Saturday, March 2, 2013

from Dave Smart


As we will soon gather to discuss and vote on a very important issue that affects us we are all being influenced one way or another, most are by the budget they have at home. All are by the Templeton municipal light and water plant and with no regards for your budgets.  Contrary to the lies and rumors the fact is and requests made at meetings that they now take credit for. We’ll raise your rates, that’s the response when we asked about a low income rate for poor and elderly with the need for help as their budgets shrink .The chairman seems to think low income is up to 60k, his words not mine! I guess the in the office there its low income too. The linemen are also underpaid and below the industry standards. Shame on you commissioners for your lack compassion and insight of the suffering in town even when brought to your attention .Times are not at all normal for your customers, town, or employees.
All of you should be taken to the woodshed and taught a lesson in sevility.One question lead to another and pushed me to put out a request for the voters to join me in a right to petition for your removal. I took great pride in talking to the over 100 people that signed and was not hard to get them. They also wanted this petition and thanked me for taking this on. You as commissioners have a less then customer oriented attitude and look to only ring your bell when you meet. Yes you have done a job that’s very important, the thing is not just you can do it. When you look at the big picture one can see the whole discussion revolves around money, our money not yours. I repeat our money. Thats what municipal stand for the part you have tried to take out. As the last 5 years evolved into a debt. Nightmare Templeton has been turned into a huge gamble. It may be a bigger problem than any of us ever would want to have or knew of it forming. As we look back in history the previous way the department was managed was very different than it is now. Commissioners like kwazny,Dembec and others with knowledge of the system and also compassion for the people they have to deal with .Never used their position to intimidate and use scare tactics to persuade others how to vote. They didn’t have to they had a thing called conscience that keeps the people always in the forefront of the department that was a municipal department .When asked now about the payment in lea of taxes, they answered the town problems are the towns problems and nothing to do with them or the light department. As we asked about the rebates offered by other electric service providers we were told only the big providers can afford to offer them. Were too small and would have to raise the rates to pay for that. What we later found out in fact was we could get rebates on a wide range of things, not just the bulbs under Driscolls desk. He’s too afraid to hand them out cause of the mercury in them. Insulation, Appliances, LED lighting fixtures and many other items available if only we all knew but they said we didn’t offer them. Why if they are getting it done do they not know about this when asked? A web site at another muni plant near by showed they have many types of rebates and when checked it was found out that Templeton light was a member also. It showed there are many ways to save on things from lower rates for low income people and also projects that help their town save also on lighting costs. But none of that for you at Templeton light. Just the fact that they are getting it done for you? The rates are only now getting lowered to sway your opinion of them and are a result our efforts to expose the arrogant behavior to previous commissioners and customers. As they made you start to pay a charge of 4.00 per month to be a customer of your town owned  department .Templeton would receive no more from this and as the commission worked to get the job done they were busy trying to start a new venture of power production .The state has a large stake in this also as they created fees and tax to provide loans and bonds to finance anything under the sun. That’s when the Templeton light started to get dim for us, the dark area we see behind Gannett that sits idle and with unknown cost to repair it. The wind power we are locked into is at best a poor gamble and also a hazard to our town and children alike .The fact that General electric would not sell one to be put there should have been a lesson for them but with their mindset why listen to them either. So close to a school and neighborhood shows a lack of compassion and conscience for the people that live around it. With being so close to the houses and school it fell on the deaf ears of the commission and with no regard to your wallet or your health went thru with it anyway. Studies and cost involved with the end of life decommission are unknown and little attention paid to it. The commission is in the dark about many issues related to the wind production and is busy to just keep up on the cost to repair it. Dissolving coops should be a clear insight of the type of gamble they have taken us into. Templeton is and will be on the hook for the cost and will be liable for the cost of this gamble if it fails, like the others of similar design. More money was spent then estimated and is a price that a repayment can only get worse as the turbine ages. If the failure of it creates a liability for the town we as taxpayers will bear the cost and higher taxes could result from it. Is this commission is doing such a great job? Why do they not know what was spent on putting it up? An audit over 2 years old is a poor excuse when questions about a dysfunctional 4+ million dollar investment are asked and not answered. We called somebody about a clunk noise and we need an oil change done for 35k. Turbines have a reputation of causing health problems for neighbors and are all but ignored and denied. Headaches that have stopped would seem to support the thought. Ask the people on ware drive about the flicker and see what the general manager told them. Get a shade? You know the high tech devise sold at walmart.I’m glad working for the town of Templeton is something he doesn’t’ want to do! As he has stated before he doesn’t work for the town of Templeton .I bet he would love to take back that statement. The lack of compassion and arrogance is the standard of the management and commission at the light and water plant for all  and needs to be put out of commission. With your help we can do just that. This petition gives us a chance to better Templeton light for the people that own it and the town that owns it.
Shareholder
Dave Smart

10 comments:

  1. Dave, let me be the first to thank you you for for all your hard work and efforts!!!!!! julie, tomj, jeff, kirk and of course pauly, just to name s few,are trying to pull this town out of the sewer created by gerry and his merry men(and women) !!!!! all of your efforts are are very much appreciated at this address !!!!! we need to stick together and hopefully win !!!! FOR the town, not TOO it !!!!!!

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  2. I tried to work within the system(as a commissioner)to make some changes. I believe the management of Light and Water has run the show with disregard to many of rules and regs the rest of the town has to follow. Chapter 164 gives municipal light departments alot of power (pun intended). Chapter 164 does not provide an exemption from following the Open Meeting Law or Ethics.

