I think it only fair to allow those courageous enough to comment on their voting rationale to do so without the distraction of others. In that vein, I will be stripping this page of all
comments and moving just the commments of reps to their own page(s). I have tons of bandwidth I've already paid for and am happy to donate it for good political dialogue.
To all who read this blog:
This town needs to grow. It can either grow well, or grow into an even bigger mess. Ideas may remain checked and static, but time consumes all things and the earth will absorb
anything that stands still too long.
I'd hate to see Billerica become the Detroit of Massachusetts, but the facts are our infrastructure is crumbling, our schools are in desperate need of servicing or replacement, out
spot zoning is producing one ugly scar after another, business are leaving instead of setting up here, and those that are trying to expand are being harassed and stifled by idiotic
unions that have no relationship with those companies. We have a pervasive paranoia that is destroying people's faith in government and our local officials.
We have officials who, in my view, hold themselves up to be more than they are. Just like our congressmen and congresswomen in Washington or our legislature in Boston, they
are SERVANTS. They are NOT masters, and they owe those who elected them the consideration and the obligation to act like adults; responsible, thoughtful, and optimistic adults
who have a vision they can believe in, that they can articulate well enough to entice others into the inspiration to follow them to fulfuill that vision.
They also need to be willing to listen to the other side and instead of choosing between the lesser of two evils (evil is evil; one can't be just a little bit evil), choose those closest to
your beliefs and work with them as opposed to trying to checkmate them and paralyzing the entire town. That's juvenile, it's unproductive, it's a disservice to constituents, and I
doubt very much that it's something you are trying to teach your children to pattern as they grown into adulthood.
So, let's commit to acting like responsible parents and neighbors and let's commit to working with each other to make the town better. Let's agree to discuss issue of disagreement
with honesty and logic instead of emotion and irrational statements that can't be tied to principle or fact. I know that what I'm asking was hard. So was leaving the moon after the
landing, but we did it. We may not be able to find that success in our townhall, but I think we should at least try. Don't you?
–Rick
Hi Mary,
There is no need to apologize for missing a vote due to other obligations. Your job as a TMR is unpaid, and of course, all TMR's family interests come first. To be honest with you,
I'm not all that interested in TMR attendance records at this point in time. Although, Jeff piqued my interest about the records for my precinct. My interest rests with figuring a way
to somehow require voting records, either by voluntary consent of TMR or by trying to get obstructionists out and replace them with people who favor transparency.
I have 14 hour work obligations on Monday and Tuesday of each week from 7am to 9 pm plus travel time. So, getting to a town meeting on those two days are impossible for me. I've
been relying on BATV local coverage for most of my information plus conversations with friends and of course, reading newspapers, blogs and sites like Topix. Wednesday and
Fridays, I'm committed for at least 9 hours plus 4 hours on Saturdays. I take Thursday and Sunday's off. Sundays belong to my grand-children; either the 3 that live with me or the
other two on visits to see them. Thursday is my only day to relax; so, I am fully aware that life happens and I applaud you for just trying.
This whole process of Town Meeting as a legislative body with little to no accountability to the voters simply drives me over the edge. The biggest reason I have my so called "hit
list" up is to demonstrate how idiotic it is to vote for people to represent you only to have them tell you that how they voted is none of your business. I'm a constituent. No one at
this point knows which precinct I vote in; yet, TMR and Selectmen alike are willing to alienate me and ignore my request to tell me how they voted on my behalf or behalf of others
and their rationale behind that vote if they voted NO. For a town of 42,000 people where hardly anyone knows anyone else, the Town Meeting form of government, in my view, is
truly outdate and inappropriate for Billerica. Just like those clinging to the rails of a sinking ship called the S.S. Billerica, our form of government needs to evolve and afford greater
accountability and less fingers contaminating the pie.
