Entering Falmouth

Falmouth Town Meeting Trophies

Where else but Town Meeting can you learn the origin of the word "boarder," hear a few tunes from the Brian Boru Pipe Band, visit with friends, and participate in democracy in the same night?  Boy, I love this stuff.  Towns throughout Massachusetts are considering changes to their forms of government that would vest legislative authority in a Town Council, similar to the workings of the government in Barnstable.  While that may work for some, this week's Falmouth Town Meeting was yet another example that although our traditional New England form of government may not be perfect, it works and works well her in Falmouth. 

Here then, are this Town Meeting's version of awards for the good and not-so-good, affectionately know as our Town Meeting Trophies (TMTs):

Kudos and the TMT for best presentation go to the tandem of the Historical Commission and the Falmouth Chamber for their efforts in getting Falmouth declared a Preserve America Community by the White House.  This designation, granted to no other town on Cape Cod and only a handful in the Commonwealth, recognizes the historic character of our hometown and our efforts to preserve it.  Banners will fly on Main Street in recognition of this accomplishment.

The "thanks for the info" TMT goes to aspiring gadfly Craig Martin, who is a prolific letter writer on this page and is now dipping his toe in the Town Meeting pool.  He informed the assembled citizen legislators who were debating an article on the meaning of the word "boarder" that the origin lies in early American guest houses who would serve dinner to their visitors on tables made of long boards.  He also served to overcomplicate a very simple article that went down to defeat, but his etymological trivia was well received.

The TMT for supreme hyperbole was a close one, with Henry Dick's inane description of Route 151 as a "kill zone" holding up until night two, when Historical Commission Chair Sheryl Kozens-Long offered a laugher warning that the number of members of the Commission should be reduced in part due to the upcoming flu season.  Town Meeting Members agreed to reduce the Commission from seven members to five, but I strongly suspect the scare of H1N1 was not among the reasons why. 

 Moderator Dave Vieira once again steered the ship of local democracy deftly and with ease.  He does, however, get an amnesia TMT for suggesting that a legislative matter would be best referred to "Mr. Patrick or Mr. Turkington."  Freshman Rep. Tim Madden may have something to say about that referral. The Moderator did a nice job, though, of  injecting humor at some times when tension was rising and did his best to contain the ever-unpredictable Richard Latimer.  Many thought that Latimer's new perch on stage as the Chair of the Planning Board would be the great subduer.  No chance. He was a nudnik to the process and was demoted back to the audience on night two. He does get at least a nomination, though for best laugh of the session for asking me after the first night why Joe Netto hadn't said much and suggested he probably wouldn't be nominated for an award. The TMT for best comedic moment, though, goes to Daniel "Pup" Gould. After and admission of "aging a bit"  by frequent awardee Dan Shearer, Pup opined that "I'm not as old as Mr. Shearer and no one else is either," to the good-natured delight of the crowd.    

The TMT for best recommendation goes to Selectman Chair Pat Flynn, who worked with her colleagues and the Finance Committee to postpone a proposed $200,000 for vague spending on wastewater planning.  The words consensus and coalition are not simply buzzwords when it comes to this project.  Our chief elected official intends to foster genuine and in-depth community discussion on the half-billion dollar wastewater project that will indeed be the most significant undertaking in the history of our town.  Her willingness to commit to reaching consensus before the money is spent is not only rare, it is laudable.

Which brings us to the other end of the TMT spectrum, the Badge of Bombast.  While in the past, this award has been bestowed on the speaker who simply talked too much but said too little, a new winner has emerged, not for the volume of his offerings, but for the questionable motive and unfortunate content. Former Assistant Town Counsel Ed DeWitt argued enthusiastically against a zoning article in which he has not only a personal interest, but pending litigation. His arguments were for the benefit of his own pending lawsuit, something rarely seen and never appropriate at Town Meeting.  He further eroded his credibility by offering an insult to Town Planner Brian Currie, suggesting that this 20+ year town employee was unqualified to answer a question simply because he is not a lawyer.  Not your most shining moment, Ed.  The Badge of Bombast is yours in a runaway.

The finances are still dire, but the process is promising.  We get to come back in April and do it again. 

This column is reprinted from the Falmouth Enterprise.

