Put Up Or Shut Up!

Ken O’Brien

Okay, the results are in.

O’Zone readers had the chance to nominate those people that they would like to see run for Southbridge town council.

Then you had 56 hours to cast your vote for those you would most like to see run.

The results were decisively in favor of three candidates, Dennis Martinek, Gary Fontaine and Shaun Moriarty.

But democracy is not a spectator sport.  As the great Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw said, “Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve.”

Now that you’ve expressed your desire to see these people run for town council it is up to you to help make it happen.

Why Southbridge Needs Change!

Ken O’Brien

The absolute first priority of any community is the welfare of its citizens.

The ruling majority on the Southbridge town council is answerable to a higher authority – and you can rest assured that it is not the same authority featured in the famous advertisement for Kosher hot dogs.

That higher authority is the economic interest of those who would plunder our town by making it the largest garbage dump in the state, an inflated town bureaucracy that serves to re-elect councilors that take care of their interests, and a council majority attempting to insulate their coopted town manager from removal by changing the charter instituted mandate that a majority of those elected by the people have a voice.

Poll Results Are In

Martinek, Fontaine and Moriarty Favored

Ken O’Brien

131 of you participated in our preference poll for candidates for Southbridge Town Council. That’s about 10% of the turnout in the last town election. While not a representative sample of the overall Southbridge electorate, it nevertheless is indicative of a strong base of support for the candidates who finished among the top three by a wide margin over the remaining nine prospects suggested by O’Zone readers.

Dennis Martinek gained the most votes with 66, followed closely by Gary Fontaine with 62 and Shaun Moriarty with 59.

Stop The Unfunded Mandates

Bob Cirba, Guest Contributor

I am curious.

When did we become so jaded that we no longer care about how the system we live within does business?  On Monday the 13th we have the annual Wringing of the Hands where the State reps (Gobi and Durant accompanied by Senator Stephen Brewer) give the State of the State address and tell us (for the fourth year in a row) just how badly we are doing.

Now for my money we could mail this bad boy in since it will once again be the same litany of excuses that we have grown accustomed to and been sedated by.  How did we get here and more to the point, when did this become the standard that we live by?  Take the recent article on the 11.3 million that we spend to bus homeless kids.  Now, I am all about making this an easier transition on these kids since they do NOT choose to be homeless.  Having said that, once again the Feds in their ever knowing wisdom and reach expect the towns and by extension the school district to pick up the tab on all of this.  I have no problem helping these folks out but the Mckinney-Vento program expects the towns to pick up the tab on all of this with zero Fed or State reimbursement.

So where does all of this leave us?

Moriarty Announces Candidacy for Southbridge Town Council

SOUTHBRIDGE — Building on his record of community service and desire to move his hometown forward, Shaun Moriarty announced today his candidacy for Town Council.

“I put myself forward not to oppose any candidate, group, or particular issue, but to bring a fresh, new perspective, without biases, agendas, or allegiances,” stated Moriarty. “I put myself forward because this town has struggled for too long and because I have witnessed and felt, first-hand, what the people of this town can do

Nominations Are Closed – It’s Time To Vote

Ken O’Brien

activerain.com

I am both pleased and surprised by the number of you who took the time to suggest names of those you would like to run for Southbridge town council.

I know, however, that the number of you who submitted suggestions is only a small fraction of those who read the article and the comments.

From those comments I have compiled a list of 12 names that were suggested. They are (in alphabetical order by last name):

Who Should Run?

Ken O'Brien

One of my regular readers, dismayed at the current paucity of "quality candidates", suggested that I run a survey among the rest of you loyal visitors.

Whom would you like to see as a candidate for Southbridge town council in this year's election?

I can tell you from personal experience that, often, all it takes to get someone to throw their hat into the ring is the knowledge that others think highly enough of them to encourage them to take the leap.

Industrial Development Finance Authority: The Next “Smart Cart”?

Ken O’Brien

Remember last year’s debate over the Smart Cart program?

First it was dead, then it was alive again, and finally there was reason to believe that it would be revivified at a later date.

It appears that a similar pattern may be shaping up in relation to the Industrial Development Finance Authority.

At February 6^th’s town council meeting the only item of business on the agenda was the third reading of the bylaw that, in its previous incarnation, would have created an Economic Development Commission and an Industrial Development Finance Authority. Last night, however, the vote was to create only the Economic Development Commission. The bylaw was amended to remove the IDFA.

Southbridge Town Council Meeting: February 6, 2012

Council chair Nikolla took great pride in announcing that tonight's meeting lasted only 34 minutes. Here is a video of tonight's meeting, focusing on the verbal lovefest among the chair, the vice chair and the town manager.

Romney vs. Economic Reality

Ken O’Brien

Willard Mitt Romney said yesterday, “If people think the economy is going in the right direction they should vote for President Obama.”

Well, for the vast number of Americans the direction of the economy has more to do with employment (i.e. jobs) than with any other single factor.

Despite all the rhetoric and sniping from Republicans, there is no doubt that our current state of affairs occurred on their watch during the Bush Administration. In the lead up to the earlier quote, Romney said, “President Obama did not cause our economic problems, but his policies made them worse.”

Bylaw Returns Without Industrial Development Financing Authority

Ken O’Brien

The Agenda for February 6^th’s Town Council Meeting is now available on the town website.

In keeping with a recent pattern, there is very little real business. In fact, there is only one item that constitutes town business.

“9. Vote to amend the By-law to adopt an Economic Development Commission under Chapter 3, Appointed Officers, Section 3.223 deleting the previously proposed Section 3.224, Industrial Development Finance Authority.”

The Synthetic Apprentice

Ken O’Brien

Yesterday in Las Vegas billionaire narcissist Donald Trump announced the kickoff of the new season of his pseudo-reality program The Apprentice.

This year’s edition will follow up on the theme concept introduced last year. You may recall 2011’s “Celebrity Apprentice” that featured such luminaries as Meatloaf and Gary Busey.

Former State Rep Arraigned on DUI

Ken O’Brien

Former state representative Mark Carron was arraigned this morning in Worcester Court on charges of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. If found guilty this would be his fourth such conviction.

One More Time, Southbridge, Bend Over

Ken O’Brien

According to some of those present, last night’s meeting of the General Government subcommittee reviewed a proposal to add another employee to the town manager’s office.

The responsibility of this person would be to review resumes of applicants for town positions. In essence, they would act as a “personnel officer”, thus sparing our town manager of one more task that has been traditionally performed by this office. (How much more do we have to pay him to do the job for which he was hired?)

According to those commenting, the salary range under discussion was $50,000 per year plus benefits.

Southbridge Property Tax Rates 2000 - 2012

Ken O'Brien

Some people have asked to see what property tax rates in Southbridge have looked like over time.

The following chart shows property tax rates since Fiscal Year 2000 in dollars per $1,000 of assessed valuation. The data is once again derived from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue - Division of Local Services.