As to those who fear or distrust government, there is a difference between having a healthy respect for the need to keep government in check and the need to paralyze it to keep it
from doing anything - including taking steps toward improvement. As Jeff Parenti once said in a post of his, low spending is good; no spending is absurd - some things just can't be
ignored. Instead of people debating issues based on the rationale of fear; perhaps, they should try debating based on solid principles guided by reason and rationality. [stepping
of the soapbox]
I wish you well and hope this weekend turns out to be nothing short of a spectacular event.
--Rick
Hello Rick,
In the interest of fair play, I will offer this comment which I made to Jeff already. When TM votes to permit an article to be heard at a Time Certain as a courtesy to a proponent (in this
case the PB), it’s unfair to change that date, extend TM for an unplanned extra night, and then blame those who can’t attend! Contrary to Mr. Mollison, I am a fan of Mixed-Use and
have supported the concept. Like Mr. Mollison, I had to be out of town on business on Thursday night the 15th. The proponents lost my vote because they changed the date. Let’s
be fair and transparent here.
Mary McBride
Jeff / Rick,
I cannot support the mixed use concept at this time because of its potential for abuse and detrimental impacts to the community and people of Billerica. While again, I can agree in
principle with the idea – unfortunately, our political structure within the corporate town is not structured with the appropriate checks and balances. You may find that the actual
implementation and results of your concept -- will be much different than expected.
My distrust of Government is a natural consequence of having been in government (Federal) for most of my adult life. Even our founding fathers distrusted government – that is
the reason there are so many checks and balances built into our government. It is when these checks and balances no longer work that corruption becomes rampant. You are right
that there is no difference between people who work in government and people who work in private industry—I have work in both. Being human does make you prone to
corruption – but, the point of checks and balances in government is to keep corruption and abuse of power in check. By allowing those with obvious conflict of interest issues to
serve in these positions you have corrupted the system and provide an incentive for corruption. Yes, all people may be prone to corruption given the opportunity --- the point is
not to allow or to put them in a situation were there is an obvious or implied conflict of interest. Why do you think the votes change so much when TMMs are asked that each
individual stand and announce his or her vote? I have talked to many TMMs that changed their vote for fear of retribution at the work place or by their union. Believe me, no one
changes their votes based on a fear of not being reelected.
Billerica is a microcosm of a political system that has lost its way. I have served on many committees and in Town Meeting for more than a decade. The system is broken and a sham
– committees are stacked with Town and School employees, their relatives, people who do business with the Town or School, and retired municipal employees. Town Meeting is in
the same condition – as the majority of elected representatives fit into one of these categories. This is not Representative government and it is not even a democracy – It looks and
feels more like an oligarchy.
Billerica is a town of about 40,000 in population. A decade ago it was about 38,000. Buildable land is almost gone -- yet, the corporate town encourages more industry with tax
credits -- Power Plant, Home Depot, 40Bs – The corporate Town’s motivation is driven by the desire for more revenue and more growth --- this is not a sustainable planning or
economic strategy.
Jim Mollison
Jim,
I thank you for support of the concept of mixed use. I’ll start with what we agree on, and that is that TM is broken. If we want to succeed in any way, be it fiscally, quality of schools,
services — or what is most important to me — quality of life, TM must represent the voters as best as possible. It should also be as competent as possible since it has its hands on
about $135 million every year. In a representative form of government, “they” is “us.”
I understand you have a gross mistrust of all government (staff and elected) and no one is going to talk you out of that. I have worked in two municipal governments as a civil
engineer. As I have written in the column, there is no difference between people who work for government and people who work in industry. As Rick pointed out, being human
makes you prone to corruption, not being a government employee. I don’t see any real problem with town employees being TMMs (although I certainly understand the conflict of
interest when it comes to contract votes). I do have a problem with “followers” in TM — that is people who don’t know how to vote until they know how someone else is voting.
TMMs who never talk to their constituents is also a problem. They are supposed to represent us. (As an example, I sent a letter promoting mixed use to all of my pct. 5 reps in the
Spring, and not one contacted me. A brazen veteran TMM did call to scold me for daring me to submit the article, though.)
