A Place For The Tartar Sauce?

Ken O’Brien

Following The O’Zone’s publication of its latest post, Southbridge, Does This Smell Fishy To You?, a friend asked me when the council authorized the town manager to make these sales and who voted for it.

After reviewing the town council minutes, I was able to find the following entry:

TOWN COUNCIL MEETING

TOWN OF SOUTHBRIDGE

MONDAY May 21, 2012

AGENDA ITEM #2- ROLL CALL: Councilors present: CLEMENCE, LANGEVIN, MARCUCCI, NIKOLLA, REGIS, SPINELLI & VANDAL. Absent: LIVENGOOD. MCDONALD arrived at 7:05pm. 

Southbridge, Does This Smell Fishy To You?

Ken O’Brien

David Livengood

Tomorrow’s Southbridge News will carry an article by Gus Steeves titled, “First industrial park lot sold in Southbridge."

The article will say, in part:

SOUTHBRIDGE — After being on the market for months, the first parcel has been snapped up in what the town has designated to become the Southbridge Technology and Environment Park on Commercial Drive.

According to Town Manager Chris Clark, Oxford-based Mid-State Welding bought three of the nine available lots, approximately four acres in total, for $107,000. But because the state did the feasibility study there, the town is paying for that out of the proceeds, meaning Southbridge is netting $26,000 less. Income from future sales, however, will go entirely to the town. 

Sunday Photo-'Toons 1.4

Ken O'Brien

This week's venture into the re-interpretation of reality to reveal underlying truth (hopefully with a chuckle thrown in) welcomes a new participant.

Frequent O'Zone commenter I. M. Townie has donated a couple of  Photo-'Toons of his own. I welcome his contributions, and I hope that O'Zone readers will enjoy them.

It's been a busy week in local and national politics, and there was much more grist for the humor mill. Regrettably, time only allows so much in the world of satire manufacturing.

Breaking News: Lazo, Martinek File Papers For Town Council

Ken O'Brien

Update: May 10, 1 pm - Both Steve Lazo and Dennis Martinek have had a sufficient number of signatures validated to appear on the June election ballot.

Former town councilor and town council chair Steve Lazo and Southbridge resident Dennis Martinek today filed papers before the deadline to be on the ballot as candidates for Southbridge town councilors in the June election.

We must await notification that a sufficient number of their signatures have been validated for them to qualify.

If that bar is met then we can say, in typical Southbridge fashion, the race is on!

UPDATE: Incumbent councilor David Livengood fails to return papers.

Sunday Photo-'toons: Southbridge's Next Election

Ken O'Brien

Readers of the papyrus Sunday newspapers are treated to a variety of editorial opinions expressed in imagery.

The tradition gained mass popularity in the days of the Condé-Nast publications, but it has a far longer and more colorful history. I encourage anyone who thinks our current political landscape is populated by commentators who lack restraint to examine the past record of visual depictions of partisan opinion.

Where’s The Beef?

Ken O’Brien

We’re a little more than two months away from the annual Southbridge town election.

Thus far six people have taken out papers to run for town council; incumbents Denise Clemence, David Livengood and Lawrence Spinelli and newcomers Jean Heid, Shaun Moriarty and Amelia Peloquin.

While few people take an interest in elections until several weeks in advance, it is time to start to demand that candidates offer us more than the vague and pious platitudes that have dominated campaigns in the past. 

Breaking News: Clemence and Livengood Take Out Nomination Paper for Southbridge Town Council

Ken O’Brien

The headline says it all.