The Standard Times print edition and website has news this morning that the Library Board of Directors has decided not to renew the contract of the Library Director and also in this article on the decision, and that Mr. Miller has withdrawn from the Select Board race for Diane Gilbert's seat as reported on Curt Brown's blog. That leaves Ms. Gilbert, who is running for re-election and Ms. Stone as candidates.
The op-ed page had a letter from Mr. Sedgewick and a letter from Ms. Morris-Grime criticizing the Select Board. Mr Sedwick feels the Select Board ...
... has failed to set a direction for the town. I would maintain that the board has done so and offer as examples the two items he singles out, non-renewal of the Executive Administrator's contract and the decision not to fund the Youth Advocate position. He may disagree with those decisions but they do represent policy decisions by the board.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Lots of news this morning!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
29 comments:
The library trustees made the right decision and so did Mr. Miller. It's a good day in Dartmouth.
I won't criticize the library trustees. They were in a difficult position and made a very difficult decision.
That said: thank you Denise for your years of service to Dartmouth. Our libraries and our town have benefited from your dedication and contributions. Good luck and God bless.
another one bites the dust, next!!
The administration costs of the library got me wondering what other non-profits spend on these costs. I googled The United Way and found a site with frequently asked questions. Below is the result of my quick search.
7.
Q:
How much of my donation goes into the programs and services?
A:
About 87 cents of every dollar is used to fund programs and services. Only 13 cents funds staff, materials and administration. The annual campaign relies on over 4,000 volunteers. Additionally, companies in Windsor and Essex County 'lend' staff to the United Way to work on the campaign. And sponsors provide significant additional human and financial resources to support the annual campaign. These organizations sponsor United Way promotions and events, throughout the year.
6:14 What does that have to do with anything?
After having just watched the com. summit, I would have to say that this town is moving in a new direction. I am proud that our town is a part of this effort. Hats off to the current board!
Re: Sedgwick letter, I can't believe that anyone would defend the picture of a naked child being linked to the town website.I'm sorry, but that is wrong!
Dartmouth does have a plan! I just tuned in to the summit in Dartmouth tonight. We are going forward!
Kudos to Dartmouth for participating in this summit. It is a sign of looking ahead and finally some planning for the future. It is going to be a long process but we have to start somewhere.
Steve Sedgwick is a stand-up guy with a lot of class. Anyone who knows him knows he is a man of bedrock character. There are people in Dartmouth who are as good a person as he is, but none are better!
He's not political, he's not aligned with any candidate, nor is he part of any opposition group. If he were, I'd know it.
So, when he wrote his letter to the editor, he did so as a Dartmouth resident who pays attention and as a man with a considered opinion.
You're barking up the wrong tree when you attempt to personally discredit a person like Steve Sedgwick simply because his views are contrary to yours.
Here's what Steve Sedgwick submitted to The Standard-Times:
YOUR VIEW: Board has failed to provide direction
March 05, 2009
I have lived in Dartmouth for 23 years and work for a small company in the New Bedford Business Park. Like so many businesses in the current economic environment, my company, Aquapoint, is struggling to survive. As the chief operating officer, I understand all too well the challenges, stress and pain of trying to balance the many competing demands for scarce resources.
Even as I have wrestled with the issues confronting Aquapoint, I have been following the saga unfolding over the last several months in Dartmouth that questions the competency of two town officials of long and laudable service to the community: Michael Gagne and Kevin Lee.
You may ask the connection between my opening paragraph and the second one. Let me try to make the connection.
Most of the evidence that I have access to indicates that the town of Dartmouth, like so many governmental entities, is faced with serious financial challenges. The central question: how to parse out increasingly scarce resources?
As the COO, I turn to Aquapoint's board of directors for strategic financial guidance and direction. Now where should Michael Gagne as the chief administrative officer of Dartmouth be able to turn for strategic financial guidance? I believe that the town's Select Board is the appropriate entity within the town to provide that guidance.
