Well it appears that the Gardner News has no problem
printing untruths for some in the letter to the editor. First I would like to say – Mr Kent when was
the last time you attended a selectmen’s meeting. I haven’t seen you at any
meeting since you got off the advisory board years ago. Did you ever even meet Mr Ritter? Did you
witness him being harassed by Mr Columbus? I did. Have you talked to the senior citizens who
attend the selectmen meetings? I have, they are discussed with Mr Columbus and
Ms Wilder. Do you know why that meeting on April 12 got so heated – let me tell
you the real story. First let me tell
you that no one threatened any of the selectmen. When it was announced that a
motion was made to hire back Carol Skelton as temporary Town Coordinator – just
about every one in the audience said NO,
no way, you have got to be kidding comments like that – why because everyone
who had been paying attention since before the recall realized that Mr. Columbus and Ms Wilder and Atty Len
Kopelman had gotten rid of Mr Ritter just to get Carol back. So I guess you
could say at that moment the people realized that the whole recall issue was
just about revenge. I went out into the parking lot sat in my car and cried.In
the few months that Mr Ritter was here he brought Departments together,
information flowed easily for the selectmen’s office to departments. At
selectmen meeting Mr Ritter was always there with his vast knowledge to help a
board that the majority was harassing him during the week. Do you know the
emotion stress this put on Mr Ritter? DO you know that V Wilder and Atty K both
called him before he took the job and told him not to take it? Mr Ritter came
here, did a job and did it 200% despite having three members of the board
continually trying to sabotage his good work. So now we are back having CS,
departments can’t get information, articles for town meeting are being rewritten
and changed. And the latest – no public participation is allowed at the meeting
– I noticed that not even elected official from other boards were allowed to
speak. Sorry my Kent but you have no clue!!!! Just my opinion. and I am anonymous because I have seen the retaliation Thanks Pauly Observer
I bought the Gardner News today so that I could read Mr. Kent's letter. It is upsetting to think that he could watch a meeting where people were not allowed to speak, where people were removed by police without following protocol. I guess Mr. Kent thinks it is OK for a member of the BOS to scream "clear that side of the room", but it is not OK when people get angry for being treated like criminals. Why have an open meeting if you will not listen to anyone. Mr. Kent thinks we should set an example for our children, but sitting back and letting these people take our rights away is not the way to set an example for our children. Where would we be now if people had not stood up for their rights. We would still be a British colony. I want to teach my children to speak up for what is right and just. Observer, I do understand your need to be "anonymous". I have a relative who works for the town and I would not jeopordize that person's job by signing my name. What a shame because I am proud of the people who are speaking out and I would like to use my name, but fear of retribution will not allow that. What do you think of that Mr. Kent? People are afraid to use their names when posting on this blog. I will vote on 5/7 and if Julie Farrell is not elected, I will do the same thing that Observer did after the BOS meeting, I will cry. I am that upset.
ReplyDeleteObserver - is the statement below something that can be verified, or is it just another rumor?
ReplyDeletefrom your post: "DO you know that V Wilder and Atty K both called him before he took the job and told him not to take it?"
If this is verifiable, it would look very bad for both parties were it to be widely publicized. It could sway public opinion enough to affect the election, Town Meeting and the threatened/planned recall in August.
Right now, it's not going to have much traction without some supporting documentation from Mr. Ritter. I can't imagine how that fact, if true, could possibly have been included in any agreement. To include such a condition would be problematic for those whom it protected, because it amounts to a threat, made by an attorney who no longer represented Templeton and was certainly not acting in the Town's interest.
It is absolutely embarrassing to watch what is taking place in our Town. Yes, the BOS is charged with running the daily operation of the Town, but during a open Selectmens' meeting to not recognize a single resident for input was just wrong. This Town needs alot, a new Town Hall, a new police station, a new elementary school, and we need a plan that works for everyone. I can only hope that after the election that things can move forward for the good of the Town, because we need leadership to bring this Town out of the abyss.
ReplyDeleteMr Barrieau - answer to your question - Mr Ritter told me this himself and just for the record it was during his first week in town so he didn't violate any temination agreement in telling me.
ReplyDeleteNew twist for the BOS, did anyone notice His Highness, The BOS chairman, changed the way meetings were conducted. The chairman and his crew of two, have gone against the position they campained on. I still see a sign now and then, it reads "LET THE PEOPLE SPEAK'. Gone is " let the people speak," now that they are in office. They conducted the meeting of April 23rd., by not allowing any one to speak, on any issue, that was being discussed. Only after all business was over, did his highness allow people to speak. I repeat, after all business was done, did he allow some of the taxpayers to speak. It was like talking to the wall. They {chairman and crew of two} violated the basic issue of what they said their recall election was about. In other words they lied. One other troubling thing I noticed, there were 5 armed policemen at the meeting. It all fits in when you have a dictatorship. Is the board chairman going to call in the national guard for the town meeting? PAPPA BEAR
DeleteIt is the Gardner News job to eliminate the competition as far as public opinion goes. If people are tuning in to Paulys Templeton Watch they may not wish to buy a newspaper and the influence that goes along with being the only game in town. The Gardner News has an agenda as does Paulys Templeton Watch. I wonder where was Mr. Kent when his town was getting allegedly raped by team Skelton and K&P concerning the WWTP contract and Ch93 acts of 2000? I certainly never heard a peep from Mr. Kent and it is believed he was on the advisory board. What will the children think of this. They will certainly have to pay for our mistakes in their tax bills should they still live here in Templeton. It is good people are taking the time to get their facts in order and making informed opinions on just what type of town we wish to live in. Should we ever get this mess in town straightened up there is a much larger mess waiting at the State and Federal levels. Good luck to us all.
DeleteNot sure why my previous post appears to have been deleted...
ReplyDeleteThanks for your answer "observer". But if you wish to stop such unethical behavior, you need to identify yourself and make the information public.
Making accusations on an anonymous blog is not credible evidence of wrongdoing. What can anyone do to you? If you're an employee of Templeton, you would be protected against retaliation by the laws. I seriously doubt that anyone could threaten you unless you permit it.
Here's an excerpt from the linked site: "Depending on what, exactly, you are planning to report, there are several Massachusetts statutes that may be relevant. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 149, Section 185 protects public employees who report, or refuse to participate in, any activity or practice that the employee reasonably believes to be in violation of a law, rule, or regulation (or which the employee reasonably believes to pose a risk to public health or safety)."
http://www.malawforum.com/content/whistleblower-law-massachusetts
I like the comics section. ;)
ReplyDelete