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Reform Before Revenue

 Fix the Dump Before Affixing a New Fee

With little fanfare but a potentially huge impact on citizens, roads and bridges throughout the Commonwealth, several state agencies merged this week to form a new "super" agency called MassDOT, the restructured and refined Massachusetts Department of Transportation.  The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and its associated baggage has been eliminated.  Underneath the massive umbrella of this new agency is the MBTA, the Registry of Motor Vehicles, Mass Highway, and the MA Aeronautics Commission, among others.  What is most notable about this merger is that it was built on the concept of "reform before revenue," the mantra established by Senate President Therese Murray which clearly sets the tone for achieving greater efficiency and seeking operational improvements before seeking additional funds from the taxpayers. Although it will be months before we are able to publicly discern the impact of this merger, the focus of reform before revenue has clearly signified a threshold for future experiments in the form of a simple but powerful peoples' demand: before you ask us for more money, show us your plan can work.

Why then, did the reform before revenue memo not make it to the corner conference room of Town Hall? This mandate would have been a great guiding principle for the Selectmen during their recent discussion on the implementation of a $2.50 per bag fee for trash dropped of at the Waste Management Facility on Thomas Landers Road, affectionately known as the dump.  Wouldn't this fee have been much easier to swallow if it came on the heels of sweeping changes rather than being implemented followed by a promise of future improvements?

The concept of the fee as a deterrent to leaving trash at the dump that could be left at the curbside has merit.  Every ton that is left at the dump has to then be transferred (for a fee) to the transfer station on the MMR, then shipped (for a fee) by rail to SEMASS in Rochester where it is incinerated (for a fee).  So, to eliminate as much tonnage that has to travel twice for yet another fee is a good idea.  Many good ideas, though, fail as the victims of lousy implementation, and this implementation is indeed a stinker. 

Town meeting recently approved the expenditure of $200,000 to facilitate improvements and modernization at the dump.  Even more recently, a public meeting held to discuss the future of the dump had to be moved from Town Hall to the Lawrence Auditorium to accommodate the large crowd.  The issue of the management of this facility is clearly dear to the hearts (and basements & garages) of many Falmouthites.  These interested citizens deserve to see what improvements can be made before being asked to dig even deeper into their pockets on top of their dump sticker.

Never mind the silliness of the new fee with no improvements to show for it, what of the practical implications of the fee itself?  We heard at the Selectmen's fee hearing a few ideas tossed about, suggesting a sticker for your trash bag, a coupon book and plain old cash as the means to pay for each bag.  I would suggest that a full plan for how to handle this fee be devised and fully vetted with the interested dumpophiles before yet another new program takes shape.  

Former Selectman Nate Ellis used to say that as long as there is a breath left in any taxpayer, no decision of the Selectmen is final.  As it relates to new fees at the dump, the Selectmen should take a deep breath on this one, consider reform before revenue, and take the new $2.50 per bag fee off the table until the improvements are completed at the dump and a plan is in place to provide public value for another public expense.

This column is reprinted from the Falmouth Enterprise.

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Clipper Pride has Changed Our Mood

It used to be that if you wanted information on the goings-on in Falmouth, you made your way to Stone's or Andy's Barber Shop, and either those with the scissors and lollipops or those hanging out on the benches and chairs would have all the answers and local news.  While that is still true, in fact I still test some of my weekly content at Dickie and Phil Stone's Main Street landmark business (I chat with Andy but he doesn't get near my haircut), another Falmouth business has become one of the places to gather information on the mood and machinations of Falmouthites: Wal Mart.

During my customary visits for paper towels, candy corn and T-gel, I regularly encounter both shoppers and workers who are eager to offer their thoughts and opinions on the state of local affairs.  From Frank the greeter, who has his eyes on a Selectman's seat, to Ted the customer service manager, who always wears a smile, the former Bradlees has become a hub of local info.

At the Falmouth Wal-Mart this past weekend, I noticed something different other than the relocation of virtually everything in the store.  As I walked around, still disoriented by a reorganization that has caused me to walk in circles many times, I noticed a little extra spring in each shopper's step, and smiles just a little wider than normal.  As I queried John, the always-jolly checkout person, I asked him if he noticed that people were just a little happier than usual.  "Do you live in this town?" he asked.  Trying to contain a self-centered chuckle and resisting the flat-out arrogance of a "do you know who I am?" I nodded in the affirmative. "Well," said John with a bit of a scolding voice, "You should know then that the football team is undefeated and just swamped Plymouth North." I studied carefully the sea of Falmouth's humanity that wandered almost gleefully through Teaticket Highway's retail mecca.  John was right.  I listened closely and heard the buzz - and detected the excitement.

