local officials

#Pollution in #CapeCod waters sparks debate

Submitted by Anonymous on Sat, 11/26/2011 - 12:00am

Ah....the pristine waters of Cape Cod -- in your dreams 

This article in the Globe describes a "really gross". situation that affects not only the quality of life for Cape Cod residents, but threatens their public health.  Never mind the tourist industry.

“There can be so much algae in the water that they look like huge lily pads, like you can walk across them on the water,’’ said Scott Zeien, owner of Kingman Yacht Center, who has been swimming and sailing off this Bourne village since he was a child. “It’s really gross. It looks like a bad day on the Mississippi River - not a place anyone would want to swim.’’

The problem, a growing body of evidence suggests, stems from the dramatic rise in development on the Cape and the lack of sufficient waste-disposal systems.

The remnants of sewage from septic tanks of the more than 200,000 full-time Cape residents is seeping into the ground water and polluting estuaries, bays, and other bodies of water from Bourne to Orleans. Tides flush out the pollution on the northern side of Cape Cod.

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Penny Wise and Pound Foolish Leads to Big Whoops! in Framingham.

Submitted by Judy Meredith on Thu, 10/27/2011 - 11:00pm

 

 
 Framingham CFO seeks budget improvements after finding $1.5m gap
 
Framingham's Chief Financial Officer said she wants to make improvements in the way the town manages its money to avoid future budget surprises, like the $1.5 million shortfall discovered by town finance officials on the eve of this fall’s Special Town Meeting. The $1.5 million is a payment on a loan that must made in the current fiscal year, 2012, but which officials originally thought they could spread over multiple years.
 
CFO Mary Ellen Kelley said the calculating error occurred because the town's three financial officers are overworked and must use outdated accounting technology. She also said the town currently lacks the flexibility to deal with loan payments when it needs to borrow more than expected for capital projects moving faster than anticipated.
 
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Candidate calls for governor to declare state of emergency, bring in National Guard

Submitted by Sondra Peskoe on Tue, 08/23/2011 - 4:19pm

In the past three years, Lawrence lost $12 - $15 million in local aid.  The lack of these funds have severe reprecussions. Lawrence lost one-third of their police ranks due to these budget cuts and layoffs , so consequently when emergency services recently were faced with a large and unruly crowd, they were forced to call in reinforcements from the state and another town to assist in handling the situation. Clearly Lawrence residents have been adversely affected by State and Municipal budget cuts.  It seems they don't have what we all strive for - a safe community to live and work. We all need to work to change this...all communities in MA should be safe to live and work, supporting healthy families, and with the opportunity for providing quality education for all our children.

"I feel pretty positive we will be able to restore some of those cuts," [State Rep. David] Torrisi said. "It's not consolation to the people suffering right now, but we're trying our best to deliver the resources."  [Full Article: Eagle-Tribune]

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Civic Engagement From the Top: A Local Example

Submitted by Sondra Peskoe on Thu, 03/31/2011 - 1:34pm

Civic engagement can occur at various levels, not only at the citizen level.  In Cambridge, civic engagement was apparent with elected and appointed officials and School Superintendent.  There were community meetings with parent groups from performing and non-performing schools, teacher meetings, establishment of Middle School Task Force, and numerous hearings.  Here’s the history of what happened...

On Tuesday, March 15, 2011, the Cambridge School Committee voted to adopt an Innovation Agenda to create four public “upper schools” for the district, consolidating most of the city’s 6th through 8th grade students into four school buildings.

Was the recommendation of separate middle schools a foregone conclusion before the process began?  Was this process undertaken with an open mind, listening to teachers and parents, and a rigorous scholastic research effort?   Or, was it time for a decision to be made to move forward a plan to address the racial inequities in education, although that’s not really how it was presented to the public?

This certainly isn’t the end for this issue. Racial disparity in the public schools has been a long term problem in Cambridge. How did this social change process feel for the families, teachers, elected officials?  This wasn’t a grassroots civics engagement effort for social change.  Should it be when the issue is racial inequity in education?    The lesson is that it’s the elected officials’ job to listen to everybody, consider the research, and make the decisions on social justice issues as best they can.  It’s not a matter of which constituency has the loudest voice.  In the end, it’s about all children receiving high quality education, regardless of which school they attend.

Cambridge residents will be watching to see if the Innovation Agenda addresses the racial disparity and quality of education problem in the Cambridge Public Schools and closes the achievement gap that has been a high priority for Cambridge for so long.

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The challenge we face

Submitted by yawu on Thu, 03/20/2008 - 1:10pm

Andover selectman incumbent faces challenge from newcomer

By Crystal Bozek and Courtney Paquette
Staff Writers

Eagle Tribune

ANDOVER — She has been on the Board of Selectmen for close to eight years, but Tuesday Mary Lyman will face her first challenger for her seat.

Lyman faces off against Peter Cotch, a local attorney, who said he is not satisfied with the way Andover has been run, saying officials have spent too much, leading to large budget shortfalls. Lyman, on the other hand, contends elected officials have tried their best, but are up against a wall as health insurance and energy costs continue to rise.

Cotch is running on a platform of opposition to any new taxes — whether they come in the form of a tax override or the Community Preservation Act.

This news clip from the Eagle Tribune could be from any town in Massachusetts. More than 40 years of anti-government messaging have convinced many a learned soul that if there’s a problem with their town, it’s the fault of the local officials – the townfolk who have stepped up to serve as local government. Of course this ignores the reality that 10 years of tax cuts in Massachusetts have resulted in deep cuts to the local aid and Chapter 70 education funds cities and towns have long relied on. And, as Lyman points out, it ignores the reality of rising costs of fuel and health insurance.

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