The Select Board voted 2 for to 3 against on the reappointment of Mr. Ray Souza to the Zoning Board of Appeals(ZBA). Mr. McDonald and I were for reappointment. Mr. Souza had served on the ZBA for the past 46 years. Members voting against the reappointment cited the desire to have new people involved and several cases where the courts have ruled the ZBA board decisions were badly in error and/or were against the recommendation of the Town Counsel.
The Zoning Board of Appeals has a difficult and very technical job. There are in and outs of the law and court decisions which affect their rulings and it takes a while to get familiar with legal constraints. That is the reason I supported Mr. Souza's reappointment. He has the experience.
In an unexpaectecd turn of events, Ms. Figuereido, who had expressed interest in being appointed to the ZBA as a full member, withdrew herself from consideration at last night's meeting. She is currently an alternate member and attends most hearings but cannot vote unless there is an absence of a full member. When Mr. Souza was then nominated for reappointment, the vote went against him. An alternate member will have to fill that spot on the ZBA until the Select Board finds a new member.
Curt Brown's Standard Times article about the reappointment can be found at this link.
I feel there was quite a lot of rather uncivil behavior ...
... at the meeting and I hope that I did not contribute to it. I tried to keep the discussion on the topic at hand but it frequently strayed from the issue of the appointment.
Finally I want to thank Mr. Souza for his many years of service to the town. He has spent many hours as a volunteer on the ZBA and has my gratitude for that.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Select Board passes on Zoning Board appointment
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21 comments:
Mr. McDonald stated in the ST article that he had not knowledge of the court rulings against the ZBA? He was "blind-sided" by the information about what the ZBA has cost his Town? He must do the same (lack of) preparation for these meetings as the chairman!
The correct result may have been reached for the good of the entire Town, but the manner in which it was done once again makes Dartmouth look like a terrible place to live or volunteer. Can't you launder your "un-mentionables" more delicately ?
Just like old times wasn't it? How unfortunate it is that the people who ran this town into the ground still insist upon telling the far more competent SB what to do. The rancor and disrespect were an embarrassment. Dragging Mr. Gagne out of the woodwork was hilarious. You can't make this stuff up!
Last night's meeting really brought me back to the good old days under some of the previous years' Boards. It was like some of the three-ringed circuses we witnessed back then. Who do you feel more embarrassed for, the Select Board or the participants? Funny how many people made spectacles of themselves. Who needs Netflix? We have entertainment at its best right here in our backyard.
As an aside, Ms. McLean would have tossed the disruptive audience members out on their tushes, and rightfully so.
That is precisely what should have happened.
As a former "volunteer" for the Town and having served on a few boards, I know this; you cannot know everything going on in the Town and if there was a problem with your Board or another Board, it should be brought forward to the all the members of the Board. McDonald's statement is true on many levels. How many members of the SB know what the decisions are of the other boards in the Town? The answer is probably very small in number.
If Michaud had concerns with the ZBA, he should have brought those concerns to his board and then have a meeting with them to discuss the issues at one of the regular meetings, not sandbag Souza in a public forum.
When Michaud said it wasn't "politics" do you believe him? Souza backed Markey. Markey won. Michaud to his face that he wasn't going to support him for his reappointment. Stone get Figuereido to seek Souza's spot and Wartson agrees with Michaud on the court cases. Who was talking to you behind closed doors?
Another thing, when Watson said that he speaks with Town Counsel 3 to 4 times a week, do you think Savastano doesn't bill for that time? I always thought members of the SB could not have access to counsel without having to go through the chairman first in order to keep the cost down. No wonder Savastano cost the Town over $300K last year.
Can you imagine Mike Gagne, Bob Miller, Bob Carney, Richie Medeiros et al lecturing the current SB about "shameful" government practices? Given what happened during their tenure with "lifetime" contracts, inside insurance and ambulance deals that cost the town Millions and "special" employees who had made up jobs.
You're right you can't make this up.
to 2:40 AM
How much legal expense was related to lifetime contracts and weeding out some deadwood? You probably blame the current SB for that don't you? Mr. Michaud has a vendetta against Mr. Souza because he didn't support him in the last election? I am sure Mr. Michaud loses sleep nightly on that. I dealt with Mr. Souza a number of years ago and I was not impressed in the least. Way past time for a change.
