Middleboro ATM: Town Accountant Budget Page 4

Middleboro hired a 4 day a week Town Accountant for $75,000, contract posted below.

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Page 4 of the budget provides a salary of $78,365.00.

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MMA job listings below. Note comparable salaries.

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Municipal Job Openings

Middleboro Town Accountant's Contract

Town Accountant

Anyone know?

When the Brockton Enterprise announced the interim appointment of Retired Middleboro Town Manager Jack Healey to the ACTING position in Southbridge, the last sentence, little noticed, contained an almost ominous comment:

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Middleboro residents haven’t seen the last of Healey. He said he’s still volunteering at the Hub, at a children’s reading program. And he’s giving selectmen a hand sorting out drainage problems on Plain Street, and will meet with the engineers on Feb. 22. Enterprise

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No one seems able to answer who charged Mr. Healey with responsibility for those drainage problems. Maybe I dozed during the Selectmen's Meeting when it was discussed. Isn't that the road, that after many years of delay, was finally paved by Saxon Partners, owners of Oak Point?

Thanks, Jack!

As a consequence of Middleboro's RETIRED Town Manager being immersed in trash in Southbridge, he has unwittingly provided some interesting contacts and information and resources.

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Thanks, Jack!

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During one of those conversations, it was revealed that Southbridge takes those CABLE FEES that are paid to the town and funds their own Local Access Programming Department as a non-profit. They actually have someone who is paid to air a wide array of local meetings for educational purposes, to Jack's dismay.

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Gee, that sounds like a prescription for transparency!

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Some say that transparency piqued Jack mightily and caused him to want to rid the town of such a dastardly varmint who aired public hearings better left private.

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Does anyone seem to know what's done with those fees in Middleboro? Wonder why Jack never thought of doing that. Ooops! I think I know.

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It seems to fulfill my MUSHROOM FARMING THEORY -- you know, raised in the dark and fed a diet of manure.

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For a town the size of Southbridge, 4,000 homes, the annual total is ~ $160,000.

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With the direction in which newspapers are headed, sounds like a win-win for local coverage.

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Middleboro's Gain is Southbridge's Loss

Middleboro ATM: Article 34 Voting Machines

The Town of Middleboro is being asked to appropriate funds for those new glitzy touch screen machines that lack a paper audit trail and seem to have a pattern of glitches, like actually miscounting votes.

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For those of us who have watched the issue, those little GLITCHES such as significant UNDERVOTES and OVERVOTES have been problematic.

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One must wonder how a computer produces more votes than are cast or a significant undervote in hotly contested races.

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And then of course, there are power outages and fluctuations that can be blamed for the results. How will we know?

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Below, are just a few articles that are readily available regarding the importance of a paper audit trail for research and consideration prior to Middleboro's Annual Town Meeting on Tuesday, May 13, 2008.

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Make your Town Meeting vote informed.

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Middleboro's Voting Machines
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GOP objects to bill allowing recounts

Voting rights activists who hoped the federal government would help local governments pay for paper trails and audits for electronic voting machines have gone from elation to frustration as they watched Republicans who supported such a proposal in committee vote against bringing it to the House floor. The result: The elections in November will likely be marred by the same accusations of fraud and error involving voting machines that arose in the aftermath of the 2004 presidential race.

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While some election reform activists would have preferred a mandatory bill, many saw it as the best they could hope to get in time for the next election. “On Election Day, if machines are breaking down and there are no paper ballots, the failure of this bill will be one place to look for explanations,” said Norden. Holt is predicting exactly that: Ultimately, he said, the bill’s failure will mean that “millions of voters will leave the 2008 election questioning the process and whether their vote means anything.” Politico

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HAVA explained on the Secretary of the Commonwealth's site.

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philly.com

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Judge muzzles Sequoia e-voting attack dogs
NJ machines to be inspected, after all
New Jersey voting rights advocates will have the chance to have independent experts inspect electronic voting machines they say malfunctioned during the recent presidential primary election, a state judge has ruled.

Sequoia Voting Systems, the manufacturer of the touch-screen machines, previously forced New Jersey officials to scrap plans for an independent review after threatening legal action. Lawyers for the company claimed the audit would violate its trade secrets.