Then it hit me and I was overwhelmed with gratitude that I had to share in this column.  Despite our financial woes and our Town Hall quarrels, this group of a few dozen young men bound together by their common identity as players on the Falmouth Clippers football team, have changed our collective mood from gloom to glory and united a community.  For that deserve our recognition and praise.  Coach Dana Almeida has instilled a Patriot-esque belief in his players where they hit the gridiron each weekend with the belief that they can win.  And win they have.  After an epic upset of BC High, the barbershop banter and Wal-Mart conversations took a significant upturn to the positive.  With the never-before trouncing of Plymouth North last weekend, the optimism for this team has turned into all-out bubbling civic pride, the likes of which we haven't seen in many seasons.  Each and every player, coach, and team helper deserve a slice of that appreciation pie.

I know what it's like to be standing in front of screaming fans on the 50-yard line and feeling the pressure to perform.  I did it for Falmouth High and before tens of thousands of Eagle fans at BC - in the band. Seriously, though, the impact of this team's success on our community cannot be overstated.  At a time when our financial confidence is at a nadir and faith in our local leaders' ability to boost that confidence at equal depths, the performance of Clippers like offensive standouts Mike Thines and Nelson Baptiste and defensive stalwarts Lucio Licciardi and John Lavin has given many in our community a renewed sense that something is right in Falmouth.

I won't predict what will happen from here, and I certainly won't curse our team's success by making any predictions.  This team is already a success.  Whatever happens from here, these players have brought back pride to a town struggling to feel good. As a fan, a citizen, and a former 50-yard line-guy, I say thanks. Go Falmouth! 

Author's note:  Since writing this column, the Clippers did indeed lose a game, but like I said, whatever happens from here, these players have accomplished something no local official has been able to do. 

This column is reprinted from the Falmouth Enterprise.

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A Tale of Two Committees

Falmouth Selectmen vs. the Finance Committee

The Falmouth Finance Committee and the Board of Selectmen seem to be living in two distinct realities, one where dire fiscal times are demanding difficult spending reductions and budget reviews, and the other where it is business as usual, and the solution for every problem lies in the pocket of the taxpayer.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness..." So said Charles Dickens in his legendary tome, "A Tale of Two Cities.  Perhaps, though, Dickens had a bit of foresight in his literary quiver and was shooting a soothsaying arrow into the future - right at our own Falmouth Town Hall and our local version of his great work, "The Tale of Two Committees."  

The Falmouth Finance Committee and the Board of Selectmen seem to be living in two distinct realities, one where dire fiscal times are demanding difficult spending reductions and budget reviews, and the other where it is business as usual, and the solution for every problem lies in the pocket of the taxpayer.

The Finance Committee is engaged in thorny and complicated discussions on how to handle the capital spending requests for the upcoming Town Meeting while keeping their sights on the ever-darkening financial horizon and state aid cuts looming.  At a recent meeting, they considered deferring most capital spending until next spring, when local aid figures will likely be better known.  Committee members lamented delaying important purchases, but recognized the need for both frugality and caution. 

"Do we want to spend our free cash down to zero...or do we want to only vote those items that are absolutely necessary," asked FinCom veteran Gardner Lewis.  This approach demonstrates the kind of attention to our financial detail that is necessary to protect our basic services and the taxpayer in this most wobbly of fiscal times.

Meanwhile, the Selectmen, who held their annual fee hearing this week and engaged in some happy hiking of a variety of fees, from a sixty percent increase in sewer rates, to huge increases in Conservation Commission surcharges, appear to be oblivious to the crumbling economy around them. 

Just a couple of weeks ago, we convened a Special Town Meeting to reduce this year's spending by over $2 million, and heard the admonition from FinCom Chair Gary Anderson about cutting costs.  Instead of heeding this, the Selectmen welcomed the opportunity to increase the burden on Falmouth's taxpayers, welcoming virtually every fee placed before them under the guise of having each department raise enough revenue to cover its costs.  The problem with this flawed logic is that the source of funds for this additional revenue is, inevitably, the same taxpayers.  Take a typical homeowner on the town sewer.  Their basic rate for a cubic foot of sewage will go from $3.81 to $6.10 under the plan approved unanimously during Monday night's marathon that lasted until after 11:00.  The triumph offered by Wastewater Division staffers was that this mammoth hike in user fees will actually result in a surplus in revenue for the department.  This is not good news - it simply means that the ratepayers (also known as citizens and taxpayers) are being soaked even more than they are now (probably not a good word to use when discussing sewage)  Sure, we sorely need to find a way to balance our budgets, but I continue to scratch my head that the only solution coming from the corner conference room is to do that on the backs of the average hard working Falmouthite.

