North Shore Living

My Annual 10 Real Estate Predictions for the Upcoming Year

2011-12-20T08:24:00.000-05:00

A simple answer to any questions about the real estate market in 2012 is: If you want to know what the housing market will be like next year, ask the government. At this point, low mortgage interest rates only exist thanks to its efforts and job recovery is essential to real estate recovery.

But if you were to ask me, I predict:

1. Foreclosures and short sales will play a key role in U.S. housing. The U.S real estate market is poised to be hit by another surge of bank repossessions.

2. Buyer confidence levels will remain low due to election-year mud-slinging.

3. Expect a fight over the home mortgage interest deduction.

4. Rates will remain low through the year.

5. Builders will begin building…slowly and cautiously…and their primary pool of buyers will be those that have sat on the sidelines and now believe that if we are not at the bottom, we are close enough to make a move without significant negative consequence…especially considering today's prices for new construction.

6. Many lower end move-up buyers will remain cautious, wary of further market reductions and/or fear of job loss. Consumer confidence will be tied to unemployment numbers.

7. We will see a rise in home sales in terms of units sold. The baby boomers began turning 65 in 2011, which will cause a rising number of retirement-driven listings.

8. There will be little or no appreciation in home values.

9. Homebuyer's real estate tools will become even more mobile… everything from smart phones, iPads, netbooks, portable scanners, e-signatures and more.

10. On the commercial front... retail, office and industrial vacancies will decline as more tenants seek, and receive, landlord concessions.

All in all, I predict a slow and steady recovery in real estate for 2012. Consumer confidence is the key to a turnaround in the market. The government has to stimulate the jobs recovery and when it does, the real estate market will follow.

Have a great year and remember this...2012 may be the BEST year ever to buy a home, with incredibly low interest rates and property prices. Don't be one of those that in 2013 or 2014 says: "I remember when I could have bought that home for $X" or "I missed the opportunity of a lifetime in 2012."

Best regards,

Jay

School Committee Relents...Agrees to Return $500k to the Taxpayers

2011-06-23T20:29:00.002-04:00

HALLELUJAH!

I frankly do not know what else to say.

Somebody lend me a defibrillator.

The Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District School Committee tonight (June 23rd) astonishingly RE-VOTED and re-certified the fiscal 2012 budget to include the so-called $500k "give back" to the towns for last year's over-funded school budget (approximately $1 million).

There is no further need to discuss the controversy, anger and angst that has now been extinguished by this momentous decision. All that is left is to offer kudos and congratulations to the School Committee for having stepped up at the last minute to end the issue in a right, fair and just manner and also to those community leaders and citizens that helped play a major role in this positive outcome. You know who you are.

This also means that Hamilton will not need to hold the Special Town Meeting that had been scheduled for next Monday, which is likewise a good thing for our community.

THANK YOU again, School Committee, for doing the right thing. I would agree with Hamilton Selectman Jeff Hubbard who said:

"I think this is a night where we can turn the page."

Now...

...about of those fiscal recommendations from the Operational Audit?

(Hey... you didn't think we'd let you off the hook that easily did you?)

This Is the Truth...These Are The Facts.

2011-06-16T14:43:00.006-04:00

To borrow a quote from my friend Barbara Anderson...

"There are two kinds of people, from various perspectives, reading this column: 1. People who want to know the truth; and 2. People who would rather not know until it's too late."

This week's blog article explores the belief that the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School Committee is a liability to our towns, our residents AND our schools. Their budgeting ineptitude, autonomy and arrogance for at least the last 10 years has resulted in a property tax rate that is one of the highest on the North Shore and a school district reputation that is in steep decline.

Follow along for a minute to see how the School Committee's many poor decisions have resulted in the unfortunate position we now find ourselves in. Here are the facts:

School override after school override (aka: "overandoverrides"). Since 2001 the school district has demanded nine Proposition 2.5 overrides. Eight have been granted. The cumulative cost to the taxpayers for those eight overrides = $43,970,000. "Budgeting by Override" never was a sound accounting process and was most certainly unsustainable.

Loss of property values. The overrides have resulted in Hamilton and Wenham having two of the highest property tax rates on the North Shore. This means that many home buyers are circumventing Hamilton and Wenham in favor or surrounding communities, many with equally good schools. The end result is a significant loss of value in your home and your equity.

Highest per pupil cost. Two independent reports have concluded that residents in Hamilton and Wenham pay about $2,000 more per pupil in our school district than in peer school districts.

Blue Ribbon Report on school district costs. The Blue Ribbon report, and a subsequent update to the report, indicated that our school district costs residents $2 - $4 million more per year than comparable school districts in Massachusetts.

School Superintendent departure. In a move some have called "fleeing from a sinking ship", former School Superintendent Marinel McGrath resigned and took a position in Andover, MA. Her assistant superintendent and business manager, Paul Sysmanski, also departed... moving first to Billerica and then over to Andover to join with McGrath again.

New School Superintendent. In a rush to replace McGrath, despite calls to slow down and seek an interim superintendent, the School Committee unanimously approved the hiring of Dr. Raleigh Buchanan and granted him a three-year contract at a significantly higher salary than that of his previous position as Superintendent in Haverhill. Residents were told that we needed to offer a high salary in order to attract the best candidates.

School Operational Audit. Hamilton and Wenham voters overwhelmingly supported funding an Operational Audit of the School District to determine what was wrong and where efficiencies could be found. The audit report suggests that savings of up to $15 million over 5 years are possible and offers 125 financial recommendations. The School Committee has all but ignored the cost-saving recommendations and has focused solely on implementing the cost-enhancing recommendations. The School Committee has resolutely claimed the audit is "flawed"...EXCEPT when it supports their agenda of additional spending.

2012 School Budget Season. The School committee's WORKING FINANCE GROUP, after determination that the 2011 district budget was OVER-FUNDED by more than $1 million, recommended a so-called "give back" to the towns of $350k.

The School Committee refusal. The School Committee ignored their own WORKING FINANCE COMMITTEE'S recommendation and voted to give nothing back to the towns... Nothing. Zip. How's that for "compromise"?

The School Committee violates the Open Meeting Law. The School Committee was forced to admit they violated the State's Open Meeting Law on numerous occasions during the budget season, despite, as their attorney stated, all members having been trained in procedures and processes of the law.

Towns boards seek return of unspent funds. Town officials (ALL members of both Boards of Selectmen and Finance and Advisory Committees of BOTH towns) requested the School District return $500k in unspent taxpayer funds (half). They cited additional approved state funding of $120k and a Latin teacher salary ($77k) with no Latin teacher. Recognizing that the district was OVER-FUNDED by more than $1 million in 2011, the Selectmen and FinCom members felt that requesting only the return of $500k represented an extremely fair compromise proposal.

The School Committee's refuses. Again...No willingness whatsoever to compromise.

School budget rejected by voters. Voters at the Hamilton Annual Town Meeting approved the motion to give back $500k to the taxpayers and rejected the School Committee's budget, requiring the School Committee to certify a new budget and resubmit it for consideration.

School Superintendent reviews delayed. For various reasons, the yearly reviews of the Superintendent of Schools were delayed repeatedly until AFTER both Town Meetings were over. Once they were released, it became abundantly clear that the School Committee had been on a collision course with Dr. Buchanan.

Another School Superintendent departs. Less than one year into his three year contract Dr. Buchanan abruptly resigned claiming "irreconcilable differences" with the School Committee, the result of scathing reviews by most members of that committee...the same committee that unanimously and emotionally approved his hiring one year ago. (Cost to the district to buy out his contract: $115,000.00)

Middle/High School Principal moves on. Matt Fox accepts a job as Middle School Principal in Marblehead.

Another School Principal looks to move on. Winthrop School principal Carrie Vaich sought a new position and was named a finalist in Newburyport and at the Rollinsford Grade School in NH. After Newburyport chose the other candidate, she chose to remain in Hamilton.

School Committee incumbents are voted out of office. All three open positions on the School Committee are won by new candidates...sending a clear message, one would think.

A School District in trouble. We now have no Middle School principal, no High School principal and no full time Superintendent (Peter Gray, thankfully, is serving as acting superintendent...for the time being.)

School Budget "re-certification". As a result of the Hamilton Town Meeting vote, the School Committee certified a new budget, this time with only a $300k "give back" instead of the $500k approved by the voters and recommended by town officials. The SC has referred to this amount as a "compromise proposal"...suggesting that the STARTING POINT was $500k, instead of $1 million, which is the ACTUAL OVER-FUNDED AMOUNT. This means Hamilton will have to hold a Special Town Meeting later this month and incur the additional COSTS, INCONVENIENCE and ANGER of the residents.

This last decision was perhaps the most unfortunate and misguided act yet by the HWRSD School Committee. A significant opportunity was lost by the blindness of all but two committee members (newly elected members, I would point out). Had they not been so blind, they surely would have understood that most of the divisiveness, the mistrust, and the angst of the residents of Hamilton and Wenham could have been eliminated had they simply agreed to what the majority of COMBINED VOTERS OF BOTH TOWNS expressed at the two May Town Meetings: Give us back just HALF of our unspent tax funds. Half...that's all we're asking for.

The truth... there it is. The facts...there they are.

As Barbara's quote at the beginning of this article stated, it may be too late for those of you who do not want to know the truth.

But I sincerely hope it's not.

Please plan to attend the Special Town Meeting on June 27th at the Winthrop School at 7:00 PM and let your voices, and your votes, be heard again.

Vote NO to the proposed school budget at the Special Town Meeting.

Thank you.

4 Reasons Why The School Committee's "Compromise Solution" is NOT

2011-06-11T10:42:00.007-04:00

I thought about titling this blog: "Hello?...Wake Up!" I may still. Or perhaps I'll just insert the wake up notices wherever I feel they are appropriate.

But I digress...the main issue of this blog concerns the results of the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School Committee's (SC) meeting of June 9. It was at that meeting that the SC voted to "re-certify" the school district budget as a result of voter opposition to their original budget at the Hamilton Annual Town Meeting in May.

You may recall that the 2011 school district budget was OVER-FUNDED by more than $1 million and as a result, by unanimous consent of both Hamilton and Wenham's Boards of Selectmen and Finance Committees, the 2012 school budget approved at the Hamilton Town Meeting required a "give back" (or reduction from the towns) of $500k from the district, or just half of the unspent funds. Sounds like a fair and reasonable compromise, right?

Unfortunately, the School Committee has now (once again) chosen to defy our town officials and the taxpayers by choosing to certify a new budget with only a $300k give back.

They are calling it a "compromise solution". Here are just 4 things to consider regarding the SC's so-called "compromise solution":

1. This spring, the SC's Working Finance Group voted to give back $350k to the taxpayers for OVER-FUNDING the 2011 school budget. The lone dissenting vote on that committee came from SC member Richard Boroff who was subsequently trounced at the polls in a re-election bid. (Hello?...Wake up!) The Finance Working Group's recommendation was ignored by the full School Committee who chose instead to keep the $350k...without any kind of compromise.

2. Both Hamilton and Wenham's Boards of Selectmen and Finance Committees originally voted to accept the $350k figure recommended by the Finance Working Group until it was discovered that the state would be providing an additional $120,000 in funding AND it was discovered that the 2012 school budget included, among other things, a salary for a non-existent Latin teacher (approximately $77,000). At that point, all the same town officials then voted to increase the amount of the give back to $500k, again unanimously. (Hello?...Wake Up!)

3. The School Committee had the opportunity to end this entire issue had they agreed to give back half of the taxpayers' unspent funds. If they had agreed to the $500k, we would be done. It would be over. No more Special Town Meetings. No more arguments and fighting over what rightfully BELONGS to the taxpayers. But instead, the SC has once again arrogantly chosen to go to battle and burden the residents of our towns with more expense, inconvenience and angst. (Hello?...Wake Up!)

4. Lastly, $300k is simply NOT a "compromise solution". The SC may like the sound of that, but it's a misnomer. You see, when it was shown that the school district had been OVER-FUNDED by $1 million in fiscal year 2011 and the Towns asked for just half of that amount to be returned...THAT was a compromise solution.

The $300k figure agreed to by the SC this week "compromises" the actual compromise solution, which is simply to give back half of what was overcharged to the taxpayers. (Hello?...Wake Up!)

$500k is the compromise solution. Even a third grade math student could figure that one out.

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

UPDATE: 6/14/11: The following is an excerpt from a white paper provided by the Hamilton Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee days before Hamilton's Annual Town Meeting in May. It seems appropriate to revisit the statement as we head into another Town Meeting, faced with the same issue:

"At the risk of oversimplifying, the entire question of which approach to support could be boiled down to one question: do voters/taxpayers want to put money into the District's E&D fund for either potential problems in FY12 or for expenses in FY13, or do voters/taxpayers want to keep the money in their own pockets and fund the District as needed based on the merits of those needs as they arise? The FinComs and BoS of both towns believe that voters/taxpayers would prefer the latter."

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

I want to personally offer thanks and kudos to SC vice-chairman Roger Kubel and new SC member Bill Dery for eloquently expressing what I have attempted to communicate above and for trying to make the other members of the SC understand what the real, and fair, compromise solution is. It appears however that the remaining incumbent members learned little from the Hamilton Town Meeting's voter's wishes regarding the original budget OR the election results on their own board. (Hello?...Wake Up!)

Loss of Confidence is Claim for School Superintendent Dismissal in Hamilton/Wenham

2011-05-23T17:12:00.003-04:00

Heads were spinning and reality seemed off balance this past week in Hamilton and Wenham when the School Committee abruptly announced that the employment of School Superintendent Dr. Raleigh Buchanan was being terminated...less than one year into a three-year contract.

The principal reason?...Loss of Confidence.

LOSS OF CONFIDENCE is a term often used as grounds for termination of an employee. Loss of confidence arising from fraud or willful breach of trust by an employee is generally seen as a just cause for termination.

Ordinary breach should not suffice. It should be willful and without justifiable excuse and should be supported by substantial evidence, not merely by the whims or caprice of the employer.

For her part, School Committee member Dacia Rubel took great pains to justify her long and disparaging performance review of Dr. Buchanan. Her review was 10 times longer than any other board member's review of the Superintendent. As someone with a law degree (not currently practicing), Ms. Rubel surely knew the term "loss of confidence" and how to use it in order to justify her desire to see Dr. Buchanan removed from his position as School Superintendent.

I counted the term "loss of confidence" no less than eleven times in her evaluation survey. Considering her harsh analysis of Dr. Buchanan's performance, once would have sufficed.

But wait. There are other legal terms that may bear consideration in this instance, such as:

"Wrongful Termination" or "Wrongful Discharge" and most notably "Constructive Dismissal".

Definition: CONSTRUCTIVE DISMISSAL: forcing of resignation of employee: action taken by an employer intended to make continuing in a job intolerable for an unwanted employee, thus forcing the employee to resign.

All we heard after the Executive Session last Thursday night right was a statement issued by the School Committee's attorney, Naomi Stonberg:

"Parties have had a frank conversation about the employment relationship between the Hamilton/Wenham Regional School District and Superintendent Raleigh Buchanan. They have agreed that their mutual interests will be best served by bringing the relationship to a conclusion. There will be no further comments until a final agreement has been reached."

Despite stating "there will be no further comments...", the School Committee issued a statement on Monday ostensibly to clarify the reasoning for that Executive Session meeting. They claimed that it was Dr. Buchanan who requested the meeting and that his performance reviews were not discussed. Surely they would not have us believe that the reviews had nothing to do with Dr. Buchanan's asking to meet in Executive Session. It would be naive to suggest such a thing.

Obviously the meeting was called by Dr. Buchanan as a direct result of the negative performance reviews of most of the School Committee members, in particular Ms. Rubel's - she is clearly the leading spokesperson - and I would suggest that Dr. Buchanan may have felt no choice but to "resign" for reasons imposed by the School Committee.

And that sounds a lot like "Constructive Dismissal".

We'll know more soon, but in the interim there are lots of comments on The Patch and an editorial in the Salem News [click here] for you to review.

When Is An Override NOT An Override?

2011-05-15T21:19:00.004-04:00

Several readers of this blog have asked me to print the statement which I had the honor to deliver on behalf of Enough Is Enough at the Hamilton Town Meeting, in support of an amendment to the School Committee's proposed budget. Here it is:

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

Good Morning fellow residents…I come before you today to speak on behalf of Enough Is Enough.

We support the proposed amendment before you.

QUESTION:...When is an override NOT an override? We suggest it’s when a budget includes funds that are not needed. This year the School committee is demanding $500k MORE than our Finance Committee and our Board of Selectmen and our Town Manager unanimously agree the school’s need.

If you think about it, bloating the school budget by $½ million is quite clever. You see, the last time the School Committee asked for an override, it was denied by the voters. And despite claims to the contrary, the sky did not fall in. That last attempt at an unneeded override was for $1.2 million. I say “unneeded” because the schools got along just fine without it. In fact… even without that $1.2 million, services remained in place, teachers were not laid off…AND this past year the district ended up with a SURPLUS of over $1 million. A SURPLUS!

Today, rather than risk being denied another override by already overburdened taxpayers, the School Committee has simply added unneeded funding into their budget. Don’t be fooled by this ploy. It’s tantamount to an override… but disguised as a budget. At least a real override is for a specific purpose. This unneeded $500k is for things that “may” or “could” or “might” happen…....possibly.

All we have heard over the past few weeks from the School Committee and their budget supporters has been non-specific rhetoric, such as:

QUOTE: “We can’t rule out POSSIBLE service cuts and teacher cuts.”

QUOTE: “It’s POSSIBLE that the E&D account may not be large enough to cover UNEXPECTED expenses.”

(B/T/W…one veteran member of the SC has stated that the E & D balance would be one of the highest amounts he has seen in 19 years on the committee.)

QUOTE: “Anytime you take money away you put things AT RISK.”

QUOTE: “We COULD be faced with revenue shortfalls”

QUOTE: And this is my personal favorite: “It’s difficult to IMAGINE what services might be cut.” YES, it is. It surely is.

That’s a whole lot of innuendo… a lot of “could’s” and “might’s” and “maybe’s” and “possibly’s”. On the other hand, here are some FACTS we would like you to consider:

FACT: The Blue Ribbon Committee (remember them?) came to the conclusion that our school district outspends comparable school districts by between $2 and $4 million a year. As did the Department of Education.

FACT: An expert and detailed independent Operational Audit came to the same conclusion in a four hundred page report.

FACT: The district administration’s original budget, supported by a majority of the members of the School Committee's Working Finance Sub-Committee, was for $350,000 LESS than what the School Committee is demanding from you today.

FACT: Since that time we now know that an additional $120,000 in state funds will be available to the schools.

FACT: The School Committee’s budget ALSO includes salary compensation ($77,000) for a Latin teacher…but there is NO Latin teacher.

I could go on, but in the interest of time and in conclusion, we ask you to consider the following 3 things as you prepare to vote on this important issue:

1. Since 2001, our towns have funded 8 school overrides that have cost the taxpayers $43,947,000 over that 10 year period.

2. With over $1 million in EXCESS funding left over from LAST year, it is fair and appropriate to ask the school district to return a portion of those unspent funds to the taxpayers. This year the Town of Hamilton mistakenly over-charged the taxpayers $275,000. The Selectmen, with the support of the Fincom, did the right thing and immediately voted to return it to you, not keep it in a reserve fund as the schools are demanding. The school district owes you the same courtesy and respect your Selectmen provided you when they “gave back” your money. And although the chairman of the School Committee has publicly referred to the $500,000 as (quote) “our money”, it is NOT their money…it’s yours.

If UNEXPECTED costs are incurred, we suggest the district use the other $500,000 in unspent fiscal year 2011 funds… and if need be, include the $77,000 salary of the non-existent LATIN TEACHER.

3. Lastly, it’s no secret that Hamilton’s property tax rate is one of the highest in Massachusetts, the direct result of unchecked and spiraling school spending. As a Realtor, I can assure you that such a high property tax rate diminishes your home’s market value and your equity…as well as your ability to sell should you need to. If you want to reverse this trend, you need to vote to approve the amendment before you.

Please join me and EiE’s members and supporters… along with ALL the Selectmen and Finance Committee members and our Town Manager… and cast your vote to APPROVE this amendment.

It is right… and it is fair… and it DOES NOT and WILL not result in diminished educational services for our children.

Don’t approve another unnecessary override… cleverly hidden inside the School Committee’s proposed budget.

Please vote YES... in favor of this amendment.

Thank you.

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

The motion passed 181 to 128. Congratulations to those who supported the Town budget, as amended.

UPDATE: Posted 5/22/2011: By now you have likely heard that the School Committee has abruptly TERMINATED the employment of Superintendent Dr. Raleigh Buchanan. It makes you wonder about the "unexpected" expenses they touted at Town Meetings earlier this month in support of keeping the over-funded $500k of unspent taxpayer's money. Also, does anyone else sense that they deliberately waited until AFTER Town Meetings were over to announce their reveiw of Dr. Buchanan...which in turn led to this unfortunate event?

