from Dave S

Time is tough now in Templeton, people being foreclosed on and to no fault of their own falling behind every day. Templeton is no different.  The biggest reason we are here tonight is Money! Money has a grip on us all one way or another.

    The negative attitude and arrogance of the commission at light and water is a problem for us all. They didn’t try to hide it; they were quick to lay the blame on the People we elected to fix the problems the town now has. I commend the selectmen and advisory board for the efforts and gains we now see.  We can’t thank them enough, but much more still needs to be done. As we start to debate this petition please keep an open mind and look at the big picture.

My gathering all the signatures for this petition was not a hard . A learning experience for me as well. I learned the people in town have lost a lot of respect for the Board of selectmen. I can’t say that I blame them for the lack of conviction they talk of. In the past we were to busy to get involved and had an attitude you can’t change it, I’ve got better things to do. That’s what THEY get paid to do.  Times have changed. People have stepped up and are trying to change the town for the better. STEERING Templeton in the right direction, and might I add most do it for free! Thank you dedicated board volunteers, great job!

Not the light commission, It’s not their problem the BOS can’t run the town like a business. The BOS we have now is not the board to blame it on. The problems were started years ago and are a result of the past BOS resistance, and their resolve to protect powers.

   The Light and Water commission is the same problem this town faces and must be abolished! For us to keep it the way it is now we stand to lose great people that care what happens to the people in Templeton. The people we elected should all have the same rules and work to better our town, No one is above the laws.

     When I say I have brought you an important issue to decide, I mean it. This petition can start a new direction for the town in forming a Department of Public Works. Not to mention change can bring transparency and also management of the whole town. No more excuses for the department head to stall for information .A chance to see what is inside the light and water department’s finances. It has been tried from the inside. It was a failure as the general manager pushed aside and ignored the requests made time and time again. It should not take a freedom of information act to get answers to any elected commissioner. The general manager has a less than customer oriented attitude. The facts speak for themselves and should decide your vote. I hope the money they have just thrown your way doesn’t. That would be a bribe , Mass general law 164 –sec 58  states rate changes are only  once in 3 months ,on the first of the month and only approved by the department of public utilities. I have a problem with the commission and general manager on many issues.  Why do they want to give us more reason to abolish them?

.They have brought this article  on themselves when the advisory chairman asked about a low income rate . Like to the town they said that’s not our problem, others  pay their bills ok .”Why” So they can run their ac more? The Chairman  asked How much is low income  60k.That’s an out of touch chairman ! We were met with, we’ll have to raise your rates. It was then when I advised them of the negativity they were showing us. When we told them other light companies offer low income rates and on video tape I might add, One Commissioner  said he would look into it. The Next meeting had no answers and very little response.

Sorry low income people no help from your light department commission.   NO jobs or service will change. The big ice storm helped the reliability we now have, weak trees, poles and wires were put to the test and had to be repaired and removed to restore our power. Our Templeton light linemen and other workers did a fantastic job restoring power.  For a less than the industry standard wage, Your Templeton highway department tackled a monumental job! Working 24 hours a day to allow a coordinated effort to get the job done! Kudu’s to Templeton employees and departments that worked together on that common goal. That’s what a Department of public works does; it works for the common good. Not what we see from this commission blaming almost all other departments and elected officials.

 That storm caused the town an enormous amount of suffering and the effects are still here as we have this budget mess as a result.  Our future in Templeton depends on the way we decide this petition. Don’t allow this commission to treat the people and town with disrespect and arrogance. It is with great pride bring this issue to your attention and in my heart know it is the right thing to do.                             All the thanks I get prove it!

    Don’t allow the poor investment we are still in the dark about. When General Electric told them no, they sought out another company that would .One would think that would be a wakeup call and they would check into a study to see the dangers that could arise from wind power production in a school yard.   Maybe the health effects on neighborhood children and pets nearby. Over 2 ½ years and still no cost certification audit tells me the wind turbine has other issues.

No power production. A 50,000 dollar monthly cost for lost power production, 35,000 for an oil change and unknown repair costs we are in a gamble Templeton is sure to lose. Our wind coop with Princeton is all but over. The same wind turbines ,the same problems. The cost to repair is unbelievable and to great to ever catch up to. The loan may be extended when over 600,000 is spent on the gearbox and track repair. With no health study, no cost audit and no clear vision of cost or repair, how do we tell if our investment has a chance? Will they insure the children’s safety? Will they Cory check anyone working on the repairs? Why would they start to care now? They have little compassion for the town or the people in it,      Shame on you commissioners.

Give the responsibility to the BOS to get the job done the right way. This is our responsibility and a very important vote. It is my opinion that some of the   people that care most for Templeton  are up on that stage tonight and also serving in Afghanistan. They need to oversee all departments of Templeton. Appoint the people that have ability to oversee all department heads with compassion, conviction and accountability we now don’t have .This change is for the good of Templeton.               

With the election soon, there will be more new caring people stepping up to be elected for this to happen!  Please elect selectmen that care about Templeton the most!

I think when you add it all up,I would be willing to say this. As I took out the petition to remove the commission and place it's oversight with the BOS. We were able to win in many ways. Respect from the commission for the people that go to meetings. Response to requests can't anylonger be ignored!

Fact 1= 25% reduction in customer charge $44,000.00, also a new lower rate than the neighbors that pay to a profit company!we'll share the amount later. A learning experience for all. How to relate to customer requests. How to prepair and not to prepair for ATM. They had their A team and we just had me that was not as Smart about this as i should have been!Their payroll was a little heaver also?
Past general manager seems to be a good bell ringer for his replacement. Thats a good thing and it's good to point out ways Templeton is being cared for $$$$. Now we can find out more for the Templeton shareholders that care about Templeton's business. The one thing that i made sure to get thru to John was we "were not going away"!
more discussion about the formula and also the wind money.

I hope to bring in a man i spoke with about the complaints on it and solution to help Templeton and its citizens both!
The big win is the flushing out of the information they have shared with the public. A wealth of knowledge if used correctly. The ability to have people interested in the windmill problems. To have them come forward and work together and with a set of goals so we can tame golieth as best we can. John Driscoll and i had a 45 minute talk after the meeting, It was a very good talk for me anyway. I found out i have insulted him and for that i am sorry i don't remember what he said i said. I wish i only knew that some time ago.I'm sure this dialog would have started better. The facts will always be as Bev.says in the wash. People who spoke on behalf of L+W were well versed and programed as to their point. Me i for some reason could not put my hands on the opening statement. I was sure 2 copies were in my binder. But not. I feel it should go on the blog and see the feed back just for the sake of opinions good and bad. The things in it are a part synopsis and gramd scheme of Templeton's past and future.
The loss of the opening statement was the real loss for me and the people in the meetingand for that i can only say sorry.I'm learning. But I'm a quick learner. If for no other reason to post it it would show people that i was almost going to look a little better than the stupid up there. I don't see the harm and if one person gets spured to look at the information we provide them its another win!
We only lost a vote. 2 teams won at the meeting and it was Tempelton and the people here! The future is as we will shape it only if we care enought to lose from time to time. We can never always win and only learn from loosing!
The things that were said to me will be a motivator for resolve one way or another.Like julie said "Just keep trying" Game on! folks "Git er done" enjoy the read it was alot of work to get it to pass the gavel!
Shareholder
Dave Smart