January 5, 2009 Middleboro Board of Selectmen's Meeting

According to the PTWS (Pathetic Town Web Site), the
.

Special Town Meeting RESCHEDULED to
Monday, October 27th, 7 p.m. at Middleborough High School

.

A reasonable person might expect to find the cancellation of the Monday, January 5, 2009, Board of Selectmen's Meeting posted on the PTWS. Or maybe even a reasonable explanation.

.

Alas! This is Middleboro, where Mushroom Farming persists in spite of valiant efforts by its citizenry to request, protest, demand, expect, beseech, and whine about

.

transparency

.

.

Rumors are flying in Middleboro about a water leak in the basement of the Town Hall that successfully knocked out internet connections. Although some have questioned how that would be determined since the email addresses seem ultra Top Secret to the residents of the Town who might desire the ability to actually communicate with their Town Government by means other than sending their emails to the IT Director for forwarding in hopes it reaches the appropriate person.

.

And the BOS secretary is likewise blamed for her failure to post the meeting and agenda. Hmm...seems to me I raised the issue in ancient history about posting the agenda at an earlier date, but memory fades with age.

.

In a letter to the editor of the Middleboro Gazette (still only 50 cents and worth every penny) last week, Marsha Brunelle was taken to task for questioning why voters were actually communicating with the ONLY member of the Board of Selectmen who is available by a publicly known email address.

.

Mrs. Brunelle, it should be noted, was the Selectman who actually requested that there be a time limit on citizens' comments at the last meeting. Marsha didn't earn the title of Gavel Queen for nothing! If given the opportunity to arm wrestle the Chairman for that gavel, bets are that Marsha would win! (Aaahh! The video that Gladys could create!)

.

The irony of Marsha protesting citizen input going to ONLY one member of the Board is breathtaking! It simply begs the question "Marsha, You actually want to listen or is it control or jealousy?"

.

And, Marsha, you and I had a conversation about your lack of internet savvy last year when you were Chairman. You called me. Do you remember? This is after all, the 21st Century and rapid communication is expedited with quick emails that ask questions, get immediate answers, instead of snail mail that requires hand-delivery or postage and time.

.

The failure of this Board to address the longstanding issues surrounding the IT Department and hosting the web site within Town Hall (with the potential for hacking by a teenager) and much else has been addressed for years.

.

It should be noted that one Selectman, Steven Spataro actually has a non-published telephone number to avoid communications. You just can't allow voters to sway your opinion! Right, Steve? Incidentally, Steve Spataro is up for re-election in April. Is there any candidate willing to consider the Big Leagues, as Steve would say?

.

No one is quite sure if Mrs. Duphily has yet discovered the internet, although she commented about an email she received from her friend who was a member of the Mashpee Wampanoags, that seemed to sway her appropriate representation of the Town of Middleboro.

.

And we're not quite sure of Mr. Rogers' silence. It would seem to be spineless silence and not commitment either way.

.

Beyond all other issues, You Guys Have A Problem.

.

Your inability to address and resolve issues as they are brought forth has created a backlog, beginning with Rockland Industries. You continue to build on unresolved issues until each issue becomes one from the past. The Town Web Site (PTWS) and the failure of the Board of Selectmen to address the IT issues of the Town will continue to haunt.

.

Those computer geeks have quietly explained about hosting the web site in the Town Hall. You were offered a site, designed free of charge, hosted elsewhere.

.

But there will remain those of us who are convinced that the Mushroom Farming takes place in the basement of the Town Hall which explains the lights remaining on when the Town Hall was otherwise unoccupied.

.

It's not ghosts. It's Mushroom Farming!