What would have happened in late Spring 2007 if Middleboro's elected officials had paused for a moment amidst the casino hoopla and said, "wait a minute, something's not right here"?I don't know.
Because that never happened. But thanks to Saturday's election, we might finally get the chance to find out.
I wish the folks who won all the best.
And I wish the voters and people of Middleboro the best as well. They certainly deserved better than having the 'world's biggest casino' and sovereign nation rubberstamped and shoved down their throats, and their quailty of life threatened, without anyone in charge asking real questions.
As for those who ran but didn't win - in my previous post I mentioned those who've made the walk up Beacon Hill and even Capitol hill after being faced with a casino or failed Indian policy in their own back yard. But hats off to those who've made the 'ultimate sacrifice' - they've run for office in the hope of making a difference and making their community a better place from the ground up.
You never lose when you're in the game for all the right reasons.
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30 comments:
AS I drove away from the voting station I glanced at Spataro holding his little sign in my rearview mirror with the Patty Smyth/Scandal song"Good bye to you"playing in my head.What a good day.Congrats to Steve McKinnon.It was so close for the others.What is the skinny on Al Rullo?
Thank you for imparting wisdom once again, Gladys. You are so right on.
I shutter with eyes closed and think of the powerful who are in "the game" for self serving reasons.
It is long past time, that those who foisted themselves on us in the name of better government....to step aside for those who are "in the game for the right reasons."
Onward and upward.
Spartaro's loss and the close race for the other seat should speak volumes to the current BOS. You are not alone, we are here with you. Steve McKinnon is a positive cat, I hope he can make an impact. I would have loved to see Greg take a seat too.
Al Rullo is a pro-casino townie who spent election day going from place to place with Wayne Perkins. plbbbbtttt....
That being said he does seem to have some decent things to say. Although he doesn't give me the warm fuzzies, I am hopeful that he won't be the utter train-wreck that is the last townie to gain office. The good news is that he will be there only a year before he has to be re-elected.
The scariest dud to win is Wane Perkens. Most people figured out he's a political hack and prety useles in anything other than screwing up the town and taking care of unions. I'm wiling to give him one chance at town meeting before reminding him he was recaled once.
Next time he won't win. It was time to retire Wane.
If Marcia and minny mi resigned we could be almost their with 1 election.
marcia only knows what roger tells her
minny mi doesnt know what day it is except its time to plant the flowers
then get a good cnadidate to run against tank man
I like Steve McKinon and am glad he got elected. Mr. Rullo will have to wait for public opinion.
Shame about Waine Perkens. Is that why he didnt stand at the bos meeting?
ya shudda seen marcia's performence tonite gave tankmen all ansers knows more than finance comm made sum of it up doncha know
Tonight's BOS Meeting was a good showing for the 2 new members. They each asked good questions.
Not unexpected, Mrs. Brunelle was on the ofensive to discredit the Finance Comittee.
She seemed to believe that ALL town vehicles are being repaired by the DPW.
One need only drive around town to see town vehicles parked at private repair shops. If Mrs. Brunelle is correct, I wonder why?
anon 4:24,Your coment about townies makes me wonder if that didn't explain some of the vote.Some people in town are just geting disgusted with nepotism, favoratism, secrecy, hacks and a few do nothings on the payroll.Marsha made a coment during tonights meeting in her try to criticise the finance comitee that the secreteries work hard. Marsha works all day how does she know?i went to town hall for papers marsha was charmen said secratery just steped out back few minutes after 2 hrs went home left mesage dianne called me next day.wear was she?
I agree with the previous poster that the new members of the Board made a good showing and asked good questions.
It is clear that Marsha is threatened with good cause.
Did anyone notice that the new Fire Chief spoke about the AMR ambulences? He knew the square footage of 2 of the stations not the 3rd-the Central Station when the question was asked about how much AMR was paying per square foot to rent space in the contract. He seemed to think that AMR was housing 3 ambulances in Mboro. Doesnt the contract provide for only 2 ambulences?
Marsha the ALL Knowing didn't correct him. Doesn't she know how many ambulences were in the contract? She remembered that the board signed a 3 year contract and never answered the voter's question.
I saw Mr. Spataro walking down the street Sunday morning. He had a big smile on his face and looked like a man who just had the weight of the world lifted off his shoulders. I think he's glad its over.
Marsha is the next one who needs to experience that glorious feeling.
That's an interesting thought about Marcia feeling threatened.
Now she has 2 people with brains on the Board. That's threat enough!
Should she be the one gavalled to silence so she stops saying stupid things? Oh, I forgot that she has to tell the Chairman how to conduct the meetings.
Smoking Owl,
Thanks for giving us yet another positive way to look at Mr. Spataro's defeat.
Smoking Owl,
Are you suggesting that it is wise to retain the Beautification Queen on the Board?
Not at all. What I'm saying is, Mr. Spataro seemed relieved to be unburdened with his roll as a selectman.
I think Marsha Brunelle and Mini Me deserve the same favor and we should unburden them also at the next possible opportunity.
Does anybody notice that within two years of the IGA there are only two selectmen left on the board who signed it? Change is coming but it takes time. If we all hold steadfast in our determination, they will all be gone before the first shovel full of dirt is turned over.
Gladys,
You know me, I'm always looking on the bright side when I'm not stirring the S#*t Storm.
Smoking Owl,
Freudian slip when describing Spataro's "roll" when you might have meant "role"?
You were correct albeit subtle!
Spataro would have gone back to sleep or text messaging after the election as in the past.
How odd that the one who coined the term Big Leagues was so far out of his.
The weight you perceive lifted off his shoulders was that of a man struggling to tread the waters of comprehension. Not the brightest bulb, one might say!
How we'll miss the Cheap Seats musical!
Minni Me at least stepped off the dais when the Fire Dept was discussed. Ethics complaints maybe? Must have been those damned rabid followers! By statute, Ethics Complaints are confidential. Pity!
Marsha and Minni Me aren't comical, just tragic! or is that pathetic?
Two more years?
Minni Me will flee when she figures out the sole issue she's dedicated her life to is NEVER coming! Or maybe a friend will explain how she embarrasses herself each week.
I remember the first time I saw Steve Mckinnon at the microphone, notebook in hand, asking very studious questions to the BOS. I thought to myself....I like this guy.
He really presents himself as someone who is sincere, conscientious and will do his due diligence to serve in the best interests of the town. A big congratulations to him...that board is slowly starting to look much better.
Jacquie, you're so right! He asks questions and does his homework. Those are things the incumbents never seem to do.
Mimi looks like a deer caught in the headlights.
Marsha doesn't get her facts straight.
Judgement is reserved on Rullo. It's clear this was a last minute decision on his part and he doesn't have the history.
has anyone found the exec mtg minutes that pat roger said were posted?Cant find anything on ptws!
Some are here:
http://www.middleborough.com/Selectmen/Executive%20Session%20Minutes/
and a bunch more are buried in the directory structure by month and then by year along with the regular minutes.
How consistent...
Dont lose hope. Marcia and Mimi didnt get 50% of the vote last time. The votes are on the town clerk's site. Check it out before you think either really won anything. Mimi's election proves you cant elect a single isue candidate with no brains.
Meowia,
Thanks!
That must be by the secretary who was never given a typing test!
Lombard sure left his indelible mark with that one!
Sorry Meowia. I just checked and those were the meeting minutes that were released in January 2009 for 2007.
Where are the ones for 2008 and 2009 that were just released?
Pat Roger said they were posted. Where?
I hate the PTWS!
Auntie Gladys,
Whats really strange is that there are those who are still fighting the casino war with the election results.
At Candidates' Night even when the Carcieri v Slazar decision was known, some actually asked questions about the casino as if it was coming, which it is not.
How does one provide enlightenment to these poor desparit souls who continue to cling to the life raft of "jobs" falsly believing The Rapist's promises (soon to don orange jumpsuit courtisy federal prison)?
Is it denial? the various stages of greef that they still haven't acepted?
Reading some of the local blogs, I don't respond and instead send another set of letters to my congressmen, the BIA, Justice, DOI.
I'm not Cathalic but have lit candels and prayed for the enlightenment of those misguided souls.
Do you think theirs any hope? Will they always be so angry and gullable?
Is their anything more I can do other than send another set of leters each time?
The meeting minutes for 2008 and 2009 Executive Sessions are posted in the same locations as the regular meeting minutes. For example, if you want the Executive Session minutes for January 2008, do the following:
First go to www.middleborough.com
Click on Departments.
Click on "S to Z".
Click on "Board of Selectmen".
Click on "Selectmen's Minutes and Agendas".
Click on the "Minutes" directory.
Click on the "January Minutes" directory.
Click on the "January 2008" directory.
You will see documents listed in the directory with "E.S." in the beginning of the filename -- these are Executive Session minutes.
Repeat for the other 11 months...
I wasn't kidding when I said they were buried...
Hope this helps.
Meowia,
Sincerest appreciation for demystifying the inexplicable!
Anon 9:30,
Mimi's election proves you CAN elect a single issue candidate with no brains.
In fact, this town did!
What her election also proves is that you SHOULDN'T elect a single issue candidate with no brains.
Let's hope we have a lesson learned and it doesn't ever happen again.
The pro-casino side is determined to ruin this town one way or another. Their friends with no qualifications do not belong on the BOS. It is bad for the town and it takes years to recover from their ineptitude.
Smoking Owl,
I also believe that voters will no longer tolerate the conspicuous arrogence of a few who divide the town.
It has been demonstrated by not only Spatero, but Wayne Perkins, Marsha Brunelle, Minni Me, Pat Rogers.
Marsha: "Sick and tired of this crap"
Rogers: "People of a certain caliber"
Wayne: his personnae defines his arrogence His narrow win for an inconsequential office has been duly noted!
Minni Me: her offense at being challenged for her participation in fire dept affairs and receiving cheap gifts Do you suppose all of those Ethics Complaints explain why she suddenly recuses herself from Fire Dept discussions? A little comeuppance for her stupidity?
Pat Rogers is in over his head and will be gone next year.
Maybe we'll be blessed by Minni Me resigning.
With the recent election, I falsly believed that the town would settle into the business of managing the town and adressing some of it's many problems.
Never did I believe how wrong I could have been so quickly.
It seems several raucus egoes are standing on their soapboxes, pounding their chests and .... well, it is undetermined whether it is labelled pontificating or bellowing.
Hal Brown, recently self-appointed local political pundit, provides a front row seat to the progression of dementia: analyst needing analysis.
What was that on CST? There are clearly advantages to paying for your own airtime when you need to have your pearls of wisdom spread. Any useful purpose? Doubtful!
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