One shining moment in an otherwise dreary hearing was the news by Assistant Town Manager Heather Harper that revenue from the new wind turbines at the Wastewater Treatment Plant will produce significant non-taxpayer-based cash after they are installed and creating renewable energy.  That's the kind of solution-focused thinking that we need.

So, this Tale of Two Committees will converge in a couple of weeks when the Fall Annual Town Meeting gets down to the business of considering the year's capital spending.  The Finance Committee will likely tell our local legislators that it is most prudent to hold off on most initiatives and save our available cash for the certain cuts that are coming.  What will the Selectmen say? Perhaps they'll pass the hat in the Lawrence Memorial Auditorium as they hum the rock anthem "The Best of Times."  After all, Town Meeting Members are also taxpayers and are part of the solution to all problems... 

This column is reprinted from the Falmouth Enterprise.

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Looking Back a Quarter Century

 1984 in Falmouth

The Falmouth High School Class of 1984 celebrated its 25^th reunion at Highfield Hall this past weekend.  Although I crossed the stage in the FHS  field house a couple of years after those weekend revelers, I still enjoyed seeing old friends and catching up through Facebook and a visit from former Falmouthite and scribe Julie St. George. 

As I surveyed the smiling faces and absorbed the updates on kids and careers, my thoughts drifted back to the Falmouth of twenty-five years ago.  The very location for the reunion, a beautifully restored Historic Highfield, demonstrates how the passage of time isn't always an enemy to us.  Indeed, the magnificent, Queen Anne stick-style mansion was a neglected shell of its once grand self in 1984.  Today, it shines as a beacon of preservation and example of what a responsive local government and a few determined citizens can accomplish together.

After Julie's visit and a few glimpses at an old yearbook, I took a few minutes to reflect on the  Falmouth during the year George Orwell made famous.  Thanks and kudos go to our ever-resourceful Town Clerk and native Falmouthite Michael Palmer for supplying me with a snapshot of a year in Falmouth's past.
Falmouth's overall budget in the year Amadeus swept the Academy Awards was just over $26 million.  Today, the buzzards are swirling overhead on our annual spending that is just about four times that amount.  In 1984, a stroll down Main Street and a gaze skyward would be obstructed with unsightly poles and wires; In 2009, our downtown is known widely as one of the finest in the Commonwealth largely due to the efforts of Peter Boyer and Heather Harper, names unknown in Falmouth in the year Michael Jackson won eight Grammys.  

If you gazed at your fashionable Swatch to check the time of day and dialed your not-yet-antique rotary phone to reach the Selectmen's office back then, you would likely chat with Andy Dufresne, Heather McMurtrie or Lenny Costa, as there was no Town Manager.  Falmouth wouldn't yield the tradition of full-time Selectmen for another seven years.  Andy, of course, is still a fixture in Town Hall and at Town Meeting, and Heather ended a long and distinguished career as our Town Collector just a few years ago. 

George Lebherz banged the gavel at Town Meeting that year, as today's Moderator Dave Vieira was dutifully and assiduously attending class at Morse Pond School, no doubt peering out of "Town Meeting Time" long enough to catch a ride on a BMX and watch the year's #1 movie, Beverly Hills Cop.

A call to the DPW to fix a pothole would probably be returned by Director Bill Owen (sound familiar?), although you had an equally good chance of catching him enjoying laughs and lunch at Christopher's Restaurant with Highway sage Ronnie Nielsen as you did leaving a message (there was no voicemail) at Town Hall.  Ten years later, I considered it a treat to be invited to those memorable repasts.

As the leaves fell and the Detroit Tigers were celebrating their World Series victory in 1984, Fire Chief James Rogers was preparing for the Fall Special Town Meeting.  Today, son Glen wears the white shirt of a Fire Rescue Department Deputy, while equally dedicated sons Sgt. Mike and Patrolman James proudly represent the family as members of the Falmouth Police Department.  Speaking of the FPD, it was led in the year of the Sarajevo Olympics by East Falmouth mainstay Paulino Rodriques.

There was no Ben & Bill's to enjoy a lobster Ice Cream on Main Street the year LeBron James and Prince Harry were born, but downtown fixture DQ was there to offer a dilly bar while we contemplated the passings of Ethel Merman and Marvin Gaye. 

As we watched news coverage of vigilante Bernie Goetz on our TVs and weighed the pros and cons of this new thing called HBO, we focused locally on whether our FHS football team would triumph on Thanksgiving (they didn't) and if our still new Superintendent Bob Antonucci would stay in town and make a long-term commitment to Falmouth (he did).

As for me, I was enjoying life in Paul Cali's English class and Joe Studley's Band practice at FHS, camping with present-day computer guru Chris Alves and my fellow Scouts of Troop 42 at St. Anthony's in East Falmouth, and wondering if my on-again off-again romance with my girlfriend Barb would last (we've been married for 19 years).  Life was and is good in Falmouth.

This column is reprinted from the Falmouth Enterprise.

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Falmouth is Filled with Extraordinary People

 Is there an Amarilis in your neighborhood?

Having seen each "Godfather" movie at least twenty times, I can recite most of the lines by memory.  It was the images of the camera, though, that seared a lasting memory in my mind - those powerful images from the mind of Falmouthite Gordon Willis, the cinematographer from Falmouth who will get his well-deserved recognition as a legendary artist when he receives an honorary Academy Award next month.  As I pored over last week's account of his successes in the Enterprise and pondered how fortunate we are to have such a legend in Falmouth, I paused to contemplate how truly propitious Falmouth is to actually have gifted, accomplished, and interesting people in virtually every neighborhood.  From Olympic Champions (Colleen Coyne), to rock stars (one of my FHS classmates used to baby-sit for the Cars' Rick Ocasek in Sippewissett), to best selling authors sprinkled from Waquoit to Megansett (my favorite is Ted Murphy of Belltown fame), we live in a community where living next to extraordinary people is commonplace - and not all of them are famous.

Take for example, the extraordinary person living next to me.  Born Amarilis dos Santos Melo Bandeira nearly 80 years ago in the small northern Portuguese village of Castenheira on the outskirts of the city of Chaves, Mike Mello has led a fascinating and exceptional life.  His time in Falmouth as the Foreign Language Department Head at Falmouth High School was actually the culmination of a journey that spanned more than forty years of fighting for democracy and making a difference in the lives of others.

His family came to the United States from Portugal in the late 1930's when Mike was a young boy.  His father came for the plentiful employment as America was preparing for the next great war, along with sister Gilcelina and brother Abel.  Life in this strange concrete jungle of the new world was made more difficult, as Mike's mother had passed years before, leaving the family without the warmth and doting each child cherishes, no matter where your life's journey began.

As the family adjusted to American life, Mike developed an affinity for his adopted language of English.  To this day, this budding octogenarian, whose native tongue is not the English he so eloquently uses, has a flawless command of four languages.  Years passed, and this dual citizen of both Portugal and the U.S. had to fulfill the obligation of every Portuguese man and traveled back to his homeland to serve in the Army.  His stay was almost permanent, as service for a foreign army would most surely sacrifice his status as an American citizen.  Through sheer determination, will, wit, grit, and passion, he managed to keep his citizenship in his adopted nation, the beneficiary of his own tireless letter writing and lobbying with the U.S. Embassy in Lisbon.   After a successful discharge, he stayed in Europe and, using the skills learned during his military service on a democracy-starved post-war continent, he worked determinedly for Radio Free Europe, helping beam the message of freedom and liberty across the Iron Curtain.  When President Reagan stood before the Berlin Wall in 1987 and implored Mikhail Gorbachev to tear it down, it had already been punctured, radio wave by radio wave, by people like Mike Mello.  Years later, scholars credited the efforts of Radio Free Europe as playing an early role in that epic event.

After his work spreading western democracy, Mike's fondness for the U.S. beckoned, though, and he journeyed to New York to begin his own American dream.  Within a few years, he managed to begin a higher education, a marriage, and fatherhood, finding both his future alma mater (Fordham) and his future wife (Judy) in the Bronx.  Working for Academic Press, an educational publishing company in Manhattan, Mike managed to assimilate well in Gotham; he still speaks of his prized personal parking space in that crowded business mecca.

He realized, though, that traveling into New York City was not a daily grind he desired, so he found employment in a faraway unknown hamlet in Massachusetts.  Mike, Judy, and now daughters Jane and Barbara, came to Falmouth to yet again write a new chapter in 1973.  His Master's not yet complete, Mike commuted in his trusty Dodge station wagon back to Fordham in the Bronx to complete his education - all the while shaping young Falmouth minds at FHS.  His love of his Portuguese culture still strong, he joined with many immigrants in forming the Falmouth Portuguese American Association, today one of Falmouth's most vibrant cultural organizations.   

His story is not yet complete.  Mike has since retired, his daughters grown and wife still by his side.  He now enjoys quieter days, with memories and stories of his New York and European adventures fading.  Occasionally, though, that twinkle reappears, and he is glad to share the stories of a young freedom fighter, shooting his radio missiles to the oppressed people of Eastern Europe.