The current TM offends both of us — for different reasons — and the way to fix that is to elect new, competent people who agree with us on issues. I am working on building a
database of individual TMMs with all the information I can find that is on the public record, starting with their attendance history. I have a half-dozen ideas for what other fields might
be, and of course I would add their voting record if I can find a way to obtain that. I will then use this to produce a voting guide come April.
Voter turnout of course is critical — I know you have written about this before, and I very much agree. We have to get more people running for seats and more people voting.
If we agree that mixed use is a good idea, we should work together on a way to make that happen. Stopping an effort to bring in mixed use would be cutting off our nose to spite our
face.
Jeff Parenti, P.E.
Jim,
First, regardless of how you would have voted, you didn’t; so you will not go up on the sidebar symbolically, in spirit or otherwise. You will be noted for your integrity and your
commitment to your precinct and for being an honest man. Thank you for that. Even in opposition to your position, I respect and admire you and hold you in high esteem. I have no
doubt that asked an honest question that you will provide an honest answer.
Thank you for your comments. I know they are heartfelt and sincere. Philosophically, I agree with you that we should have as small a government as possible, but we still need
government. As long as government consists of people, there will be some corruption. The less the citizens are involved and invested in their communities, the greater the
likelihood that corruption will sprout tentacles throughout the sphere of government influence.
However, from my perspective, the manner for dealing with corruption is dealing with corruption. From your description, I get a corollary of a body at home in the 1930s, dressed out
for viewing prior to burial. But, he’s been there way too long because there is a belief that the funeral home is corrupt and will defile the body in some way prior to burial (say organs
to a medical student). Because of this mistrust in the funeral home and the State’s ability to deal with corruption, the body has been left at home in an open coffin as the flesh falls
off the bone and the stench penetrates the neighborhood.
Billerica is a rotting corpse and has been for some time now. It’s infrastructure is failing or has been neglected for so long that it is becoming a place to avoid rather than a place to
migrate toward. It’s ugly infrastructure is compounded by streets and roads littered with trash and the stench of dead animals that are never attended to except by a passing crow or
gull.
It would be no more practicle to leave the town to the status quo at this point than it would be to leave the dead body in the home indefinitely. Public officials are accountable. Public
officials in Billerica have not been held accountable since Noah was a shipyard worker building out the Arc. For example, as you state, you have been involved with town politics for
10 years or so. Others have been part of Town Meeting or other political power endeavors for a quarter century or more.
The Parker Elementary School did not fail overnight. It’s taken decades for it to decay to the point of near collapse and a non-repairable condition. Admittedly, I have been focused
on my job, military issues and international politics since retiring from the U.S. Navy as a staunch republican, but one separate and distinct from what I see as the corrupting
influence of the Christian Coalition, a statist group masquerading as conservatives. I have only become interested in local politics since July of this year, and that came about after
reading a bunch of pissing and moaning commentators talking about how bad the town is, how corrupt it is, how this politician is horrible and that one is incompetent and the new
guy, who no one truly knows, is a member of the “other three Amigos” without him even casting a vote.
With that in mind, I don’t understand how a member of the town’s legislative branch or executive branch can complain about how horrible the School Board has been in the
performance of their duties. I also don’t understand what would possess them to suspect a coup by the Planning Board to forcibly take over the executive and legislative branches
of the town and doing evil things against the wishes of the citizens.
What I have seen is a lot of complaining and finger pointing, but no one true effort to reign in bad government by any side or organization. When I asked why nothing was done by
the Board of Selectmen and the Town Meeting members to hold the School Committee, the Superintendent, the Schools Budget Director/Accountants, various Principals, and other
school administrators accountable for their failures, I have been given one excuse after another. The leading excuse by far has been that no one has authority over the education
budget or buildings except the School Committee.
So, last night/early this morning, I got to thinking about that and how odd that there was no check on the School Committee to ensure propriety and honest stewardship over
taxpayer assets and interests. Trust me, I’m no genius; far from it. However, I’m sure you appreciate how when in doubt, military members are encouraged to go to the regs. It took
me 5 minutes to find the Town Charter (2007) and a possible answer. As I’ve stated, I’ve never been involved in the politics of the town for even a minute outside of this blog and my
comments on Topix. The answer I found was under the duties and responsibilities of the Town Manager: Section 3-3, TOWN MANAGER; Sub-paragraph (13): He shall assure that a full
and complete inventory of all property of the town, both real and personal, is kept, including all property under the jurisdiction of the school committee and other elected town
officers and multiple member bodies.
The way I interpret this power is that as part of the inventory, he can require a statement as to the condition of the property inventories in the form of an inspection report in
addition to an itemized inventory of components and other public property; say one performed and recorded every 3 months by the Fire Marshall, and an annual inspection
performed and recorded by the Building Inspector to assure the safety of citizens or students visiting or working within such buildings. He could also mandate a documented
summary of a periodic visit by the public works supervisor be made to evaluate the building for repairs that could be performed by personnel under the Director of Public Works’
supervision as part of their normal, paid duties; potentially saving money to outside contractors.
The Town Manager could also mandate, as part of the inventory procedure, that a periodic inspection (say every 3-5 years) will be performed and documented for the record by a
structural engineer on ALL town buildings; so that the condition of each is fully known to enable rational fiscal planning for repair and replacement as needed – as opposed to the
usual doomsday decision making. Of course, this requires a good working relationship between the Board of Selectmen and the Town Manager, which we have not had in sometime;
so, some strong changes are needed here as well.
How much money do we spend having town employees record PC serial numbers as part of a building inventory, that throughout the process makes no mention about the condition
of the building that contains them inventoried items? Does that make any sense to you; especially if you wish to avoid crisis spending? Yes, the school committee has responsibility
for these failures, but so does the Town Meeting members, the Town Administrator and the Board of Selectmen. In fact, so do all of the citizens of the town for not paying attention,
and I’m including myself.
I could go on and on about how Town Meeting, Town Managers and the Board of Selectmen have been totally negligent in the performance of their duties, but that is a pointless
road to travel. The road to get on is one of corrective action – not one of sustained neglect as punishment. Who is it that is truly being punished? Who are truly being served by
holding up a possible path to a better tomorrow out of anger for a bad today? The major problem I see with the town and the resources it has wasted is a lack of desire to get things
done in preference to one group seizing and holding power over another. That’s not responsible government – that child like foolishness and total abdication of responsibility.
These are the questions I have for every one of the members who voted down the proposal; they are not directed at you specifically. As I said above, Jim, I appreciate your candor
and I admire your honest courage. Stay safe, be well, and don’t forget to make time for those who love you.
--Rick
Rick and Jeff,
I was one of the 80 or so TMMs that was not present for the vote. I was in New York on a business trip. However, I would have voted against the article — so if you wish you can put
me on the list (in spirit).
My problem with your article is more philosophical in nature however; I do have practical objections based on the current governmental structure within Billerica.
Having spent the last decade involved in the political and corporate town activities the practicality of your article and its implementation within an obviously corrupt governmental
structure has me concerned. Yes, it would be nice to have a beautiful Town Center and a Common that is more than a glorified crosswalk. But, the opportunity for abuse and
corruption within our Town are to high when you open up the options under a mixed use concept and allow the planning board to set the agenda.
Jeff, you talk about competition for TM positions yet, TM is little more that a sham in its present form. You should know – you are a municipal employee and Town Planner. Only
recently have the people be able to stop some of the abuses when a 2/3rds vote is required. Our Town Meeting, appointed boards and committees, and elect officials are stacked
with Town employees, their relatives and people who do business with the Town. Look at the makeup of the Parker School Building Committee that has forced us into an override —
the majority of the committee is made up of Town and School employees. Even the School Committee appointee works for the transportation (school bus) company and her husband
works for the school department.
