Lighting the path for Templeton
Templeton has a great ability to change when change is needed . The petition to abolish the light and water commission is the change we have for needed for some time now. The facts have been dug up and the numbers don’t lie. Questions go unanswered and requests get shunned . The rates rise and the rebates we were told don’t exist. We purchased a wind turbine and it produces little more than a bill and repairs that have unknown costs. A audit for the cost of the multimillion dollar dud is just a joke to the management and board and never gets a serious answer. They always blame the company doing the audit for not returning the calls. They have been digging a hole of debt for Templeton to be in for a very long time to come. It’s still not clear what debt is for what loan.
The point of the petition is for Templeton to start to gain a central control of all of Templeton’s departments and also know what every checkbook and balance sheet looks like. The way it is now that is not the case. We can start to formulate what each department has involved Templeton in. To be run like a business you need to have all departments report to one central control or the control gets lost and the issues we face now will get us in more and more debt. The water dept has a staggering amount of debt and will never be paid off.
The length of loans is longer than the life of the purchases for the loans. The budget for water is bursting and every water main were closer to a negative balance in funds. All water main breaks are one more bill that puts the department further in the hole.
No clear plan or idea for what to do next will put Templeton without any control or chance to dig our way out of this departments problems. The Light department is also a management problem with the lack of expertise in wind turbine repair and maintenance ,They don’t need an outside contractor to do the normal stuff the price is to high and they will get along just fine on their own. How do we pay for a multimillion dollar wind turbine that doesn’t turn and cost money to keep rotating and light flashing and insurance for liability? Yes you guessed it, rate hikes. When the payment is due and the light department is broke the town will be on the hook for the bills. Without the central control of the BOS this could happen and we will be the fools that let it. With the changes we make the BOS can set the tone and the requirements for the departments to advise whets going on and be held accountable for the issues and information to be collected and advised of further actions. Like in a business the lack of any department input puts the whole town in jeopardy. As I see it Templeton is now in jeopardy. We cannot afford to let the people that got us here take us where we don’t want to be. Lets light the path for Templeton to follow and take control before its to late to change.
Be a Templeton Shareholder and change the Light and Water for good!
Shareholder
Dave Smart
This is a very well done piece. This is what the Gsnoos should print, but won't. If people do not understand the big picture now, and things do not change, the results will be devistating. You cannot run a town with no money. This situation is critical. Please pay attention, this is NOT A BIG TO DO about nothing. Bev.
ReplyDeleteThere is NO FREAKING WAY I want the BOS in control of the Templeton Light & Water Dept....PERIOD! They can barely handle the responsibilities they have and you want them to manage the entire town’s electric & water??? INSANE!! This sounds like a power grab and could The Echo Hill Gang have some involvement in this??...this whole idea stinks and I do not trust it at all. Mr. Smart (ironic name!) what makes you think they can even handle this?? Their plate is full enough without having this crazy idea floating around. If this gets put to a vote then I will do all in my power to make sure this never happens. To me this leaves our very untrusted Echo Hill Gang a chance to come in thru a proxy to get their very dirty fingers into everyone’s electric & water bill and believe you me...I will NOT let that happen and I am sure no one else in Templeton wants those complete buffoons near their bills.
ReplyDeleteThis is a horrible idea......why not exert some control over those in charge of the the Light & Water dept. and FORCE them to answer to the town or FIRE them if they won't do the job they were hired to do.....there are PLENTY of qualified people out there begging for a job who would be glad to work for us and answer to us, to have the BOS in control of this stinks to high heaven.
First of all, I do not wish to have the BOS in control of the L&W forever, but long enough to get for instance, a proper PILOT agreement in place. By the way, since the present commission willnot do the job, answer questions, this petition tries to get them fired so that department may be held accountable, as in provide an audit report. Templeton personnel by-law states the personnel administrator may assist the BOS in negotiating bargaining agreements (union contracts) It also calls for a centralized record keeping system. The BOS shall appoint a personnel administrator (can you say Jeff Ritter?) Alltown departments shall be covered by this by-law except elected, school and those with personal contracts like the fire and police chief. The control of the L&W right now as it stands is the elected commissioners. Just so you know, a Mr. jerry skelton was at the helm when the merger of light & water took place then alot of debt at water and salaries took off. So as you state, seems like the echohill gang has already had thier dirty fingers in the till. To do nothing and expect change is very foolish. Speaking for myself as a selectmen, if the petition were to pass, I would want to get somethings explained, some plans and agreements on paper and explain to certain management members that you can change the tune or be fired. Clothing allowance for office help, gone, service charge for you the rate payer gone unless you like paying a few bucks a month for the privilege of getting a bill? Since I do not know who you are, I do not know how much power you yield, but all citizens are free to root for ever "side" they wish, I just hope you do not use lies and falsehoods as at least one selectmen has been very specifically acused of during the recall of last year. Please use your effort to see that none of that group gets elected to BOS. This can be done and for the betterment of Templeton. Thank you for participating and keep an eye on us, it is your civic duty to watch your elected representatives.
