Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Templeton Burning: Listen to the People

While the Town of Templeton is not literally on fire, politically it is, and in my opinion it is the direct result of the recall people. Interestingly, the recallcoming.com website seems to have disappeared. My opinion is there will be a new recall site coming soon as I indicated to Wilder and Mullins that I intend to begin that process on them in August as soon as 6 months is reached. That is another story for another time though. Templeton is on fire politically because in my opinion, the people do not feel they have gotten what was advertised and sold to them. The old saying of buyer beware comes to mind. I believe the first mistake made by let the people speak, inc. was the bringing back to Kopelman & Paige. Now the next thing in their sights appears to be the new town coordinator.
If one sells change as a platform and then you throw it in reverse to fast, something bad is going to happen. In the case of Templeton, something good has actually happened, the sleeping giant that is the voters/taxpayers have awoken from their long hibernation and they have come from their dens in search of food. The top menu item now seems to be politicians, specifically selectmen. Personally, I am happy with the large turnouts, with people numbering closer to 80 rather than the 35 - 40 number referred to in TGN on Wednesday, March 14, 2012 in an Op-Ed column. The first turn out at 690 Patriots Road had at least 50 people inside the conference room at Patriots Road with another 37 people in the hallway. The next meeting had a similar turnout, which I ended up leaving because people were being denied entry into the meeting because of space or lack there of. One can watch the DVD of the second part of that meeting, which was held and one can see a police officer standing in the doorway, seemly blocking entrance into the meeting room. Can you say open meeting law violation? I can and I am filing several against the board, which I am a member of. I do not fault the people for their behavior at these meetings, they have for too long been denied access, answers and sometimes participation at their own meetings. The people elect us, pay for the meeting space and then told they can't attend because there is no room and "we" have important business to do. Last I checked, from the mayor of Gardner to a little ole selectman such as myself still get elected by and work for the people. The people may not always know or understand the process for which they are opining on, but when they purchase a ticket to the show and they pay for the building in which the show is being held, in my opinion, you the people, can opine anyway you like on the movie. We do not have to like it, but we have an obligation to listen and to sometimes to bend to your wishes. At some point in time, the people will have to trust their elected officials to do right by them. Right now, I am not sure which would be harder to do, ask the people to trust us or for the people to actually trust us. It looks like they are verifying and not trusting us at all, which is a slight play on the President Reagan statement of "trust, but verify" and perhaps that is a good thing.

One thing I find curious is the attitude of Ms Wilder. People are not being rude when they ask questions and demand answers. I consider it rude to continue to talk about a 35 - 40 million dollar school when the people have already told you you through their votes that they are not ready for a school with that price tag. What you consider rudeness is actually the superintendent and the rest of us not listening to the people. It does no good to let the people speak if in the end you are not going to listen to them. You and Mr. Mullins along with Bob Columbus and the whole recallcoming.com / let the people speak crowd carried on about the people being denied the right to speak, now you complain about them actually speaking. I think the problem may be that it is you who are being rude in that you may not be hearing what the people are saying because you are not listening to them. When you say you want change and you opined on face-book that the town needs to move forward and stop looking backwards and leave the personal agendas at the door, you need to follow through with those premises, in my opinion. I did not need any police escort from any meetings. I hear the people and what has transpired so far is not what they voted for in February. That may become apparent at the May 2012 elections in Templeton. People are not there to threaten, harass or disrupt, they are there because they have finally figured out they were hoodwinked and they are not happy. There is no more planned beforehand meetings being carried out in front of perhaps 6 to 8 people. The people are going for broke because there seems to be nothing really left to lose. In my opinion, the political savvy thing that should have been done was to let town counsel alone until June 30 then change back to K&P, let the town coordinator keep his contractual position for the year and then make that change. Regionalize positions such as building department to include electrical, plumbing and gas inspection services along with animal control, abolish affordable housing coordinator, conservation agent and town planner, cut all elected salaries to include the moderator stipend and all chairmanship pay which would have at least looked like you were serious about getting the town finances in order. The people would have sat back and watched, decided maybe these recall people are serious about our town. They eventually would have retreated back into the cave of everyday life, then the political cronies could have went back to their dastardly deeds with the people all tucked back into their caves. All would be nice for the political wrecking crew known as let the people speak. Alas, the three amigos and their backers could not even run a good scrap-it operation so how could we expect them to pull off a good covert political takeover. I also do not consider it rude to ask how we could vote for a $550,000.00 feasibility study only to find out there is a legal contract in place in excess of $900,000.00. When did the people vote to appropriate that amount? There may be a simple explanation on how there is a contract for that amount, signed by Gerald Skelton, on file in the BOS office at 690 Patriots Road. Perhaps if you listened to the people for a minute Virginia, you could answer that question for them. Please remember, there are about 5,000 registered voters in Templeton now and there may have been close to 1,000 of them that signed recall petitions, there are 4,000 voters who did not sign them. For informational purposes only, we may be able to go through the state architectural revue board for help with using East Templeton School. We only need to move offices from JBM into that building to get out of the rent situation at JBM and there really is plenty of parking area in back of the school building, way more than is available than at JBM. I will be measuring the class room sizes to compare to the area of the meeting room currently available at JBM which is just at 20 feet by 20 feet. Thank you to all the people who attend selectmen meetings and please keep it up, I really enjoy having you all there. I appreciate the opportunity to serve you and feel free to contact me anytime as I do not consider it trespassing if a resident comes to visit. Since I do not have a physical office, I consider it a privilege to have people think enough of me to take time out of their day to stop and ask questions or to just chat. I consider that to be public service, as in when elected by the people, listen and act for them, all of them. If it ever gets to the point that I feel it bothersome for a constituent to contact me, perhaps it is time to find another job. Thank you for your support and allowing me to serve you. Feel free to contact me at 978-360-4634