Everybody needs to wise up and understand that the Town is nothing more than a corporation that has a monopoly on services. The checks and balances have been corrupted and
the Taxpayer is little more than a captive source of funding – The Town is limited only by the Laws forced on it by a initiative petition (prop 2 ½) passed years ago
Jeff my suggestion to you is to work toward getting a truly representative government in Billerica and maybe the trust would be there to support initiatives such as yours.
Jim Mollison
Whoops, I didn’t mean my last reply to be anonymous. I think I forgot to log in to WordPress.
Anyway, in a follow-up e-mail from the Moderator, be said his phrase “voter privacy” was sarcastic — ah, the Internet. He seems to be interested in more transparency, but he is
equally unsure about how to do it.
I will start it rolling, though. Tomorrow I will obtain a copy of the attendance records of the 4 Fall TM nights. At least we will know who the 60-70 TMMs were that blew off the mixed
use vote entirely.
Step 2 is to create competition for TM seats. If 4 people run for 6 seats, it doesn’t matter what we think of those 4 people. All they need to so is vote for themselves and they are in.
Can we put together 3-4 people in each precinct to challenge the incumbents?
Jeff Parenti, P.E.
I really never expected a response from a naysayer, and I agree with you, completely, that this back room culture should not be tolerated. That is the main reason I put up this page
in a static format for everyone in town who Googles Billerica Blogs to find and read. I intend to leave this page in perpetuity. Or promote it as is until the political culture of the town
changes, or until we change the form of government.
I think that town meeting members do have a reason to explain their negative votes; especially on issues that are viewed as vital. Their votes are not something that will remain a
secret forever, and as people find out that their member voted no and didn’t have the courage to support that vote with an explanation, I doubt they will support that member in the
next election. In fact, this vail of secrecy and hostility toward transparency may be just the avenue to get rid of the wonk parlimentarians who do nothing but obstruct progress or
attempts at progress and who arrogantly flaut the trust and power given them by voters. No one likes a coward and we all know that cowardice comes in many forms.
Over the next two years, as the town’s infrastructure crumbles even more and as towns around us seem to prosper, I think this page may be one of many devices that can be used
to provoke voter reaction to business as usual. I’m not very good at coalition building in person, but feel that I have some capacity to motivate people into thoughtful action; hence,
my blog. My mix of personality and philosophy is not suitable for tolerating looters, collectivists or people who are afraid of honest discourse, but my philosophy is built upon solid
principles. By using my philosophical beliefs logically and rationally, I hope to help others find some consistency in their own thinking and make an even bigger difference. In that
vein, I’ll leave the 10 that were identified swinging in the wind so long as they choose to remain silent. Besides, since this page went up; my visitor numbers have taken a hugh
jump. Obviously, some people are interested and anticipating activity here.
I really never expected a response from a naysayer, and I agree with you, completely, that this back room culture should not be tolerated. That is the main reason I put up this page
in a static format for everyone in town who Googles Billerica Blogs to find and read. I intend to leave this page in perpetuity. Or promote it as is until the political culture of the town
changes, or until we change the form of government.
I think that town meeting members do have a reason to explain their negative votes; especially on issues that are viewed as vital. Their votes are not something that will remain a
secret forever, and as people find out that their member voted no and didn’t have the courage to support that vote with an explanation, I doubt they will support that member in the
next election. In fact, this vail of secrecy and hostility toward transparency may be just the avenue to get rid of the wonk parlimentarians who do nothing but obstruct progress or
attempts at progress and who arrogantly flaut the trust and power given them by voters. No one likes a coward and we all know that cowardice comes in many forms.
Over the next two years, as the town’s infrastructure crumbles even more and as towns around us seem to prosper, I think this page may be one of many devices that can be used
to provoke voter reaction to business as usual. I’m not very good at coalition building in person, but feel that I have some capacity to motivate people into thoughtful action; hence,
my blog. My mix of personality and philosophy is not suitable for tolerating looters, collectivists or people who are afraid of honest discourse, but my philosophy is built upon solid
principles. By using my philosophical beliefs logically and rationally, I hope to help others find some consistency in their own thinking and make an even bigger difference. In that
vein, I’ll leave the 10 that were identified swinging in the wind so long as they choose to remain silent. Besides, since this page went up; my visitor numbers have taken a hugh
jump. Obviously, some people are interested and anticipating activity here.