DeleteMy power?? it is my VOICE!
ReplyDeleteeverything you stated is all well and fine...as long as the LAW is FOLLOWED and adhered to...Town by-laws do not seem to be enforced around here (same goes with state laws) so why should that make me feel better when laws are stated but not followed ??
Sure I am not some rich business owner who can flaunt my money to make things happen...I am a average town citizen & military veteran who can barely get by and I for one cannot afford someone else's mistakes anymore.
If this is a temporary stop-gap to make real changes happen then fine...but the BOS had better damn well run this like it should and follow the law!
If the echo hill gang have any influence in this then someone should be held liable - I.E. any selectmen under their influence.
You also have to remember that the BOS have HUGE lack of trust issues right now.
ReplyDeleteYou have 2 selectmen that are under the direct influence of the echo Hill Gang...that is a fact.
You have 1 selectman that could not make a decision if his life depended on it....fact.
Which leaves 2 selectmen try to do the job of 5.....very bad numbers, very bad.
Right now I do not trust the BOS to do what is right and just, sure the next election could change that for the better, but I won't hold my breath on that.
Personally, I think the echo hill gang should be barred & banned from any town issues or politics, including their disciples.
Then trust can be earned again, but not until they are all gone for good.
The Echo Hill gang ARE the ones that brought the town to this crossroad... to the point where a concerned citizen, Dave Smart, took out a citizen petition to try to change the operations at Light and Water.
ReplyDeleteChapter 93 Acts of 2000 was orchestrated by Jerry Skelton and Co. to wrest control of the water department away from the BOS in order to inflate his salary and those of his loyal followers as well as inflate the management of the Light and water department. Many improvements were made to the water system, which has created a mound of long- term debt .
I signed this petition as concerned citizen. I am also a selectman. If this petition is successful AND approved by the Massachusetts General court,(which will take well over 6 months) I see it as a transition from an elected Light and water commission to an appointed Light Authority.
The town needs the water department back in order to facilitate billing and accountability. There has not been an explanation for the water main breaks which occurred on July 14, 2012. There is no plan in place to fix or repair the breaks that occurred on Baldwinville Rd, which is scheduled for reconstruction NEXT month! The billing is now outsourced for the Light and water department. The water billing should be combined with the sewer billing as has happened in the past. This will not happen if the status quo is maintained.
I feel the town needs to move in the direction of a DPW with shared costs, equipment, and personnel. No discussion of a DPW can transpire until the Town has oversight of the water department. If a DPW is the direction the town wants to pursue, that has to be initiated by the BOS; discussed in public openly and transparently. Openness and transparency is in short supply at TMLWP.
Between a proper, fully vetted and agreed upon( by BOTH the Town and Light) PILOT payment to the Town to a cost certification/audit of the wind turbine to a functioning website to rebate programs and programs for the elderly and poor, the Light department has some explaining to do. These questions and more have been asked repeatedly...no answers to date.
Please continue to hold ALL elected officials accountable. Attend a Light and water meeting. Attend a BOS meeting. I HAVE asked REPEATEDLY for an audit of the wind turbine...for over 2 years. The response from the manager at the last TMLWP meeting is that this "audit" is almost 15% complete. That is an unacceptable response, whether in the "business world" or the political world. I have asked for a website that functions going on 2 years as well.
You have a choice on March 6th to attend the special town meeting and voice your concerns and opinions. Thank you for participating in this forum. Mr. Bennett is right. it is our civic duty to keep a close eye on your elected representatives
Thank you Mr. Chucklbunny!
ReplyDeleteI have been told the same thing by many others and can relate to your concern. As the petition will go to a vote and the commission may be removed we must realize the potential for a disaster will be very possible for the town if we don't act on this now!
