Mea Culpa, eventually

Nothing I hate more than going to a website and it not opening.   Specifically, one you pay for, and more specifically this morning The Standard Times.  Listen I get the fact there are issues that come up.  I get the fact that there is routine maintenance.  I still get ticked off.

Great story from The Boston Herald:

Taxpayers will end up shoveling out at least $15,000 for an army of plows and trucks to remove snow from state lawmakers’ parking spaces and sidewalks on Beacon Hill while the rest of the city was still buried under last week’s historic blizzard, state officials said. 

The Department of Conservation and Recreation, which paid for the private plowing effort, yesterday provided the Herald with details of the lightning-fast snow removal operation, which involved two dump trucks, a plow and two loaders to haul away the snow from around the State House last Sunday. 

The estimated bill taxpayers will end up paying the private contractor, Valley Crest, is $15,450, according to DCR spokeswoman S.J. Port. The DCR, which maintains the State House, has a contract with Valley Crest to remove the snow within 12 hours after a storm.

So what does that work out to so our state legislators can conveniently park?  Boston received what, two feet of snow?  It is only around $625.00 per inch.  With 200 Reps. and Senators that comes out to just over $3.00 per.  A small price to pay for leadership.

Speaking of leadership ... 

It seems I owe an apology to our selectboard.  Last Thursday I was informed that an article had been placed on the Town Meeting Warrant by the selectmen which had been submitted without the requisite number of signatures, which the selectmen would be entitled to do.  

This particular article however has no business on the warrant, with or without signatures.

Based on the information provided, I went into a mild rant (at least mild for me).  Comes to find out, there were signatures submitted with the article.

So my very sincere apologies to the members of the Board of Selectmen for the chastising about something they did not do.

Once the warrant is finalized, I will get to the specifics of the article.  

Town Elections ...

The deadline for returning nomination papers has come and gone.  We will have contested races for Selectman, Board of Health, Planning Board (just the one year unexpired term I think), and School Committee.  Might have had one or two more, but some people did not to return papers.

While the ballot will not be as crowded as last year, the races do hold potential.  In the Selectman's race, there will certainly be the carryover issue from last year related to the turbines, along with the open and transparent government theme.  Which will be the same two issues that dominate the Board of Health race.

The one year race for Planning Board will be interesting.  It involves a relative new comer to town verses a long time, life long I believe, resident.  In Fairhaven as in many smaller communities that matters. Not saying it should, but it does.

The School Committee race involves three candidates for two seats.  Where that race will go, who knows.  I have just about reached the point of stopping to attempt to analysis the races for that position.

I have seen too many results over the years that quite frankly give one pause to wonder.

Elections are the ultimate people's choice awards.  Popularity always, always trumps qualifications (usually because, well I won't say it).

Nothing wrong with that per se.  Although it can at times have adverse consequences. 

And the reverse can be true also.  Background, education and professional experience are certainly qualifications to consider, but no one of these qualities equate into making someone the better candidate.

I am not going to get into any real discussion on this right now. 

Before I go, I have to provide you with a link to a story someone sent to me.

It is about a lawsuit filed by a finance committee member against the Town of Shirley's Board of Selectmen, for issuing a "No Trespass Notice" against the individual for comments made during a Fin Com meeting.  Watch the video on the page.

Folks if this guy looses his lawsuit we are all in trouble as far as "free speech".   In all honest, if you watch the tape, you will certainly hear the "pull out my gun"  but at the end hear starting shooting yourself".  Should he have expressed himself in a different way, maybe.  Should he be banned from public buildings?

Nuts, absolutely nuts.  Apparently everyone else in Shirley but the selectmen feel that way.  The guy, who has been banned from the buildings for 21 months, was reappointed to fin com and was re-elected to another board.  

The e-mail I received with the link states:

Thought you might want to wax poetic on this one. 

Then again, maybe we shouldn't give our guys any ideas, huh?

As critical as I am of our Board of Selectmen at times, I don't envision anyone of them being even remotely that out of tune with reality. 

That is about as much waxing this particular matter deserves, except to say listen to the very last comment made on the video.  That really is an idea I think our guys should be given and acknowledge.

Hey that's it for today.  Be safe!