So, as you read this, think of who in your neighborhood can share a similar story of struggle and triumph to enrich your family.  We offer excuses these days about our busy lives traveling to soccer games and Wal-Mart to justify how little many of us get to know our neighbors.  Take a walk down your street.  I bet there is a Gordon Willis or Amarilis dos Santos Melo Bandeira just waiting to share an extraordinary life with you.

This column is reprinted from the Falmouth Enterprise.

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Falmouth Town Meeting a Night of Discontent

 Town Meeting Trophies

You could feel the discontent at the Special Town Meeting on Tuesday, literally rumbling from person to person as the temperature rose before the meeting even started in the Lawrence Memorial Auditorium.  I've been going to Town Meetings for nearly 20 years and have never seen an evening like this.  The fact that Town Meeting Members gave such attention to such minute detail speaks to two major points raised by some unhappy local legislators.  One was by Finance Committee Chairman Gary Anderson when he passionately and eloquently put our leaders, both elected and appointed, on notice: The public trust is at risk.  The other was by Town Meeting Member Leslie Lichtenstein, who pointed out as part of her comments expressing frustration that critical information was received as Town Meeting Members walked in the door.  She noted that "the citizens of Falmouth didn't elect a rubber stamp Town Meeting."  These early comments set the tone for the evening.  I was waiting for Peter Finch to jump up and tell us he was mad as hell and not going to take it anymore.  He certainly would have won a Town Meeting Trophy (TMT) for that.  With that in mind, here are some other TMTs from this, the meeting of our discontent:

The TMT for best performance was a runaway.  Although Moderator Dave Vieira at least got some consideration for adroitly handling a sometimes simmering crowd, FinCom Chair Gary Anderson clearly stole the show. He was at all times respectful but equally as stern in his warnings and told the assembled citizen-legislators that he is "frustrated and distressed" and offered a clarion call to Selectmen and Town Meeting Members alike. "This town has a systemic financial problem.  We spend more than we take in."  For all its powerful simplicity, this comment summed up an evening of variations on that theme, and led the way for more than three hours of relentless repudiation of our current financial plan. "We forecast for hurricanes; why don't we forecast for financial storms" said the Chairman rhetorically, to applause and shaking heads in response to balancing a budget after the fact.

Conservation Commission member Ed Schmitt gets the TMT for most courage for proposing an increase in taxes by supporting article 3.  His assertions were challenged and voted down, but he showed that you can take a contrary view without being a contrarian and deserves credit for that. His fuzzy math, though, asserting that an increase in the rooms tax from 4 to 6 percent was a 2 percent increase (it's fifty), was later corrected by longtime moteliere Milton Kelly, who gets the TMT math award.

The "what were they thinking?" TMT could have gone to a few speakers, including emerging gadfly Marc Finneran, for asserting that public employees asleep on the job should blame their boss, but the usually thoughtful Deb Siegal takes this one for her head-scratching assertion that the concept of tourism as the engine that drives our economy is a "fallacy."  She followed up this clunker with a not-so-veiled attempt to eliminate funding in the budget for the Chamber of Commerce.  Note to Chamber President Jay Zavala - invite Deb to be a celebrity greeter next summer; I bet she'll change her mind!

The meeting was not all doom and gloom.  Bob Antonucci gets the nod for best comedic moment for lamenting about the mood and disgruntlement in the room by noting that this Town Meeting was "probably the most frustrating experience for me beyond being on the High School Building Committee."  At that time, in that place, Town Meeting needed a laugh, and Bob delivered.

Our Badge of Bombast is becoming to the TMTs what Tiger Woods is to golf; you just expect Rich Latimer to take home the award for saying too much, and once again, he did not disappoint.  From telling Town meeting that he hails from two different precincts (it's #2, Rich), to his impolitely tagging Kevin Murphy with the moniker of having an "anti-tax theology," to doing his best Arnold Horshack impression by waving his hand and shouting at the Moderator, this memorable Town Meeting was sprinkled with his forgettable behavior.  Joe Netto was in the running for this one, but when Chiefs Riello and Brodeur eloquently and accurately defended their spending, he got the message and sat down.  Joe, could you spread the message to Rich?

At some versions of our local democracy reality show, Town Meeting members can seem detached, even laodicean, as big ticket issues sail through with nary a peep from the gallery.  This was not the case on Tuesday.  The action to place $3,600 in the Stabilization Fund, the town's savings account, was a symbolic gesture with a very real message: get our financial house in order. Our elected Town Meeting Members get a group TMT for sending that message loud and clear.

This column is reprinted from the Falmouth Enterprise.

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Falmouth RMV Express is Madden Success

There was a time when the phrase Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) and the word express would never be used in the same sentence.  We've come a long way, though, from the interminable lines and grumpy employees that were a staple of the Hyannis Registry years ago.  In recent years, the RMV location behind McMenamy's has been a place where you might still find a wait, but friendly faces like Falmouthites Judy Roderick and Liz Williams have always made my trips there a little easier. Alas, this location became the victim of state budget cuts and has been on the RMV's closure list, until the announcement this week that an express branch will be opening up at the Edward Marks, Jr. Building (formerly the Poor House/Artists Guild) on Main Street.  The moniker of "express" shouldn't raise hopes of a lack of lines, it simply means that license renewals and the like will be the featured fare at this new location.  License tests will be offered in Plymouth and beyond.  Kudos to the Town for offering free space to keep this convenience to residents in Falmouth where it belongs, and kudos to Registrar Rachel Kaprelian for understanding the importance of such a facility in our community.  The Cape has been an important part of the focus for the new Registrar in her year or so in office; she was here just a few months ago helping kick off the auction of the low-number Cape & Islands plates.  She is a welcome part of the culture change that is ongoing at the Executive Office of Transportation largely due to the vision of a new leadership team who "get it" when in comes to the needs of local governments and citizens.  

Speaking of the RMV and understanding local governments, freshman State Rep. Tim Madden also deserves high honors on one of his first big tests as a deliverer of constituent services.  During his campaign and early days in office, I was liberal with my skepticism on how a Representative from Nantucket could, or more importantly would pay attention and work on behalf of his mainland constituents.  His participation in the sockdolager of an idea to locate the RMV express office in downtown Falmouth shows that not only is he paying attention to the needs of his Falmouthite folks, he is working hard on their behalf.  He has been visible at local events, responsive to inquiries, and has even made a couple of appearances before the Selectmen.  Nice job, Tim. See you at the Christmas parade!

While I'm spreading kudos and good news, here's an "attaboy" for going out to the Falmouth Rotary Club and the Falmouth Young Professionals organization for taking a cross-generational approach to their charity work and beginning to raise money and support events together The Rotary's 9^th annual craft fair last weekend at Falmouth Harbor was a success.  Young professionals assisted in the security; the savings will directly benefit scholarships for Falmouth youth.  What a great example of cooperation for the common good. 

And finally, speaking of cooperation for the common good, or lack thereof, the fatuous debate on Town Manager Bob Whritenour's travel to the International City Managers conference needs to end.  While Selectman Brent Putnam and others concern themselves with the "should he" or "shouldn't he" of previously agreed upon professional development, our budget woes, sewer issues, and other thorny debates continue to languish from lack of attention and cooperation from the fab five in the corner conference room.  Let's focus on the solutions, guys. 

Maybe Tim Madden, Rachel Kaprelian, the Falmouth Rotary Club and the Falmouth Young professionals could all team up and take on the project of what to do about the sniping in Town Hall...

This column is reprinted from the Falmouth Enterprise.

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Falmouth Budget Ship Lost at Sea

 Scouring the Cupholder for Spare Change?

It's not often that we talk about the Patriots, Sox, and Town Meeting at the same time, but our ongoing budget woes have prompted a rare September Town Meeting, to be held next Tuesday, the 29^th.  According to official documents from the Town, the purpose of this rare event is to raise money, roughly $1 million, for expenses already incurred for the town's last financial (fiscal) year, which ended on June 30, and cut another $2 million out of the budget for this year.

I've got a couple of questions that caused me to scratch my head on this one.  First, rather than raise a million dollars after the fact, why wasn't the money just saved during the year?  Over the last year, the evidence was clear that the state was in a fiscal tailspin, and the news locally was no better.  Tax revenues were down everywhere.  News sources bemoaned the worst economy since the Great Depression on a regular basis on tv, in print, and in every corner of cyberspace.  A causerie with even the most casual observer of local government would result in a bleak economic outlook.  The lack of planning and attention to our financial details puzzles me.  Give credit to Finance Committee Chair Gary Anderson.  He's been beating the drum of fiscal responsibility for some time now and warning of a scenario just like the current conundrum.  Earlier reports from the corner office this year were of a deficit in the half million dollar range, but Town Meeting members will be grappling with the aforementioned three million reasons why those projections were no good, and we are going to be searching for spare change in the cup holder to cover expenses that we made months ago. 