What have we witnessed over the last several months? An absolute reversal, in my view, of that relationship. There has been a complete abdication of responsibility on the part of the Select Board to provide strategic financial guidance.
Instead we have seen a mean-spirited and totally inappropriate dismissal of Mr. Gagne and now an innuendo-tinged challenge to Mr. Lee's judgment and integrity. If I didn't know better, I would say that certain members of the Select Board are looking for scapegoats.
As a longstanding taxpayer in Dartmouth, I am disgusted with the board's misdirected focus at the same time that I am saddened by the treatment of Mr. Gagne and Mr. Lee, two of the more effective service providers in our town.
It absolutely confounds and incenses me that Mr. Lee can be accused of insensitivity to the needs of vulnerable youth in our society when he has been the rock on which youth services have been delivered, for decades, to the truly vulnerable in our town.
I know an aborted attempt was initiated this past fall to recall certain members of the Select Board. I trust that Ms. Gilbert is soundly defeated in the upcoming election. As to Mr. Michaud, I believe a recall effort should commence immediately.
Mr. Michaud and his fellow Select Board members should be focusing their collective efforts on understanding the deep financial currents that are roiling our world today and taking leadership of our community in responding to those trouble-filled currents.
They should not be conducting a witch hunt to mask their incompetence.
Sorry but Mr. Segdwick does not have a clue. The Select Board has directed Mr. Gagne time and again to develop a financial plan which according to our town charter, is his job. In Mr. Segdwick's business if he directed an employee and that employee failed to deliver, would he then say "sorry it really was my responsibility after all"? I doubt it. I would also like to know if Mr. Segdwick would allow one of his employees to post full frontal nudity of a child on a website that is linked to his company's website. I have a feeling the company's lawyers would have a lot to say about that. Mr. Segwick may be a nice guy but having good judgement is a part of having good character. I somehow doubt he would run his own business like this so I have to wonder why he is trying to add fuel to a non-existent fire.
Are you kidding me? You call that meeting "planning for the future"?
That meeting - like virtually every meeting involving the Dartmouth Select Board - was a press event. Nothing got done. A bunch of politicians got together and held an aggregated whining session on how bad things are and the need to regionalize services.
But, did anything get regionalized? Heck no! That would take actual work. Our Select Board isn't good at actual work. And they clearly aren't good at actual planning. But they're A-Number-One at blathering away about what is needed in convincing fashion. They're a bunch of friggin' demagogues!
There absolutely are things that can be done to save communities money via regionalization of services. But they won't get done at press events where every politician is competing for their sound bite to be the best one of the night!
If Michaud, Gilbert or Trimble are serious about regionalizing services as a strategy to save money, they would already have a dozen or more individual meetings under their belts that were held with municipal managers in other communities. They would pick one idea that has potential - say, public safety dispatch services - and begin wearing out some shoe leather by meeting with local police chiefs, the Sheriff, State Police, the mayors of New Bedford and Fall River, Town administrators, etc. With each new person they meet, they'd add that person to an email group that would allow for growing and dynamic discussion amongst all who express interest. Some who they met with would similarly step up and begin meeting individually with others in similar fashion, all the while communicating their findings to everyone who has expressed interest. It doesn't take that long to get some traction on a good idea. Then - with dozens of people having been involved in the discussions and planning - a group meeting is held to nail down the actual concept and do what is necessary to gain support for enactment in each of the cooperating communities.
That, my friends, is how the WORK of regionalizing services gets done.
I suspect our Select Board will stay the course with "Summits" and the like. After all, there ain't a lot of press opportunities that arise in one-on-one meetings in the office of a municipal manager.
So please, don't insult me and others by characterizing meetings such as the one held last night as being representative of anything more than blathering politicians whining about circumstances and doing nothing that really matters to generate meaningful progress!