Superior Court Judge Linda R. Feinberg of Trenton gave the go-ahead for the experts to test software and firmware of Sequoia machines that were used in the February 5 presidential primary in New Jersey. Officials from New Jersey's Union County requested the review after discovering that paper-tape backups showing the number of Democrats and Republicans casting ballots didn't match the same data contained on cartridge printouts. Officials from four other counties later identified the same errors. The Register

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The BreakdownsIn Los Angeles, badly designed ballots kept a quarter of a million independents from voting in the Democratic primary. In Arizona, Louisiana, and New Mexico, thousands of voters found their names missing from registration lists, because of new statewide voter databases that scrambled names and assigned people to other political parties, or mistakenly indicated that they had to vote by mail. Across the country, election officials underestimated voter turnout and ran out of ballots. Meanwhile, the administration is not allowing volunteers onto V.A. campuses to ensure that wounded veterans are properly registered to vote.

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Will your vote count in the next election? Maybe not! How will we even know?

The Verified Voting Foundation champions reliable and publicly verifiable elections in the United States.
We advocate the use of voter-verified paper ballots (VVPBs) for all elections in the United States, so voters can inspect individual permanent records of their ballots before they are cast and so meaningful recounts may be conducted. We also insist that electronic voting equipment and software be open to public scrutiny and that random, surprise recounts be conducted on a regular basis to audit election equipment. verified voting

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Test the Machines
By Ed Davis

Jan 08, 2007

When Congress passed the Help America Vote Act four years ago, one of the problems it was intended to eliminate was the incestuous system of testing voting machines. Now, we find that the system is not improved -- rather the Election Assistance Commission has joined in the incestuous relationship among the vendors and testing labs.
This is how it works: The private companies making voting machines pay the testing labs (only a couple do this kind of work). The testing process and results are all secret. The system was cobbled together years ago by some elections officials and vendors, with little government oversight (or funding - a big problem) and over the years has become a joke.
The passage of HAVA and creation of the EAC gave at least some hope that the process would change and there would finally be some oversight. But, as the NY Times reported last week, the EAC decertified of one of the testing labs, but didn't see fit to tell us, the voters, about it.
Back to the drawing board. Here's what the NY Times says today in an editorial:
The veil of secrecy that hangs over certification is good for the companies that make voting machines and for the ones that test them. The government should not be protecting those private interests. It should be protecting the voting public. CommonCause

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UTC reaffirms $40 per share cash proposal to Diebold
HARTFORD, Conn., March 5, 2008 --

United Technologies Corporation (NYSE: UTX) today issued the following statement regarding its offer to Diebold Inc.’s (NYSE: DBD)
United Technologies Corporation remains committed to its offer.

Diebold’s financial and stock performance and the inability of Diebold’s leadership to file timely financial statements are not valid reasons to avoid a dialogue with UTC. UTC

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War Machines/ Voting Machines McCain/ Clinton "The Connection"
United Technologies Lobbiest Group=Lincoln, Charlie Black,head of Lincoln is Political adviser to John McCain. Black is CEO of BKSH which is owned by Burson- Masteller and the CEO would be the same Mark Penn who is the political adviser to Hillary Clinton. Oh, did I fail to mention... United Technologies is now planning a hostile take over of DEIBOLD yes the same Diebold with all the Voting irregularities from past elections. A new level of corruption? Is this the experience Hillary is referring to? BuzzFlash

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Diebold rejected a $2.6 billion takeover bid from United Technologies. Diebold makes cash machines and security systems,

but is best known for electronic voting machines, a relatively small part of its business. Conspiracy theorists had a field day when some Diebold gizmos malfunctioned during an election in California in 2004.

The Economist

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SOME CAST DOUBTS ON VOTING MACHINES
At Florida Polls, Touch Screens and Crossed Fingers

The new touch-screen machines were in place in Sarasota for the election, and they were assumed to be an improvement. But after the polls closed, a troubling anomaly appeared in the results.
There were 18,000 "undervotes" in Sarasota County -- that is, 18,000 people showed up to the polls and chose candidates in other contests but not in the prominent and hard-fought congressional race. In the four other counties where voters cast ballots in the same race, the undervote percentage was far smaller.
What happened?