Update: Things You Need To Know About The School Committee

2011-05-05T06:33:00.007-04:00

Recently I posted an article on this blog titled: THERE'S A NEW GROUP IN HAMILTON & WENHAM (Enough Is NEVER Enough)

At the end of that posting, I added:

Question: If 8 out of 9 School Committee members were present at this meeting, shouldn't it have been posted as something other that a Finance Working Group meeting? Smells a little like a violation of the Open Meeting Laws. Anyone care to comment?

Fortunately, at least one resident did care and he looked into the issue and properly filed a complaint. The attorney for the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School Committee researched the claim and had this to say:

"The School District recognizes that it violated the Open Meeting Law because a quorum of the full School Committee attended and deliberated at the Finance Working Group subcommittee meetings and a meeting of the School Committee was not posted in accordance with M.G.L Chapter 30A, Section 20."

As it turns out, the School Committee received training on the Open Meeting Law in July, 2010. Their willingness to simply ignore the law and hold unposted School Committee meetings in which the new (contested) budget was discussed and deliberated and straw votes were taken is unexcusable as well as unlawful and shows that the lack of transparency within the School Committee is alive and well. If not for this single citizen's complaint, the unlawful behavior would surely have continued. If you wondered why the recent SC meeting, in which the new school budget was voted, appeared so well rehearsed and pre-determined... well, now you know. The vote was rehearsed and pre-determined...unlawfully!

Read more about School Committee issues at The Hamilton-Wenham Patch.
Read more about School Committee issues at The Boston Globe, North Section.
Read more about the School Committee issues at The Hamilton-Wenham Chronicle.

Most of you will recall that the topic of TRUST was mentioned by several speakers at last year's Town Meetings in Hamilton and Wenham and it was reported in the Salem News by the late Steve Landwehr. We were assured by the School Committee that trust would be restored and transparency created.

Obviously, that is simply not the case. The only way to begin to break the arrogant behavior of this committee and restore trust is to vote out all incumbents running for re-election to the School Committee. That will be a good start. A beginning.

Here are a few other things to consider before you cast your vote:

$300,000 was "found" in the HWRSD kindergarten account.
$70,000 was "found" in the school choice account.
$121,000 was "found" in the Medicaid account.
$110,000 was "given back" to the teachers after they had agreed to one day without pay as part of their salary negotiations.
$350,000 budgeted for unemployment was never needed or used.
An extra $120,000 is available through Chapter 70 that was not included in the new school budget.
There is a salary for a Latin teacher included in the new budget...but there is NO Latin teacher.

The Selectmen and Fincoms of both Hamilton and Wenham have voted to approve the School budget LESS $500,000. Even with that, the new budget is $1 million MORE than what was spent last year. That's not what I call "level funded", as the SC claims.

TRUST is earned... not demanded. Vote wisely.

Update 5/6/2011: At this week's scheduled public meeting, the Chairman of the School Committee read a letter written by their attorney admitting that they had violated the Open Meeting Law on numerous occasions. Shamefully, NO APOLOGY was proferred. The chairman stated that "in the context of the new Open Meeting Law" what they did was a violation. Actually, in the context of the old Open Meeting Law what they did was a violation as well, so let's not blame it on changes to the Open Meeting Law.

My view: Vote NO INCUMBENTS for Hamilton Board of Selectmen and School Committee

2011-04-28T10:30:00.005-04:00

Both the Hamilton Board of Selectmen (BoS) and the Hamilton-Wenham School Committee (SC) have positions that are opening up...one on the Board of Selectmen and three on the School Committee.

For Hamilton Selectman, the position currently held by Bill Bowler is up and he is running for re-election. His opponent is Jeff Hubbard.

On the School Committee, the positions currently held by Richard Boroff, Tess Leary and Lauren Prior, are being by challenged by Roger Kuebel, Bill Dery and Sean Condon.

All four of these positions are extremely important for the future of our town and schools. All four of the incumbents have held their current positions long enough. It is well past time for all four to step aside and let new candidates step forward to correct the many mistakes made by those currently in office.

Here are a few of the reasons why I feel this way...

On the School Committee, the members now seeking re-election have burdened the taxpayers of Hamilton and Wenham beyond the tipping point. Since 2001 (the last 10 years), the cost of overrides imposed by the school district have totaled nearly $44 million. Yes...that's MILLION, and that's just the cumulative override costs. It does NOT include the Cutler Boiler project or the additional 2.5% added to the tax levy each year. Those same overrides now cost the taxpayers of our two towns nearly $7 million a year...every single year...forever.

So how do you feel about re-electing the very people that proposed, supported and defended the costs that have resulted in nearly the highest property tax rate on the North Shore? These are the people that made it critically necessary to conduct a complete and thorough operational audit of the school district because of their inability to provide an education for our children at a reasonable and sustainable cost.

They are also the same people that voted against the audit from inception to citzen petition to approval and they are now doing little or nothing to implement cost saving recommendations from the audit report. On the contrary, they are seeking to implement changes that will serve to INCREASE costs, not REDUCE them.

Example: You have undoubtedly heard about the Latin teacher salary that is included in the new school budget....despite there being NO Latin teacher. Or how about the unused $300k found this year in a kindergarten account? Or the fact that this year's school budget is expected to be underspent by about $1 million? Or that $350,000 in expenses were included in this year’s budget to cover unemployment costs for layoffs... but NO layoffs occurred.

Despite all of that, the SC wants an additional $350,000 to put into their reserve E and D account. Thankfully, both Wenham and Hamilton"s Finance Committees and Boards of Selectmen have all said "NO" and have voted to to fund the school budget with a $500,000 decrease. Bravo. [Read the full story here in The Patch]

One member who is running for re-election, Richard Boroff, had this to say when asked by the Hamilton-Wenham Chronicle "What experience would you bring to the School Committee?"

ANSWER: "Three years ago I was chair of the School Committee and led the committee to success in getting passed the largest override we had ever had." That statement alone should convince you to vote for ANY candidate other than Richard Boroff.

(Note: The override was for $1.8 million and at the end of the school year there was more than $800,000 left over...which the district naturally kept and now taxpayers continue to pay that unneeded $1.8 million every year.)

It's time for a big change on the School Committee...a clean sweep. Please vote for Roger Kuebel, Bill Dery and Sean Condon for School Committee. That's a good start in the right direction.

Let's move on to the Board of Selectman...

As I previously mentioned, Bill Bowler is seeking re-election. Bill's been around town a long time and has served Hamilton well on several different boards. But it's now time for him to step aside. It's difficult to understand why he is running again considering all the controversy surrounding Hamilton since he began serving as Selectman. Perhaps the medical insurance benefits he, and he alone among all the Selectmen, receives from our town has something to do with wanting to hold on to an elected postion. Not a single (non-employee) elected Hamilton official takes advantage of this insurance perk. Only Bill...compliments of the already over-burdened Hamilton taxpayer. At the League of Women Voters Candidates Night held on April 27th, in his closing statement, Bill said: "I hope to be re-elected, but if I'm not I'll probably put my hat in the ring for Zoning Board again or something like that."

It's unnecessary to go into detail about Bill's record of obstructionism (he has referred to it himself) or the legal problems he has caused and burdened our town with. You need only recall that it was REQUIRED, by the Essex County District Attorney's office, that a member of the BoS read out loud and for the record at last year's Annual Town Meeting a portion of the DA's letter to the town regarding multiple violations of the Open Meeting laws. Bill read the text as required, but without contrition, and certainly without enthusiasm, and he offered no apology to the residents of Hamilton for his part in the unlawful activities. He is one of only two remaining members of the BoS that were involved with the offenses described in the letter. It's time he was replaced by someone without "skeletons" in his closet...someone not known by so many as "Grumpy".

Please support and vote for Jeff Hubbard for Selectman.

My view: Vote NO INCUMBENTS for the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee in Hamilton and let's start heading in the right direction rather than continuing down the wrong path, led by the wrong people.

UPDATE: 5/27/11: Hamilton voters overwhelming supported the notion of "No Incumbents" and elected all new members to the three positions on the School Committee and the single position on the Board of Selectman yesterday. Thank you!

There's A New Group In Hamilton & Wenham

2011-04-08T19:28:00.009-04:00

You've all heard of the citizen taxpayer watchdog group known as Enough Is Enough (EiE) right?

They're the ones that successfully ended the previous addiction to school overrides in Hamilton and Wenham and also drew overwhelming support from voters in both towns for an Operational Audit of the school district that is still being debated and considered by the School Committee (SC) and the towns.

Well, it appears there is a new group in town, known as Enough Is NEVER Enough (EiNE).

Who are these people? You know them as the Hamilton-Wenham School Committee and their actions this past week and at last night's school budget vote is nothing less than appalling.

To his credit, school committee member Don Gallant, one of the three members on the Finance Working Group, had this to say at the opening of the discussion on whether or not to vote for a level funded school budget, less $350,000:

Gallant: "The Finance Working Group had another meeting on Monday...this past Monday night...in which 8 of the 9 school committee members were there. (*See note below) By a 2 to 1 vote...Ann (Minois) and myself in favor, and Richard (Boroff) not in favor...we passed this budget as our recommended budget to the full school committee. This budget includes the (so-called) $350,000 give back to the towns. For a variety of reasons we did tax too much for this current year."

He went on to say: "In my 19 years (on the SC) this is one of the highest amounts of money left in the Excess & Deficiency account."

The lone NO vote on the the Finance Working Group, Richard Boroff, had this to say:

Boroff: "I don't see any reason to give it back. If it's a give back, it would be a give back for a political reason only and it does not make sound educational sense to me. I've been around long enough to see the district get screwed when it tried to help out the towns do something and I'm not willing to put that foot forward."

How about putting that same foot in your mouth, Mr. Boroff? Can you believe this guy? He must be vying to serve as president of the new Enough Is NEVER Enough group. But wait, there's more:

Boroff: "In all those 8 years (that I have been on the SC), the school district has taken a hit. Every single one, except for one year. On the other hand, the towns have funded or increased their funding and refused funding to us at times. And one time it was a minuscule override...it was about $250k or $260k override which failed on the first go round, and we refused to accept that and went for the same thing. It was an insult. A very big insult."

A very big insult? Really? Then consider this...

It's insulting to suggest that any override is "minuscule". In the case of the override Mr. Boroff refers to, the year was 2006 and the amount was $203,000...that year. In 2007 it was another $203,000. And again in 2008, 2009, 2010... and again this year...and again without end, because overrides are added to the tax levy and go on FOREVER. So that's $1,218,000 since the override was approved in 2006. I don't think anyone but Mr. Boroff would call that a "minuscule" amount.

Now let's go back to the first Boroff quote above where he says, ever so politely:

Boroff: "I've been around long enough to see the district get screwed..."

Is that what you call eight Proposition 2.5 overrides for the district since 2001? Overrides whose cumulative total, over the past 10 years, adds up to $43,947,000.00. Overrides that cost the taxpayers nearly $7 million every year going forward? And that's NOT including the 2.5% tacked on each year to that amount by the towns. I think it's the taxpayers that got, in Mr. Boroff's words...."screwed".

But I digress. Let's get back to the Enough Is NEVER Enough group.

At one point in the meeting John McWane, chairman of the Hamilton Finance Committee, got up and asked a few enlightening questions:

McWane: "It is my understanding that initially you had proposed a Latin teacher. Is that still in the budget?"

Alexa McCloughan (SC chairman): "The funding for the Latin teacher is still in the budget. It is doubtful that we will have Latin."

McWane: "So you don't have the teacher in, but you do have the money?"

Alexa: "Correct. We have the money in."

McWane: "Which is a little odd to me. It seems to me that if you take something out of the budget...if you take a position out..."

Alexa (interrupting): "It's in our instructional line."

McWane: "Right. I'm just saying that typically when you take a position out, you also take the money out. But I guess that's not your practice."

Alexa (nodding): "That's not the case."

And finally...perhaps the most obvious exchange of the night indicating the birth of Enough is NEVER Enough:

McWane: "We should be clear that your budget, in terms of what you spend for the schools would not change under either scenario (with or without the give back). Is that correct?"

Alexa: "Correct."

McWane: "And it's up a million dollars over last year...over the current year"

Alexa: "Uh huh."

WcWane: "Okay. So what we're really discussing is the $350k and the question is: Should it go to your E&D...or should it go to the taxpayers' pockets. Is that correct?"

Alexa: "Yes."

WcWane: "Okay. I just want to make that clear."

So there you have it folks. Please join me in welcoming the new group: Enough Is NEVER Enough.

...but remind them at Town Meeting and the polls that in Hamilton and Wenham, Enough IS Enough.

******************
*Question: If 8 out of 9 school committee members were present at this meeting, shouldn't it have been posted as something other that a Finance Working Group meeting? Smells a little like a violation of the Open Meeting Laws. Anyone care to comment?

Update 5/6/2011: click here to read what happened.

WARNING: Do Not View This Week's Hamilton Selectman's Meeting

2011-03-23T08:49:00.006-04:00

If you were not in attendance at the March 21st meeting of the Hamilton Board of Selectmen and you did not watch it on TV or view it online...here's a word of advice: DON'T WATCH IT!

Not since Selectman Bill Bowler was required to get up at Town Meeting last year and apologize to Hamilton residents for violating (numerous times) the Open Meeting laws have I witnessed a more embarrassing moment than the one that came at the end of Monday night's BoS meeting. Chairman Scuteri chose that time to publicly condemn Selectman Jeff Stinson for answering a question posed to him by a member of the media. His statement to the reporter was essentially the same as the statements he made in open session at the previous Selectman meeting. But the chairman made it clear that she wanted all correspondence with the media to run through her...so she can filter it.

QUOTES:

Stinson: "It sends a bad message to the public to say that you are filtering what you're telling the public on certain items."

Scuteri: "We are absolutely not filtering...it's because I think it (your statement) needed to be filtered...because we took a vote."

What? Point of Information: NO VOTE WAS TAKEN ON THE ISSUE. (The issue, by the way, was whether or not $275,000 of mistakenly collected taxes should be returned to the taxpayers. Selectmen Stinson stated he thought it should be returned, as did most others... including the Chairman of the Finance Committee.)

Scuteri: "It sounded like you were standing up for the people and the rest of us weren't."

That's not how I interpreted what Selectman Stinson said. To me it sounded like a reiteration of what he said publicly at the BoS meeting where the issue was discussed.

Scuteri: "It's also important for the right person to be getting the credit."

Is that what this is all about? Who gets the CREDIT?

Well, if it is, then I can tell you who deserves all the credit for stirring up controversy and embarrassment for the BoS...and it's not Selectmen Stinson. As of this writing, an article in the Hamilton-Wenham Patch, Selectmen Spar About Comment To The Press, has generated twelve replies, all in favor of Selectman Stinson's position and opposed to Chairman Scuteri's position.

In support of her condemnation of Stinson, Chairman Scuteri said, "We need to know when we leave here (that) no one is going to be disparaged for possibly taking a position that is controversial."

Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened when she brought up this unnecessary and embarrassing discussion in a public forum. And you know what is particularly interesting? It's not Selectman Stinson that is being disparaged as a result.

3/25 Update: Link to Salem News Editorial: http://tinyurl.com/6y5beov

5 Reasons Why Experts Say Now Is The Time To Buy Real Estate

2011-03-11T09:31:00.000-05:00

I am frequently asked "Is it a good time to buy a new home?" I can frankly say that I have never, in 30 years of selling homes, seen a better time than RIGHT NOW. Here a are five reasons why (compliments of the Downey Patriot):

*****

After the Great Depression of the 1930s, the real estate market looked like a 98-pound weakling after going 12 rounds with Mike Tyson in his prime.

However, those market conditions sparked a post-Depression boom that sustained 65 straight years of appreciation in real estate. And according to one expert, it’s about to happen again.

"This is an unprecedented economic crisis, but it is spawning an unprecedented opportunity," said Greg Rand, a 20-year real estate veteran and author of Crash-Boom (www.crashboom.com) from Career Press. "Real estate prices are at their lowest ebb in years, but anyone with a sense of history in the real estate market knows that those prices will rise as the economy improves and the people who got burned in the mortgage crisis are ready to try their hands at home ownership again. You can’t suppress the American Dream, but you can profit from it if you can have the strength and confidence to act."

Rand’s argument is that recessions and depressions aren’t just about economics. There are other forces at play, too.

"There is a real and powerful psychological component married to a down economy," he added. "When bulls turn into bears, they create a chilling effect that makes even Joe Six-Pack afraid of the economy. Wall Street loves to track ‘consumer confidence’ statistics, and the market always fluctuates based on fear. When there’s an uprising in the Middle East, gas prices go up to $4 per gallon on the irrational fear that any new regime will say, ‘You know, we don’t really want all that money from those Americans for this gunk we pull out of the ground.’ The prices always stabilize. The real estate market is no different. People act and react out of fear. Only the smart ones see through that haze to understand the historic reality that the prices always come back up."

Rand cites five reasons why now is the best time to put your investment dollars into real estate:

1) No Meltdown - There is no housing meltdown. There was a media and Wall Street meltdown. Housing will save us in the long haul.

2) It’s Not About The Real Estate - The product at issue is not real estate. It’s America. You can own a piece of it, and as far as its long-term value goes, it’s better than Apple stock.

3) Flipping Houses is a Myth -The "buy and flip" model is a sucker’s bet. It’s about building real, generational wealth.

4) Condo = College Fund - Have a kid, buy a condo. If you invest the right way, you can build an investment that is comparable to any of the riskier alternatives investors lose their money on every day.

5) Don’t Zoom In, Zoom Out - To understand the stock market you must zoom all the way in and see the pulse of the market, and that changes hourly. To understand real estate, all you have to do is zoom all the way out. If you stand too close you miss the trends, and the trends don’t change with the wind. They stay for the long term.

"It comes down to the idea that no matter how the markets change, no matter which way the winds shift, people will always need a place to live," Rand added. "That’s been true of America since the first log cabin. If you plug into that concept, and leave fear in a box on the shelf, you can be ahead of the curve and ride the wave of the trends that matter."

Reprinted from the Downey Patriot

New Policy Regarding Comments Section of SalemNews.com

2011-02-24T11:10:00.005-05:00

Want to comment on stories and articles at salemnews.com?

Beginning Feb. 25, commenters will be required to use their real names when posting on salemnews.com.

In this blog post I will address the reasoning and some of the benefits behind this new policy.

As many of you know, when you write a letter-to-the-editor of most newspapers, you are required to include your name, address and contact information. I have found that most of the newspapers will then call to verify that you are the author of the letter.

This is a good policy.

Why?...Because to it establishes a level of responsibility and accountability. Anonymity, on the other hand, allows blowhard commenters to hide behind their pseudonyms and spew all kinds of nasty, angry, and senseless rhetoric...with no accountability for hatespeech.

They are known on blog sites as "trolls".

Allow me to share just a few quotes from an anonymous commenter who has used several pseudonyms to hide his identity. Most of his comments were directed at me personally or against Enough Is Enough (EiE), a fiscal watchdog group I belong to that spearheaded the popular operational audit of the Hamilton/Wenham Regional School District and successfully ended a decade of Proposition 2.5 overrides in Hamilton and Wenham.

QUOTE:

"You are the only one on this (comment/message) board that is using you own name. That speaks volumes to your stupidity."
"I knew that as soon as I mentioned the village idiot, you would respond."
"I think that the School Committee and the citizens of Hamilton don't trust you and your group of fools."
"Most people are sensible enough to not form one of these foolish groups. But, then there are the exceptional groups like EIE who continue to act as fools."
"When a vigilante group like this forms, they usually don't last for long. Maybe they should go back to harrassing the children from Gordon Conwell."
"The village idiots are at it again."
"I love when people with no clue and a bad cause come together with collective ignorance."
"If you wore the Jester's hat when speaking for EIE it would be easier for me to understand."
"I have always thought of you as a dim wit but I didn't think that you were this stupid."

How's that for "constructive" commenting? Would this person spew such nonesense if he were made to provide his real name? Maybe...maybe not. But if he did, at least he would be held accountable for what he says. He would have to take responsibility for his words. Having seen this individual change pseudonyms in the past, I doubt that he will be willing to stand behind his diatribe if he has to tell the world who he is. To do so would be an embarrassment to him and he prefers to try to embarrass others, not realizing his words have an opposite effect.

Fortunately, most reasonable and rational people recognize the difference between diatribe and substance and are unwilling to accept the former as the latter.

So I say "BRAVO" to the decision makers at the Salem News and their new policy. As one reader stated in the comment section of the article announcing the Salem News policy decision:

"THANK YOU Salem News for taking a step sorely needed a LONG time ago. Resident trolls will hate it, as will those with axes to grind but don't seem to have the guts to be upfront about who they actually are. No progress can be ever made amongst hardliners and haters. Looking forward to seeing the effect of honesty."

By the way...he used his real name.

Want to read more? . . .
Online Blogging or Online Flogging?: http://tinyurl.com/4fpgrmn
Using Real Names Can Elevate The Discussion: http://tinyurl.com/4hyo8rj

4 Reasons Home Prices Are Likely To Keep Falling

2011-02-23T15:04:00.000-05:00

It's been almost five years since the housing bubble peaked, and the bust isn't over yet.

Home prices around the country fell 4 percent last year. They're now down about 31 percent from their peak, according to today's Case-Shiller numbers (see graph).

Last year's declines were widespread: Prices fell in 18 of 20 major metropolitan areas last year. (The two exceptions were San Diego and Washington, D.C.)

More declines are likely to come. Here are four reasons why.

1. There's still a glut of houses on the market.

At the current pace, it would take about seven months to sell all of the newly built houses on the market, and eight months to sell all of the existing homes on the market. In an ordinary market, it would take about six months to sell all of the homes on the market. This excess supply tends to push prices down.

2. Distressed sales account for a huge chunk of all home sales.

Distressed sales include foreclosures and short sales, where the owner sells for less than he owes on the mortgage. According to one measure, distressed sales accounted for nearly half of all home sales in January. These homes typically sell at a discount.

That in turn tends to bring down the prices of other homes, even those that aren't distressed sales. This problem is likely to persist: Nearly 5 percent of all mortgages are in foreclosure, which matches the all-time high. (For more on distressed sales, listen to our interview with Mark Zandi.)

3. Interest rates are rising.

The rate on the average, 30-year mortgage hit 5 percent this month, up from a low of 4.17 percent last fall. Higher interest rates make it more expensive to buy houses. As this morning's WSJ points out, that pushes some would-be buyers to keep renting, which in turn reduces the demand for homes.

4. The government will continue to wind down some of the extraordinary measures it took to support the housing market.

More than 90 percent of new mortgages are guaranteed by taxpayers. This props up home prices by making it easier for people buy houses. This is exceptionally high by historic standards, and will decline over time.

The Obama administration has already recommended lowering the cap on the size of mortgages that are guaranteed by taxpayers through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The cap was raised to as much as $729,750 during the crisis, and is scheduled to fall to $625,500 later this year.

The latest downward leg in home prices started after the end of the another government program — first-time home-buyer tax credit, where the government paid people thousands of dollars to buy houses.

It will probably be a long time before prices get back to the heights of the bubble. A study last year looked at more than a dozen financial crises from the past century, and found that home prices tend to remain below their bubbly peaks during the entire decade after each crisis.

by Jacob Goldstein

NPR - Planet Money

"We don't know where the money is."

2011-02-13T15:36:00.005-05:00

So stated Hamilton Selectman Jennifer Scuteri during a meeting of the HWRSD Operational Audit Committee on February 9th. Her answer was in response to a question posed by resident George LaMontagne about a section of the audit report that said that only about $200,000 out of yearly budget of approximately $600,000 for maintenance was actually spent on maintenance...for years. Mr. LaMontagne simply wanted to know what happened to the remaining $400,000 per year.

This does not seem to be an unreasonable request considering that over a period of years we are talking about more than $1 million.

Here are some other comments from that meeting regarding the question of the unaccountable funds from the maintenance budget:

Molly Martins (Wenham Selectman): "It may be that the information does not exist in a format that's discernible."

Jennifer Scuteri: "I think everybody is just acknowledging that at best we know that $200k was spent. Um, there's no good record keeping. We don't know where the rest of the money went. And going forward, I think there's going to be more transparency."

Roger Kuebel (Wenham Finance Committee, to Mr. LaMontagne): "Are you concerned that there was fraud?"

George LaMontagne: "I can't answer that Roger. We don't know."

Molly Martins: "The coulda, shoulda, would haves...and we know they weren't doing it well. That became evident. I think most people knew it, and it became documented in the report. That confirmed what many people believed."

Jennifer Scuteri: "I feel a little bit like it's just an acknowledgment that there was bad accounting and we don't know where the money is...There's no way she (we) can track it...it's not by school. It's not by what was done."

Does anyone else other than George LaMontagne want to know what happened to that missing (yearly) $300k to $400k?

While the new school administration has thus far proven to be open, caring, transparent and competent, it would appear the question of the missing funds is something the audit committee would rather forget about and trust that it will not happen again. After all, they imply, what good will it do to know where the money went? We need to move forward, they suggest, and not dwell on the past.

To that, I say "BULL PUCKY".

Over the past 13 years, because of ten Proposition 2.5 overrides for the schools, the taxpayers in Hamilton and Wenham have cumulatively paid more than $40 million (in override costs only) to the HWRSD. As most of you know, the overrides became part of the tax levy so taxpayers are burdened with those costs again and again, each and every year. And now certain officials are hoping you will simply forget about a measly $1+ million or so and "look forward, not back."

You know, as in...

SWEEP IT UNDER THE RUG

The taxpayers of Hamilton and Wenham deserve more. They authorized $90,000 for the operational audit. They deserve an answer to Mr. LaMontagne's question. Only then can Roger Kuebel's question be answered. Only then can they be assured that it will not happen again. Only then will those responsible for what appears to have been excessive and abusive spending, and deviations from accepted practices, be held accountable. That's what the taxpayers expect and deserve.

Perhaps James Thurber said it best:

"Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, but around in awareness."

You Know You're From Massachusetts if...(101 Clues)

2011-02-03T13:44:00.000-05:00

1. The Red Sox World Series win was, and will always be, one of the greatest moments in your life.

2. The guy driving in front of you is going 70 mph and you're swearing at him for going too slow.

3. When ordering a tonic, you mean a Coke.

4. You went to Canobie Lake Park or Whalom Park as a kid.

5. You actually enjoy driving around rotaries.

6. You do not recognize the letter 'R' as a part of the English language.

7. Your social security number starts with a zero.

8. You can actually find your way around the streets of Boston .

9. You know what a 'regular' coffee is.

10. You keep an ice scraper in your car year-round.

11. You can tell the difference between a Revere accent and a Dorchester accent.

12. Springfield is located 'way out west'.

13. You almost feel disappointed if someone doesn't flip you the bird when you cut them off or steal their parking space.

14. You know how to pronounce the names of towns like Billerica , Gloucester , Haverhill , Leominster , Peabody and Worcester .

15. Anyone you don't know is a potential idiot until proven otherwise.

16. Paranoia sets in if you can't see a Dunkin Donuts or CVS Pharmacy within eyeshot at all times.

17. You have driven to New Hampshire on a Sunday just to buy alcohol.

18. You know how to pronounce Yastrzemski.

19. You know there's a trophy at the end of the Bean Pot.

20. You order iced coffee in January.

21. You know that the MBTA Purple Line will take you anywhere.

22. You love scorpion bowls.

23. You know what they sell at a Packie.

24. Sorry Manny, but number 24 means DEWEY EVANS.

25. You know what First Night is.

26. You know at least one guy named Sean, Pat, Whitey, Red, Bud or Seamus. Bonus: You know how to pronounce Seamus.

27. McLobster=McCrap

28. You know at least 2 cops in your town because they were your high school drinking buddies.

29. You know there are 6 New England states, but that Connecticut really doesn't count.

30. You give incomprehensible directions to tourists, feel bad when they drive off, but then say to yourself, 'Ah, screw them.'

31. You know at least one bar where you can get something to drink after last call.

32. You hate the Kennedys, but you vote for them anyway.

33. You know holding onto the railing when riding the Green Line is not optional.

34. The numbers '78 and '86 make you cringe.

35. You've been to Good Time Charlie's.

36. You think the rest of the country owes you for Thanksgiving and Independence Day.. (... and they DO).

37. You have never actually been to 'Cheers.'

38. The words ' WICKED' and 'GOOD' go together.

39. You've been to Fenway Park .

40. You've gone to at least one party at U MASS.

41. You own a 'Yankees Suck' shirt or hat.

42. You know what a Frappe is.

43. You've been to Hempfest.

44. You know who Frank Averuch is.

45. ADVANCED: You know Frank Averuch was once Bozo the Clown

46. You can complete the following: 'Lynn, Lynn ......'

47. You get pissed off when a restaurant serves clam chowder, and it turns out to be Snows.

48. You actually know how to merge from six lanes of traffic down to one.

49. The TV weatherman is damn good if he's right 25% of the time.

50. You never go to Cape Cod,' you go 'down the Cape '.

51. You think that Roger Clemens and Johnny Damon are more evil than Whitey Bulger.

52. You know who Whitey Bulger is.

53. You went to the Swan Boats, House of Seven Gables, or Plimouth Plantation on a field trip in elementary school.

54. Bobby Orr is loved as much as Larry Bird, Tom Brady, and Ted Williams.

55. You remember Major Mudd.

56. You know what candlepin bowling is.

57. You can drive from the mountains to the ocean all in one day.

58. You know Scollay Square once stood where The Government Center is.

59. When you were a kid, Rex Trailer was the coolest guy around. Speaking of which.... Can you still hum the song from the end of Boom Town ?

61. Calling Carrabba's an 'Italian' restaurant is sacrilege.

62. You still have your old Flexible Flyer somewhere in your attic.

63. You know that the Mass Pike is some sort of strange weather dividing line.

64. The only time you've been on the Freedom Trail is when relatives are in town.

65. The Big Dig tunnel disaster wasn't a surprise.

66. You call guys you've just met 'Chief' or 'Boss.'

67. 4:15pm and pitch black out means only 3 more shopping days until Christmas.

68. You know more than one person with the last name Murphy.

69. You refer to Savin Hill as 'Stab 'n Kill.'

70. You've never eaten at Durgin Park , but recommend it to tourists.

71. You can't look at the zip code 02134 without singing it.

72. You voted for a Republican Mormon as Governor just to screw with the rest of the country.

73. 11 pm? Drunk? It means one thing: Kowloons!

74. 2 am? Drunk? It means one thing: Kelly's Roast Beef! The one on Revere Beach not the one on Route 1.

75. 5 am? Drunk? It means one thing: You wish you had a blanket in your back seat.

76. You know that P-Town isn't the name of a new rap group.

77. People you don't like are all 'Bastids.'

78. You took off school or work for the Patriots first Super Bowl Win Parade.

79. You've called something 'wicked pissa.'

80. You'll always get razzed for Dukakis.

81. Saturday afternoons meant Creature Double Feature with Dale Dorman.

82. Sunday mornings meant the Three Stooges on Channel 38.

83. You've slammed on your brakes to deter a tailgater.

84. No, you don't trust the Gorton's Fisherman.

85. You know that Papa Gino's usually has a jukebox.

86. You think Aerosmith is the greatest rock band of all time.

87. Your town has at least 6 pizza and roast beef shops.

88. You know at least three Tony's, one Vinnie and a Frankie.

89. 20 degrees is downright balmy as long as there's no wind... then it gets wicked cold.

90. You were very sad when saying goodbye to the Boston Garden .

91. Thanksgiving means family, turkey, High School football, and the long version of Alice 's Restaurant.

92. You know the guy who founded the Boston Pops was named Athah Feedlah.

93. You know what the Combat Zone is.

94. You actually drive 45 minutes to New Hampshire to save $5 in sales tax.

95. You've pulled out of a side street and used your car to block oncoming traffic so you can make a left turn.

96. You've bragged about the money you've saved at The Christmas Tree Shop.

97. You've been to Hampton Beach on a Saturday night.

98. Playing street hockey was a daily after school ritual.

99. Hearing an old lady shout 'Numbah 96 for Sioux City' means it's time for steak.

100. You remember Jordan Marsh, Filene's, Grants, Bradlees, Caldor, Zayres, and Ann & Hope.

101. You actually understand all of the above and will pass it on to other friends from Massachusetts .

Countertop Materials that Can Transform Your Living Space

2011-01-26T13:15:00.000-05:00

Great countertops can really set off a kitchen or bathroom and transform them into rooms you will want to show off. If your countertops are starting to look dated, check out these high-end countertop materials that will be sure to grab some attention:

Stainless Steel

Pros: Stainless steel countertops are easy to clean and are durable. They provide a sleek look as well as a cool surface. No stains, oil, or odors will be absorbed with stainless steel.

Cons: Although the material is durable, it can be scratch easily and the scratches are not repairable. A brushed finish can be use to lessen the appearance of wear and tear. Stainless steel may need frequency wipe-downs with a cloth to not show fingerprints.

Marble

Pros: Gives a cool surface for handling things like dough, provides a classic look.

Cons: Material is easily scratched and can only be repaired by professionals. Some oils and odors can be absorbed.

Granite

Pros: Granite is a very stylish choice that comes in a wide range of colors and styles.

Cons: Granite will need to be resealed each year and can only be repaired by professionals. Some oils and stains can be absorbed into material. Granite will require frequent wipe-downs if it is a dark surface.

Glass

Pros: Surface is easy to clean and is very durable. Glass is available in a wide variety of colors and can be molded to fit whatever needs.

Cons: Glass can be scratched.

Originally posted by lwilkins at Coldwell Banker Previews International - New England

QUESTION: What has 399 pages and...

2011-01-21T18:32:00.002-05:00

124 recommendations?

ANSWER: The Operational Audit Report on the Hamilton/Wenham Regional School District (HWRSD).

You can read the entire report online at: http://www.hamiltonma.gov/Pages/finalreport.pdf

Additionally, there will be a joint meeting of the two towns on January 27th at the Bessie Buker Elementary School in Wenham in the Multi-Purpose Room at 7:00 PM for a presentation by Linda Recio, president of Evergreen Solutions, the firm that performed the operational audit.

Please take some time off from shovelling snow and review this report and come to the meeting with any questions you may have.

And come early...I expect attendance will be high.

Best regards,

Jay

Segway Milestones

2011-01-07T08:37:00.000-05:00

Most of you know that I have a "List With Jay For a Free Segway" program available to qualified sellers that list their homes For Sale with me. But have you ever wondered how the Segway got its beginning? Or where it's headed?

For those of you that want to know more about this most amazing lean, green, eco-friendly machine, here's the history (thus far):

July 27, 1999

Renowned inventor Dean Kamen founded a new company with the vision to develop highly-efficient, zero-emission transportation solutions using “dynamic stabilization” technology. The Company’s research and development was focused on creating devices that took up a minimal amount of space, were extremely maneuverable and could operate on pedestrian sidewalks and pathways.

February 2001

The Company broke ground for its manufacturing plant in Bedford, New Hampshire. Construction was completed in November 2001.

December 1, 2001

The Company adopted the name Segway from the word segue, which means to "to transition smoothly from one state to another".

December 3, 2001

Segway unveiled the Segway® Personal Transporter (PT), the first self-balancing transportation device, to the public for the first time.

February 15, 2002

The first state bill allowing Electric Personal Assistive Mobility Devices (EPAMDs) to operate on sidewalks is signed into law in the Company’s home state of New Hampshire. Within the year, a total of 31 states passed laws allowing the Segway PT to operate on sidewalks.

March 29, 2002

Segway auctioned three limited edition Segway PTs on Amazon.com to benefit FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a non-profit organization founded by Dean Kamen. The auction generated a combined total of $364,800.00 for FIRST and drew more than 500 bids from across the country. Segway PT #1 sold for $160,100, Segway #2 for $104,100, and Segway #3 for $100,600.

November 8, 2002

Popular Science Magazine awarded the Segway PT with a 2002 Best of What's New Award in the general technology category. Popular Science reviews thousands of new products and innovations each year to honor the world's most outstanding breakthroughs. The Segway PT was among only 100 winners.

November 18, 2002

Segway Personal Transporters went on sale to the public for the first time on Amazon.com. The Company hosted an Early Delivery Essay Contest and 30 lucky winners received their Segway PTs before the holiday gift-giving season, a tour of Segway headquarters and dinner with Dean Kamen.

August 29, 2003

Two hundred Segway PT owners and enthusiasts gathered in Chicago, Ill. for the first SegwayFest, an event created, organized and implemented by Segway PT owners to celebrate the Segway PT ownership experience.

March 22, 2004

The Company announced its 2004 U.S. dealer expansion program to recruit qualified dealers to distribute, market and sell the company’s line of Segway PTs, accessories and associated services.

October 2004

The U.S. Department of Transportation/Federal Highway Administration released a study entitled “Characteristics of Emerging Road Users & Their Safety”. It was undertaken to clarify the operational characteristics of both motorized and non-motorized transportation users. The Segway PT was found to have the second shortest braking distance, highest eye heights, one of the smallest footprints, and quickest perception-reaction time. The Segway PT met or exceeded all recommendations made by the American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Guide to the Development of Bicycle Facilities.

November 29, 2004

TIME Magazine features Segway's four-wheeled prototype which can operate either statically balanced or balanced on its rear wheels as one of the “Best Inventions of 2004” in its Nov. 29th issue.

March 1, 2005

Segway announced the Segway Cross-Terrain Transporter (XT) and Segway Golf Transporter (GT), as well as a refresh of the flagship i Series model. Each new product is equipped with extended-range Saphion® Lithium-ion batteries.

December 12, 2005

In a ceremony held at Epcot® at Walt Disney World® Resort, the ten thousandth participant in the “Around the World at Epcot” tour was honored with a Segway PT from Segway Inc. “Around the World at Epcot” is a two-hour guided tour that allows guests to operate a Segway PT throughout World Showcase before the area opens for other park guests.

August 14, 2006

Segway takes self-balancing technology to the next level with the introduction of the second generation Segway PT. The new Segway product line includes the versatile Segway i2 and a cross-terrain model called the Segway x2, as well as six product packages tailored to specific commercial, police and consumer market segments and riding environments. All the products feature breakthrough LeanSteer™ technology and a wireless InfoKey™ controller that enhance the Segway experience by making the ride even more intuitive and adding new and useful functions.

August 14, 2006

Segway launches a new marketing campaign today to introduce the second generation Segway PT. The company’s new tagline, “Simply Moving”, and supporting communications focus on Segway’s innovative technology and the many practical ways consumers and commercial customers are incorporating Segway PTs into their everyday routines.

May, 2007

Growing global interest spurs Segway’s worldwide distribution presence to more than 250 retail points in 60 countries.

September 10, 2007

On the eve of the International Motor Show (IAA), Segway Inc. and General Motors Europe (GME) announce a design collaboration resulting in a comprehensive solution for eco-friendly mobility – the Opel Flextreme concept car with integrated Segway PTs.

April 15, 2008

Segway launches Segway Social, an online social networking site for Segway PT owners and enthusiasts. Owners can connect with others nearby, map glides and tag places, and upload photos of their experiences, celebrating the Segway lifestyle.
May 1, 2008

Segway introduces a new Segway PT i2 model color! We call it Metallic Sage, a unique stylish finish with dynamic appeal that grabs the changing light as you move. The new color complements the existing anodized black and gloss white color options.

September 20, 2008

Segway sponsors Bicycle For A Day, at the South Street Seaport in NYC. The first-of-its-kind alternative transportation event, where people are encouraged to leave their gas-powered motor vehicles at home and use alternate forms of transportation on that day, including biking, walking, skating and electric personal transportation.

October, 2008

Over 1,000 police and security agencies are using Segway PTs in their patrolling operations.

March, 2009

Segway Social users log more than 1 million miles on their Segway PTs.

April 7, 2009

Segway announces the Project P.U.M.A. prototype as part of an ongoing collaboration with General Motors (GM). The prototype leverages existing dynamic stabilization technology and electric propulsion to address growing urban congestion and pollution issues.

March 24, 2010

Segway introduces the EN-V Project at Expo 2010 in Shanghai, China. In collaboration with General Motors/SAIC, the concept sets a vision for transportation in 2030. A fully-functional two-person vehicle with advanced dynamics, connectivity, and sensory capabilities, it combats urban congestion while being environmentally-friendly and fun.

There you have it...the history of the SEGWAY. Maybe I'll be giving away PUMAs in future years! Stay tuned.

Two Thumbs Up For This Mobile Massachusetts Home Search Application!

2010-12-30T15:01:00.000-05:00

My Annual 10 Real Estate Predictions for the New Year

2010-12-28T10:20:00.000-05:00

There are a lot of sighs of relief now that 2010 is past, particularly coming from the real estate industry.

But will 2011 be any better?

Having just dusted off my crystal ball, I can now offer my annual 10 predictions for real estate in 2011:

1. Inventories will skyrocket in the spring resulting from sellers who took their homes off the market during the winter hoping to capture buyers in the "spring market" and #2 below.

2. Short sales will increase and foreclosure inventory will continue to rise. The combination with #1 above = huge inventories.

3. Mortgage rates will rise and settle in around 6%+/-.

4. Builders will begin building...slowly, a result of pent up demand for new construction and a loosening of credit by the banks. Many builders have been sitting on land already approved and ready to be built upon.

5. A lot of prospective move-up buyers will continue to stay where they are.

6. The apartment/rental sector will make gains, the result of young Americans seeking escape from family homes in favor of their own living accommodations, but wary of the housing market.

7. There will be no Government Sponsored Entity (GSE) reform of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. There will be lots of talk and posturing, but no reform.

8. Prices will stabilize on lower end properties and decline less on higher end properties (over $1.5 million).

9. The term "communication" will take on a new meaning among real estate agents as ever advancing technology allows for better dissemination of information, particularly on cell and smartphones. Tech savvy real estate companies and agents will provide free branded real estate applications (apps) to clients and customers that are cross-platform capable. (For example... Text: RELIST to 87778)

10. Jobs will remain the key to recovery. According to the chief economist for the National association of REALTORS, with a gain of 200,000 jobs per month, a full recovery will take 6.3 years; with 300,000 jobs/month: 3.2 years; with 400,000 jobs/month: 1.2 years. And if we can find a way to create 500,000 jobs per month...well, we will have recovered.

There you have it. Not the rosiest picture imaginable, but we all knew that climbing out of a recession would not be easy... or quick.

The good news?

A lot of real estate transactions will take place in 2011, despite the market. Reasonable sellers, savvy buyers, and tech and service-centered real estate agents will win the day.

Best regards,

Jay Burnham, VP
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
North Shore Real Estate, Massachusetts

Follow me on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/jayburnham

Download my free Mobile Real Estate Search App for your phone.

Massachusetts Cities and Towns Need New Deal with Public Employees

2010-12-22T14:21:00.000-05:00

Mass. cities need new deal with public employees - The Boston Globe

by Scott Lang

CITY GOVERNMENTS in Massachusetts follow costly, inefficient 20th-century industrial models for compensating their employees. Archaic rules dictate the structure of health insurance, pension plans, and other benefits, and the degree to which these rules diminish our capacity to provide vital services to our citizens may come as a surprise to many of our taxpayers.

The costs to the taxpayers of health insurance and pensions have risen 217 percent over the past decade in New Bedford, and over 200 percent on average across Massachusetts. With limited revenue streams, these rising expenditures represent dollars that cannot be used to put more police officers and firefighters on our streets or to offer our children smaller class sizes by hiring more teachers. Such dollars are instead allocated to pay the rising costs of current employee benefits. Soon, benefit costs will crush local government everywhere.

To prevent that, Massachusetts must examine pensions, benefits, and wages for public employees in a comprehensive way. We must honor the employment covenant that we have made, while designing a new covenant for future employees that will more closely align total employment costs in the public sector with those in the private sector.

After 50 years of gains made through collective bargaining, jobs in municipal government now frequently offer higher wages than comparable jobs in the private sector. This is problematic during a time when all of our citizens face the ravages of this recession. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, when the value of benefit packages is factored in, the total average cost to private-sector employers is $27.49 per hour per employee. In state and local government, the total cost is $39.83 per hour — a 45 percent difference in total cost to our local governments. These are national statistics, but it’s fair to assume the pattern holds true in Massachusetts.

It’s vital that our public labor unions understand that current public employees will only have job security if we can bring government spending in line with revenue; otherwise, as layoffs continue and positions lost through attrition remain unfilled to cut costs, the functions of government will be outsourced to the private sector by necessity. This will further diminish the number of government jobs, as well as our capacity to provide direct services to our residents.

As revenues decline, unions are put in the impossible position of demanding that their contracts and benefits be honored — even if it means laying off significant numbers of their own members to pay for the benefits of other members. Under a new public employment covenant, the unions will once again be able to advocate for all of their membership, rather than be forced to sacrifice union positions in exchange for the status quo.

We can avoid this. The Legislature should create a task force to develop a new public employment covenant for the future. This panel should include members of Governor Patrick’s administration, the House and the Senate, labor, the business community, representatives from municipalities, and citizens’ groups — and should have a broad, frank, transparent discussion about how to develop models of local government that are sustainable in relationship to the revenue that cities and towns can realistically raise. We need to find solutions to contain costs and create designs for appropriate health insurance and pension plans.

These issues are urgent, so this task force should report back to the people by the end of this fiscal year.

We cannot have a strong state unless we have strong municipalities. It is imperative that we find systemic and equitable solutions that will allow our cities to strengthen public safety, revitalize their neighborhoods, and improve their schools.

Scott Lang is the mayor of New Bedford.

Welsh Terrier Rules

2010-12-15T15:58:00.001-05:00

Linda and I have two Welsh Terriers...Ozzie and Harriet. (If you are younger than 39, you probably don't get it.)

If you have ever owned a terrier, you know that it is a special breed and somewhat headstrong. As a result of our experiences, I offer you the following Welsh Terrier Rules:

1. The Welsh Terriers are not allowed in the house.

2. Okay, the Welsh Terriers are allowed in the house, but only in certain rooms.

3. The Welsh Terriers are allowed in all rooms, but have to stay off the furniture.

4. The Welsh terriers are only allowed on the old furniture.

5. Fine, the Welsh Terriers are allowed on all the furniture, but are not allowed to sleep with the humans on the bed.

6. All right, the Welsh Terriers are allowed on the bed, but only by invitation.

7. The Welsh Terriers can sleep on the bed whenever they want, but not under the covers.

8. The Welsh Terriers can sleep under the covers anytime they want.

9. Humans must ask permission to sleep under the covers with the Welsh Terriers!

10. In all cases of disput.... the Welsh Terriers rule!

Update 12/23/10: After receiving the comment from Jon Snyder about his Welshie, Fletch, and a certain low growl when being asked to move...New Rule 8A: "Humans must defer to the preferred location of the Welsh Terrier on the bed."

The Best Ever Mobile Real Estate Search App for Massachusetts...and It's Free!

2010-12-06T18:00:00.002-05:00

Do you know what the #1 request is from Massachusetts buyers searching for a home?

Unfettered access to complete information about local available properties.

Such information is now widely available from a number of sources including real estate agent and real estate company websites. That's great if you happen to be in front of a computer screen at home or at your office. But what if you are out driving around and spot a home you would like to know more about?

You can always call the number on the sign and speak with an agent about the property. Or if the listing agent utilizes technology, there may be a web address you can visit to get the information. But of course, that still works best when you have a computer monitor in front of you.

If the listing agent is really good with technology he/she may have a QR code on the For Sale sign or perhaps an Instant Message number and code to text to in order to provide you with the information on your cell or smartphone. But that only provides information about a single property. Wouldn't you like to have access to information about ALL available Massachusetts homes in the area?

Clearly the best option would be to have an app that can provide you with mobile access not just to information about ONE home, but about ALL homes available in the Multiple Listing Service Property Information Network (MLSPIN).

Well now there is just such an app, and in a mobile format that is, in my opinion, the best on the market. It's even better than what I have access to as a member of the Greater Boston and Massachusetts Association of Realtors.

The real estate app I am refering to has been designed to work with iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Palm OS, and feature phones on Verizon Wireless, Sprint, AT&T and T-Mobile. There is also a mobile web version available, so all carriers, devices and platforms are covered. The app allows you to search for properties based on your GPS location, address, city or zip code and can search by property type, price, bedrooms, baths and distance from your location.

In a word, it's simply "outstanding".

To download this free, powerful and secure app for your cell or smartphone:

Text: RELIST to: 87778

Or follow this link online: [click here]

And enjoy! This app will amaze you.

Powered by Smarter Agent

PS: You may be wondering how I am able to provide this app to you for FREE. It's simple. By providing you with this powerful and useful application, at no cost to you, I hope that if you decide to buy or sell sometime in the future, or know someone that is, you will consider contacting me for assistance. I consider that a "fair trade", but you are under no obligation whatsoever.

Gray Ghost Karma

2010-11-27T10:28:00.001-05:00

For most New England fly fishermen, the Gray Ghost fly is one of their favorite and most enduring flies. The Gray Ghost is a real beauty and the story of its origination bears sharing.

The Gray Ghost was invented by Carrie Gertrude Stevens of Madison, Maine. She was the wife of Wallace Stevens who was a guide at Upper Dam in Maine. During the summer months the Stevens lived in a small cabin, called Camp Midway, on the Carry Road at the Upper Dam. The cabin is still there and a bronze plaque has been placed near it that is inscribed with the story of the Gray Ghost. The plaque states, in part:

FISHERMEN: PAUSE HERE A MOMENT and pay your respects to Carrie Gertrude Stevens.

Mrs. Stevens was truly a self-taught flytier and the story goes that in July, 1924, Mrs. Stevens took time out from her housework to tie the Gray Ghost. She made the fly to resemble a smelt. When Mrs. Stevens went to the Upper Dam pool to test it out, she quickly hooked a 6 pound 13 ounce brook trout, which she promptly placed in a Field & Stream competition and took second prize. After that day, she actively took part in fly tying and made fly fishing history in the Rangeley area of Maine.

Carrie Stevens went on to create dozens of other streamer patterns that are still being used today. The patterns are admittedly difficult to tie but to those fishermen who still diligently and faithfully produce current renditions and fish them they are the only way to fish streamers. But of all the patterns Mrs. Stevens created, the Gray Ghost remains the most popular and holds a record for the largest number of strikes ever recorded on a single fly on Lake Mooselookmeguntic: 103.

I hold a personal soft spot in my heart for the Gray Ghost and I would not consider going on any fishing venture without at least two or three, if for no other reason than the karma that they bring.

Fundraising For Fiscal Responsibility

2010-11-21T10:58:00.002-05:00

An open letter to the taxpayers of Hamilton and Wenham
from the tax watchdog group Citizens For Fiscal Responsibility,
better known as Enough Is Enough:

Dear Enough Is Enough Supporters,

As we enter our third year as a community organization, EiE is proud to have played a leading role in the following initiatives that we either started or supported:

• We successfully ended a decade-long string of annual Proposition 2 ½ overrides, the cumulative cost of which has exceeded $40 million and has resulted in Hamilton and Wenham’s tax rates being among the highest on the North Shore.

• We began and submitted a Citizen’s Petition that resulted in the approval by the voters of both towns of an amendment to the Regional School District Agreement allowing for an operational audit of the school district. The results are due in January, 2011.

• We were instrumental in developing the Request For Proposal (RFP) for the operational audit.

• We researched and provided the names of the two operational audit firms that were the finalists for selection to perform the audit.

• We exposed the HWRSD maintenance spending inconsistencies.

• We discouraged the School Committee from creating a redundant school maintenance account (called the “Stabilization Fund”).

• We researched, wrote, published and delivered The Hamilton-Wenham Free Press to every household in both towns…2009 & 2010.

• We actively supported the Organic Waste Recycling Program in both towns.

• We debunked the NEASC loss of accreditation tactic that had been used for years to encourage school override requests.

• We supported the initiative to replace the boilers at the Cutler School.

• We offered suggestions and recommendations to the School Committee during union contract negotiations.

• We successfully petitioned the rescheduling of Hamilton Town Meetings from week nights to Saturday mornings…just like Wenham.

• We supported increasing the number of Selectmen in Hamilton from three to five.

• We supported the change to Town Manager form of government in Hamilton.

• We supported Hamilton’s first in the Commonwealth Senior Tax Exemption initiative.

• We recommended that the DPW's in both towns take over all maintenance of HWRSD grounds and buildings.

• WE CONTINUE TO PAY STRICT ATTENTION ON YOUR BEHALF.

But we need your help in continuing our worthy cause.

We are asking you to help us in two ways. First, please send your most generous donation to us at Citizens For Fiscal Responsibility. One hundred percent of your money is used for mailing, printing, marketing and supplies.

The $100 you send now may save you much more than that next year and every year after that. The defeat of the $1.2 million override in 2009 is saving the taxpayers of Hamilton and Wenham $3,400 a day…every day…every year.

If you are unable to donate $100, please consider donating $75, $50, or even $25. We are acutely aware of economic conditions and only ask that you help us according to your means.

Please make checks payable to “Citizens For Fiscal Responsibility”

and mail to: 10 Meyer Lane, Hamilton, MA 01982

Another equally important way you can help out is to recommend others to join EiE and participate in our scheduled membership meetings. We currently have over 400 members, but we can always use another hand. Also, having your email address allows us to provide you with up-to-date information regarding important issues taking place in our two towns.

Thank you for your consideration...

Enough Is Enough / Hamilton and Wenham

Unethical Behavior at Hamilton Town Meeting

2010-10-31T10:36:00.017-04:00

The fall Special Town Meeting took place in Hamilton on Saturday, October 30th, at 9:00 am in the auditorium at the Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School. Any concern about a quorum was quickly dispelled and the meeting began right on time with 321 voters (75 make up a quorum) in attendance. This now marks the third Town Meeting that has been held since changing the day and time to Saturday mornings. I seem to recall those opposed to the change claiming that quorums would be problematic, but thus far that has not been the case. Another nice feature is that the meetings have been completed in single sessions, rather than multiple nights as was often the case before.

But I digress.

This town Meeting went along with nary a hitch. Articles were introduced, debated and voted upon. Perhaps the most controversial article was the Estate Overlay District bylaw. This article, introduced by Peter Clark of the Planning Board, brought numerous citizens to the podium to speak for and against the motion. In the end, a vote count requiring a 2/3 majority was necessary and the motion passed 185-79.

Which brings me to the topic of this blog...UNETHICAL BEHAVIOR.

As it turns out, at least one of our residents was so hell-bent on defeating the above motion that she attempted to influence the results by VOTING TWICE. This individual was observed voting against the motion on one side of the auditorium and then ambling over to the other side and attempting to cast her vote against the motion a second time. I do not know if her second attempt was tallied by the vote counters on the other side of the auditorium, but her behavior was reported to a vote counter at the time and then to the Town Manager and two Selectmen after the meeting. The Town Moderator was also apprised.

The woman in question is a long time resident of Hamilton and has even served on at least one town board. She has been known to accuse others openly and publicly of unethical conduct. And yet there she was, displaying her own warped and unethical conduct and commiting what is commonly called "voter fraud".

The morning after Town Meeting I ran into another resident and member of one of our town boards and told this person the story. When asked who the individual was that had commited the "voter fraud" I explained that I would rather not say. To my surprise, she then asked me, "Was it 'Sally Roberts' (not her real name)?" It was! This would seem to suggest that this ethically challenged individual is someone who is thought to be generally dishonest, or that others were already aware of what this person had attempted to do at Town Meeting.

All this begs the question...is there a way to prevent this kind of thing from happening again in the future? Until Saturday's meeting, I would never have imagined that such a thing could take place in our town. We need to see that it never happens again. A simple solution would be to require all voters to remain in their place (no roaming around or leaving the meeting) until all the votes have been tallied. Solving the problem will be the responsibility of the Town Moderator.

As for the woman that displayed such unethical behavior? Well, after she reads this she will have to live with the fact that others either already know who she is or that they may find out on their own. At the very least, that should prevent her from ever doing it again. People will be watching.

Enjoy the short video below...

World Mud Football Championships

2010-09-14T14:02:00.013-04:00

You've heard of the Annual World Mud Football Championships, right? The Mud Bowl? In North Conway, NH? For charity? And the Annual Tournament of Mud Parade, right? Where all the competing teams have outrageously funny floats, all designed around the current year's theme?

You don't know what I'm talking about, do you?

Well...let me inform and enlighten you...

It's been called the cleanest sport played in knee deep mud. The tournament features nine teams from throughout New England in three days of two-hand touch mud football fun with all funds benefiting local charities. In the event's 34-year history in North Conway, the Mud Bowl has raised hundreds of thousands for local charities.

Each year's World Mud Bowl celebrates a theme (this year's was “Super Muddy Heroes”) and features spirit award competitions, cheerleading teams, the annual Tournament of Mud Parade on Saturday on North Conway's Main Street, half-time skits, belly dancers, choreographed mud swimming routines, and three days of exciting two-hand touch mud football action.

You have to see it to believe it. And you may be able to just that. This year a film crew from NFL Films was in town catching every angle of the Mud Bowl games and events you could imagine. The footage is expected to air on ESPN, ESPN2 or the NFL channel.

Three Decades of Mud Bowl History:

Legend has it that the Carrabassett Valley Rats started the annual Mud Bowl in Kingfield, Maine, after a few University of Maine fraternity brothers moved there 38 years ago. According to the story, alumni of a fraternity had challenged their college student brothers to a touch football game in a muddy field back on the Orono campus in the early 1970s. When a few of the alumni moved to the ski resort of Sugarloaf/USA in northwestern Maine in 1972, they brought their unusual sport with them. Local Carrabassett Valley residents in need of some fall fun took a liking to the games. But when interest waned a few years later, it was up to newspaper publisher Dale Rolfe to rescue the sport, and that he did by founding a mud football league. That was in 1975.

In 1975, Steve Eastman, a former Carrabassett Valley resident and newspaper editor who had moved to North Conway, was asked to put together a team — something which he did with friend Richard DeAngelis of the old Alpine Funspot of the North Country, located near the base of Cranmore. They christened the team the Mt. Washington Valley Hogs. The Hogs traveled to Kingfield and won that 1975 World Mud Bowl, 6-0, over the Rats, and in keeping with then tradition, got to host Mud Bowl the following year. The event’s longtime sponsor is Amoskeag Beverages, distributors of Lite Beer from Miller. Big surprise there, but the company has helped to make Mud Bowl the success it is today, and their longstanding support cannot be overstated.

Under the rules of mud football back in those days, the winning team got to host the next Mud Bowl in 1976. As a result of the Hog's win, the first Mud Bowl came to North Conway that year as well as the next three years, because the Hogs kept right on winning Mud Bowls. Games were played in a variety of cornfields back then. Things were a lot more low-key then than they are now. Hats were passed around at halftime, for example, to raise money for the Hogs’ official charity, the North Conway Community Center. (The take was a few hundred dollars — a far cry from the $28,000 average that Mud Bowl has annually taken in these past few years). When the Hogs lost a game in overtime played at the base of Mt. Cranmore in 1979 to the upstart New York State Hamslammers, 6-0, that sent the 1980 Mud Bowl to the Hamslammers’ field in Holland Patent, N.Y.

The Hogs and other teams traveled the eight hours from North Conway to the games, with the Hogs bringing home the bacon by winning back the Mud Bowl Cup when they beat the Hamslammers in an exciting battle, 8-7.

With the 1980 Mud Bowl played in upstate New York, Mt. Washington Valley organizers came up with the idea of putting on the 1980 Mud Olympics back in North Conway the week after the Mud Bowl as a way to keep the charitable aspect of mud football going for local charities. It wouldn’t be an official Mud Bowl — but it would be fun!

A big step in the evolution of mud football occurred at those 1980 Mud Olympics when NBC-TV’s “Real People” program covered the event. Suddenly, Mud Bowl was national — even international, when the Associated Press ran a few photos which were carried around the globe. Played at the base of Mt. Cranmore, it was at those Mud Olympics that the Mass Muddas (now Muddas Football Club, the 15-time world champs) made their first appearance in a mud football game in North Conway. They pummeled the Hogs on national television.

Another big step occurred in 1981, when a group of teams formed the National Mud Football Association to further oversee the sport’s growth. Also that year, the Hogs and volunteers teamed up with the North Conway Community Center to transform a former swamp into Hog Coliseum. The facility was so nice, that Mud Bowl officials voted in 1983 to hold all future Mud Bowls in North Conway, regardless of which team won. The first “Tournament of Mud Parade” was also held in 1981, adding more color to the games’ overall entertainment appeal, founded by Steve Eastman to be a takeoff on the Rose Bowl's Tournament of Roses parade.

Teams that have participated over the years include:

The Nashua Mud Gumbys of Nashua, NH

The North Shore Mudsharks of Peabody & Lynn, Mass.
The Muddas Football Club of Amherst, NH

The Mt. Washington Valley Hogs of North Conway, NH

The Merrimack Mudcats of Franklin, NH

The Carrabassett Valley Rats of Kingfield, Maine

The Peabody Predators of Beverly, Mass.
The Cumberland Muckaneers of Cumberland, RI and the newest team...
The North Country Mud Crocs of North Conway, NH

The Annual World Mud Football Championships are always held the first weekend after Labor Day. The period after Labor Day used to be a slow one Mt. Washington Valley in terms of tourism, but no more — Mud Bowl has helped to make the local economy grow while aiding charitable causes, with more than $500,000 raised over the years.

9/11 Victim's Families Speak Out In Support of Park 51 Islamic Cultural Center

2010-08-29T17:02:00.014-04:00

There's been a lot of talk lately about the Islamic cultural center and mosque being proposed near Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan. Despite the First Amendment right to practice religion, opponents to the development are seeking to prevent that right, claiming that the misleadingly named "Ground Zero Mosque" is insensitive to the victims of 9/11.