Jeffrey Bennett

77 Partridgeville Road

Templeton, MA



978-360-4634

14 comments:

  1. Well said and completely right on. I hope you are right about the people realizing that they have been manipulated and lied to, so
    that we can get rid of at least one of the misfits in May. From where I sit, I think one of them is on anti-depressants, one has motion sickness (doesn't move 'til told how), and one has constipation of the brain and diarrhea of the mouth.

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  2. Thank you, Jeff, for respecting your elected position & the respect you've shown toward your constituents is refreshing & admirable. Something the others, that are still on the BOS, are sorely lacking!! I am glad we have at least one good selectman left on board. Well said from checkn000, too!!

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  3. Leonard Kopelman's firm was the responsible law firm for leaving the responsible parties off the waste water treatment plant contract transfer in 1991 costing the town of Templeton millions of dollars in contract damages that were also covered under the User Charge Regulations which fell under PL92-500 or the Clean Water Act. It is alleged that Mr. Kopelman's firm allowed for the interference of case 02-2424C by the Board of Selectmen including the Town Coordinator Ms Skelton. According to legal advice from Worcester Superior Court a Motion to removes stipulation of dismissal with prejudice can be filed to reopen this case. This will not happen with Leonard Kopelman as town counsel. It will also not occur if Mr. Robert Columbus, or team Skelton are in charge and at the selectmen's office. It is good that the sleeping giant is awake now he must educate himself. Seek the answers and you will find them.

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  4. JEFF. It is too bad the rest of the selectmen do not have any understanding of the role a good selectman should play in town government. You can't hear with earplugs in your ears, and you can't understand finance, if you only have a brain the size of a pea. Thank goodness the town has you to show a level of understanding.

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  5. I have stopped Mr Bennett on Psrtridgeville Rd when he is walking his dog and he has never served me with a no trespass order He has always taken the time to answer my questions and talk.