    During my tenure as a commissioner, very few people attended the Light and Water meetings. This lack of attendance and attention by the ratepayers created the impression that every thing was fine.

    Now that more people are attending these meetings the image that everything is fine has been shattered.The lack of feedback or participation by the ratepayers gave the commissioners the impression that they are the most awesome people on the planet...that can happen when you operate in a vacuum.

    I don't feel the commissioners are evil; they are out of touch with the reality of the day to day lives that most of their ratepayers live. To think that as an average ratepayer people will gleefully fork over money for their electric and water rates increased without explanation; while the same people as taxpayers fight tooth and nail to defeat an override for the town is not realistic. The reason no objections were raised about the rate increases is because people were not informed.

    Now people are more informed. People can choose to be inspired to participate in their local government. people can choose to be inspired to attend meetings of boards committees and commissions. people can be inspired to changed the oversight of the Light and Water Commission.

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    1. My friend has a saying, that it would be good for us to remember. "Government is run, by those who show up." That says it all. I think the majority of the people in our town always felt safe with our light company, because it was run by our people. Mr.Kwasney, Mr.Dymbek and others of that time, only had the interest of the town in mind, and we felt secure in knowing that. Things went wrong down the road. It is a very similar feeling that the building committee had, when they were trying to build a town hall, and we got the 252 Baldwinville Rd. instead. Could it be our Light Commissioners have no real clue what is going on behind the door when they leave? Most of the building committee were in the dark! This leaves me to believe that the only people tht know what is going on are JD and JS. You have to wonder why Mr. Skelton has come crawling back to protect his turf. I believe anything Mr. Skelton has touched is not pure white. As an example, the town accountant has spent months trying to figure out how, our last accountant and Mrs Skelton played with our money. This is why we have not set a tax rate. This is why we have to resind a vote we made last year. Bad management by the people we paid, to do the right thing, has left the town 160000 dollars short for this year. Dave's petition needs to go through. There can be no trust in people who tell you to your face, that they do not work for you!! I pray what we uncover, will not be worse than we have to live with, back on our town level. This is as good a time as any to see the real deal. This is my opinion. Bev.

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  3. If there is a sacred trust that comes with taking on a political position as some feel that there is, this trust may have been violated by some members of the Light and Water Commission (Ch93 Acts of 2000, Cassella money,ect). With a distracted citizenry who have not done their job in the past all blame can not fall on our Light and Water Commission. Since the late nineties the light has dimmed on bridge street only to be put under the spotlight of public inspection as of late. It is good Citizen's 4 Templeton has brought this problem before the majority of voters in Templeton. Let's all try to make it to Wednesday's Special Town Meeting to make an informed vote on this most important subject.

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  4. I signed the petition, but I'm not so sure putting the light and water commission under control of the selectmen would be the smartest move, even temporarily. We already know that the BOS are severely divided. Currently 3 to 2 against this strategy. The BOS couldn't even get it together to send the "now infamous" letter to the light department. What makes anyone think that will change and magically execute a plan to change the light department? I agree that the current commissioners and management need to GO. A better, but more time consuming solution might be to sponsor people to run against the incumbent commission each time an opening occurs. It would take a few years, but with a responsible commission the current General Manager could be handed his walking papers if he does not perform to the commission's satisfaction. And what happens if some of the former selectmen are re-elected..?...right back to square one, ONLY WORSE! I have spoken to quite a few taxpayers that are not so well informed about all this and the general feeling is that they will NOT vote for it. There is NO trust in the BOS. There needs to be a plan B to reign in light & water.
    "Truth-be-told" I still feel the optimum solution would be to liquidate the light department." WAH WAH WAH National grid is terrible" and all that. I feel all the whining about NG is anecdotal anyway. At least they are under government control, unlike the pirates at Bridge street. If you disagree then answer these:
    Where is the FAIR PILOT?
    Why can't we shop for a power generator?
    Where are the energy saving incentives?
    Why do we pay a fee to be a customer?
    Why won't home solar installations come to Templeton?
    Why won't the light dept purchase excess power from home generation? It's called "net-metering"
    Why are our rates the same as NG?
    I say liquidate and all these issues go away.

    OK, let the flames begin !

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  5. Tom: Problem solver Dave here!
    #1 Time frame to finishing touches is about 9 months before the switch get turned off on the commissioners.
    I have taken papers out for both Selectmen and also L+W.
    Yes step up i will and Go in the lions den to protect what i've started and would be proud to do it for free! I will walk the walk for the Templeton voters anytime. I will listen to any input anyone has making L+W a transperant department. My thought is it's a move we can't waite to make. The lack of compassion for people and the town is a problem we can't ignore any longer. We will at least get things out in the open. We will be glad we did this after.
    Shareholder
    Dave Smart

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  6. Tom after a talk with a "anonymous" lineman
    national grid seems would not be interested because the town is so spread out? Just passing that on can't say who but,Reliable.Who would know about it?
    Dave

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    1. With all do respect to the linemen , It seems to me that they are NOT and should Not be your sourse of information . Natioal grid is to big of a company to have linemen as there sourse of information for such a LARGE purchase .

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  7. Just passing on whats been said out there, one talk is worth a lifetime of thoughts! Attend STM March 6 "Wednesday"
    Please Vote : Dave Smart for Templeton Selectmen
    New blood = fresh ideas

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  8. We may have a nonbias news paper after all!

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