Your concern and others that have said the BOS as it is now has to much on their plate to handle this. My thought is everything elese will be for not if they don't. That is one of the main reasons for me to run for selectmen, There i said it. Now before the legislature get their thing done with this after the vote passes it will be almost 9 months and then your select board will look very different then it does now. If i'm elected to BOS then 3 + selectmen will be in favor of this move and will be a actual controling executive branch. Templeton has needed these changes for a while now and voters will get a clear vision where the town can go and how to better it for all. The time can not be more important then now to change as the strangle hold of the past has been broken and we need to be better served by the BOS than we were in the past. Election is comming and the need for fresh ideas and commitment is hear now, put people in office to work for Templeton that care about Templeton's future and we will all be better off.
The future BOS can and will be just fine overseeing the Light and water, At least we will get to see whats going on and have a central control and be able to answer simple questions without the negativity of the commissioners and gereral manager at light and water. The point is not to have BOS run light and water but be a central control of the oversight on the functions of both. Templeton is in my opinion in jeopardy with out and safety net. The Town is liable for the actions of all departments and not in control of all and it should be. The help will not get fired as the rumors lead you to believe and the for sale sign is not going on the kem 600.per year lawn,it just needs to be a clear picture for the town that owns it to see whats going on. It's our light and water department and its not working for us like it should.One only has to look at your bills.Did you get the 10% decrease your neighbors in gardner just got? No, and you never will. We are locked into a higher cost for power and the room for natural gas will not come our way.Good job commission,way to take care of your customers long term. Wind turbines are one of the highest cost of power production that a fact. Ask Princeton, the turbines they own and why do they have them up for sale,don't operate them due to repair costs and chance of another failure. Our wind turbine behind gansett is a dud and also has a hell of a bill for the loan on it.How much,good question and depends on the interest rate was 1.5% now 5.5% big interest rate for the bank to collect!
The more me and others dig the more we find thats not right and we get more determined to change what we see wrong as soon as possible. We can not afford to not change now!
Shareholder
candidate for Selectmen
Dave Smart
Would we be trading the Echo hill gang for the BaldwinTempleton gang?
ReplyDeleteNo, there is no Baldwin Templeton gang, or Julie's people. We do have a group called Citizens 4 Templeton. A group of us got together to try to improve the political climate in our town. We will be having a meeting soon, the dates will be on the blog. Everyone is welcome to come, to ask questions or bring ideas. Bev.
DeleteIf you do your research Anon 5:33pm you will find that the Echo Hill gang may be responsible for several Criminal Acts in regards to the Treatment Plant Contract and Ch93 Acts of 2000. In my opinion they have also used public office for personal gain in several instances as has been written about here and in the Gardner News. It is my belief that my service to the town speaks for itself but please feel free to elaborate on my misdeeds. Please use your real name so that we can make this a fair exchange. Pete Farrell
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy Baldwin Templeton's work over at Templeton Times. The current article about The King and Crane Commission is very timely. Thanks Baldwin!!
ReplyDeleteWho the hell are Julie's people?
ReplyDeleteAsk Chris Stewart! Bev.
DeleteTo have the selectmen take over the L&W would be a good thing as long as we get good selectmen voted in in May. and I do not mean any of the echo hill gang. as it is it's bad enough that we will still be stuck with Ms Wilder, who seems to have to run to Echo hill all the time. Hopefully Mullins will be gone (does he have a job yet) Chris will be gone, although I do give him credit for sticking to his guns when the others Mullins, Columbus and Virginia railroaded Mr Ritter. The current L&W commissioner do not work for the town, they are only working for the L&W dept. and we do pay the same rates as National grid. I compared my bill with someones in the next town, yep same bottom line rate! The line men do good work, we need them, the dept is management heavy. Why do we need three people in the office making over $150,000 total if we send all the billing out? yes that is what they do they send all the billing out. People this is why you need to vote and attend Town meetings. To stop all this BS of certain people getting into office and making us all go broke. (wasted money $700,000) We are suppose to have a municipal light dept for the benefit of the PEOPLE OF TEMPLETON. the current (3) selectmen (yes you know who they are) CS, VW, PM do not work for us. Chris is just praying for May to come. VW and PM work for echo hill as do the L&W commissioners. We need people who will work for us people the Taxpayers and Ratepayers in OUR TOWN OF TEMPLETON. So get out there and vote your voice will be heard!!!!!
ReplyDeleteglad to see all the anti "echo hill" gang comments. as bev said, there is no julie's people, just individuals like julie and mr smart and will spring that want to do something FOR the people in town.. unlike gerry and the echo hill crew want to do,as thet ave in the past o something TOO us !!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeletenext time i'll read before i hit "go". last line in english, "as they have done in the past do something TOO us.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDelete