A listing of what people are doing in the towns of Hingham, Weymouth, Hull, Scituate, and Cohasset. We update frequently. Read our hard copy paper just the way we publish it: http://tinytowngazette.com
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(This report from a passing motorist):
Just saw a Gesteby campaign volunteer.
Martha’s signs are being pulled and tossed (particularly along Atlantic Ave.). Think someone might be nervous? Welcome to Roxbury.
We tuned into the May 17 Cohasset Board of Selectmen meeting to hear what would be said concerning the Town’s water services RFP and the proposals received in response. A few of Water Chairman DiCaprio’s statements regarding the proposals and the existing management contract with American Water were revealing:
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Those of worried about a Cohasset water concession contract, however small, can sleep peacefully tonight. Monday’s Town Meeting will be asked to vote on a regular old Water Maintenance and Operations contract.
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Martha Gjesteby, if elected, will hold a keystone seat on the Cohasset Board of Selectmen. She, along with two other Selectmen to be elected in 2013, will choose the next Town Manager and/or Town Administrator.
Selectmen are laying low at the present time. They have given Acting Town Manager Mike Milanoski a 15 month contract which will be up in September 2013. It is their hope that Annual Town Meeting 2013 will vote against the Strong Town Manager Act and support a Town Administrator; I am told by several sources that the Governance Committee after much study will vote to recommend a Town Administrator form of government at Annual Town Elections 2013.
Town Counsel has said that unless Acting Town Manager Mike Milansoki is separated from the town for a one year period of time, he could never be appointed Town Manager. However, he could be appointed Town Administrator, which has no separation requirement.
The Board of Selectmen fired a perfectly fine Town Manager to reach Milanoski and now it is prepared to change our form of government to keep him. Incredible.
A vote for Gjesteby will break up the cabal and put voters in position of making a difference on the board for the good of the Town.
Gjesteby said:
“We are a government of laws, not men.
When our laws break down, our men break down.”
Friends -
Too many times, politicians and pundits will overhype the importance of a particular election – “it’s a watershed election”, etc. All elections are important, but behind the clichés there is sometime truth in the greater importance of some elections, given the larger political backdrop at the time. As a taxpayer, property owner, former Conservation Commissioner and former Selectman who no longer recognizes the Cohasset (at least in its politics) or the members of the BOS, this is how I view Saturday’s election.
I am supporting Martha Gjesteby.
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This morning, a municipal water client finished (and passed) the bond rating agency equivalent of a TSA strip search. Our client was a bit surprised at the heightened scrutiny and widened scope of this year’s version of a process that used to be the equivalent of renewing a motor vehicle registration, but understood and cooperated admirably when we put the agency’s new approach into context.
After getting torched by Congress, the bond raters (Moody’s, S&P and Fitch) are a bit touchy and defensive today, so issuers need to be well prepared when their turn comes to justify their ratings each year. One question in the Moody’s review that ended today (copied below, along with the client’s answer) blew us away and brought us to our feet to applaud.
Moody’s surveillance question: “The percentage of MGD’s lost over the last 5 years?”
Client answer: “The Town has held unaccounted water consistently under 10% i.e. within the “green” zone for unaccounted water).”
For decades, we have tried to get the agencies to look at unaccounted water percentages (water that is treated and delivered into the system but not billed to customers) as a critical measure of management effectiveness, efficiency and professionalism of operations as well as the condition of water system assets. Moody’s obviously finally got it! The question above actually appeared at the top of the first page of their list!
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Channel 143TV sponsored the one and only selectmen’s debate live on Tuesday. They are running it again on Wed., May 16 at 8 p.m. and again on Friday, May 25 at 8 p.m. and at noon on Saturday. Cohasset Town Elections are Saturday, May 19th.
Selectman Chair Ted Carr and former selectman Martha Gjesteby both presented their views on town government, and gave voters a lot to think about. Mark DiGiacomo did a great job at interviewing the two candidates on everything from the darkened police station to the firing of former Cohasset town manager Mike Coughlin.
Darkened police station: Gjesteby said she would spend the $100,000 to keep it manned. Carr said he wished the town had the money to do everything. Gjesteby said the town had to be able to afford public safety. Carr said the police station was not going dark, it was going gray. Gjesteby said she had more calls on this issue than anything else during her campaign. Carr credited the police chief for speaking against the “gray” police station at town meeting.
Firing of former town manager. Carr said he couldn’t deal with the town manager and that after he was gone everything worked more smoothly. Gjesteby said the board had not given the town manager any goals and objectives. Gjesteby wondered why it cost the town $57,000 to fire the town manager. Carr did not respond.
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An e-mail from Kathy Morgan of Hull this morning….
“E-coli has been found in Cohasset water. Why didn’t Hull residents get phone notification? I was very upset to hear on the news at 5:50 AM this morning that E. Coli has been found in Cohasset water. Since we receive “blended” water, I want to know why no phone notification was sent out by Aquarion.”
Will the Real Town Manager Stand Up!??
According to our former town manager, Mike Coughlin, American Water tests for E. Coli all the time. They don’t need to have the state run any tests to know it’s there.
Coughlin said the press release from the water commissioners indicated they were notified of the E. Coli on Saturday May 12th. But samples were collected on May 8th and according to Coughlin, American Water tests for E. Coli in-house.
“To get the word out– they could have made a public service announcement at (Cohasset’s ) Town Meeting on Saturday, but of course that would have put the Water Commission in a bad light and would have reinforced the citizens’ petition argument that professional oversight of our contract operations of both water and sewer is needed.”
“I know I feel strongly about water but when I was Town Manager in Southbridge– our DPW director reamed out the operator of the water system for trying to downplay when e-coli was found in the system, Coughlin said.
Coughlin added: “I hope someone asks why this was not disclosed on Saturday. According to Joe Campbell– he was preparing to serve 1,300 at Atlantica on Mother’s Day – it would have been nice if the safety precautions like throwing out ice– would have been known immediately.”
How convenient that water bid contracts will be opened after the Mariner goes to print, how convenient that Peter (chairman of the water commission) claimed that he would not be involved in the selection but now he is on the agenda to brief the selectmen on bids.”
Did water commissioners know of this much earlier and not warn the town (24 hour notice required for E. coli outbreaks) because of sensitive water articles before town meeting? And what did the selectmen and the acting town manager know, and when did they know it and do they know anything?
Tinytown Unleashed’s cyber wall holding firm.
So sad to see so many of you angrily bouncing against my cyber walls. Over 90 of you tried to break into my fort yesterday, but alas, you had such kooky names and your attacks were so personal that even had you used your real names I would not have let you in.
People are starting to win lawsuits against anonymous bloggers. Every time you visit a site you leave your I.P. behind. Kind of like a fingerprint. Here’s a link to a couple just awarded $13M.
Look at it this way. We’re protecting you.
Just under 1000 people have registered on this site.
Only 37 of them have names, and as you know, nameless people are assigned “no role for this site.”
