Adding It Up – Part I

Ken O’Brien

The annual town election is now a week and a half away.

There are three items on the agenda about which voters will have their say.

First is the vote on the petition that will alter the form of town government from the current council/manager form of government to return to a selectmen/town meeting format.

Second is the election of three members to the Southbridge School Committee.

Third is the election of three members to the Southbridge Town Council. 

Referendum Proposal Is Just Plain Sloppy

Ken O’Brien

Proponents of the referendum question that would return Southbridge to a town meeting/selectmen form of government are indeed outspoken in their support of the proposal.

However, their shrill proclamations on behalf of the petition shy away from dealing with the specifics of their proposal.

Rather, they resort to two forms of response to those who provide specific criticisms of their plan. Either they provide generic tracts extolling the virtues of town meetings in general or they engage in personal attacks denigrating their critics.

Unfortunately, they cannot escape the reality that voters will be confronted with a specific proposal on the June 24^th ballot. 

Southbridge Town Meeting Petition Is A Fraud

Ken O’Brien

One of the sponsors of the petition to reinstate the town meeting form of government in Southbridge has recently demonstrated on his blog an affection for using common-world definitions in a legal context to support an opinion.

With that in mind, I’d like to invoke the Merriam-Webster definition of fraud as it applies to my opinion of the petition and its sponsors. “Fraud: a: deceit, trickery; specifically:  intentional perversion of truth in order to induce another to part with something of value or to surrender a legal right b: an act of deceiving or misrepresenting:  trick”. 

Tell Council “Take Control Of Budget And Tax Rate”

Ken O’Brien

In February of last year The New York Times reported, “Since the official recovery began after the recession’s June 2009 trough, labor market weakness has been most pronounced in the public sector (and particularly among state and local employment): 5 million jobs have been added in the private sector (a disappointingly low number), while the public sector has shed 721,000 jobs.” 

Steeves Takes Scalpel To Marino “Plan”

Ken O’Brien

Gus Steeves

Local commentator, former Evening News reporter and prospective candidate for Southbridge Town Council Gus Steeves has published a new installment of his column “Earthborn” in the May 2 edition of the Southbridge News.

Titled “Red flags fly over petition” he examines what he terms “…a disturbing and potentially dangerous conflict”  in the petition designed to return Southbridge to a town meeting form of government.

Mr. Steeves elaborates on this assessment as follows:

Restore Southbridge's Beloved Town Meetings

Don’t Vote For “A Pig In A Poke”

Ken O’Brien

The expression “Don't buy a pig in a poke” is very old, but actually it can be taken quite literally and remains good advice.

The advice being given is 'don't buy a pig until you have seen it'. This is enshrined in British commercial law as 'caveat emptor' - Latin for 'let the buyer beware'. This remains the guiding principle of commerce in many countries and, in essence, supports the view that if you buy something you take responsibility to make sure it is what you intended to buy. 

Southbridge School Budget Meeting Should Be Broadcast

Ken O'Brien

Southbridge's Town Councilors are constantly telling us that the real work on the budget is done in subcommittee. After The O'Zone's review of how the General Government subcommittee zipped through its budget responsibility that appears a disingenuous claim at best. 

Only in my wildest dreams would anyone who watched that subcommittee report and felt that “real work was done” offer me or anyone else a job. That would be the ultimate definition of a sinecure.

There can be little doubt that the school budget proposed by the Superintendent is controversial. It is substantially more than the acting Town Manager has proposed. In addition, Mr. Reed has expressed something verging on outrage regarding expected unemployment insurance costs.

Cool It

Ken O’Brien

The old saying goes, “Sin in haste, repent at leisure.”

In the context of government, the value of this aphorism was recognized by the founders of the Republic.

A key goal of the framers was to create a Senate differently constituted from the House so it would be less subject to popular passions and impulses. "The use of the Senate," wrote James Madison in Notes of Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787 "is to consist in its proceedings with more coolness, with more system and with more wisdom, than the popular branch." 

A Dry Run?

Ken O’Brien

This week’s public meetings of Southbridge’s governing bodies should provide an interesting set of counterpoints.

On Monday the Town Council will receive a presentation from the Town Clerk on the fate of a citizens’ petition. Sponsored by a group calling itself “We The People” headed by former Town Councilor James Marino, the petition calls for Southbridge to return to a selectmen/town meeting form of government.

Group Seeks To Upgrade Town Government From 2.0 To 1.2

Ken O’Brien

The Worcester telegram reports that the Southbridge group calling itself “We The People” has obtained the required number of certified signatures to have its plan to return to a selectmen/town meeting form of government placed on the June ballot.

Town Clerk Madaline Daoust said that of the 705 signatures turned in, 587 had been certified. That was 18 more than the 569 required as mandated by the Town Charter. The charter sets the threshold as 5% of the registered voters at the time of last regular town election.

Exclusive: Homer Simpson Comments On “Marino Madness”

Ken O’Brien

The perennial pest-ition godfathered by legendary miscreant James J. (Joe) Marino is once again making the rounds of Southbridge.

For both of you who are unfamiliar with this now annual diversion, allow me to recap.

Mr. Marino and his band of occasionally “head-butted” followers are once again circulating a petition to restore Southbridge to a town meeting form of government.

Easy To Be Hard

Ken O’Brien

As I was watching the early part of the Southbridge Town Council Meeting last Monday night I was genuinely excited.

There were two reasons for this.

First, and perhaps foremost, was that I was finally going to be able to say something positive about our town’s Economic Development and Planning Department. Followers of The O’Zone know that I have been a relentless critic of this office and its Director. But, really, they make it so easy to be hard. Most recently I pointed out their failure to have the Southbridge Technology and Environment Park mentioned in a web-site devoted to promoting business-ready sites in Massachusetts.

Southbridge - Mayor Maybe? (Vote in our poll)

Ken O’Brien

With the imminent departure of Town Manager Christopher Clark I believe that it is time to resurrect a proposal that I have put forward in the past. I have been encouraged as well by several people asking me to create a poll gauging public interest in such a proposal.

The issue in question is the proposition that Southbridge switch from its current town manager/council form of government to a mayor/council format. 

Poll Indicates “NO” on Town Meeting Plan: Timeline Also A Problem

Ken O’Brien

After a weeklong poll asking O’Zone readers their opinion on a proposal to return Southbridge to a Town Meeting/Board of Selectmen the results are in.

By a margin of three to two participants in the poll voted against the plan.

How Do You Feel?

Ken O’Brien

For the last week we’ve had a raging debate about the initiative petition being circulated to return Southbridge to a Selectman/Town Meeting form of government.

Now The O’Zone is going to give you an opportunity to weigh in on the issue.

On the right you will see a poll which will give you the opportunity to vote yes or no on whether this proposal should be adopted (assuming it gets on the June ballot).

We will leave the voting open for a week.

As in the past we request that only Southbridge residents who are of legal voting age participate in the poll.

“Take Back Our Town”

A Film by Paul Zotos & Mike Marketti

Southbridge residents James Marino and James Sottile discuss a petition to return Southbridge to a town meeting/board of selectmen form of government.

Following is the text of the petition: