I was struck by the difference in tone of the letters from Selectman Bob Carney and Finance Committee vice chair Greg Lynam Link to Mr Carney's letter here and Mr.Lynam's letter here. Mr. Carney seems to feel that our problems either ,,,
...behind us or can be solved by meeting with town department heads. From what I know of our town finances, neither of those is the case. I agree with Mr. Lynam's assessment that we have been draining the town's resourcees to pay for on-going operations for quite some time and that has made our situation and the task at hand much more difficult.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Letters to the editor-Carney and Lynam
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15 comments:
What strikes me as odd is the lack of concensus building or attempts at concensus building that I see (or don't see more acurately) during the SB meetings. It seems each 'side' has staked out their positions so firmly that there is not even an attempt to find some common ground. It's a disheartening situation regardless which position one takes on the town's situation. These letters to the editor from various SB members and now FinCom members seem to only further the divide. When does it stop?
Well, it's never going to stop if Carney and Dias continue opposing everything. First they voted to keep Gagne, then, when that didn't work, they rushed into initiating and supporting a hasty politically motivated recall, which failed in what it intended to do, but drained our finances more. Then they opposed every member appointed to the executive administrator search committee. Nathalie even snapped at Bill, I think it was, about not even seeing why they needed a new executive administrator in the first place.
At some point you take your lumps gracefully and let it go and work with the majority if you are serving the public, even if you don't like the majority's rule.
What do you want to bet they will oppose every candidate for the position, as well? They may be in the minority, but they will never budge, and they even attempt to subvert the democratic proocess of majority rules.
Do you think the new EA is going to have an easy time of it with the two of them sill on the Board? How far do you think the town is going to get then?
If you are pointing to problems, you can start right there, with the two of them.
Then, come to a FinCom meeting, and listen to the answers given (or not given) to Mr. Lynam and others when Ed and Michael are questioned. There's often an awful lot of information that's not readily at hand on some critical issues, and a lot of "reasons" why things can't be done.
It will be interesting to see who applies to the position given the what's going on in town.
Oh my gawd! I don't understand Carney's point in this letter. Since he is running again, I do have some questions for him. Please defend signing contracts that were not in the best interest of Dartmouth? What were you and Nat (and others) thinking??
Bob, it's time to go. Thank you for serving for 9 long years, but it's time to go.
Most of the time, Bob Carney is silent during meetings. He adds nothing to the discussion. For the most part, Bill, Joe, Diane, and sometimes Nat are part of the brainstorming. I'm glad we have some opposing viewpoints on the board. We need to look at all views. I know that Diane, Joe and Bill don't always agree on issues. I like the discussion during open meetings. I think the workshop meetings kept the public out of the loop. I am glad I was able to read this blog and find out what went on at meetings. It has been an open book for the public. I only wish our town website would include meetings etc.
That would be called transparency. Besides, it would mean someone would have to transcribe minutes if any information about what went on in the meeting were to be given out.
Anonymous, 8:23, I THINK he is saying that every other town is in the same boat.
To anon 12:56, I think we all know that every town is in the same boat already! All you have to do is pick up any paper or listen to any radio station. That doesn't mean we just sit by and do nothing. Is that what Mr. Carney wants to do...nothing! He sure doesn't give us any hints during SB meetings.
I agree with Anonymous 8:25. There are deeper divisions in town than ever before.
It won't stop anytime soon. Worse, these kinds of political circumstances have a way of adversely impacting a lot of people in the community for a long time.
Many residents will naturally ally themselves with one "camp" or the other. After all, that's what each "camp" is striving for. They're battling for the minds and hearts of residents to be "with them". That's just what political leaders do, particularly when they feel the stakes are high. The owner of this blog is a leader in Dartmouth's present political circumstance. This blog serves as both a tool (or weapon) and a forum (or battleground) for current debates on issues facing the town.
The "stakes" I mentioned can be the election or re-election of a candidate, or it can be issue-oriented. With respect to what's happening in Dartmouth these days, it's both.
The problem lies less with the leaders, and more with the behavior of those who ally themselves with a particular "camp". Many "followers" are politically (and possibly emotionally) immature, and tend to fully invest themselves in who or what they believe. All too often, they view anyone who thinks differently as being the enemy.
These behaviors spill out into the every facet of the community, and when people begin thinking of others as their enemy, they dislike them. And, they will continue to dislike them long after the issue or election has passed by. I know some Dartmouth residents who dislike other residents because of who they suported in an election more than ten years ago. The sad bottom line is that he really doesn't know the person he dislikes. He just knows he dislikes him.
What's going on right now in Dartmouth is perhaps the single most divisive circumstance faced in generations. These hard feelings between residents will linger for a long, long time. I'd like to think that political leaers understand that, and act accordingly so as to mitigate the downside of these debates to whatever extent is possible. But that won't help them "win". And, after all, winning is everything - especially in small town politics.
Anonymous 3:08, I think he thinks that because everybody else is in the same boat, it's okay.
Anonymous, 3:32, you'd have to reign in Nathalie and Bob Carney first, I think. A recall in the Charter is probably a good idea, but I think most people, if they're honest about it, would admit it was a knee-jerk reaction against a decision they didn't like, so let's kill the messanger(s.)
And how much did that Special Town Meeting cost us? Nathalie's sniping doesn't help much, either. And if our leaders can't control themselves, how CAN we expect to see any cohesiveness and healing?
Plus, Michael could have straightened the whole thing out by publicly stating that he was not "fired," and put a stop to this whole issue of "fired"/not renewed, before it even started. Maybe he wouldn't be able to stop Dias and Carney, who knows? But at least he could have given it a try with them, and if the rest of the world knew the truth straight from him, then there should be no reason for this public outcry against Diane, Bill, and Joe.
I think it does start with the leaders. They have the power to sway opinions and prey on emotions. A good leader would not allow that to happen.
And maybe the smart people in Dartmouth will see to it that it is not allowed to happen in the future, at election time.
When there are dire circumstances and I would venture to say that's what we have, agreeing just to be liked or to get along just doesn't cut it. A crisis comes about because there is something very wrong. If the status quo is not challenged, there will be no progress. Dartmouth still has a very long way to go. We have only just began on the long road to fiscal health. I understand that it may be uncomfortable or disagreeable to some to have so much friction. Change never comes about without two opposing camps. Those who want it and those who want things to remain the same. This town has been split for several years now and it all comes down to the financial crisis we are facing. The majority has decided they don't want to address the problem with more money so realistically, there is only one other choice. Change the way we do business so the town can afford to survive with the revenues we have. There is going to be a lot more divisiveness this coming year as plans are put together and implemented. There is no way to avoid this. Eventually the dust will settle and Dartmouth may just emerge as an example for other towns and cities to follow.
I have to disagree that its an either or situation. There are 5 SB members not 2 + . A leader would attempt to mediate differences and work towards some concensus. I see none of this or even an attempt. Other towns seem to work together even with vast differences in opinions. Oh well, buckle up its going to be a difficult year.
To anon 8:45, What papers do you read?? Westport, Wareham, Acushnet, you name it. The board members are always butting heads and worse. I think Dartmouth's board is on of the best behaved if you've been following town politics for the last few years plus!
I would agree Westport and Wareham are not paragons of virtue as far as cooperation goes. I actually used to thank heaven that Dartmouth behaved better than our neighbors in Westport whose legal bills must be stunning. Rather than look at communities that suffer from the same lack of leadership and cooepration I would look at those communities that are more successful, look to Marion, Mattapoisset, Rochester and to a lesser degree Fairhaven (of late), Swansea. They do exist. There are acpable leaders and I am willing to bet there could be a leader among our current crop of SB members. Someone prove me right please.
Cut cut guillotine isn't the answer--quality towns invest and respect and invest! His comments on the schools was far right. The schools need investment, he could start by volunteering to fix the lockers and teach a foreign language, Lynam is losing it.
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