The Middleboro Board of Selectmen, incapable of walking and chewing gum at the same time or addressing future planning along with current business whine about budget shortfalls, but fail to act. Well, that is, unless you consider Selectman Spataro's recent rant about a Charter change to hire a Public Safety Director that he might have accomplished two years ago had he not been text messaging during meetings. His current attentiveness is only due to his upcoming re-election in April.
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Other than individual town employees applying for grants, Middleboro misses out repeatedly.
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Remember the candidate for Fire Chief who told the Board during the interviews that he applied for and received a grant for a new Ladder Truck?
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The Brockton Enterprise offered an article about GRANT MONEY received by Rockland, but pay attention to this part ---
.The grant for the solar panels was applied for in November by the Rockland Energy Committee, which formed in 2007. Since then, the committee has established a partnership with National Grid; that led to an energy audit of the high school.
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In December, the state Department of Energy Resources awarded a total of $2.7 million to Rockland and 16 other towns. Rockland will use its $150,000 grant to make energy-efficiency improvements at the elementary schools.
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Kudos to Rockland for being proactive.
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Rockland is but one community that began to address ENERGY while it's not even on the Middleboro BOS Agenda.
.While ENERGY is my personal concern, there are many other areas that other municipalities are addressing, while Mr. Spataro text messages, Mrs. Brunelle says 'we've tried to do this in the past....', Mrs. Duphily fails to grasp any issue beyond her mindless support for the casino, facts be damned! You get the point.
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And remember that Mrs. Brunelle was Chairwoman when Real Estate Tax Bills were mailed out late and the entire rest of the Board failed to speak up, make a motion to prevent it or even protest.
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It's time to elect people to the Board of Selectmen willing to devote the time, effort and energy to do the research, inform themselves, and maybe even venture beyond the Town's borders to look at what other towns have accomplished.
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You copy success instead of being mired in dysfunction.
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The new Town Manager, Mr. Cristello seems to be doing his best to inform this Board that there is life beyond the borders of Middleboro, but when the dinosaurs from the past step forward to protest CPA, his success is doubtful.
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And, by the way, where is the Middleboro Gas & Electric Company?
13 comments:
Just like their opposition to CPA because it's "not the right time". Let's just ignore the fact that the miniscule $48 charge won't come until FY2010.
When will they act to slow development? ... when there are 300 units in the pipeline the second the economy improves?
CPA is a planning for tomorrow thing not a right thing.
Bumpkin,
I couldn't agree with you more.
Unfortunately, with this Board, they're so uninformed, unmotivated, lacking intellectual curiosity, willing to continue 'we've always done it this way,' and parochial that the Town has suffered as a consequence.
Middleboro is surrounded by Towns that have approved CPA, including Wareham, Carver and Bridgewater. They couldn't afford it either, but elected to plan for the future.
Hingham, the hometown of the Town Manager has CPA.
I would point out that there are areas where money could have been saved. Energy is high on my list, but I've blogged about many other things. The following comes to mind --Middleboro Health Care Costs #2: Nothing to sneeze at!
It would provide retirees with the same coverage, but save almost $1 million.
The costs may have changed since last year, but it illustrates my point that there are places and ways to save money that are ignored.
Steven Spataro, who is up for re-election this year has one single idea -- COMPRESSION. That will save what? $100,000 per year?
I haven't lived here that long, but came from a town that also had town meeting.
The Board of Selectmen in that town was just what you would want in a Board. They were responsive and smart. They allowed people to speak. Future planning was discussed. And the town's web site provided information you needed.
Maybe if we replaced one selectman at a time, we could change the town.
My company offers incentives for cost saving suggestions and focuses on energy. If the BOS weren't so stupid as a whole this would have been addressed years ago.
Lincoln Andrews has a real problem. His arrogance isn't earned.
somone told me the new chief gets 45 sick days a year. Is that true?
I know this board is pathetic but I get a good laugh at the stupid comments made to attack you.
The people posting anonymous comments have no idea what this board should be doing or how government should work.
Lincoln Andrews was horrible on the board and did nothing. He attempts to use polysyllabic words and mispronounces them. That's supposed to impress?
When the smart people in this town fail to vote, this is what you get.
I don't know where else to voice my concerns, but the insular quality of the Board of Selectmen in this Town is unlike anything observed elsewhere.
Mr. Spataro has spent his life in this town and his view is narrow.
Mrs. Duphily is a single issue candidate clearly unprepared for much else.
Mrs. Brunelle is mired in personal problems and should have stepped down long ago.
Mr. Rogers barely won re-election and the seat is wasted, but the meetings he conducts are productive and without rancor.
Mr. Bond is abrasive and self-absorbed. He is incapable of making pertinent comments without creating a solo performance. His comments are disorganized and poorly considered.
Not one of them really listens to what others have to say.
The echoes they voice are their own or a small minority in this town and not mine.
Because of your comments and the casino, we have been paying attention.
You are to be commended in view of the increased focus.
Obviously if you read the Enterprise you would have also seen he is making $30,000 a year more now as well as other benny's. Maybe you should look into ALL the town employees contracts. You'd need a roll of toilet paper when done. No sacarism intended. You'd be surprised what you can learn at the town offices when you inquire. You have a right to that info. Good luck.
anonymous,
The anonymous flack endured by MR after posting the Town Accountant's contract seems a reminder of the narrow minded fearfulness of transparency.
Leading that charge was the irrational VV, protegee of Mr. Bond.
This ignorant person has refused to inform herself about town meeting form of government and operates in an echo chamber of her perverse thought process, but shares a stage with those equally uninformed. Her comments provoke an image of a woman standing with a metal bucket on her head so that the only sound she hears are her own distorted echoes.
Lakeville got a grant for rainbarrels. Maybe it seems petty to some, but where was Mboro?
The DPW superintendent is such a dinosaur, he quotes an outdated report about recycling.
didnt rogers file for bankruptcy?
and he's on the capital planning commitee?
Has anyone considered that Wayne's input is still be instilled in the board? What will the new Police Chief be making if the new fire chied is making $130,000 plus all the benefits. That should be even more interesting. That will probably be handed to Gatsey. Did they order a special unmarked car so he can reach the gas and break pedals? More tax dollars. Adam is the one to be most ashamed of. He played too many people with promises and pretending to listen with hope. Marasha and Roger should go on a permanent vacation. Steve should take up chess. and Mrs. Duphilly should have applied for secretary of the fire department not selectman. Pta needs to stand up and speak up for the taxpayers whereas no one else does. April is coming get out and vote make change. We lost several good candidates last election due to laziness on the part of those that didn't take the five minutes to vote. Now, we're all paying in one way or another. Sad and sickening when people that don't represent the town take the time to look up info to supply to the taxpayers.
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