Mr. Michaud, Ms. Gilbert and I are absolutely committed to seeing regionalized services. The towns must get agreement from the top to make it work. That was the reason for the meeting. If you watched, you saw that a questionnaire will be circulated to in order to identify areas where towns are willing to co-operate by regionalizing services. After that is done, the Select Board majority will move to reach agreements with local towns to do it. There will probably be resistance from town employees, Mr. Carney and Ms. Dias. Nonetheless, we will go forward if we can. If you were paying close attention you heard that other towns are already sharing services on a small level. That can be expanded upon and new areas of co-operation found. Our full time employees will then be given the task of implementing those decisions.
Why would Michaud support Stone? Sigh, and spare me. Library decisions are improving.
Thanks Bill,
The only shoe leather that last poster wears out is whining on the blogs.
Regionalizaton of services are far better than privatized services.
anonymous 9:19. You have not been paying attention. Dispatch has been discussed with other communities, the Sheriff etc. There are meetings that are not televised but they do occur. As I see it, every time the Select Board tries to make things happen they are met with resistance and legalities that tie their hands. It is not from a lack of trying. The bad contracts are a perfect example along with the unions, state mandates and bylaws. Change does not come about easily and it is even more difficult when faced with these obstacles. I'm just glad we have a Select Board who is at least willing to try. Unfortunately Mr. Carney's contribution was more negativity because we are only working with small communities. Very sad.
More blather... all talk, no action. Honestly, I didn't expect anything different. "Plan" and "Regionalization" are buzz words being used to the maximum for political benefit. Talk. Talk. Talk. Nothing is getting done.
Are you running for Select Board? Seems to me you like to complain about inaction so why aren't you running? I'm sure you would have this all straightened out in no time. It's easy to sit back and criticize but how about doing something constructive? It is obvious you feel you could do better so step up.
LMAO
I do plenty, and I assure you I don't spend much of my time talking. No one can do everything. But I am tired and worn down by those who just talk and never do anything. And that is what I see coming from our Select Board. They don't do a damned thing but talk!
The world is full of good "idea people". I prefer "results people". If I come across as being annoyed by all of the talk and inaction... well... at least I'm coming across accurately.
to 2:19, Maybe you should consider running for office, so you can do everything you want to. Joe, Diane and Bill have been trying to move forward, but have met with roadblocks: sweetheart contracts, and of course Nat & Bob who think everything is find and dandy in Dartmouth.Still they move forward to try to partner with other communities to find ways to deliver services to our residents. Thanks to Joe, Diane and Bill!
Too bad Denise M. wasn't in the clique when the sweetheart contracts were passed out. So, I guess the library doesn't have their hands tied, do they?
If i hear California as an example of regionalization...PEOLE shou7ld READ the paper ...the STATE is BANKRUPT!!! come on...this is laughable...to use such a state as an example....California has had regionalization for a few years...but they never went bakrupt EVER before...what change....oh privatization and regionalization...it costs MORE...look at california
I agree, I don't want to follow in California's footsteps, but Maryland was also mentioned last night. Maryland has 32 school districts. Population is similar to MA.
The state will force us to do it sooner or later because of the cost of education.
There are positive stories regarding regionalization, but some don't want to hear it.
People who can, do.
People who can't, have roadblocks.
The negative poster here claims to do plenty. Do you care to list your accomplishments or are you just another blog lier?
anonymous 2:19 I don't see how you have time to do anything else since you are always on the blogs complaining. You are a very negative person.
So, once we eliminate all the current department heads one at a time, will we just plug in the taxpayers listed in the most recent complaint (at least as of yesterday, maybe there's a new one today).
Will they need any qualifications, or will they just pull the job titles out of a hat.
Shame on the library trustees for playing into this alternate universe that Dartmouth has become.
Screw 'em all, sue 'em all let the lawyers figure it out. Bill say's it won't cost us a dime so no worries.
It's a shame that the former board left our town with such a mess! The contracts with never ending clauses that are up in June should be addressed. If Dartmouth is to move forward, we need to deal with those contracts. I think the lawsuit for the five was bound to happen. Let's deal with it and move on! I wonder what happen to the idea of these people joining a union? I thought they wanted to do that. That would also take care of getting rid of the contracts.
Post a Comment