If the machines had left a paper trail of each voter's actions -- such as the punch cards or the lottery-ticket ballots -- many believe auditors would have had important clues to what happened.

In the wake of the investigations and ambiguity, the Florida legislature moved earlier this year to switch to voting machines that leave a paper trail.

But if they're reliable, why did the legislature move to get rid of them? "Floridians have said they want to be able to cast a ballot on a piece of paper," Ivey said. "We're moving to a paper system to help restore confidence." WP

Voting bill advances
Paper-ballot plan clears committee despite opposition
A paper-voting proposal cleared its first legislative hurdle Wednesday, despite stiff opposition from county clerks and Secretary of State Mike Coffman.
A Senate committee unanimously approved Senate Bill 189, which calls for voters statewide to cast paper ballots at polling places but also would allow those who ask to use electronic voting machines. Rocky Mountain News

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Optical scan voting works in Ohio

More than 400,000 voters went to the polls yesterday in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, using a new optical-scan system that appears to have worked with no more than the usual number of complaints in an election day plagued by foul weather and a closely contested race. GCN

Middleboro's Gain is Southbridge's Loss

For the first time, the Middleboro Town Meeting Warrant Articles and the Town Budget were actually available for town residents 3 WEEKS BEFORE TOWN MEETING!

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Historically, town meeting voters have picked up their copy of the Warrant AT Town Meeting.

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The budget appears balanced and budget projections, never previously done, appear within reach.

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This accomplishment was under the tutelage of the interim Town Manager, Steve Lombard.
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Mr. Lombard has a low key style and got the job done without a fuss, and by working to make the information available on time, voters have circulated the warrant and discussed it and investigated it PRIOR to the public hearings. It seems that Mr. Lombard focused on working with Department Heads, working with the Finance Committee and presenting the budget in a timely fashion to the Board of Selectmen, and it was accomplished.

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The Finance Committee and the Board of Selectmen are working together toward a common goal, instead of the previous hostile relationship created by Mr. Lombard's predecessor.

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In short, greater transparency has been created. We're not where we need to be as a Town with the current condition of the pathetic Town Web Site, but the availability of the budget information has been a good start.

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And Middleboro's future appears brighter with a new Town Manager arriving who can proudly advertise a triple A bond rating from his current employers. Not so Middleboro with our current A2 bond rating that costs a premium for historical poor choices.

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While Middleboro's future seems bright after a legacy of FUZZY MATH, courtesy of the creator of the method of municipal finance, pity poor Southbridge that seems to have taken on our problems.

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It seems Middleboro's Retired Town Manager, from whom no one ever asked for the Town Hall keys, has pursued his great love of spreading the FUZZY MATH model to other towns, as well as spreading comparable loosing landfill deals.

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Rumor has it that the same attorney who negotiated Middleboro's Waste Management Whopper recommended Mr. Healey for the Southbridge Landfill Fiasco. And Mr. Healey's FUZZY MATH prevails! Anyone remember how the numbers changed?

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Mr. Healey's revenue figures are a source of wonderment like a Chia Pet he waters at night.

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Middleboro has much to be thankful for during Mr. Healey's reign. One major accomplishment might be a casino agreement that should have netted the Town of Middleboro + $20 MILLION for a percentage of slot revenues that Mr. Healey successfully reduced to $7 MILLION.

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Great job, Jack! We're forever thankful!

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To Southbridge residents: Jack won't overstay his welcome. He'll run out of assets to sell to fund expenses, but could you return the Town Hall keys?

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You might want to check what the carefully worded Department of Revenue Report had to say about Middleboro funding expenses with one time revenue sources and other things or what the Auditors reported. Sorry! You won't find it on the Town Web Site! But you'll find it HERE.

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If you have any doubts about the Waste Management deal in Middleboro, you might want to check out the Southbridge site. At least the residents appear better informed and more concerned about their environment, like those nasty things that get dumped in rivers: RATS

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Gee, do you think the stuff dumped in the Nemasket River could have anything to do with the decline of the herring? Does anyone know? And what do you suppose will happen if the mega monster comes?