Watch the video commentary:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7xfcaoMFO8

The truth is, many relatives of victims of the 9/11 attacks have expressed support for the project.

Judith Keane, whose husband was killed on 9/11, says "To punish a group of Americans who live in peace for the acts of a few is wrong. The worst atrocities in history found their base in fear of those who were different."

Colleen Kelley, who lost her brother William on 9/11, says, the "irony in the debate over the section of the building that would house a mosque is that one might assume that God (the same God to Jews-Christians-Muslims) would be pleased with any type of effort that involves prayer and service to others."

Orlando Rodriguez and Phyllis Schaefer Rodriguez, whose son died in the attack, say they "support the building of the Islamic community center in lower Manhattan" and "feel that it would honor our son and other victims".

Herb Ouida, whose son Todd died, said: "To say that we're going to condemn a religion and castigate a billion people in the world because they're Muslims, to say that they shouldn't have the ability to pray near the World Trade Center—I don't think that's going to bring people together and cross the divide."

Marvin Bethea, a former EMS worker who was forced to retire in 2004 because of breathing problems caused by working at the 9/11 site, believes racism is a factor in the controversy, He said "even though my life has changed, I don't hate the Muslims. Especially being a black man, I know what it's like to be discriminated against. I've lived with that."

Donna O'Connor, whose pregnant daughter died on 9/11, expressed the opinion that "This building will serve as an emblem for the rest of the world that Americans ... recognize that the evil acts of a few must never damn the innocent."

Even Ted Olson, former Solicitor General in the George W. Bush administration, whose wife, Barbara, died in the plane that crashed into the Pentagon, has said "we don't want to turn an act of hate against us by extremists into an act of intolerance for people of religious faith."

Bruce Wallace, whose nephew died as he rushed in to help the victims, says "the media seems eager to trumpet the feelings of those hurt by the idea of the center. They mostly ignore my feelings and those, like me, who feel the center is an important step for Americans."

Talat Hamdani, whose son was a first responder in the rescue effort and died in 9/11, said "You know, if it’s one faith today, it’s going to be another faith tomorrow. That is scary. And to scapegoat the Muslims for the acts of a foreign terrorist, that is — that is hatred." She added "... if that argument is valid, then, by that token, Timothy McVeigh’s actions also makes all Christians terrorists. So, that is wrong."

Terry Rockefeller, whose sister was killed, said: "this doesn't insult her at all. This celebrates the city she loved living in. It is what makes America what we are."

Sue Rosenblum, of Coral Springs, Florida, whose son Josh was killed in the WTC attacks on 9/11, said in reference to the planned Mosque: "What are we teaching if we say you can't build here? That it's OK to hate? This is a country based on freedom of religion."

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has strongly endorsed the project, said: "To cave to popular sentiment would be to hand a victory to the terrorists. We should not stand for that." Responding to a question about the pain the mosque plan is causing some family members, he said, "I don't see an enormous number of people. I was at a fundraiser ... maybe 50 ... people who had lost [family] members. 100% in that room kept saying, 'please keep it up, keep it up'.... our relatives would have wanted this country, and this city, to follow and actually practice what we preach."

Mark McKinnon, a former advisor to Republican President George W. Bush, criticized opposition to the project: "And here we are, reinforcing al Qaeda's message that we're at war with Muslims."

In response to those who oppose the mosque, on August 30 a Salem News editorial stated:

"This argument implicity accepts the notion that Islam itself - and not extrememists who distort Islam - is at the root of the evil perpetrated on 9/11.The best way to counter the al-Qaida version of Islam is not to move the Islamic center, but to build it as a representation of authentic Islam - and a symbol of the American commitment to full religious freedom and interfaith understanding. Rather than banning mosques - or moving them elsewhere - American communities should be welcoming them as allies in the campaign against extremism."
View the Keith Olbermann's comments on this issue: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7xfcaoMFO8

A Threat To America

2010-07-26T13:35:00.006-04:00

I recently wrote two blog posts here ("Truth and Facts...A Challenge for Democracy" and "Patriotism is a Virtue") in which I discussed the viral emails we all regularly receive from those who insist that America is on the brink of destruction, primarily because of our President, who they insist upon calling Barrack Hussein Obama...as if including his middle name proves that he is not an American citizen and that he is secretly a Muslim who is hell-bent on destroying our constitution and the American way of life.

For proof of this, these hate-filled emails offer up all kinds of false and misleading diatribe. The exaggerations, lies and fear-mongering propagated by these messages have necessitated the creation of rumor debunking sites such as SNOPES.com, FACTCHECK.org, TRUTHORFICTION.com and others.

Nine times out of ten, if you take the time to do a little research, you find that the emails are littered with falsehoods and misleading innuendo. Often they will contain one or two facts, surrounded by misinformation and lies. They are nothing more than the clever manipulation of the natural human tendency to trust.

Worst of all...they call upon you to forward the emails to others in an effort to somehow prove the lies are the truth by virtue of how many others receive the emails, believe the falsehoods, and then forward them on to even more unsuspecting readers.

The messages are never meant to inform, only to inflame. They are intentional redirection from reality and progress, to a paranoid delusion and the fomenting of hatred of Americans by Americans.

We see the same thing from many of the TV and online news media outlets - in particular, Fox News.

Consider these tallies from Glenn Beck's show on Fox News since President Obama's inauguration: 202 mentions of Nazis or Nazism, according to transcripts, 147 mentions of Hitler, 193 mentions of fascism or fascist, and another 24 bonus mentions of Joseph Goebbels. Most of these were directed in some form at Obama -- as were the majority of the 802 mentions of socialist or socialism on Beck's nightly report. (Source: Dana Milbank, The Washington Post)

Isn't it ironic...and utterly arrogant...that the crusade to prove Barack Obama a foreign influence is led by an Australian named Murdock and his second largest shareholder Prince Alwaleed bin Talal al-Saud of Saudi Arabia?

I don't know about you, but I have had enough.

The right to freedom of speech is one of our most cherished rights. It is also a double-edged sword: the same right that allows us to criticize our government's policies without fear of reprisal also protects those who endorse and promote racism, anti-semitism, ethnic hatred and other socially divisive positions.

And therein lies a significant threat to democracy, because voters that choose to believe unsubstantiated "facts", false innuendo and speeches and videos taken totally out of context become susceptible to voting based upon ignorance and misinformation, uniquely unenlightened by facts or truth.

Choosing the above path is a real threat to our American way of life, and it's unacceptable to me.

How about you?

Truth & Facts...A Challenge For Democracy

2010-07-12T11:05:00.011-04:00

About two months ago I wrote a blog titled "Patriotism Is A Virtue". In it, I refer to what I call "Hate & Fake" emails from extremists with messages that are completely false and often degrading and insulting . You know the ones I mean. Then they ask you to forward the message on to everyone you know.

I ended the blog by saying:

"Patriotism is a virtue that can not exist on a foundation of lies, false innuendo and diatribe."

Now researchers also suggest that such lies, false innuendo and diatribe are a significant threat to democracy.

The Sunday Boston Globe's Idea section ran an article called "How Facts Backfire" by Joe Keohane. According to the article:

"Recently, a few political scientists have begun to discover a human tendency deeply discouraging to anyone with faith in the power of information. It's this: Facts don't necessarily have the power to change our minds. In fact, quite the opposite. In a series of studies in 2005 and 2006, researchers at the University of Michigan found that when misinformed people, particularly political partisans, were exposed to corrected facts in news stories, they often became even more strongly set in their beliefs. Facts, they found, were not curing misinformation. And in the presense of the correct information...instead of changing their minds to reflect the correct information, they can entrench themselves even deeper."

This refusal to accept or admit that you are wrong is the result of Cognitive Dissonance.

Cognitive dissonance is an uncomfortable feeling caused by holding two contradictory ideas simultaneously. The theory of cognitive dissonance proposes that people have a motivational drive to reduce dissonance by changing their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors... or by justifying or rationalizing them. Dissonance occurs when a person perceives a logical inconsistency in their beliefs, when one idea implies the opposite of another.

The Globe article goes on to say:

"Rather than facts driving beliefs, our beliefs can dictate the facts we choose to accept. They can cause us to twist facts so they better fit with our preconceived notions. Worst of all, they can lead us to uncritically accept bad information just because it reinforces our beliefs. In other words, it's never been easier for people to be wrong, and at the same time feel more certain they are right."

So what the article suggests is that cognitive dissonance might be experienced as guilt, anger, frustration, or even embarrassment and in an effort to avoid those uncomfortble feelings many people will simply choose to ignore the truth and go along happily believing whatever tends to reinforce their beliefs.

And therein lies the threat to democracy, because voters that choose the above path are susceptible to voting based upon ignorance and misinformation, uniquely unenlighted by facts or truth.

That would be a shame.

Draft RFP for the Operational Audit of the School District

2010-06-25T13:16:00.023-04:00

UPDATE: 7/16/2010.....

[Click Here]

for the final version of the RFP

* * * * *

Below, please find a copy of the DRAFT Request For Proposal for the Operational Audit of the Hamilton/Wenham Regional School District as of June 22, 2010.

Once you have reviewed it, please consider participating in the "unofficial" poll to the left and weigh in with your views and opinions.

Thank you for your consideration
of this important matter.

* * *

SECTION 1. Introduction and Background

The Towns of Hamilton and Wenham, Massachusetts, acting through their Boards of Selectmen, seek detailed proposals for an Operational Audit of the Hamilton – Wenham Regional School District.

At the Hamilton Annual Town Meeting on May 8, 2010, and the Wenham Annual Town Meeting, May 1, 2010, a citizen’s initiative (Exhibit A) was presented and duly adopted petitioning this effort. Pursuant to an Intermunicipal Agreement with the Town of Wenham, the Town of Hamilton will serve as lead municipality for the project and will coordinate all aspects of the work.

While the Town seeks to encourage competition and evaluate firms on a uniform basis, this solicitation is not governed by Massachusetts General Law. C. 30B. As a result, the Town retains complete discretion as to the manner by which proposals shall be evaluated and services awarded and reserves the right not to make any award underthis process.

The fee for services will be negotiated and shall not exceed a total cost of $90,000.

The Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District serves the two North Shore Massachusetts Communities of Hamilton and Wenham, located approximately 25 miles north of Boston and having a combined population of approximately 13,000 residents.

The Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District is an independent legal entity from the towns of Hamilton and Wenham, providing educational services to the two towns’ school age children, comprising approximately 2066 students. The enrollment includes approximately 102 school choice students. The schools include Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School (9-12), Miles River Middle School (6-8), Buker Elementary (K-5), Cutler Elementary (K-5), and Winthrop Elementary (PK-5), and Center School which is the location of the District’s Administrative Offices.

The Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District has agreed to cooperate with the towns and provide whatever assistance is necessary to the Contractor to complete the operational audit.

Section 2. Scope of Services

The purpose of the operational audit is to review existing policies, procedures, and practices, as well as staffing levels, to determine their adequacy, efficiency, and costeffectiveness as compared against best practices that meet the requirements of both State and Federal mandates for a public education program.

The operational audit shall be performed in the following areas and disciplines within the Hamilton - Wenham Regional School District.

1. Personnel policies and procedures including compensation and benefits.

2. Union contracts negotiations, procedures and management.

3. School District Administration, policies and procedures including professional and clerical staffing.

4. Staffing, educational staffing and other staffing. Includes an evaluation of the number, composition, and performance evaluation process for all staff.

5. Accounting system - policies, practices and procedures including payroll, accounts payable and accounts receivable and the overall budget process and associated budget controls.

6. Time keeping policy, procedures, practices and controls.

7. Purchasing policy, procedures, practices and controls.

8. Inventory control procedures and practices including store minimum/maximum items and capital expense items.

9. Curriculum policies, procedures, management and controls Pre. K - 12.

10. SPED (Special Ed.) policies, procedures, management and controls Pre. K - 12.

11. Traffic policies, procedures and management including buses, cars and communications.

12. Cafeteria staffing policies, procedures, management and controls.

13. Building maintenance staffing, policies, procedures and management including Heating, AC, Electrical, Plumbing, routine maintenance, etc.

14. Information Technology (IT) systems, staffing, procedures and controls.

15. Medical / Nurse staffing policies and controls.

16. Athletic Programs - staffing, management, controls and financial reporting.

17. Misc. extracurricular programs non-athletic staffing, management, controls and financial reporting.

18. HWRSD Liaison - State and Towns (includes financial and other)

19. School Committee – Administrative costs, expenses and financial reporting.

Section 3. Minimum Qualifications.

Selection will be made by an Operational Audit Review Committee. The respondent must certify in its cover letter that it meets the following minimum requirements. Failure to include such certification in the cover letter demonstrating that these criteria have been met will result in your proposal being rejected without further consideration.

1. The firm must be well versed in performing similar such audits in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for a minimum of 7 years.

2. The firm must have knowledge of and experience in evaluating educational program requirements.

3. A poor reference may be a basis for a determination that the respondent is not a responsible bidder.

Section 4. Rule for Award

It is the Towns’ intent to award the contract to the lowest responsible bidder, but the Towns reserve the right to as set forth in Section 1 to make no award at all or choose a service provider through any other method permitted by law.

Applications will be assessed with regard to the following factors:

1. Relevant experience of proposed and proposed project staff;

2. Staffing plan and methodology;

3. Proposer’s demonstrated ability to complete projects on a timely basis;

4. Clarity and comprehensiveness of proposed plan;

5. If submitted, evaluation of written product.

Hamilton will determine whether to award the contract to a responsive bidder pursuant to this Request for Proposal or to choose a provider through another process at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Hamilton Board of Selectmen after the date on which applications are opened by the Operational Audit Review Committee.

Section 5. Meetings

Attend work and review meetings as necessary with the Hamilton Town Manager and Wenham Town Administrator, the Hamilton Board of Selectmen and the Wenham Board of Selectmen, individually or jointly, and the Operational Audit Review Committee to provide progress updates.

Section 6. Communication

Maintain a high level of communication with the Towns’ representative during the study. Present, in comprehensive format, a minimum of two presentations, to the Boards of Selectmen of Hamilton and Wenham, HWRSD Administration and School Committee, and the general public within 45 days of completion of the operational audit.

Section 7. Final Report

Prepare a final written report documenting both positive and negative findings and observations. In areas where a negative finding or observation is recorded, provide recommended corrective action and estimated cost savings upon implementation of the corrective action.

All work must be completed and the Final Report must be submitted to the Towns’ representative no later than November 1, 2010.

Provide twelve (12) black and white copies of the final report and an electronic copy.

The RFP will be appended to and become part of a Contract for Services. At the time of contract execution, the successful respondent will be required to provide a certificate of professional liability insurance indicating minimum coverage of $1,000,000.

Section 8. Proposal Requirements

1. Please provide the name and location of your firm.

2. Please provide a summary of the ownership and organizational structure of
your firm.

3. Provide a summary of the expertise, capacity and resources of your firm. Identify all of your municipal government/regional school district clients for which you have provided services of similar scope and size to those contemplated by this Request for Proposal. Include a contact name and telephone number for each such client.

4. Provide a business information report or business profile from a credit reporting agency dated no earlier than 60 days prior to the bid submission date.

5. Discuss any potential conflicts of interests the firm or any individual within the firm might have representing the Town of Hamilton and the Town of Wenham.

6. Include the basis by which the fee for services shall be assessed, whether by an hourly rate with an amount not to exceed, a flat fee, or some other fee structure.

7. Include an executed Certificate of Non-Collusion.

8. Applications (two (2) originals and five (5) copies) must be received on or before 2:00 PM, on ___________, July ___, 2010, at which time all applications will be opened and reviewed by the Operational Audit Review Committee.

Responses should be printed double-sided and bound in such a manner that the pages lie and remain flat when opened.

9. Applications must be accompanied by a concise cover letter that is a maximum of two pages in length that describes why the applicant is the best candidate to complete the operational audit in a timely manner.

10. Proposals and questions or clarifications shall be addressed to:

Michael A. Lombardo
Hamilton Town Manager
577 Bay Road, P.O. Box 429
Hamilton, MA 01936

"Unmasking The Anonymous Online Loudmouth"

2010-06-20T10:19:00.015-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about how annoying it can be to receive outrageous, ridiculous, and sometimes downright mean and false comments from individuals that hide their identities behind their diatribe by posting as "Anonymous" or using a fake name.

It appears I am not alone in my distaste for these nameless commentors.

The cover story in this week's Boston Globe Magazine, written by Neil Swidey, is about the very same issue. It's titled "Unmasking The Anonymous Online Loudmouth" (I wish I had thought of that) and it reaches just about the same conclusions that I did in my blog titled "Anonymity Cause For Animosity" [Click Here].

I recommend reading Neil's article [Click Here] and seeing why anonymous commentors that write shameless replies have given rise to a new Internet term, or "handle". They are now known as TROLLS...slang for people behind inflammatory posts.

From the article:

"The pros of hostng a robust, free-wheeling conversation
had become outweighed by the cons of all the venon and
nastiness,by people who are allowed to name-call without
any obligation to reveal their own names."

"After years of letting anonymity rule online, many media
heavyweights...have begun to modify their policies. The
goal is to take the playground back from the anonymous
bullies and give greater weight to those willing to offer,
in addition to strong views, their real names."
"...that freedom can be abused and manipulated to spread
lies or mask hidden agendas. With all that in the balance, the
thinking goes, shouldn't we know who's saying these things?"

This blog is dedicated to the troll "REMaven".

A Gentle Reminder...For Hamilton Residents

2010-06-19T08:25:00.009-04:00

HAMILTON SPECIAL TOWN MEETING

Monday, June 21st at 7:00 PM at the Winthrop School

Please plan to attend...A quorum is necessary to

approve the single warrant article (30 minutes)

B/T/W...Be sure to read recently elected Selectman Jeff Stinson's new blog:

http://www.openhamilton.org/

Can You "Pass The Buck"?

2010-06-11T18:27:00.029-04:00

We've all heard the term. It means blaming someone else rather than accepting responsibility yourself. We see a lot of that kind of activity in politics, especially on the national level.

At least one Hamilton Selectman has shown us that he too knows how to "Pass the Buck".

That's exactly what he did, as reported in a recent article in the Hamilton/Wenham Chronicle, when he stated that:

"the operational audit (of the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District) was approved pursuant to a citizens' petition, so the approval of funding should have been part of the citizens' motion but was not".

Excuse me?

The truth is that the citizen petitioners negotiated in good faith with the Selectmen of both Hamilton and Wenham, as well as the Finance and Advisory Committees of both towns, and they were assured at public meetings that the towns were going to step up and and fund the Operational Audit of the HWRSD. That placed the responsibility squarely on the town leadership...not the petitioners. And the Selectman mentioned above knew that, at least two weeks prior to the Annual Town Meeting, and said and did nothing.

The truth is that all that was left for the citizen petitioners was to see to it that the motion for the audit was approved at both the Wenham and Hamilton Town meetings. They did that.

The truth is that the motion passed overwhelmingly in Wenham with the FULL support of the Wenham Board of Selectmen and the Wenham FinCom and the Wenham FinCom addressed the issue of their portion of the funding for the Operational Audit at the Town Meeting and how the appropriation would take place.

The truth is that the IDENTICAL motion was made and overwhelmingly approved by the voters one week later at the Hamilton Annual Town Meeting.

The truth is that there was only ONE Selectman in both towns that consistently opposed the motion for the Operational Audit from day one to the day the voters approved the motion.

Guess who?

And now that same Selectman has the audacity to suggest that it is the petitioners' fault that a Special Town Meeting is necessary in order to appropriate Hamilton's share of the cost of the audit.

That's called "passing the buck".

The petitioners and the voters did their part. Even Town Manager Michael Lombardo has graciously stepped up and accepted responsibility for the unexpected need of a Special Town Meeting. But Michael is not to blame.

Apparently the only elected official not willing to accept responsibility, despite nearly six years as a Selectman and with more than two weeks notice in which to address the appropriation issue, is the sole dissenter from both towns' Boards of Selectmen...the only one who voted against the operational audit.

Hmmmm...imagine that.

Pricing Myths That Slow the Sale of Your Home

2010-06-07T13:12:00.006-04:00

Putting your house on the market can be an emotionally exhausting task. You have to confront questions that involve not only big money, but also an intensely personal asset - your home.

Questions like: What's my house really worth? Should I sell on my own to save the agent's commission? How can I be certain I'm getting the right advice about listing, negotiating, and selling smart in today's market?

Along with these tough questions, you come face-to-face with some enduring myths about the homeselling process. They're so widespread that it's wise to know about them in advance. If you make moves based on facts, not myths, you'll fare far better in the selling process.