As it relates to Monday night select board meeting, and the failure to reappoint Ray Souza to the ZBA. What in the world is going to happen now that the old townies no longer have Ray to call when they need something from the ZBA?? Ray Souza is an honorable man, so was Brutus.
Hopefully I am incorrect, but wasn't Ray Souza on the ZBA when Richard Medeiros purchased a house lot on homer street that went before the ZBA by the prior owners, and the ZBA denied a variance to have a house built on this property?? Richard Medeiros purchased the same lot and received a ZBA variance to have a house built on the same lot that was denied to the previous owner. If I'm incorrect, please accept my apology. I have no intention of cause misinformation or implying any wrong doing. If this is the same Homer Street lot and a variance was granted to the new owner it must have been done by legal means.
Mike Gagne, who received thousand of town tax payers dollars for settling a town law suit brought by Mike Gagne when his life time contract was not renewed, stood before the select board and defended Ray Souza's appointment to the ZBA. Mike, why did you lower yourself to such a level of desperation?. If anyone knew what was going on in town it was YOU. And the group of former selectmen that almost buried this town with debt. No, I'm not implying that you and the former select board deliberately caused our town to hang on the fringes of financial disaster. It all has to do with knowing how to manage, and following the town charter.
Bob Miller, another former selectman, had the oddity to throw is hand and fingers at Lara Stone.
The nice thing about this new select board and there are many, is they don't burn the midnight oil trying to make deals to appoint or not appoint certain political people to town jobs. As a matter of personal information, I happen to know that the new select board refuses to contact or discuss any issues on the telephone or other means of communicating. Monday night is the real thing. No back room deals. No past discussion on who will make the motion to appoint.
Ray Souza, rounding up the old cattle to make a strong presentation of strength no longer works. Your time has passed and new people are stepping forward. Take a walk around buttonwood park, sit on a bench and smell the fresh air. Let it go, stay with the memories you have.
To Lara Stone, Mike Watson and Joe Michaud.....keep Dartmouth going in the right direction....please.
As it relates to Bill Trimble and Shawn McDonald. Dartmouth will have a difficult time trying to find two quality people who voted according to rule of conscience. Mr. Trimble, this town needs you as a town leader. It's your time to run again and I will be supporting you.
WARNING,,,,,,WARNING.......ALERT.......ALERT......you must never go back in time and elect a select boardd that resembles the likes of Bob Miller, Nat Dias, Bill Mosher, or Richard “arrest me” Medeiros.
Mike Watson stated he received several phone calls and e-mails for and apposed to the reappointment of Ray Souza to the zoning board of appeal. Mike said that he had nothing against Ray Souza and would take him out to dinner. Mike said he is looking into the future and will be voting for someone else other than Ray Souza. Lara Stone echoed the same reason given by Mike Watson but added it's time to give some one new a chance. (It didn't matter that the some one else is a former educator) Joe Michaud was on the mark with his reason for not reappointing Ray Souza to the ZBA. Once again Joe didn't bob/weave or make any body motions. Plain and simple...Ray Souza has made too many bad choices flying in the face of advise from town counsel. That's it folks, Ray Souza had to go.
Next year, the select board will replace the next ZBA member who is up for reappointment. Tougas or Travers, but they will be presented in the past. Mr. Tougas it's time to say good bye to town committee's you've done your time, paid your dues and have a street circle in your name. Thanks for the memories.
With an eye on Watson, I'm very pleased with our select board. This is the most honest select board in the history of Dartmouth selectmen, except for Len Rose. Dartmouth middle school should have been named, “Lenord Rose Middle School.”
I truly hope that Bill Trimble runs for another term as selectman. You can bet your last social security dollar that one of the mob loud mouths at the Monday night selectman's meeting will be running against Trimble. Will it be Bob “the never ending town contract” or Nat Dias, Bob's side kick? Maybe Billy Mosher, the guy who waited for the pole issue.
Did they all go down to the local watering hole for a pity party and cry in their beer?
Here were so-called "adults" who could not -- or, more accurately, would not -- control themselves. The behavior and attitude of most was disgraceful: bullying, heckling, hinting Select Board impropriety, pushing their way to the podium demanding to be heard, even while unrecognized to do so by the chairperson, and contemptible hand gesturing. And this on the part of some former Board members and supposed "pillars of the community" themselves! Did they and others feel entitled for some reason to engage in such behavior? Are they the "privileged" among us?
