National, State and Local

Starting off, a bit more on this week's presidential and senatorial debates.

For a rather biting editorial from Obama's "hometown" paper, take a look at a piece that appeared in The Chicago Tribune.  It could be entitled "The Spanking, Part II".

I spent a good part of 7 plus years going to school in the Mid-west.  I knew a great many people from Chicago.  Back then, the liberal vs. conservative press wars between "The Trib" and "The Sun" made the on going Globe/Herald slug fest look like a Saturday afternoon social.

I bring up this particular piece for two reasons.  First, one person commented to be "You had to be wearing blinders when you viewed the debate".  If I was, I certainly was not the only one.

Secondly, the editorial is a magnificent piece of writing assessing the performances at the debate.  Certainly much better written and insightful than anything this blogger could ever come up with, and it comes from a paper no one is ever going to confuse of having a conservative slant.

On the Massachusetts Senatorial front take a look at:

WBUR Republican analyst scorecard
http://www.wbur.org/2012/10/01/grading-second-senate-debate-domke

WBUR Democratic analyst scorecard
http://www.wbur.org/2012/10/01/brown-won-second-debate

Read them, and notice the difference in what was addressed and how it was addressed.

One clearly is about performance, the other is about excuses.  One addressees points, the other is about excuses.  One actually contains style and substance, the other is about excuses.

You will forgive me but each one pretty much mirrors the campaign reflective of the party candidates.

The only mutual point is the fact Brown did win the debate.

Locally, if you are a Fairhaven Town Meeting Member, be paying attention for a Special Town Meeting to be called soon, to be held I would guess the week after Thanksgiving.  In any event, it cannot be held any later than December 8, 2012.

Why you may ask?

The driving force on this timetable will be the proposed addition to the Voc-Tech.  The law governing regional school districts, and borrowing by the district, allows the district school committee to take a vote to authorize borrowing.  The borrowing cannot occur until sixty days after the vote.  The committee must provide written notice not later than 7 days after the vote to the member communities.

The purpose of the vote by town meeting would be in the nature to disapprove.  The statute is written to specifically require a town to hold a meeting to disapprove the action of the school community within 60 days of the school committee vote.  If the town meeting action does not occur, the borrowing would automatically be allowed.

Sound familiar?

The information I have, at this point, indicates the actual vote by the regional school committee will take place on October 9, 2012.  Thus, do the math and we must convene a STM no later than December 8, 2012.

Seems Dartmouth found out about the project moving froward just a tad earlier than Fairhaven, as there is a warrant article for the 10/16/2012  Dartmouth Fall Town Meeting.  Apparently, it and its officials didn't have to pick up the newspaper to read about it.

I am doing my best here not to let my personal displeasure over the rules and regulations and statutes which effectively gutted a written agreement between the communities and forced taxpayers in the Towns of Dartmouth and Fairhaven to subsidize the City of New Bedford cloud my judgment on the specific project.

And as soon as the regional school committee will let us know what that specific project is I will begin to formulate an opinion on the project.