----- Original Message ----- From: "Nicola Cataldo" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Andy Limeri" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: "Joel A Feingold" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, May 31, 2002 11:11 PM Subject: Re: Oh my God! Are you kidding?
> Andy, > > I believe you misunderstood me on a few points. It is not my opinion that > we are naiive. To the contrary. And I am well aware that the fire > department and the trash fee have nothing to do with each. But that's why I > objected to the two being bound together in the article. You and I are in > agreement; this strategy was poorly conceived manipulative and transparent. > And we were not naiive enough to fall for it. > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Andy Limeri" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "Nicola Cataldo" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Joel A Feingold" > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Peter C.S. Adams" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Friday, May 31, 2002 9:59 AM > Subject: Re: Oh my God! Are you kidding? > > > > 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]