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  6. Yeah, Jeff lets move Templeton forward by firing all the people from town services that have the education needed to take this town forward and make Templeton a better place to live, now there's a real plan! and oh hey what the hell, I have a better idea, lets just put the Good ol boys back in charge then we won't even need a BOS and and that will save the town a good chunk of change won't it?... Jeff, you sitting home on the "couch" all day writing these nine page blogs all the infighting with the present board for the next (6) mos is not going to accomplish anything for this town either and if you can't put your differences aside for the time being and try to do what is best for our town then I suggest you resign your position on the BOS.. I've lived in Templeton all my life and the crap that continues to go on in this town embarresses the hell out of me and just plain sickens me. I sit back watch and listen and take it all in.. and my stance is of a neutral nature..I'm not on your side and I'm not on their side! this is one merry go-round that is and will be never ending. Let's see, I'm a Fortune Teller let me look into the town of Templetons future... in May Mr. Columbus gets voted off the board and either Julie or Mitchell win their seat back..and regardless of if they did a good job or not for the town previously we still have a conflicted board representing the town.. from May to August or whenever the next recall. there is still disagreement and fighting within the BOS..Julie or Mr. Mitchell won't work with Virgina or Patrick and all will just agree to disagree on everything no matter if it be the right thing or wrong thing to do, etc etc.. there is just no hope that things will ever get better for this town unless we wipe the slate clean and start over with a whole new BOS that do not know the Farrells nor the Skeltons or Uncle Bob and or Aunty Bobby Sue! Nor should a new member of the BOS have they been previously embroiled in this past or present bucket of chit and drama! we need a new BOS that only has one agenda...doing what is best for this town! "moving forward and only forward" not wasting their time addressing dead issues from the past 20 years! Furthermore... regardless how you feel regarding your collagues on the present BOS.. I think you should handle yourself a little more professionally and stop the mud slinging and name calling on here it is very unfitting and a bad reflection on you and our lovely town of Templeton.

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  7. Dear enough is enough - why don't you stand up and be reconized.Its ok to steal thousands of dollars and you say forget it, and give them time to steal some more. Don't be stupid, put all you money on your car hood at Stop & Shop and go inside. then come out 10 minutes later, it's gone sooo you say -it was stupid to put my money on my car hood anyway. Do you check the stores surveillance or do you liberally(as in liberal) walk away and say nothing. Why don't you come forward and help - we won't put a "no trespass" order on you.

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  8. Jeffrey Bennett
    To enough is enough, at least I have the conviction to sign my name to what I write and I do not plan on resigning so why don't you put forward your plan. Please name these educated individuals who can move the town forward. If you call putting forth facts and figures and asking questions mudslinging, perhaps it is not worth any time having a conversation with you. It is kind of hard to work with people who lie to you from the begining. AS shaun grimley wrote in the gardner news one time, get involved rather than complaining about everything, I merely took mr. grimiley up on his suggestion. Other than "bubba" I believe I have always addressed everyone by name. I thought it was professional to evaluate and look over how things have been done in the past and compare that to how the law and rules state how you are suppose to do things, then put that information on paper and out to the people who matter the most, the taxpayers. Sorry if that offends you, but I have no intention of stopping until I am satisfied that everyone is playing by the rules, the same rules. Thank you so much for reading my blogs, I appreciate it and the feed back.
    Jeffrey Bennett

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  9. To enoughisenough
    At least your comment wasn't expunged as on other sites

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  10. Enough is never enough for some people. Unfortunately what you don't see is that whoever gets in, if Columbus doesn't, is not really working with Wilder and Mullins, they are working with the puppeteer pulling their strings. Things will not change anytime soon because the town will have to endure another ambush by the group that will stop at nothing to find another pushover to play their hand. You may say you are not on either side, but your blog really doesn't read like you are sitting in Neutral. And, by the way, I don't sign my name because this town is wrought with vindictiveness. Is that your reason?

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    Replies
    1. Dear check, I spoke my own opinion only on the way I see things.. I'm sorry that for some reason you have delved from my posting that I am the enemy. But, I can assure you I am truly neutral and the answer to your question is yes I chose to stay anonymous for the same reasons you do.. you just make an observation and speak your opinion and people are all over you like flies on chit! most of the residents in this town feel the same way..if you jump from this frying pan and into the fire you are risking your life... I love my family more than I love this town and I chose to keep them safe and sheltered from all this in-saneness..

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    2. Thanks for the friendly reply. I see where you are coming from. My problem is I know toooooo much about the whole process and it's difficult to see the town being plunged into the despair it seems to be in right now. Keep your family safe, its all that really counts. I look forward to reading your future opinions.

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  11. Have no fear Paul's Templeton Watch is here!!!!!

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  12. This is into regards to what Baldwin Templeton wrote.And we hired Kopelman and Paige back.And thats even after they dropped the ball on the waste water treatment plant.And left us with a 6 million dollar clean up bill.Whats our town selectman doing?No wonders were in the hole.For 6 hundred thousand dollars.In the town budget.A thanks to Paul'sTemplton watch.For opening my eyes. TownWatch 007

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