I wonder if the individuals engaging in such behavior realized they were doing more harm than good, when the issue at hand has been diminished by their unjustified actions and attitude?
The only person with any class was Ms. Figuereido. Not only did she respect the Board, she respected herself and remained outside of the spectacle that was a "discussion" on reappointing a ZBA member.
I truly hope that all the voters in this town either watched the meeting live or when it was repeated. There can be no greater case made about the punks, idiots and drunks who ran this town for many years. Truly a typical and disgusting performance by "people" who believe this town and its' taxpayers owe them anything they want.
I watched the meeting. I felt sorry for Mr. Toogis and Mrs. Dias. They couldnt seem to put two words together that made any sense. Mr. Madeiros acted like a big bully.
I just want to thank the current select board for remaining steadfast in the face of thuggish opposition. Please keep Dartmouth honest and moving forward.
Perhaps we are seeing more of the conduct the "prominent" members of the community appear to consider acceptable.
Thank goodness they are rapidly becoming the minority in this town. We've been under their control for far too long. Maybe their true colors are showing now that they are realizing that a new direction of healthy government is finally destroying the stranglehold they had on the town. It must be tough to see their "power" eroding. Probably pretty scary stuff for them to have to acknowledge and they are fighting it tooth and nail.
Sounds like a pretty good "new direction" to me.
Getting so many "pillars of the community" in one room and watching their desperation to keep control is priceless, as the ad goes.
AT THE LAST SELECTBOARD MEETING, WHAT A DISPLAY OF CHILDISH BEHAVIOR FROM MEDIRIOS, NAT.DIAS, MICHAEL GAGNE,AND MILLER. THEY SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THEMSELVES !!!!! THANK GOODNESS FOR THIS PRESENT SB !!KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK FOR THE CITIZENS OF DARTMOUTH. THANK YOU AGAIN
No surprise seeing the letter from Mr. Oswald supporting Mr. Souza and in the process, throwing the SB majority under the bus. Do you want to tell us again Mr. Oswald who you are related to? Do you want to tell us what you do for a living and how Mr. Souza was in a position to benefit you financially for many years? Do you want to stick by your story of you just happened to attend the meeting and had no idea why your relatives and friends were there? Salespeople are notorious liars aren't they Mr. Oswald? Why should we expect anything different from you?
Once again Ray Oswald is the only person in this town with the guts to stand up to the SB. Even the rising star of the SB Ms. Stone has had her vote bullied by the former chairman. Now Mr. Oswald is the only frriend that town workers have.
What is Mr. Oswald's connection here? Fill us all in, please.
Now Mr. Oswald is the only frriend that town workers have.
With friends like that, who needs enemies?
I'd like to thank DCTV... with out live select board meetings, we the people, could never witness the truth concerning how, or who is running Dartmouth. With out DCTV, the same people would be running this town and we would all be in deep manure. Thanks to DCTV, we are able to see and listen. It is good that nice honest people want to serve.
It wasn't until DCTV that I truly witnessed the facial expressions, the nasty dialog, intimidating nature, and destructive behavior of our former elected select board members. It wasn't until DCTV that I was able to listen to our select board members using incorrect word usage, unable to read a complete sentence, and express their thoughts. It was at this time that I understood we must elect new people to serve our town, and I wasn't the only person who knew this.
Once the camera came on, the selectmen were exposed to what they were. Now, I enjoy listening to well educated board members. Truthful dialog, and expressions of well being. I do keep my eye on the selectman who talks too much, Michael Watson? I'm not too sure about him.
I'm an old retired townie, who enjoys taking a walk around the village, looking at all the nice boats in the harbor. I enjoy meeting people and saying good morning. We do live in a nice town where most people enjoy meeting at the local coffee shop, listen to people discussing town issues, and hoping that we can see each other again. On a nice day I enjoy sitting on the front porch watch all the traffic people heading to work. It's Monday, must make a note to watch our selectmen at work.
Hopefully once Ray Oswald gets a job and moves out of his parents house he won't have the time to annoy everyone with his newspaper rants
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