Mitigation or What? #2

The most recent attacks against casino opponents seem carefully intended to distract from the failure of flag waving supporters to do their homework and present legitimate facts/information.

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What more effective strategy to divert attention from your failures than to focus attacks on your opponents?

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For those who might be out of the information loop, the following sums up the fairy tales rather well:

Internet abusers target Internet abuse

Media Nation

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After a rather impertinent letter to the editor was published in the Boston Globe, authored by Selectman Adam Bond, demanding obedience from our legislative delegation and a rather embarrassing display by him condemning Rep. Tom Calter for his opposition, Rep. Calter spoke before CFO and the Board of Selectmen (reported below in the Enterprise in February 2008).

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Calter tells Middleboro officials casino contract flawed
The state representative tells selectmen the casino agreement underestimated the effects on town services.

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Calter said the contract also does not include a labor agreement with unions and does not address the issue of jobs and their quality.

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Board Vice Chairman Adam Bond, an attorney who helped negotiate the contract, told Calter, “There’s a risk in any agreement,”

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Enterprise

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Sure, Mr. Bond! Let's dismiss a flawed Agreement you helped negotiate and your continued failure to retain those EXPERTS who would actually project the Town's costs.

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The convicted rapist and serial liar Glenn Marshall promised great things: union jobs, businesses would be compensated, homeowners who lost value would be compensated and blue skies.

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In a conversation with Senator Pacheco, the issue was raised that the union jobs ARE NOT included in the Agreement. There are no benefits' guarantees. And yet the union followers blindly support the Agreement without questioning.

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If the Commonwealth funds the infrastructure improvements, Prevailing Wage laws will PREVAIL.

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What if the casino investors fully fund and contract the same projects? Can they legally hire whomever?

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Rep. Calter raised the issue of the need for supporters to hire experts to do projections about the numbers, most specifically SCHOOL POPULATION.

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Middleboro's School System is currently close to capacity, with a 5 year lead time required for state reimbursement.

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Should this mega-monster come our way, what will the impacts be? If each child currently costs ~ $10,000 per year to educate, how many additional children will the mega-monster add to the town's schools?

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While Mr. Bond presented a slap-dash NO IMPACT presentation of flawed figures, isn't it time to re-visit this issue?

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Isn't it time to be honest about MITIGATION?

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Each time the issue of the cost of educating non-English speaking children is raised, cries of racism are heard.

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A non-English speaking child costs twice as much to educate.

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Shouldn't we plan?

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A sudden influx of those speaking other languages needs to be discussed and planned for. Public safety issues should be paramount.

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Your house is on fire and you don't speak English. You do what?

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Medical crisis, car accident, sudden serious injury, you don't speak English, you do what?

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Accusations of racism continue to cloud the discussion of substantive issues.

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It's time to behave like adults and expect the casino supporters to do their homework.

Middleboro Mitigation? #1

The dull and boring subject of the Middleboro Landfill was recently brought to my attention and much as we'd all like to bury it (pun intended!), sometimes you simply can't.

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The Middleboro Landfill disposed of the leachate, you know that nasty, chemical laden guck (technical scientific term) at the Waste Water Treatment plant free of charge, to be dumped in the Nemasket River.

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It seems to be a widespread understanding that the Waste Management contract provides the same freebie and this requires clarification.

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When the landfill was closed, the WASTE that the Middleboro landfill had accepted (sewage solids) was trucked to Rhode Island and it was discovered that the Town of Middleboro hadn't been charging the current commercial rates to the Waste Water Department that is operated as an ENTERPRISE account.

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Since the WW Department also accepts the contents of those trucks that pump septic tanks, that must mean that commercial haulers also weren't paying their fair share.

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Much as we'd all like to flush and believe it's gone, could this be another issue the BOS lacks the expertise to comprehend and manage? Could this be another issue defined as lack of transparency since nothing is posted on the Town's Pathetic Web Site?

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Since the CRAC (Casino Resort Advisory Committee) seems to be bogged down at present justifying a town-owned ambulance service, it might be convenient if mitigation information were posted on the Town's Web Site to answer questions that have been raised regarding the impact of comparable issues on town services, unless as the Chairman continues to maintain, a mega-casino will have no impact.