Secondly, the new budget became effective on July 1, and we are already slashing $2 million from projected spending.  With all of the above information at our disposal, should our financial team not have known this months ago? Both scenarios point to a disturbing lack of foresight and planning.  Let's hope that all of the other distractions of the topsy-turvy world of our local financiers and policy makers and their current state of discord and disarray isn't distracting our leaders, elected and appointed, from their most basic tasks.  

As for the upcoming Town Meeting, we are told that after the $3 million slash and burn, we will be on a "sustainable footing to move forward with our program of services."  A closer look at the proposed cuts paints a different picture. Personnel costs are more than two-thirds of our expenses, but are zero percent of the solution for the Town.  Words like reductions and furloughs are difficult to absorb, but must be a part of the solution in today's grave fiscal circumstances.  Kudos to newly minted Superintendent Marc Dupuis for recognizing this and proposing furloughs as a way to maintain services.  The silence from the corner office is troubling on this one.  As a result, important services will suffer in the budget reduction proposals.  The entire budget for drug investigations at the Police Department is going away.  News reports continue unabated of crashes, robberies, and violence with a direct link to the scourge of illegal drugs in our community, but the after-the-thought budget planning seeks to eliminate the main source of funding to combat this cancer in our community. This is but one example of the programmatic impact of poor financial planning.  How about the $80,000 reduction in the Waste Management Facility (dump)?  Will that produce the profit we were promised months ago?

I know from experience that budgets are living documents that change from week to week as projections and actual expenses ebb and flow. That is part of the process.  The problem with the current budgets before Town Meeting is that the process is out of control, a wayward ship, crashing through the rough seas of a sea of financial instability, with the Captain and crew below deck squabbling about what's for dinner.  I think I'm getting seasick.

 This column is reprinted from the Falmouth Enterprise.

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The Edward Kennedy Legacy

This column is decidedly local. Falmouth issues are my experience and interest, and as a local news source, Cape Cod Today is primarily concerned with the issues that touch our lives every day.  Sometimes, though, an issue - or person - is so significant that the local impact is noteworthy in this space.

In May of last year, when Sen. Edward Kennedy became very publicly ill, and courageously chose to share his illness and his struggles with all of us, I wrote the following column.  With his passing, the words ring ever true.

We've all felt it at one time or another - that tap on the shoulder when no one is around, that feeling that someone is with you when you're alone in a room. Most times, we attribute that unknown to a loved one, gone from the Earth, but still somehow present in our lives. Whether real or imagined, we can feel their presence.

Few people who walk among us can create that presence and be part of our consciousness, our hopes, and our attempts to help our fellow citizens while still existing in human form. These rare individuals, through their deeds and dreams, carry us to another level and make themselves felt in our everyday lives. Edward M. Kennedy is such a person.

I've spent much of my adult life waxing on about smaller and better government, fiscal responsibility, and how government should be. Ted Kennedy has taught us for 40 years how government can be. His presence in our political consciousness is so great that any proposal or policy initiative that attempts to better the plight of any struggling citizen or population is gauged on the Kennedy barometer for its true measure of hope and kindness.

The recent news that our neighbor and friend Senator Kennedy is struggling - but not suffering - with a cancerous growth in his brain, the epicenter of nearly five decades of public work, was a blow to us all. It was a crushing blow not just to our sense of decency and compassion for a family that has suffered so deeply and a man who has led America's family so adroitly, but for the idealism, the purest and simplest thought of the nobility and goodness of public service that will wither as this great man passes through this trying time to join his beloved brothers.

I have struggled at times to find an issue on which I agree with Ted Kennedy, yet I cannot think of a person in my lifetime, even President Ronald Reagan, who has had more of an impact on our American psyche and my personal commitment to good government than Senator Edward Kennedy. And that's just it.  Those who simplistically call Kennedy the "Liberal Lion," whether using that phrase with affection or disdain, miss the real impact of the youngest member of the Camelot clan in our lives. Through personal struggles, some epic, some tragic, Kennedy has remained a force in our lives. Yes, the causes he has championed can mostly be classified as left-of-center, but his passion for the plight of humanity knows no side of the aisle.

Like the legendary and mythical Phoenix rose from the ashes of its own demise, the power of the legacy, not simply the Kennedy legacy, but the Edward Kennedy legacy, will gain strength from today's struggles and move to inspire generations of citizens to choose service to others as a life's work. Edward Kennedy has risen from the ashes - personal and political - to fight another day for a better America and a better human kind. What better legacy could there be?

Thank you, Senator Phoenix, for tapping us all on the shoulder and being present in our lives. Thank you for reminding us that there is no greater call than service to mankind.

This column is reprinted from the Falmouth Enterprise.

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