You sound fine to me, Andy. Rene
On Fri, 31 May 2002, Andy Limeri wrote: > Hi Nicola and Joel, > I'll have to respectfully disagree with you on a whole > lot of levels. I thought the town meeting process was > very well done. The town administration works with > the Selectmen (who would presumably become our city > council) all the time and has a tendency to become > fairly chummy with them. Town meeting is a far more > independent and unpredictable organization that forces > them to consider the average citizen's point of view. > > Town Meeting also forces the adminstration to be much > more open in its processes and to explain their > decisions in an open forum and in an understandable > manner. Finally, I disagree that we are naiive. Many > of the Town Meeting Members have been involved in > government longer than the current administration. > These people know what is going on and they are > willing and able teachers. Do you really percieve > that the selectmen are more responsive to your needs > than Town Meeting? > > About the override. This is the first true override > Framingham has had in 11 years. The last one was in > 1991. In 1999, there was a debt exclusion (DE). The > difference is that a DE is not a permanent increase to > the tax base. When the capital project the DE was > designed to pay for is complete (in this case the high > school renovation), taxes will decrease that amount. > > About the Firefighters. The trash fee and > firefighters have nothing to do with each other. This > was a dispute over how to implement the minimum > staffing clause in the firefighters contract. The > town administration thought that including full > staffing in the contingency budget met the clause and > funded the original budget that way. The firefighters > argued the clause meant they should be held harmless > in the balanced budget. They won over both the court > and town meeting. Town meeting was convinced in part > because the fire fighters are already at the lowest > staffing level they have been since the early '80's. > In addition, over the last 10-15 years, they have > retired equipment without replacing it. They now > answer over twice as many calls as they did 10 years > ago. > > The trash fee was a poor attempt by the selectmen and > adminstration to have the final say over the > firefighters by implementing a really bad idea. Their > bluff was called and hopefully the selectmen will pay > for it in the next election. > > I'm a new Town Meeting member. Do I sound naiive? > Andy > > > --- Nicola Cataldo <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Well said, Joel. > > > > One of the problems I see though with remaining a > > Township is this notion > > that the control is in the hands of the naiive. > > Theoretically the > > townspeople have more control under the current > > system but there is enough > > manipulation and clever packaging of issues and > > articles that control is > > only an illusion at times. This recent one for ex:: > > "If you want > > firefighters to be there when your house is burning, > > vote for trash pickup > > fees." A very odd connection and it smacks of > > emotional blackmail. What's > > next? "Vote me a pay raise or I shoot this dog?" > > Possibly as a city it > > would lose this flavor of the Pros vs. the gullible > > laymen. > > > > And there is the perennial Override ploy that sounds > > like, If you love > > children and care about the future, vote for a tax > > hike. I've been > > listening to this one for twenty years. > > > > But try this on: My friend and neighbor here is in > > the hospital having a > > second heart operation at this very moment. He is a > > 40 year resident of > > Framingham and was a town employee for 28 years. He > > is now on a fixed > > income, has some hefty medical bills and is being > > forced out of the town he > > built -- not just with his tax money but literally > > with his own two hands -- > > because of the tax increases and other cost hikes. > > Two houses down is the > > widow of a former Framingham police officer. Any > > more cost increases and > > she may be forced out too. I care as much about > > children and education as > > the next parent, but I can't swallow driving people > > out of their homes after > > they spent their entire lives building this town. > > We need to defend their > > welfare too. > > > > Nicci Cataldo > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Joel A Feingold" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > To: "Nicola Cataldo" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; > > "Peter C.S. Adams" > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Sent: Thursday, May 30, 2002 8:59 AM > > Subject: RE: Oh my God! Are you kidding? > > > > > > > Dear Friends and Neighbors, > > > > > > Nearly a decade ago, when I moved to Framingham, I > > too supported Town vs. > > > City. I understand everyone's frustration these > > days, with many changes, > > > with money tight, and the pressure of trying to > > maintain essential > > services > > > and quality education amidst it all. I do not know > > where I'd come out on > > > this question now, and I suggest that correcting > > some of our problems > > would > > > be just as hard as a City as it is as a Town. What > > matters is who our > > > elected and appointed officials are, what they > > stand for, how they think, > > > their values, and whether they put the general > > interest of the Town over > > > their own narrower self interest. > > > > > > These days, opposition groups in Framingham are > > very vocal, often to the > > > point of visciousness. Generally, the headers of > > these groups are full of > > > influential rhetoric and lack a vision of > > Framinghams future. They are > > still > > > in Framingham's past. This is not so much wrong as > > it is inadaquate. The > > one > > > real change advocated is reducing the Selectmen > > from 5 to 3, with the > > > obvious goal of making it easier to gain a > > majority control on the Board. > > > This would be dangerous for many Framingham > > residents as it would reduce > > the > > > representation of diverse opinions. Moving to a > > City form of government > > also > > > presents this problem, especially in a Strong > > Mayor situation. However, a > > > City form also provides opportunities for better > > management and control, > > > along with plenty of plumb jobs. > > > > > > Framingham, I have learned, has some of the best > > aspects of Towns - many > > > committed citizens willing to serve as volunteers > > - and some of the > > worst - > > > a very insider mentality. Becoming a City won't > > change that either. > > > > > > None the less, a switch may be in order because we > > need more and more > > > professional, hardnosed and experienced people in > > all positions, and they > > > need to be well managed, to enable us to stand up > > to the corporate > > > development onslaught. We can't sue every > > developer who comes here and we > > > can't block everything. What we must do is like > > Judo - "The soft flexible > > > way" - in that we need to influence where and what > > development happens by > > > being part of a process, directing it, guiding it, > > and making sure it > > suits > > > all Framingham's needs, not any particular > > interest groups narrower > > > interests. > > > > > > Joel A. Feingold > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On > > > Behalf Of Nicola Cataldo > > > Sent: Thursday, May 30, 2002 8:10 AM > > > To: Peter C.S. Adams; [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > Subject: Re: Oh my God! Are you kidding? > > > > > > > > > Put me down as in support of such a move. Let me > > know what I can do. > > > > > > N. Cataldo > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > From: "Peter C.S. Adams" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > Sent: Wednesday, May 29, 2002 2:14 PM > > > Subject: Re: Oh my God! Are you kidding? > > > > > > > > > > Several years ago I voted to keep Framingham a > > "town," buying into the > > > > townies' argument that they had just reformed > > town government, there was > > > > now a Town manager, things would soon be better, > > etc. Since then, things > > > > have only gotten worse. Will there be another > > vote to turn Framingham > > into > > > > a city any time soon? > > > > [ To unsubscribe, send email to > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=unsubscribe > > > > Archives available at > > http://www.mail-archive.com/ > > > > For help send mail to > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > Web interface at http://frambors.syslang.net] > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > [ To unsubscribe, send email to > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=unsubscribe > > > Archives available at http://www.mail-archive.com/ > > > For help send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > Web interface at http://frambors.syslang.net] > > > > > > > > > > > > [ To unsubscribe, send email to > > [EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=unsubscribe > > Archives available at http://www.mail-archive.com/ > > For help send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Web interface at http://frambors.syslang.net] > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup > http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com > [ To unsubscribe, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=unsubscribe > Archives available at http://www.mail-archive.com/ > For help send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Web interface at http://frambors.syslang.net] > [ To unsubscribe, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=unsubscribe Archives available at http://www.mail-archive.com/ For help send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web interface at http://frambors.syslang.net]
