Southbridge Town Council: Budge It On Town’s Budget

Ken O’Brien

The gravy train is coming to an end folks!

For those of you who have been asleep for the past four months, we found out that the landfill wasn’t the $100 million bonanza we were originally promised.

For three years I’ve been trying to wake you up to the fact that bemoaning the tax rate when it is set in December is a fruitless exercise. That tax rate is effectively set in May when the Town Council adopts the budget.

How Would You Answer O'Reilly?

Corporations: The Real Welfare Queens

Ken O’Brien

Profitable corporations are supposed to pay a 35 percent federal income tax rate on their U.S. profits. But many corporations pay far less, or nothing at all, because of the many tax loopholes and special breaks they enjoy. A new report by Citizens for Tax Justice documents just how successful many Fortune 500 corporations have been at using these loopholes and special breaks over the past five years.

Conservatives and Tea Partiers constantly bemoan “Obama’s Socialist Welfare State” and cut unemployment benefits, food stamps, fuel assistance, education and other programs that benefit our neediest citizens in an effort to reduce the Federal deficit and the national debt. Simultaneously they turn a blind eye to the true beneficiaries of government largess – the biggest and most profitable corporations. 

Economically Developmentally Disabled

Ken O’Brien

Cassandra Acly

At Monday night’s sparsely-attended Town Council Meeting (only five councilors were present) Director of Economic Planning and Development Cassandra Acly made a presentation about plans to collaborate with the “South County Leadership Team”.

The essence of the presentation was about plans to cooperate with Quinsigamond Community College to develop training programs designed to prepare Southbridge residents to participate in the technologically advanced manufacturing environment of today. She mentioned areas such as education in operating Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) equipment.

She emphasized that she did not want to raise hopes unnecessarily, insofar as such plans were only in the discussion stage at present. 

Southbridge School Committee Agenda - February 25, 2014

SOUTHBRIDGE SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING   

LOCATION: Robert G. MacKinnon Council Chambers, 41 Elm Street  

DATE: Tuesday, February 25, 2014  

TIME: 7:00 PM

AGENDA

     I. Pledge of Allegiance  

    II. Public Input  

    III. Meeting Called to Order  

    IV. Roll Call 

Welcome SlowTowny

Ken O’Brien

Recently I lamented the demise of what was once an active Southbridge blog culture.

It is therefore with no small amount of pleasure that I want to bring to your attention a new local blog. 

I encourage you to visit SlowTowny and to also check out their FaceBook page.

Southbridge Town Council Meeting Agenda - February 24, 2014

TOWN COUNCIL MEETING

COUNCIL CHAMBERS, TOWN HALL

February 24, 2014 –7:00 PM

*******************

AGENDA


1. Pledge of Allegiance

2. Roll Call

3. Consider and accept Town Council Meeting Minutes of Monday, February 10, 2014.

And A Child Shall Feed Them

Ken O’Brien

Sometimes, in their innocence, young children can be our best teachers. Their naturally curious minds can also cast a bright light on issues that we, as adults, frequently fail to acknowledge as important.

I was reminded of this the other day when a friend sent me a link to the following video.

Martin Luther King - I Have a Dream - August 28, 1963

Senator Brewer Leaving The Legislature

Ken O’Brien

Sen. Stephen Brewer announced on Wednesday that he will not seek reelection and that he will retire when his term expires at the end of 2014.

Brewer, who took over the Senate Ways and Means Committee in 2010, has served as a top deputy to Senate President Therese Murray. As such he has been a significant factor in all major pieces of legislation to emerge from the Senate over the past four years. Murray is serving her last term as Senate president and hasn't said whether she will move on from elected office. 

A Tribute To Student Achievement II

Ken O’Brien

Back On November 20th I posted the first of these pieces that paid tribute to the third and fourth graders who excelled in their performance on the MCAS.

Honors for those in higher grade levels who also excelled on the MCAS were planned for the next School Committee meeting. Regrettably that was twice deferred due to inclement weather. But they are equally worthy of recognition for their efforts. They are also, it goes without saying, an embodiment of the scriptural dictum "honor thy father and thy mother".

In Retrospect

Ken O’Brien

At the outset I want to say that I made a serious mistake. I should never have apologized for the article "Weighty Matters". Insofar as the target of that article has refused to accept the apology it can be considered to have been rescinded.

Moving on I hope to discuss the matter that gave rise to that article in a reasonable and intelligent manner.

A number of years back we had a town manager by the name of Clayton Carlisle. Mr. Carlisle was, shall we say, portly. 

How To (Try To) Silence A Critic

Ken O’Brien

The only good thing about living to be a certain age is that you learn from your mistakes.

As regards the current kerfuffle about this blog and the Chair of the Southbridge School Committee the relevant lesson was “put it in writing”.

The benefits of that lesson are illustrated by today’s Telegram article titled “Fighting tears, Southbridge official reacts to blog comments about her weight”. 

Weighty Matters

Ken O’Brien

Well shame on me!

With tears welling up behind porcine cheeks and multiple chins aquiver the chair of the Southbridge School Committee closed last night’s meeting with a performance that rivaled Vivien Leigh at the denouement of Gone With The Wind.

At issue was the reference to her as a morbidly obese blueberry by a reader’s comment on this blog in a post that parodied her for reasons other than her weight.

School Committee Chair Reacts

Ken O’Brien

As followers of The O’Zone are no doubt aware, a controversy recently erupted over comments that appeared related to a post parodying the Chairman of the Southbridge School Committee.

Therefore, it was with no small amount of interest that I opened an email from the Chairman this morning. Insofar as she chose to contact me using her School Department provided email, the initial message, as well as the ensuing exchange, is a matter of public record.

With that in mind I am reproducing the conversation below without additional comment other than to say that I have received no additional correspondence as of the time of this posting. (I do, however, reserve the right to respond to reader comments.)