MYTH: The real estate agent will set the price for my home.

Agents don't set any price. However, they'll suggest a price based on their assessment of not only your home but also the current state of the market. Most agents are careful to suggest a range rather than a dollar amount, and it's then up to you to accept or reject that recommendation. Their recommendation is usually based on a rigorous review of comparables - houses similar to yours that have sold in recent months.

MYTH: I should always list with the agent who recommends

the highest selling price in the Comparable Market Analysis (CMA).

Wrong. The CMA is just one of many factors on which to base a listing decision. The CMAs from several agents competing for your listing will probably all fall within a similar range. But if one agent's CMA is significantly outside that range - especially on the high side - don't make that the key reason for giving that agent your listing. Go with the agent whose total marketing presentation, track record, and rapport with you adds up best.

MYTH: If I sell my house myself, I'll net more money

because I won't be paying the agent's commision.

Many people look at the fee an agent stands to earn on a home sale and wonder whether there's a cheaper way to sell. In some red-hot real estate markets, where buyers are lining up outside your door with offers and competing for your home, it's possible to do just that. But most markets aren't anywhere near red-hot these days. Many are soft, sluggish, and slow (or steady at best) - the very worst climate for solo sellers of For-Sale-By-Owners (FSBOs).

The experience of sellers I've spoken with in the past year around the North Shore confirms the fact that when you go on your own in the current market, you stack the odds against yourself terribly. For starters, your home won't be listed in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), which is the number one sales tool for marketing a home. And despite your best desire to avoid having to pay a commision, most buyers who respond to your newspaper ad will discount out the commission you hope to pocket. That is, they'll subtract it from your asking price even before they start to really negotiate with you on your list price. The result is that you will receive far more low-ball offers than if you were working with an agent.

Then there are the sheer practical aspects of selling on your own. Do you have the time or the flexibility to show the home during your regular working hours? That happens to be when many buyers want to visit properties and spend time walking through them with their agent.

Another important flaw in the I-can-save-by-selling-it-myself theory is that although you may think your negotiating abilities will stand you in good stead when you deal one-on-one with potential buyers, the odds are that you're mistaken. Face-to-face negotiating in the kitchen or living room blows up more FSBO sales than almost any other cause. Rather than having a cool, unemotional buffer - that is, an agent - between yourself and the buyer, you're all alone, and the buyer's demands almost inevitably get you steamed up. After all, the buyer's negotiating strategy will always be to knock down your price by pointing out every imperfection, real or otherwise, in your home.

The hard reality is that if you want to get maximum value for your home, it makes little sense to fly solo. That's why a lot of FSBOs come in out of the cold after a few weeks or months and list with a professional.*

*Here's an interesting note: A national survey has shown that sellers that list with a real estate agent realize nearly 3% more for their homes, even after considering the commission.

MYTH: Homes always appreciate.

Spoiled by real estate markets in which values had been going up for years, many homeowners incorrectly assume that their home will appreciate at levels far in excess of other investments. Yet real estate, like every other important segment of our economy, runs in cycles...and I think everyone knows what cycle we are in right now! If you bought a home at the top of the market cycle but sell it at the bottom, you may end up taking a loss. On the other hand, you might have bought at the bottom of the cycle and can now realize a significant gain.

MYTH: There's no need to make sure I'm setting an accurate

and reasonable price for my home because I can always lower it later.

Sure you can. But in the meantime, you've blown your chance of selling it within a reasonable time frame to buyers who would have been interested if your initial price had been realistic.

Pricing too high - leaving too much padding for later negotiating - is the surest technique for leaving your home dead in the water for months or even years. And when you finally correct your asking price to the true market level, you'll probably end up with a lower selling figure than you'd have obtained by having a realistic price from the start.

The truth is: The longer a home remains unsold and on the market, the less the seller will ultimately net.

Anonymity Cause For Animosity

2010-05-26T13:46:00.009-04:00

If you are a blogger, you know that readers' comments mean alot. The same holds true for news reporters whose columns and articles appear online and allow for commenting from the public. Often the comments are supportive of the writer's opinion. Sometimes they are not. Often commenters use their own names when signing. Sometimes they do not, choosing instead an alias or simply posting as "anonymous".

All of that is fine and good...until you come across an anonymous commenter who lacks civility, honesty and integrity.

You know the type...the ones who compare you, the blogger, or even other commenters on your blog to Nazis, or terrorists, or the Klu Klux Klan, or the "village idiot". They claim you are ignorant or misguided or stupid or arrogant. They condemn in the most negative and egregious manner with complete disregard for facts or truth. But they never tell us who they are, do they?

This type of commenter is the real village idiot...and more. This kind of person lacks integrity and spews foolish nonsense and personal insults knowing all along that he/she has no accountability because he/she hides behind a protected wall of anonymity and therefore never "owns" what they write. They accept no responsibility for their dishonesty, negativity and inauthenticity.

In my previous blog I discussed the unfortunate amount of "hate and fake" emails that make their way around the Internet. The anonymous commenters whose conscienceless deceit makes its way onto bloggers' comments sections is the same kind of dishonest and ethically challenged individual. They are pathetic and cowardly.

Fortunately for the bloggers, reasonable and rational people recognize the difference between diatribe and substance and are unwilling to accept the former as the latter.

This blog is dedicated to the anonymous commenter "REmavens".

Patriotism Is a Virtue

2010-05-23T13:34:00.010-04:00

Greetings...

Is anyone else sick and tired of receiving emails from extremists with messages that are completely false and often degrading and insulting? And then they ask you to forward the message to everyone you know?

Do you want to know who the worst terrorists are in our country?

They are those who spread wild lies and totally false information on the Internet about anyone and anything that opposes their beliefs and false claims of patriotism.

They attempt to spread fear about the leadership of our country by propagating fabrications that have necessitated the creation of rumor debunking sites such as SNOPES.com, FACTCHECK.org, TRUTHORFICTION.com and others.

They have even gone so far as to attempt to cast doubt on the validity of the research done by the above fact-checking sites by making false claims about those sites!

And all in the name of "truth" when what they do is actually all in the name of wild exaggerations, lies and fear-mongering. The conscienceless deceit involved crosses the line of honesty, integrity and ethical standards.

It is terrorism of the worse kind because it spreads lies in the name of patriotism. It's shameful, disgraceful, and anything BUT patriotic. (remember Timothy McVeigh?)

Fortunately, most reasonable people can differentiate between appearance and substance.

Patriotism is a virtue that can not exist on a foundation of lies, false innuendo and diatribe.

Real Estate: A Bumpy Road Ahead?

2010-05-19T13:10:00.005-04:00

Imagine if we only had a crystal ball. Our major financial and life decisions would be so simple to make, and there would be no risk and no worries. Unfortunately, we do not have that luxury. Our decisions must be made upon solid data and information.

Over the past year, you may have heard a repeated message; now is a good time to buy. From the data we have, we do in fact know that it is a buyer’s market, and a good one. A wide variety of inventory is available, and interest rates are still low, making this an unprecedented time for buyers to take advantage of the market, and many already have.

In its latest release, the National Association of Realtors® states, "pending home sales rose in February, potentially signaling a second surge of home sales in response to the home buyer tax credit. The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed in February, rose 8.2 percent" compared to the same time last year.

Unfortunately, there are several factors that could impact the future direction of this market, making the road ahead a bumpy one, and uncertain at the very least.

The tax credit has expired and many industry analysts and economists agree that sales will slowly dwindle into the coming months. To quote an article in the Wall Street Journal, on home sales, curb your enthusiasm, "While there might be strong data in future weeks, industry experts have long said that softness could follow once the incentive - essentially free money - to buy is taken away."

We are also uncertain what the Fed will do to interest rates. Rates have held quite steady, but it is anticipated that the Fed will increase them, and to what extent is uncertain. If the rates do increase, it could impact the type and size of home a buyer could purchase. Buyers could be priced out of the market with an increase of rates by only a few points.

Yet another unknown variable is the amount of shadow inventory that could come onto the market at any given time. Shadow inventory are homes that have undergone foreclosure, but the banks have yet to place on the market. According to an MSN Money article, home seizures by banks set a new record and "prices have stabilized in many areas because banks have kept these properties off the market, adding that banks will likely continue to do so until the economy picks up again."

Of course every local real estate market has slight variables. To determine exactly what has taken place in your market over the past month consult with your local REALTOR.

If you’re seriously looking to purchase a property, now truly is the time to buy. Don’t gamble on the future with so many unknowns up ahead.

And f you didn’t have a chance to take advantage of the Tax Credit, just visit NewEnglandMoves.com. There are many homes participating in the Coldwell Banker Buyer Bonus program offering a credit up to $8,000, or speak directly to me and I will be happy to assist you.

Regards,

Jay Burnham, VP

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage

North Shore, Massachusetts

Direct Line: 978.233.2828

Great Party...No Friends!

2010-05-17T09:05:00.005-04:00

Imagine you are planning a great party for your closest friends. You want to save money where you can, so instead of paying for printing you buy some generic invitations. Then to save time you write "occupant" on the envelopes and take them to post office to be delivered.

When the big day arrives, you are in for a surprise. Your guests begin arriving but you don't recognize a single one of them. You planned an elegant black-tie affair, but they're all dressed for a back-yard barbecue. Before long, you realize that every one is a stranger, not at all the guests you had planned to spend the evening with.

Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? But when homeowners decide to sell "by owner," they create a scenario just as improbable. The generic sign appears in the front yard as an invitation to complete strangers to knock on the door at all hours for information. Another invitation, an ad, goes into the local newspaper.

The "guests" arrive all right, whenever they feel like it. They are an interesting collection of bargain hunters, investors, and "tire-kickers." Each plans to feast off the homeowner's equity – by making a low offer to purchase the home or, in the case of the tire-kicker, to just enjoy some free hospitality.

When it's time to sell your home, choose an agent who understands the invitation process. "Black-tie" buyers work with agents who can introduce them to homes that are the "talk of the town."

Regards,

Jay Burnham, VP
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage

Citizens Win Operational Audit of Schools at Town Meeting

2010-05-09T05:59:00.013-04:00

The following is the text of the presentation made by Enough Is Enough at the Hamilton Town Meeting on Saturday, May 8th. After minor debate the motion was passed by a margin of more than 5 to 1.

* * *

Presented by Jay Burnham

Thank you Mr. Moderator… and greetings fellow residents of Hamilton. Last week I had the privilege of speaking to this same motion at the Wenham Annual Town Meeting. Because we are a Regional School District, the motion needs to pass in both towns. It passed by an overwhelming majority in Wenham and it had the unanimous support of both the Wenham Board of Selectmen and the Wenham Finance and Advisory Committee. In fact, it was reported in the Salem News the following day:

“Any lingering doubts that a proposal for an operational audit of the Hamilton-Wenham Regional District enjoys broad-based community support were buried under a blizzard of white voter cards at Wenham’s Annual Town Meeting on Saturday afternoon.”

I understand that the Hamilton Board of Selectmen and the Hamilton Finance and Advisory Committee also support this motion and you will hear from them shortly. It should also be noted that all the current candidates for election to the BoS and the School Committee that spoke recently at the League of Women Voters Candidate’s night stated support for this motion as well.

A little more than a year ago Enough Is Enough was sufficiently concerned with the costs associated with our schools that we suggested that an operational, or efficiency audit, of the school district would be advisable. Shortly after that the Blue Ribbon Committee (BRC) was formed and began investigating school costs. When they reported their findings last June, we discovered that our school operating costs were much higher than comparable school districts. Unfortunately, nothing was ever done about it.

Then in February of this year, Dave Reid and other members of the BRC received new, current and updated information, working directly with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). That updated information showed that our costs were now even HIGHER than they were in last year’s study. It was reported that we spend between $2 to $4 million more a year than comparable or cohort school districts…or nearly $2,000 more per student…without the benefit of a better education as measured by scholastic test scoring.

Once again, nothing was done about it. The School District set about denying the results, defending the spending and delaying a solution. It was clear that something had to be done and the district was not going to be the one to initiate the process.

As a result Enough Is Enough prepared and began circulating a Citizen’s Petition requesting an amendment to the Regional School Agreement calling for an Operational Audit. An amendment of the Regional School Agreement is the ONLY recourse that citizens have when it comes to the school district, which is otherwise autonomous.

The motion before you is different than what was originally proposed. Despite claims of support for an operational audit, the School District placed numerous roadblocks in the path of the Citizens Petition. In an effort to find common ground and compromise, EiE voluntarily modified the original motion as follows:

We have removed the obligation of the Superintendent or School Committee to adopt the recommendations of the Operational Audit.

We have removed the obligations of the Superintendent or School Committee to present a plan for such adoption.

We now only require the Superintendent or School Committee to report to the Selectmen, at an advertised Public Hearing, their response to the recommendations made in the Operational Audit.

We have removed, as a result of agreement by the towns to fund the costs and expenses of the audit, the requirement that the School District pay for the Operational Audit.

We have added the requirement that the costs and expenses of the Operational audit shall not exceed $90k and that the Towns of Hamilton and Wenham will fund the costs according to the current fiscal year rolling average assessment percentage…which is roughly 1/3 Wenham, 2/3 Hamilton.

We removed the requirement that an Operational Audit be conducted every five (5) years.

What we have NOT changed and WILL NOT modify is the SCOPE of the Operational Audit or the MECHANISIM for assuring that the audit is performed.

The mechanism for that assurance is the Regional School District Agreement and the motion before you calls for amending that agreement so as to require the Operational Audit. The Regional Agreement is the CONTRACT between the District and our two communities. Bound only by the terms of that CONTRACT, the District is, as I mentioned before, otherwise autonomous. The School committee has suggested that the article should not be in the Regional Agreement because it is now a one time event and that we therefore somehow risk approval of the amendment by the Commissioner of DESE. We say that if the Commissioner considers denying this amendment, an amendment designed to improve the schools…at no cost to the schools…an amendment supported by the BoS and Finance Committees of both towns, an amendment that resulted from a citizens petition signed by 879 registered voters…and approved (at least so far…in Wenham) by more than 80% of the voters at Town Meeting…well then, ladies and gentlemen, our problems and far worse than we think. We’re willing and insist upon taking that alleged risk.

And lastly, we come to the SCOPE of the audit. The District wants to limit the focus to only a study of Instructional Services and SPED. That would be like asking the voters in this room to approve the Town Budget with only 2 line items presented. To the contrary, what is needed is a full and complete operational audit by an unbiased, professional auditing firm with expertise in exactly this kind of school operational study and review.

I have a copy of a full operational audit report. It is 331 pages in length…It’s a report of a school district with 3900 students, or a little less than twice our size. It is a study and complete review of an entire school system including:

District Administration

Financial Management

Purchasing

Education Service Delivery Costs

Special Education

Human Resources

Facility Use & Management

Transportation

Technology Management

Nutrition Services

The report is full of commendations, (yes…recognition of what the district is doing well and right) as well as “best practice” recommendations and fiscal recommendations for savings…in the case of that school district, $16 million over 5 years.

Being half the size, just imagine if we could save half that amount. Perhaps we could eliminate some User Fees…or make repairs to this auditorium…or fix up the high school lockers…or maybe all of those things.

The primary goal of the operational audit is to insure that non-instructional functions are running efficiently so that as much of school district funding as possible goes directly to the classroom and to identify savings that can be gained through best practices.

Making a positive difference…making our schools better…lies today with you and your vote.

I urge you to vote YES to the motion before you for an operational audit. We need it, it’s the fiscally responsible thing to do, and it’s the right time to do it.

And in closing, I’d like to offer one other quote from the Salem News, this one by Steve Landwehr the day before Wenham’s supportive Town Meeting vote.

He wrote:

“On its face, it’s a straightforward proposal for an independent examination of the finances and operations of the Hamilton/Wenham Regional School District. What’s at stake, however, is trust.”

You know, there just may be more truth in that statement than any one of us in this room would like to admit.

Let’s begin building trust back up within our community. It can begin if we all agree to a full and complete operational audit that will surely provide the transparency we all desire and deserve.

And along with that transparency… I believe we can find that missing trust.

Please vote YES… and make a positive difference.

Thank you for your consideration.

Wenham Voters Support Operational Audit at Town Meeting

2010-05-03T11:40:00.008-04:00

"Any lingering doubts that a proposal for an operational audit of the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District enjoys broad-based community support were buried under a blizzard of white voter cards at Wenham's Annual Town Meeting on Saturday afternoon."

...Steve Landwehr, SALEM NEWS

Town Meeting backs audit of school district

[click above for full story]

Wenham voters mull independent review of schools

2010-04-30T06:35:00.004-04:00

Wenham voters mull independent review of schools

From the Salem News, April 30, 2010

by Steve Landwehr

Posted using ShareThis

How Do You Like It Now?

2010-04-17T19:15:00.023-04:00

The fiscal watchdog group Enough Is Enough (EiE) in Hamilton and Wenham has released an amendment to their motion calling for an operational audit of the Hamilton/Wenham Regional School District (HWRSD)...to be presented to the voters in Wenham and Hamilton at their respective Town Meetings.

[click here to view the amendment]

When EiE's original citizen's petition warrant article was published, the HWRSD rushed to their attorney for an opinion of whether or not the article was allowable and enforceable. Their attorney's opinion was that it was NOT enforceable as it applied to the "requirement" that if audited, the school committee (SC) had to implement the recommendations of the audit firm. The HWRSD then announced that EiE's proposal was "illegal", a suggestion that represents spin at its worst. There is a distinct difference between "unenforceable" and "illegal". The suggestion that EiE was somehow attempting to "break the law" is clearly ridiculous.

Nonetheless, EiE then made attempts to reach common ground and compromise with the SC, but they received no response from that committee. So EiE forged ahead without a reply and have now made public their amended motion that addresses the issues raised by the HWRSD attorney (cause for his complaint has been eliminated), as well as other issues expressed by the SC.

The amended motion should put to rest all the concerns previously expressed by the SC...except for two: the funding for the operational audit and the SCOPE of the audit. Those issues have been fully discussed and justified here on this blog, other blogs and in the local newspapers so I see no point in beating that dead horse again.

Which brings to point one final question... Will the SC finally accept the will of the citizens and the reasonable and rational changes proposed by EiE's compromise amendment? Or will they simply find something else to object to and attempt to place additional roadblocks in the way of an initiative designed to make our schools more efficient and effective? Will they try to water it down and propose support only for a "mini" audit, or "audit-light" that will serve no other purpose than to waste additional taxpayer dollars on a restricted and SC controlled review of limited portions of the district school system and would inevitably result in failure to solve the district's problems at money management?

I guess we'll find out at Town Meeting.

Make a positive difference...

Attend Town Meeting and VOTE YES for the operational audit.

Wenham: May 1st at the Buker School

Hamilton: May 8th at the High School

The "Final Word"

Compliments of The Informed Hamilton Blog:

http://tinyurl.com/23tjkup

Seize the Day

School Superintendent States Support of Operational Audit

2010-03-11T15:25:00.031-05:00

On Thursday, March 18, Hamilton Town Clerk Jane Wetson certified that a citizen's petition had the necessary 10% of the town's registered voter signatures, thereby qualifying it to be placed as an article on the warrant for the Annual Town Meetings...in both Hamilton and Wenham.

Because the petition calls for an amendment to the Regional School District Agreement, 10% of the registered voter's signatures, of EITHER town, was required. That number of signatures was 570 in Hamilton. As it turned out, the total number collected in Hamilton and Wenham exceeded 850.

By now, most know that the petition calls for an Operational Audit of the regional school district by an outside, unbiased, third-party company, to be determined by the Boards of Selectmen (BoS) of the two towns.

You can read more about the issue on this blog in articles below this one.

Here are a few new items regarding this initiative...

Some have asked why the amendment calls for the school district operating fund to pay for the audit. In fact, the current superintendent has indicated that she supports such an audit but that she feels the district should not pay for it. The answer is simple...the schools already do not pay for anything - the TAXPAYERS do. So whether the funding is in the school budget, or the town budget - you, the taxpayers of Hamilton and Wenham, pay the bill. So it does not matter which pocket it comes from, it's the same pair of pants.

School Committee member Don Gallant recently stated, "I find it difficult for a public entity to fund its own audit. My concern is if you had an operational audit and they came in with a, more or less, favorable report, it would look a little fishy because you were the one who paid for the report."

But hold on a minute...

Isn't that EXACTLY what the school district did when it paid nearly $45 thousand for a study and report by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)? The proposed amendment language of the citizen's petition eliminates Mr. Gallant's concern by granting the authority of who to hire to the Boards of Selectmen, not the school committee or administration.
The most often asked question is "How much is it going to cost?" That will depend upon what firm the selectmen choose to perform the operational audit. The tax watchdog group Enough Is Enough (EiE) has been in contact with one firm, MGT of America, that specializes in exactly this kind of audit and they have said the cost would likely be $75k to $95k for a complete and thorough examination, including specific recommendations for improvement and savings.

You can view the company's website by [clicking here].

School districts where MGT has performed audits have noted experiencing savings of from several times the cost of the audit to millions of dollars over the years, resulting from MGT recommendations that the schools implemented. Judging from the wide discrepancy of the costs of our school district compared to our "cohort" districts (estimated at $2 to $4 million more a year in Hamilton/Wenham) brought to light by the Blue Ribbon Committee (BRC) recently, it seems clear that an operational audit is overwhelmingly needed here.

Which brings me to my final point...There are those that would argue that the BRC has already shown us where we need to cut costs...that we need to simply look to the comparison schools to find the answers. Not according to Alexa McCloughan, vice-chairman of the School committee, who (Boston Globe North: 3/11/10) said that while the results of the study are interesting, jumping to the conclusion that Hamilton-Wenham could be remade in the image of another district would be an oversimplification and that closer observation of any community yields significant differences.

I agree with Ms. McCloughan. That is precisely why the HWRSD needs an operational audit of its own so its own values and philosophies, systems and processes, personnel and practices can be properly...and locally...evaluated and recommendations made to improve the delivery of services and save costs.

Even school superintendent McGrath admits supporting an operational audit.

Dr. McGrath publicly stated at the school committee meeting on 3/11/10:

"From the very first meeting, at every single
BRC meeting...Don (Gallant, SC member)

and I both said, 'Come on in! Come in

and do an operational audit.' I'm getting

rather tired of seeing it in print that

we are opposing an operational audit,

because that is NOT the case."

So there you have it. The school administration and the residents want the same thing - an operational audit that will improve our school district...for everyone. This should be cause not only for celebration but also for overwhelming support and passage of the request at both Town Meetings.

Vote YES for this amendment to the Regional School District Agreement at the Annual Town Meetings in May and let's get started.

Wenham's Annual Town Meeting is Saturday, May 1.

Hamilton's Annual Town Meeting is Saturday, May 8.

800+ Sign Petition in Support of Operational Audit

2010-03-04T16:06:00.013-05:00

About a month ago I reported here that the grassroots tax group Enough Is Enough (EiE) was circulating a Citizen's Petition requesting an Operational Audit of the Hamilton/Wenham Regional School District (HWRSD). Within three weeks of that announcement the group had the required number of signatures to submit their request as an article for the Town Meeting warrants in both Hamilton and Wenham.

In fact, the total number of voter signatures required was 570 and the group gathered over 800...in just three weeks!

That's a testament not only to those that collected so many signatures in so little time, but also to the overwhelming support that this initiative has in both towns.

And why wouldn't it have that kind of support?

You will recall that two weeks after EiE began collecting signatures, the Blue Ribbon Committee (BRC) reported an update of data and information that spotlighted an alarming disparity between what we pay to the HWRSD and what similar/comparable school districts are costing. A Salem News article stated that our school district spends nearly $3.5 million dollars more than the comparable districts...without the benefit of higher educational test scoring from our students.

That knowledge is cause for grave concern and clearly supports and justifies the need for the operational audit. EiE has sought support for this study for more than a year and has tried repeatedly and unsuccessfully to obtain information from the school department in order to find out where and how funding is being directed and spent in our school district. The school department's steadfast reluctance to provide the requested information left EiE no other choice than to seek the requested amendment to the Regional School District Agreement requiring an operational audit.

Fortunately, there has never been a more opportune time to perform this kind of audit. Changes within the school administration could likely result in savings to fund such an audit. School districts contacted by EiE that performed operational audits have positive testimonials about recommendations that were provided by the auditors and spoke of savings of millions of dollars...many times the original cost of their audits. Savings have been found in areas never considered by the school committees and new "best practice" systems and processes have been implemented that have been proven highly effective.

This is an initiative that should be welcomed and embraced by all. It is not punishment. It is an acknowledgement that professional, trained, experienced, outside, third party experts are better able discern solutions to our problems than those that, despite their best intentions, have caused the cost of our kids' education to soar beyond reason...without the benefit of enhanced educational excellence.

In other words, higher costs have NOT been shown to equal better education.

The amendment request for the operational audit will be voted upon at each individual Town Meeting. Wenham's meeting is on Saturday, May 1st, and Hamilton's is the following Saturday, May 8th. Be sure to attend and vote YES.

This amendment gives the residents real authority and stronger accountability.

It's about time for that.

To view a copy of the Citizen's Petition:
[CLICK HERE]

Aspiring to Excellence in Our Schools

2010-02-09T12:07:00.044-05:00

The Annual Town Meetings for Hamilton and Wenham are scheduled for May 8th and May 1st respectively. With a winter coat of white still on the ground and more in the forecast, it may seem as though May is a long way away.

Not really, when you consider the time and effort that goes into preparing articles for the warrant, the budgets from the various departments and, of course, the school district budget which is currently in it's preliminary stage. To spice things up, there is also a new teacher contract that is currently being negotiated.

And let's not forget any citizen's petitions that may be working their way onto the warrant for a vote at the Annual Town Meetings.

Which brings me to the topic of this blog...

The citizen's tax-watchdog group Enough Is Enough (EiE) has prepared and is currently obtaining signatures for a petition requesting an amendment to the the Regional School District Agreement. According to that agreement, any such change request must be signed by at least 10% of the registered voters in EITHER of the member towns (not both). At this time that means 571 registered voter signatures in Hamilton... or 270 in Wenham.

The petition is requesting an amendment to the district agreement that would allow for an operational audit to be conducted within 6 months of approval and within every 5 years following that initial audit.

This is an initiative that is long overdue. Here is a link to a recent Salem News report about how the HWRSD significantly outspends comparable school systems: [Click Here]

FEATURES and BENEFITS of an Operational Audit:

An operational audit is not to be confused with a financial audit. An operational audit's purpose is to appraise the effectiveness and efficiency of an entire organization...in this case the Hamilton/Wenham Regional School District (HWRSD). The entire HWRSD operations would be analyzed, including appraisal of structure, controls, procedures and processes. Recommendations to improve performance and save costs would result from such an audit.
An Operational Audit should provide at least three deliverables:

Value-driven recommendations that would enhance the HWRSD's efficiency and ability to achieve specific and long range objectives and cut costs.
A clear road map of how to manage the change process during the implementation of those recommendations.
The ability to recognize the need for change in the future, coupled with the ability to do it right the first time.

Some of you will recall that last September I posted a poll asking how many readers supported the concept of an operational audit of the HWRSD and I announced the results here.

89% of all respondents voted YES to such an audit and since that time even more residents have embraced the idea, including parents, teachers, town employees and even some selectmen. Even the Blue Ribbon Committee (BRC) recommended a somewhat limited operational audit (SPED only). And now, with updated information from select members of the BRC about to be made public, it is the right time to consider and vote on this amendment at Town Meeting.

Over the next few weeks you are likely to encounter volunteers asking for your support, and signature, to place this request on the town meeting warrants so that voters can decide collectively at town meeting whether to approve the audit...or not. You are welcome to place comments here on this blog if you wish.

Your signature on the citizen's petition is not a "yea" or "nay" vote on the initiative...It simply guarantees that the article will make it to Town Meeting where open discussion can take place and the outcome decided by the majority of registered voters present.

To view a copy of the requested amendment: [CLICK HERE]

IN OTHER NEWS...
Many leaders seem to be
abandoning the Hamilton/Wenham School District

School superintendent Marinel McGrath has accepted the job of superintendent of schools for Andover, MA.

Assistant superintendent Paul Syzmanski has accepted the position of school business manager in Billerica.

Philip Conrad, associate principal at Miles River Middle School and Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School is leaving to go to Rockport.

And there are currently only two candidates for the three positions available on the School Committee.

Can you say "Abandon Ship!"?

Also... The SOS group is promoting what they refer to as the "Fair Share" initiative for the schools, demanding that the towns give the schools a minimum of 2.5 % increase (plus .05% from new growth) every year.

One might argue that giving the schools more than $40 million in cumulative override funding over the past 11 years was a "Fair Share".

What would you call the increase in school funding of 9.8% two years ago, if not a "Fair Share"? (Maybe taxpayers should demand a refund?)

Wouldn't you call the average increase in school funding of 5.6% a year over the past 10 years a "Fair Share"?

For more details about this issue [click here]

How about a "Fair Shake" for taxpayers for a change?

Lastly, the Education Fund group recently sponsored a "feasability" study on rebuilding the auditorium at the high school. The architectural firm Dore & Whittier presented two options before a meeting of the School Committee.

Option #1: $6.7 million

Option #2: $8.8 million

I'm not sure, but I get the sense that neither option is particularly palatable to the taxpayers, or even the School Committee for that matter, during this fragile economic period. But thanks should be extended to the Ed Fund folks for paying for the study and for giving us something nice to dream about. Too bad we could not have purchased the North Shore Music Theatre, which was just sold on February 3rd for only $3.6 million. That probably would have been more "feasible", even if you threw in the cost of bussing students there for rehearsals.

Use Your Cell Phone to Scan For Information!

2010-01-23T13:57:00.032-05:00

We've all seen the bar codes that are used everywhere from grocery stores to department stores, from supply houses to small businesses. They are featured on nearly every product you buy and they look like the image above.

Well...get ready for a new bar code called a QR code (Quick Response) that is going to begin having a huge impact on business information and how it is delivered to you via your cell phone in the coming year.

While conventional bar codes are capable of storing a maximum of approximately 20 digits, QR code is capable of handling several hundred times more information.

Expect to see QR codes in magazine advertisements, on billboards, web pages or even on someone’s t-shirt. Once it is "scanned" to your cell phone, it can give you details about that business, or details about the person wearing the t-shirt, show you a URL which you can click to see a trailer for a movie, or it may give you a coupon which you can use in a local outlet.

The reason why QR codes are more useful than a standard bar code is that they can store (and digitally present) much more data, including URL links, pictures, GEO coordinates, and text. The other key feature of QR codes is that instead of requiring a chunky hand-held scanner to scan them, most recent cell phones can scan them. The full Wikipedia description is here.

For a short YouTube explanation by Marcello Di Pietro: click here

Any business, no matter how small or large, could use QR codes in a number of ways. You might auto generate one next to every product on your web site containing all the product details, the number to call and the URL link to the page so they can show their friends on their cell phone.

You could add one to your business card containing your contact details so its easy for someone to add you to their contacts on their cell phone, without any typing!

Below is an example of my business contact information, including a photo, company logo and link to my website. All you need is the READER application which is available for download to your phone at several Internet sites. The QR code can be as small as your thumbnail or as large as a billboard.

Add your QR code to any print advertising, flyers, posters, invites, tv ads etc. containing:

product details
contact details
offer details
event details
a coupon
Twitter, Facebook, MySpace IDs
a link to a YouTube video
Or, in my case...Access to individual homes for sale, mortgage information, Open Houses, mapping and more.

What is it really all about? Well, some may not see it, but its yet another example of the blurring of the edges of media, as we all continue our journey to a completely connected world.

Follow me on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/jayburnham

REMV for Marketing Homes For Sale?

2010-01-16T14:12:00.011-05:00

REMV, or Real Estate Music Video, is the newest and hottest way of video marketing homes for sale. Like the music videos you see on TV and Youtube, this application can range from hard-hitting impact marketing like this:

...to soft (think James Taylor) and smooth video marketing like this:
(which one do you prefer?)

If you think the above marketing videos are cool, you should see what can be done with a single property REMV. A key component to creating this kind of video is looking at photography in a different way. It's not simply about posting pictures and adding a soundtrack, it's about telling a story and creating a sequence of photos that take the viewer on a ride complete with images of the area as well as the individual property.

If you are considering the sale of your home, now is the best time in years to do so. If you want the most comprehensive marketing available from a real estate company, you need Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. If you want the most unique and extensive marketing available from a North Shore real estate agent, you need me. Best of all, we are on the same team. Call me for a confidential consultation to discuss your options: 978.233.2828 (direct)

Follow me on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/jayburnham

Scan my QR Code Contact information to your cell phone:

A Nattering Nabob of Negativism

2010-01-14T09:47:00.022-05:00

That's what one disgruntled reader recently called me after I wrote as a guest contributor on a well-known, well-written and well-read Hamilton blog site known as Unquestionably Questionable. Me? A "nattering nabob of negativism"? Ouch!

I did not even know what a "nabob" was so I went to the Internet for clarification. Here is what I found:

na·bob (noun):

A governor in India under the Mogul Empire. Also called nawab. (That can't be it)

A person of wealth and prominence. (Wealth...no. Prominence...I don't think so!)

A rich, powerful, or important man. (Definitely not)

So what exactly did this person mean? What was she implying?

I decided to seek enlightenment at the next most likely site to have an answer: Henderson's Cafe & Coffee Shop in Wenham.

For those unfamiliar with this hot spot of community culture and local politics, it's next to the Hamilton Shopping Center (aka: The Shoppes at Hamilton Crossing) on, as they say...the "other side of the tracks". If you really want to take the pulse of our two towns, you have to visit Henderson's where opinions are never in short supply and politicians that dare to enter can always find answers to their pressing problems.

Which is why I asked several members of what I call Henderson's "Breakfast Club" if anyone knew what a "nabob" was...as in "nattering nabob of negativism".

Wouldn't you know it? A couple of the attendees were familiar with the phrase and explained where it originated, even as a third member of the group looked it up on his Apple iPhone. It seems it is one of the most popular phrases associated with U.S. Vice President Spiro T. Agnew who served under Richard Nixon until resigning in October 1974, after pleading no contest to charges of tax fraud. He is the only Vice President in U.S. history to resign because of criminal charges. Agnew, who had a particularly acrimonious relationship with the press, used this term to refer to the members of the media, whom he also deemed "an effete corps of impudent snobs."

Although the phrase "nattering nabob of negativism" is often credited to Agnew himself, one of the breakfast club members, Phil Stearns, knew that it was actually written by William Safire, the legendary columnist for The New York Times, who was a speechwriter for Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew.

So...Let's get back to one person's view that this blogger is a "nattering nabob of negativism".

Thank you for that description! Now that I know the phrase was used by an ex-vice president who resigned as a result of charges of fraud to describe the press corp that helped identify and report on those charges, I am quite pleased that you referred to me this way. I can only hope that my blogging will help identify similarly guilty individuals who need to be exposed and written about, for the betterment of our community.

If you think about it, negativism is actually quite important. We need it in order to know what is wrong so that we can correct it.

Perhaps once that is accomplished I will turn into a "Prime Pillar of Positiveness".

Follow me on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/jayburnham

Scan my QR Code contact information to your cell phone:

(Not So) Transparent Meeting in Process

2010-01-10T13:11:00.014-05:00

By now, anyone living on the North Shore that has a pulse has likely heard about the letter of reprimand handed down to the Hamilton Board of Selectmen by Assistant District Attorney Grimes for violations of the Open Meeting rules. The news broke in two separate front page articles in the Salem News, followed by an editorial in the same paper a day later.

That's a lot of press for a small town, but then Hamilton has had more than its share of front page breaking news over the past year. Unfortunately, most of it has been unflattering.

So much has been written in the "Comments" section of the online versions of the three articles mentioned above that this writer feels there is little to add. Instead, I offer the following links to the articles for you to review and form your own opinion of the issue:

In the order in which they were published:

http://www.salemnews.com/punews/local_story_005222435.html

http://www.salemnews.com/punews/local_story_007001645.html

http://www.salemnews.com/puopinion/local_story_007234327.html

And if you'd like to read another local blogger's take on the issue:

http://unquestionablyquestionable.blogspot.com/

Let's all hope that we can keep our small town out of the headlines for awhile.

Even a week would be nice!

Uh oh!...We did not escape for even a week! Here's what was on the front page of the Salem News on January 12th:

http://www.salemnews.com/punews/local_story_011234056.html?dsq=29543067#comment-29543067

Follow me on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/jayburnham

Jay's Real Estate Predictions for 2010

2009-12-30T09:07:00.011-05:00

There are a lot of sighs of relief now that 2009 is past, particularly coming from the real estate industry.

But will 2010 be any better?

I have just dusted off my crystal ball... and I can now offer my annual 10 predictions for real estate in the coming year:

1. The residential housing market will pick up early this year, but will dip again after mid-year.

2. Short sales will increase and foreclosure inventory will continue to rise.

3. Mortgage rates will rise and settle in around 6%+/-.

4. Appraisal guidelines will tighten and mortgage lenders will require stellar credit from buyers.

5. A lot of prospective move-up buyers will stay put.

6. Commercial real estate will continue to decline.

7. Builders will continue to be cautious and not in any particular hurry to gain project approvals or begin construction.

8. New construction prices will drop significantly.

9. Prices will continue to decline on higher end properties (over $1.5 million).

10. The terms "communication" and "service" will take on new meanings among real estate agents with the need for more direct contact with clients, such as phone and face-to-face contact as opposed to Internet, email and voicemail communication.

There you have it. Perhaps not the rosiest picture imaginable, but no one said that climbing out of a recession would be easy... or quick. Take a look at the graph below and you will see why. I would put us somewhere between the "depression" and "hope" positions of the graph.

The good news?

A lot of real estate transactions will take place in 2010, despite the market. Reasonable sellers, savvy buyers and service-centered real estate agents will win the day.

Carpe Diem! Make it a great year!

Follow me on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/jayburnham

Real Estate in 2010 vs 2009...Good News Ahead

2009-12-26T20:00:00.005-05:00

Is This A Test?...A Quiz?...A Question?...A Poll?

2009-12-26T15:06:00.017-05:00

This is a test.

Actually, it's more of a quiz.

Scratch that, it's really a question. Or perhaps a poll. It's for any and all real estate agents that may read this blog from time to time. Here's the set up:

It's the day before Christmas and Santa has agreed to give you any technology tool you want for your business. The cost range is $300 to $3,000. The question, therefore, is:

What single piece of real estate technology would you ask for and why?

All answers to this question will be posted on this blog for others to see and learn from.

I'll start it out with my own wish which would be to receive a new Palm PRE Smartphone...but with VERIZON as the carrier. Right now, Sprint is the only choice, but I have it on good authority that Verizon WILL be carrying it in 2010.

Here's why I like the Palm PRE...

1. The WebOS operating system. It's fast and smooth and allows you to keep multiple applications open at the same time.

2. Easy management of multiple email accounts, collectively or separately.

3. Contact management and scheduling are a breeze and information can be pulled together in one place from multiple sources.

4. Software updates come to you over the air...without having to log into your computer.

5. It has a slide-out tactile QWERTY board (as opposed to simply a digital screen version).

There's more that I like, but I don't want to sound too much like a Palm PRE advertisement.

So what's on your wish list?.....

Here's a link to Time Magazine's Top 10 gadgets.

The Night Before a Christmas Closing

2009-12-15T20:19:00.016-05:00

This is for all those real estate agents who find themselves in the position of trying to close a transaction before the end of the year....

'Twas an hour before closing and the agents were tense,

To close Christmas Eve just didn't make sense.

But the seller was booked on the 6 o'clock flight

And had warned "THERE WILL BE A CLOSING TONIGHT!"

The agents agreed because business was dead,

And visions of commission checks danced in their heads.

The loan was approved by the lender's good grace,

Everyone knew it was a borderline case.

The buyers divorced, remarried again,

Divorced once more, and now were just friends.

The loan package complete to the attorney was carried,

With instructions to close before they remarried.

The title policy arrived via UPS,

From page One through Sixteen, a terrible MESS!

An improper legal, 3 judgments, a lien,

But a few lines on page seven, looked pretty clean.

The title was cleared and the closing was set,

But to finish today was not a sure bet.

The attorney dashed in waving the HUD,

It was covered with whiteout, coffee and crud.

But down in the corner you barely could see,

That the buyer still owed a buck thirty-three.

So the attorney decided to waive a part of his fee,

And the agents agreed better you than me.

To add to the turmoil, guess what hadn’t arrived?

The certificate of approval of Title V.

And the seller now wanted to change the disclosure,

His mother had just died of RADON EXPOSURE!

But everything else in his house was O.K.

(his cracked floors and walls were always that way)

About that time the buyer chimed in,

"We'd like to continue, but before we begin,

I noticed these papers - I'm likely to blame,

But I gave my agent the wrong legal name.

And one more thing I had hoped to avoid,

Does it really matter if I'm self-employed?"

Just then the closing attorney exploded,

Pulled out a gun and said it was loaded.

Everyone froze and sat there amazed,

He frothed at the mouth and his eyes were both glazed.

More rapid than rain, his curses they came,

He bristled and spouted and called them bad names.

"THE CLOSING IS OFF, DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR??

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL – NOW GET OUT OF HERE!"

Can You Hear Me Out There? (Is This Mic On?)

2009-12-03T11:06:00.006-05:00

Have you heard the latest?

The Hamilton Board of Selectmen (BoS) voted on Monday, November 30th, to increase the property tax rate from $15.23 per thousand to $16.25 per thousand (of assessed value).

That's right...INCREASE.

Here's their reasoning for raising your taxes 6.7% during the worst economic recession most of us have ever experienced:

According to the Hamilton Board of Assessors and the BoS, the total value of property in Hamilton has decreased by 4.1 percent this year. Of the total, 95 percent is residential, 4 percent is commercial, and 1 percent is personal. They say that the average single-family home values have decreased by 4.4 percent since fiscal 2009. When property values decline (they say), the tax rate on real estate automatically increases (a 4.4% average in this case for residential property owners and a 4.1% total increase for all property) to keep the tax revenues "neutral". If you subtract out the 4.1%, the net rate increase is 2.6% which is roughly the equivalent of the 2.5% levy growth.

That's their explanation.

Let's analyze that. First of all, it assumes that when you get your next property tax bill, your home will be assessed at 4.4% less than last year.

Anyone care to bet on that?

If it's not, then you should join the hundreds of other homeowners and get in line down at Town Hall to file for an abatement. To apply for an abatement, you must file within 30 days of receipt of your January tax bill.

Secondly, the explanation assumes that the tax levy must rise by 2.5% in order for taxes to be "revenue neutral". That's simply ridiculous. The 2.5% increase is ALLOWABLE, it is not REQUIRED. It's not a statute. It's a permissible entitlement that has come to be expected, but it should not be during these recessionary times. I blogged and conducted a poll about this last September [click here] and 86% of the respondents to the poll indicated that they would be willing to accept cuts in services in order to see a 0% increase in their property taxes for one year.

Lastly, the BoS's explanation that "when property values decline, the tax rate on real estate automatically increases" doesn't seem to account for the fact that when property values were rising, our real estate tax rate also increased. At least then we were seeing equity growth in our homes. Increasing taxes, even as the equity in our homes diminishes, simply adds salt to the wound.

And it goes even further than that. Higher tax rates (and Hamilton's are the highest on the North Shore) are driving buyers away from our town in favor of neighboring communities with much lower rates. Additionally, the high costs are driving residents away (read: Voting With Your Feet)...if only they could sell their homes. Which they can, but at discounted prices as compared to other towns.

And so, even as values decline due to the exceedingly high property taxes in Hamilton, your Selectmen have voted to increase your taxes...causing values to decline even more...and so on.

You have heard the term "enough is enough". Apparently our elected officials have not.

"Hello?...Is the mic on? Can you hear me out there?"

Teacher Shortage...Or Glut?

2009-11-11T13:44:00.020-05:00

Jim Kent of Hamilton is a teacher. He works at a private school where he earns less than his counterparts in the public school system. He recently wrote a Letter-to-the-Editor that was published in the Hamilton/Wenham Chronicle [click here to read it].

In it, Jim describes the pay and benefit cuts that he, like so many others, has had to make during the current economic recession. I know Jim, and too many others like him that have been hard hit by the economy. Jim is grateful that he still has a job. More than 317,000 others in Massachusetts are less fortunate.

All across the country people are losing their jobs and are unable to find other work, in nearly all employment categories. The teaching profession is just one that has gone from a shortage to a glut.

Why?

Because the teachers and their advocate unions have steadfastly refused to cut back on salaries or benefits (the way they have at Jim Kent's non-union school) thereby resulting in layoffs in support of the remaining teachers and their incomes and benefits. Nowhere is that more apparent than in Hamilton and Wenham. Last spring, you will recall, the taxpayers said "enough is enough" to 10 years of Proposition 2.5 overrides for the school district and the majority of taxpayers in the two towns disapprove of salary and benefit raises in one sector at the expense of others.

According to the U.S. Bureau of statistics, school systems, state education agencies, technical schools and colleges have shed nearly 125,000 jobs since last fall. At the same time, many teachers that had been planning retirement are staying on due to the recession and many people who have lost jobs in other professions are trying to make teaching a second career or work as substitutes until they can find full time employment elsewhere.

According to the annual report from the American Association for Employment in Education, the nationwide demand for teachers in 60 out of 61 subjects has declined from a year ago (Math is the only exception). In other recent years, more than a dozen subjects had extreme shortages. Neil Shnider, the executive director of the association said, "We don't see a teacher shortage now. The school districts aren't hiring."

Which brings us to the Hamilton/Wenham Regional School District (HWRSD) and current negotiations taking place with the teachers' union. It has been said that if the teachers do not get a contract that maintains or increases salaries and/or benefits they will leave and go find positions in other school districts.

That's highly unlikely, given that the other districts are not hiring for the very reasons mentioned above. It's a hollow threat.

In case the teachers and their union representatives missed the news, here are a just a few recent headlines from the Boston Globe:

"Outlook is grim deep into 2010"

"Stimulus job boost in state exaggerated, review finds"

"Amid budget pain, some states furlough teachers"

"Jobless rate at highest level since '83"

"State jobless pay to end for many"

"Mass unemployment rate climbed to 9.1 percent in August"

"Patrick warns of 2,000 job cuts...asks unions for concessions"

"Unemployment at 33-year high; insurance fund running out"

"A state of economic anxiety"

"2 sheriff's unions OK furloughs"

"As jobs remain elusive, foreclosures rise again (30% in October)"

Let's hope that the HWRSD School Committee can work out a new contract with the union that will be fair in light of the issues that Jim Kent has raised. No one wants to see more teachers laid off... and "budgeting by override" is no longer an option.

To read how other public employees are sacrificing for the good of all, read this inspiring article about our state representatives in the Salem News, posted 11/24/09.

You Probably Think This Blog Is About You

2009-10-29T09:27:00.029-04:00

Most people remember Carly Simon's hit song "You're So Vain" and to this day she has not revealed who she wrote the song about. Many have asked and many have speculated, but no one knows for sure...except Carly, of course... and perhaps the person about whom she wrote it.

Below are some new lyrics to the same tune.

Who were they written about?

I'll tell....as soon as Carly does!

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

You walked into the meeting
Like the queen of the debutantes

You had your speech so carefully prepared

And typed with the proper fonts

You had one eye on the camera

And one eye on the crowd

And then you dreamed

That you'd be convincing

But you're not convincing, and...

You're so vain

You probably think this blog is about you

You're so vain

I'll bet you think this blog is about you

Don't you? Don't you?

Well you fooled us several years ago

When we were still quite naive

And you said that we needed more overrides

Or else we should simply leave

And you took away the dough we need

And called it just a "cup of joe"

We had some dreams

They were clouds in our coffee

"Just another cup of coffee", and...

You're so vain
You probably think this blog is about you
You're so vain
I'll bet you think this blog is about you
Don't you? Don't you?

Well we hear you're going to negotiate now

Against a union with enormous clout

And you say that it's all under control

And in you we should have no doubt

But you don't inspire our confidence

With the things that you say and you do

To earn some respect

You need to change your demeanor

Change your demeanor, and...

You're so vain
You probably think this blog is about you
You're so vain
I'll bet you think this blog is about you
Don't you? Don't you?

Questionable Arrogance

2009-10-25T16:36:00.011-04:00

Unlike Barbara Anderson’s well-known Citizens For Limited Taxation (CLT), that has been in existence for 30 years, the Hamilton/Wenham fiscal watchdog group Enough Is Enough (EiE) has been around for just under two years. But during that short period of time the group has been enormously successful in achieving its agenda of fiscal responsibility in the two towns. Membership has swelled to 400+ and supporters come from diverse backgrounds, age and income levels and family size.

Just before the two most recent town meetings in Hamilton the organization published and distributed what is known as the EiE Yellow Sheet, a voting guide with the group's recommendations for voting on key issues on the town warrants. Eleven recommendations on the two published Yellow Sheets resulted in ten wins for the group, an astonishing accomplishment for such a young organization.*

The reason?

Well surely there are many, but perhaps the group’s name serves as the best explanation: Enough Is Enough. Taxpayers in Hamilton and Wenham finally reached the tipping point after the 10 years of “budgeting by override” that has earned the towns a place in the Taxpayers’ Book of World Records. Those overrides cost the taxpayers over $39 million and counting since override costs are not one time events. They are added to the tax levy and you pay the override amount again every single year - year after year after year – forever...or for as long as you live in town.

In the past, the School Committee had displayed no small measure of arrogance regarding their requests for overrides (Remember their "only a cup of coffee" justification?). In a sense, they can almost be forgiven their arrogance and sense of entitlement. After all, if a bully takes advantage of another person, and year after year the weaker person allows that to happen, can you really blame the bully for his arrogance? Or sense of entitlement? On the other hand, if the weaker person finally and firmly says ENOUGH is ENOUGH and makes it perfectly clear that they will no longer be bullied, you’d expect the arrogance to dissolve, wouldn’t you?

Well, apparently not if you are the School Committee for the HWRSD. This group of elected individuals seems to believe that they are autonomous and unencumbered by the will of the people they represent. Here’s what their chairman has said about EiE and its members and supporters:

“We’re going to be contending with this group of people in the future and this is their tactic…They don’t care what the truth is.”

Actually, EiE does care what the truth is. The truth is that the residents of Hamilton and Wenham were promised more openness and transparency and that promise has not been kept. The truth is, EiE’s efforts to determine exactly what budgeted maintenance funding was spent on over the past three years have been stonewalled by a clever game of semantics and deliberate refusals of repeated requests for the information. The truth is that by publicly making statements like the above, the School Committee is declaring that their arrogance remains intact.

Recently, when EiE offered the School Committee suggestions and recommendations regarding the current negotiations with the teacher’s union over the contract that expires next year, the chairman had this to say:

“We will not be directed or distracted by a community group that seeks to undermine the process. We know what we are doing in this area.”

Well, we certainly hope they do since they are going up against one of the strongest unions in the state with what appears to be, by comparison, extremely limited strength in the area of contract negotiation.

Just a thought…Do you think the School Committee would consider hiring an expert contract negotiator with a proven track record of success representing other towns in similar negotiations? What if EiE was willing to pay the expert’s fee? Or would that be considered an attempt by EiE, as also stated by the chairman, to “compromise what we intend to be a successful negotiation process”?

These statements and others represent the kind of ARROGANCE that most would agree the committee is no longer entitled to.

* The one loss was the motion to permit secret or private balloting on articles requiring large expenditures or appropriations, such as overrides and capital debt exclusions, over $250k.

Town Meeting Is Over...Now Back To My Real Job

2009-10-20T11:16:00.018-04:00

Now that the Hamilton Special Town Meeting is over, my wife has advised me that I need to spend more of my newly freed up time concentrating on advising my readers about real estate issues. That is, after all, what I do for a living as a Realtor...as opposed to what I do as a volunteer.

So a tip of the hat to all who worked so hard on the many articles and motions, some passed and some not, at our recent Saturday Town Meeting. I promise to pick the discussion up again as we get closer to next spring's annual Town Meeting.

But right now, let's talk real estate. And let's begin with the topic:

SHOULD I TAKE MY HOUSE OFF THE MARKET DURING THE HOLIDAYS?

When you look at your calendar you may find the months already overloaded with seasonal obligations -- shopping, entertaining, children's pageants, charity work, decorating the house, and so much more. If you are also trying to sell your home, you are under extra pressure to keep your home in "showtime" condition. And that could be the last thing you need before the holiday spirit is broken.

It is understandable why you would be tempted to take your home off the market during the holidays. The list of justifications is long. If you are too busy, buyers may be also, and you may find your efforts unrewarded with not enough showings. And what if you do get an offer? You may be faced with the possibility of packing and moving during the busiest time of the year. Besides, you can give your house a rest, and it will have better momentum after the holidays. Better to just pack it in and start fresh in January, right?

Wrong!

Most smart Realtors agree that taking your home off the market during the Holiday season is a mistake. The house isn't going to sell while it's off the market! What is the advantage of that? So you're busy... let me do the work. You can leave in the morning, go to work, go shopping, and let me take care of showing and selling your home.

The holidays are actually a wonderful selling period. Why? Because most people take off work sometime during the season. The husband and wife are both off and want to see houses. Most agents like the holidays because the buyers have more time, and they can look at homes together.

So before you take your home off the market, consider the following points:

Although buyer activity may appear to slow down, the buyers who are actively looking during the holidays are that much more serious. The home market is no more affected at Thanksgiviing or Christmas than during other "busy" periods. If that were so, the market would shut down throughout the year as families concentrate on spring weddings, June graduations, summer vacations, and autumn back-to-school activities.

Many buyers deliberately choose to shop for a home after the busy spring and summer rush. They know that it will be easier to look, and that negotiations will be less stressful. They may not have children, or they may have grown children, so moving to accommodate the school year isn't a consideration. Finding the right home at the right price, however, is.

Relocating families often don't have a choice when they can leave for their new destination. Although 68% of transferring families have children, many families have to transfer during the middle of the school year. These families are that much more motivated to get their families settled in before either the January semester begins, or to arrange for the move during spring break in March. If you sign a contract by New Year's Eve, the timing couldn't be more perfect.

During the holidays, our culture focuses on family and the home. Preparing for the indoor activities of winter is one of the most enjoyable periods of family life. Allowing buyers to view your home during this most hospitable of seasons lets them better picture their own family life in the attractive environment you have created. When is your home ever more beautiful and inviting? You have cleaned and decorated, and your home looks like a picture postcard. If the results are good enough for family and friends, they will surely be good enough to impress your buyers. Get the family team on board to do a five-minute blitz pick-up every morning to keep holiday messes to a minimum.

With reduced inventories and motivated buyers, you will have all the members of the MLS on your team. You may find you have more showings than you would if you marketed your home during a busier time of the year.

Here's a testimonial from one of my clients regarding selling during the holiday season:

"Jay - The article in your newsletter caught my eye: Should I Take My House Off The Market During The Holidays. How well I remember our buyers coming to our door the first week of January 2004, temperature at 4 degrees, smoke coming off the ocean waves, when the doorbell rang and the couple said they wanted to buy our oceanfront home! You had set the stage with an earlier listing and showing. We're enjoying sunshine and palm trees because we did not take our home off the market during the holidays! Warmest regards - Jerry and Mary Anne Greely"

Thinking of selling in the next few months? Give me a call and we can schedule a confidential meeting without obligation to discuss the benefits of my services and Coldwell Banker's marketing and worldwide reach. Thank you!

Democracy in Hamilton...There's an App for That

2009-10-19T08:43:00.013-04:00

On October 17th Hamilton held it's first Saturday Town Meeting since a motion to hold it on that day was approved by the voters at spring Annual Town Meeting. The special Town Meeting commenced at 9:00 AM sharp with a quorum in attendance. As I glanced around the room at the Winthrop School, I noticed that the majority of residents seated and ready to begin the meeting were (dare I say it) aged 50+. The room was about half full.

By 9:30, the room was about 3/4 full and the age composition had clearly shifted with many more voters under age 50 meandering in. If I had to guess, Id' say it was close to 50/50.

It was a sight to make even the biggest skeptic proud...nearly 400 residents in attendance at a fall Town Meeting. And opponents to the Saturday morning meetings said it couldn't be done! Special thanks to all in who came and for the organizers and donors of refreshments and child care.

The meeting progressed well through nearly 20 articles and motions and then there was a brief break, after which Moderator Bruce Ramsey continued the meeting by taking up the motion for funding a debt exclusion override for the Cutler School HVAC.

Then I noticed something unusual.

The room was now completly full...with standing room only. Residents were lined up all around the room. I'm told that there were over 500 people present at that point.

Wow! Small town democracy at it's best! Fantastic!

But wait a minute...how did it happen that so many voters suddenly appeared at just that point in the meeting?

Well it turns out, as they say in the iphone commercials, that "there's an app (application) for that". It's called TWITTER. You've heard of TWITTER right? It's a messaging app that allows you to send and receive short messages (called TWEETS) instantly over your mobile phone or PDA.

It seems that the group Support Our Schools (SOS) set up a TWITTER account recently as a way of notifying their supporters exactly when to come to the meeting to support their cause, in this case the debt exclusion override. No less that 24 TWEETS (as the instant messages are known) were sent advising their "followers" of the status of the meeting and when to come down to vote.

Now I'm not saying there is anything wrong or unlawful about what was done. In fact I applaud SOS on their ingenuity.

What bothers me is what I observed immediately following the Cutler HVAC vote, which was overwhelmingly supported by nearly everyone - including Enough Is Enough.

Immediately following the vote, about half the voters left the hall, even though other town business remained to be completed. And guess who were still in their seats at the end, having taken part and listened and voted on ALL the items on the agenda for the day?

That's right...the same people that arrived and were seated and ready to partake in the process at 9:00 AM.

A tip of the hat and special thanks to them for their COMPLETE participation in the Town Meeting process.

Read a Salem News editorial about the same subject: http://www.salemnews.com/archivesearch/local_story_291231239.html

Surprise Endorsement From Enough Is Enough

2009-10-17T16:38:00.017-04:00

Enough Is Enough surprised a packed Hamilton Special Town Meeting today when they endorsed the motion made on behalf of the School Committee and Administration for a capital debt exclusion override for replacement of the Cutler School boilers and HVAC.

At their last meeting (10/15/09) members of the School Committee specifically asked members of EiE in attendance what the group's recommendation would be. They were told simply that the recommendation would be made at Town Meeting, not before.

Strategically, it was a very good move by Enough Is Enough and probably resulted in greater attendance at the meeting by voters. By not knowing the position EiE would take on the motion, it's likely that many more made the effort to attend so as to support their choice, whichever way they were voting. And that was good for the democratic town meeting process in Hamilton. I will have some more observations about the meeting in the next few days.

The following is the statement that was read in SUPPORT of the motion by EiE:

Enough Is Enough regrets that we find ourselves in the position where the School Department has come before us to ask, once again, for additional funding above and beyond the $27 million approved at the ATM, $592,000 of which was approved as a line item for maintenance in this year’s budget. EiE believes that if the maintenance funding approved each year was properly managed and not directed away from maintenance to other sources, we might not have to be addressing this issue today. Soon perhaps, but not today.

Today we are told we have a crisis that needs immediate attention and funding. Rest assured that no other group or entity, save the School Committee and Administration, has spent more time meeting, researching, discussing and debating this issue than Enough Is Enough.

We have broken the question of whether to approve or not approve the motion into 2 major parts. There are other issues to be considered, to be sure, but we think these are the underlying ones.

First, the condition of the existing boilers. It is clear to us that the boilers at the Cutler School appear to have met their life expectancy and should be replaced.

Second, the reimbursement funding from the MSBA. Jack OKeefe has made the case that if we do not move forward with the motion before us, the window of opportunity with respect to MSBA’s reimbursement will close. We believe this to be true.

As previously mentioned, we now find ourselves in crisis mode. The residents and taxpayers of Hamilton deserve to see better long range school budget planning in an effort to avoid this kind of crisis management in the future.

That said, and given the condition of the current heating system, the availability of guaranteed reimbursement of 42.58% by the MSBA - resulting in reducing the impact and burden of the additional tax we would each have to pay - EiE supports the motion before us.

The motion was then approved by about 500 voters in attendance. The only thing lost in the approval of this article was Enough Is Enough's reputation (held by a select few) as a "knee-jerk, anti-school group". Sadly, a statement made about Enough Is Enough by the Chairman of the School Committee at their 10/15/09 meeting was, "We're going to be contending with this group of people in the future and this is their tactic: They don't care what the truth is."

Ouch.

I wonder how they will choose to brand Enough Is Enough now. We can only hope that they learned something positive from the group today.

To read the Salem News coverage of the vote and several comments, go to: http://www.salemnews.com/punews/local_story_290163855.html

To read the Hamilton/Wenham Chronicle coverage of the vote, go to: http://tinyurl.com/yjwacom

Let The Dead, Beaten Horse Rest In Peace

2009-10-14T09:37:00.009-04:00

DEFEATED...The Special Town Meeting warrant article calling for (yet) another study of combined services and/or merger of the Wenham and Hamilton police departments was defeated last night in Wenham. Considering the numerous studies already conducted over the years, this defeat should finally put the issue to rest.

Guess again. According to a report in the Salem News, after the meeting petition supporter Deb Evans said "The issue isn't going to go away."

Does that kind of thinking sound familiar? It should. It's the same attitude that override supporters have used in the past to reverse votes defeating their overrides. They just keep coming back for revotes as many times as it takes until their agenda finally is approved. All it takes is filling the hall with your own special interest supporters and then wearing down the opposition with revote after revote.

Selectman Harriet Davis framed the issue best at the Town Meeting and had clearly given it serious thought and had researched thoroughly the reasons NOT to approve the study. Anyone questioning the reasoning for the defeat should read her statement.

Now please... let the poor dead, beaten horse rest in peace.