--Rick
Bad news on the effort to fill in the remaining 53 names on the left. In an e-mail from the Town Moderator yesterday, he wrote that TMMs a protective of their “voter privacy.” His
phrase. I was shocked at this. Why are votes of reps secret when the meeting is open? If this is the case, how will constituents ever know how their representatives in government
stand on any issue that comes before TM?
TMMs have no reason to volunteer whether they voted yes or no on any article. Especially if a TMM is in the minority but has the power to block a 2/3 vote.
In other words, TM is untouchable, shrouded in semi-secrecy. We would not tolerate this on Beacon Hill or Capitol Hill, so why do we let them get away with it in our own Town Hall?
Bad news on the effort to fill in the remaining 53 names on the left. In an e-mail from the Town Moderator yesterday, he wrote that TMMs a protective of their "voter privacy." His
phrase. I was shocked at this. Why are votes of reps secret when the meeting is open? If this is the case, how will constituents ever know how their representatives in
government stand on any issue that comes before TM?
TMMs have no reason to volunteer whether they voted yes or no on any article. Especially if a TMM is in the minority but has the power to block a 2/3 vote.
In other words, TM is untouchable, shrouded in semi-secrecy. We would not tolerate this on Beacon Hill or Capitol Hill, so why do we let them get away with it in our own Town Hall?
Jeff Parenti, P.E.
I agree and I like the concept. My thanks to you, to Cosmo and to the many supportive Town Meeting members who acted out of rationality and reasoned introspection prior to
voting for this article. Your service and your judgment reaffirm the trust the voters have given you and your sincerity in wanting to make Billerica a better town than it was when we
came to it. I salute you all!
--Rick
According to Cosmo Cavicchio, Deputy Moderator, a roll call vote was taken 2 years ago after a motion was made by a TMM. So it looks like this would not require an article, just a
motion on the floor. Then they would debate the motion, and some TMM would have to stand up on TV and tell everyone that he doesn’t want anyone to know how he votes.
I think it would pass.
Jeff Parenti, P.E.
I agree, and I’m willing to make time to participate in any way I can to help break up he cabal that has been trying to return the town to the age of the primative. I do like the idea of
going beyond Town Meeting into the upper heirarchy of decision making. Hopefully, the next Town Manager will be able to cooperate as well. However, the thugs have already
started bashing all three candidates before a decision has been made as to which will “win” the job. Frankly, I think the “losers” will be the most satisfied of the three until the Board
of Selectmen can be rolled out and over. Perhaps, if the town meeting had been more amenable to mixed use like Tewksbury, we may have gotten over 50 applicants to choose from
as well. There aren’t too many chieftans looking for jobs ruling mudhut tribes these days.
Perhaps we could get an article in front of TM that would require all votes to be public and to be posted for public scrutiny. How do you think our brave leaders would view that
article; favorably or not?
--Rick
Rick, I have an idea. We should form a citizen's group to track the votes -- and attendance -- of TMMs. This won't be easy since the Town Clerk does not record who votes what on
each roll call vote. I think she does record attendance, though, and that should be public record. In my estimation, 80 TMMs skipped the mixed use vote last Thursday, for which
there are few excuses.
On the votes, here's how it might work:
1. Send a post card to all TMMs announcing that we are interested in how they voted. Ask for their e-mail addresses.
2. Generate an e-mail list.
3. Generate a "survey" e-mail asking how they voted on important articles (Parker, mixed use) and which meetings they attended.
4. Compile the results on a "roll call/attendance grid" on a web site.
5. Spot verify their answers by watching tapes of the meetings (these are available from BATV for a couple bucks.)
Come election time, we can publicize our information, which hopefully voters will find useful. (I've got the Minuteman covered, I think Chris from the Sun will help, as would Jimmy
from Billerica.org, and I'll bet Liana from the Billerica Green, a new paper sent to every mailbox in town, might give us an assist, too.)
If we're successful, we could later expand to Selectmen, PB, and ZBA votes.
Accountability in government, defined.
(To see a partial list of 'no' votes for your list on the left, see my <a href="http://cantgettherefromhere.wordpress.com/2009/10/18/tm-mixed-use-vote-running-diary/" rel="nofollow"
>running diary</a> on the Thursday meeting. And add FinCom members Pauline Browne and Al Pearson, who did not speak but certainly voted no.)
Jeffrey R. Parenti, P.E.
Good for Mark and Rosa for coming around after the party lights have been turned off. It’s a case of too little, too late in my view. Come April, I’m going to be in a Spring cleaning
sort of mood at the polls and I have half a year left to vent. Hopefully, we’ll get 4 new faces over the next string of elections – I kind of like Mr. Deslaurier; he seems like an optimistic
sort of guy more interested in the town than his ego. From what I’ve seen, I hope he remains for a long time.
--Rick
I guess we’ll have to do what we can to help raise turnout as much as possible. For the first time in a long, long time, I am truly looking forward to an election season. Don’t worry,
though; I’ll be sure to wear bright orange when I pull the trigger. I want Bambi to see me coming, either voluntarily, or by the power of the ballot box.
--Rick
You said it perfectly — they know not what they do. I can help fill in some of the names on the left when I organize my notes today. I can tell you now that the ringleader — the person
who should be listed in position #1 — is Selectman Mike Rosa. He repeated his fear at the podium last night — and he appears to actually believe this — that someone will build 2
levels of apartments over the Billerica Mall. If anyone can find me an example of this ever happening in the United States, I will pay your 4th quarter tax bill for you. He continues to
demonstrate zero knowledge of growth, land use planning, or the business of development. (Throw in a personal problem with the Planning Board.) He simply should not be in a
leadership position whatsoever.
I also agree with you that we need to switch to a mayor-aldermen form of government. In the meantime, we need a major movement to turnover as many of those 63 TM seats as we
can.
On a side note, Marc Lombaro announced to the TM body that the BOS voted 5-0 at their 6:30 meeting to send the Parker School to the voters in November. (I guess Rosa caved.)
But there were a few people whispering last night that there’s no way the voters will go for it. And if turnout is low, that is a guarantee.
Jeff Parenti, P.E.
You're very welcome. I agree with Kunstler's assessment and would sleep well for eternity to see a street like the one above in Billerica instead of the view we now have. Thank
you for all of your hard work and thick skin trying to convince the hoards that aesthetics doesn't hurt, but, in fact, can be quite pleasant and rewarding in more ways than one. Good
luck on your getting both articles passed.
Actually, now that I think about it; it wasn’t long after Newport made the decision to highlight the beaches and the downtown shopping area with unique zoning that businessmen
decided to take a chance (like they are doing in Reading) and remodel their shops or entire buildings as attractions in and of themselves. It’s amazing how different a Navy town has
changed into a tourism mecca and how little time it took. In a way, it was probably a blessing that they didn’t have time to think and squabble before deciding. It was change or
become the proverbial slum below the mansions on the hill.
--Rick
Very nice pictures. A mix of 2- and 3-story buildings, with lots of window shopping on the first floor. The Brick Alley Pub and Restaurant is very inviting. I have not had the pleasure of
visiting Newport, and I find it interesting that the city brought itself back with the tourism trade. This is a central point that James Howard Kunstler made is his book, “The Geography
of Nowhere”: We pay money to travel to places like this (see Main Street, USA at Disneyworld) and yet we’ve all but destroyed the main streets of our own town centers.
We can build a main street that looks as nice as Newport. It starts with a “yes” vote on both 23 and 24 at TM tonight.
Rick, again, many thanks.
