenses of folks from across the region.

Even worse than the diversion of those funds was the absolute refusal to recognize that it was being done.

In follow-up to the discussion about the District "lending" money to the Community School to cover bills -- the School Committee has always been liable for all Community School bills.  All outstanding liabilities will get paid (apparently well in excess of $100,000 this year) --- and it will be coming out of the K-12 budget.

Do you think that's the historical tradition Kangas wants so badly to preserve?  

Cape Cod Times: Sandwich to Shut Community School

Broadsider: Sandwich Community School program comes to halt on May 1

The School Department announced this morning that their consultants
still have no idea where the water leaking from the Community Pool went.

In a related story...   a home on nearby Fieldstone Drive was swallowed
by a large sinkhole this afternoon.

Maybe .... (By Bob Guerin)

Well, here we are folks. Its budget time and per usual, the school board, selectmen and finance committee are meeting in panicked filled, last minute, special meetings as once again somehow, somebody has put us all smack dab in the middle of a financial pickle. Every town department needs money, buildings are literally falling down and there is very little dough left in the cookie jar. 

Maybe somebody should have not rushed and spent money on I-pads before responsible someone’s could have had an informed discussion of spending priorities? Maybe. 

Maybe somebody should have not rushed and spent money on Community School pool bills and maintenance before responsible someone’s could have had an informed discussion of spending priorities? Maybe. 

Maybe somebody should have not rushed and spent money on Community School health insurance payments before responsible someone’s could have had an informed discussion of spending priorities? Maybe. 

The three (3) spending decisions mentioned above represent about $500,000 of un-budgeted, un-planned for, non-prioritized spending. It’s likely that a lot more than that has been spent during the year that also was not budgeted and not prioritized against other competing needs. 

Our town’s financial troubles are the result of a lack of leadership, a lack of effective financial controls, poor day-to-day management and the total failure of our Boards and Committees to affect real, meaningful financial oversight and discipline. Some things never change. 

The tri-boards should have discussed how hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent on un-budgeted projects and needs without a thought to how other competing, and compelling, and prioritized projects would be paid for. But, they didn’t. 

Once again, nobody’s held responsible or accountable. Evidently, these things just happen; it’s nobody’s fault; just bad luck. 

What’s wrong with our Town’s finance and budget oversight and management system will never be fixed because no one is willing to suggest that something is actually broken; with the one exception being our Town and its taxpayers. For sure we’re broke!