Chit-Chat - May 2012

   Hello, and welcome to Weekly Chit-Chat, the most popular internet forum in Wareham. All vewpoints are welcome here! Please lend your voice to mature, responsible and honest debate about issues that impact you, your family, your neighbors and your friends! 

   Please join us Sunday (May 13) for LIVE CHAT, which will begin at 7 p.m.!

   For the 2012 Special Town Meeting warrant, please click on the link below:

   http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/2012_20Spring_20Special_20TM_20Warrant.pdf
 

Chit-Chat - Weeks of April 16, April 23, 2012

    Hello, and welcome to Weekly Chit-Chat, the most popular internet forum in Wareham. All vewpoints are welcome here! Please lend your voice to mature, responsible and honest debate about issues that impact you, your family, your neighbors and your friends! With Town Meeting right around the corner there is plenty to talk about! 

   Please attend Town Meeting, which begins Monday, April 23, at 7 p.m. in the Wareham High School auditorium. Share your thoughts about it here!

   Please join us on Sunday, April 29, at 7 p.m. for LIVE CHAT!

April Wareham Observer now available!

    The April edition of the Wareham Observer is now available all over town! If you can't wait, please click the link below for the entire edition in PDF form!

http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/April_2012.pdf

In This Corner - Robert Slager

The things we think and do not say

   
    There are some movies that people will stop and watch whenever they are clicking their way through the wasteland of cable stations. We all have our own secret list. I will always watch a few minutes of Caddyshack, The Shawshank Redemption, Die Hard, any Rocky movie (even the one where the ghost of Mickey exhorts our hero to get back on his feet during a ridiculous street fight with the heavyweight champion), and any movie with Bill Murray except Razor’s Edge and that flick with the elephant.

    When you’ve been married for more than 15 years and your taste in movies differs greatly from that of your spouse, you learn to add a “crossover” movie to your list. That’s a film that will not elicit an eye roll from the person who didn’t grab the remote quickly enough.

    For me and my wife that movie is Jerry Maguire.

    It isn’t just that director Cameron Crowe deftly blended a love story against a backdrop of sports. It isn’t just that killer soundtrack or that cute little kid who knows the human head weighs eight pounds. Yes, my wife considered Tom Cruise eye candy before he started jumping on couches, and yes, in a different life I’d love to listen to a little John Coltrane with Renee Zellweger (at least before she turned British). But for us, over the years, the film has come to mean something deeply personal to each of us.

    We saw the film in the theater just a few months after we were married in June of 1996. We were still basking in the glow of marital bliss, a time when an hour without hearing each other’s voice on the telephone seemed like an eternity. Every day was a gift, another chance to meet each other’s gaze in the morning and feel that rush of love that only newlyweds can truly understand.

    I remember holding my wife’s hand when we first saw Jerry Maguire. I remember how she would lean her head on my shoulder during each romantic scene. When Jerry told Dorothy that she completed him I saw a small tear run down my wife’s cheek. I rubbed it away with my finger. Then she leaned her head against my shoulder once again.

    For the few who haven’t seen it, Jerry Maguire was a sports agent who suddenly grew a conscience and stayed up all night writing a “mission statement” for his company, a statement asking that people treat each other with respect and dignity and not just as commodities.

    It’s curious how a movie seems to change a little bit each time you see it. The movie itself remains the same, but it somehow seems different because you are different. Every day life changes us in some small way. It may be imperceptible to our conscious minds on a day-to-day basis, but when those days turn into months and those months turn into years we begin to realize we don’t see the world the way we did in our younger days.

    The pressure of parenthood changes all marriages in some way. Routines develop. Patterns arise. Your attention becomes divided. And over time the love that was once the exclusive property of your spouse becomes focused on your children. It’s a different kind of love, to be sure, but it slowly draws you away from the bond that a husband and a wife share in those first few months after marriage.

    Someone who has been married a lot longer than I have once explained to me that there is a difference between loving someone and being in love with someone. He said that most couples who have been married more than 10 years still love each other but they are no longer “in love” with each other. He told me that’s simply the way it works. Being “in love” is just infatuation in disguise. Real love survives when that infatuation fades away and you still can’t imagine your life with anyone else.

    Everyone who has seen Jerry Maguire knows it’s endlessly quotable. For nearly a year after it first came out if someone didn’t corner you and say “Show Me The Money” you had a good day. For me, there was a different, far more obscure quote that stood out on a personal level. After reading Jerry’s mission statement, Jesus of CopyMat (yes, that’s how he’s described in the credits) told him “That’s how you become great, man. Hang your ^%#@ out there.”

    That’s what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to rock the boat, paddle against the wind, take on the establishment and dare to be more than I was supposed to be.

    Over time different lines from the film caught my attention. When I began to resent the responsibility I admittedly brought upon myself in Wareham I often cringed when Jerry told Rod Tidwell “I am out here for you. You don’t know what it’s like to be me out here for you. It’s an up-at-dawn, pride-swallowing siege that I will never fully tell you about, OK?”

    Then there’s the scene when Rod’s wife Marcee asks Jerry what he stands for after he fails to get her husband the lucrative contract extension he was seeking. Dorothy quickly intervenes on Jerry’s behalf.

     “How’s about a little piece of integrity in this world that is so full of greed and a lack of honorability that I don’t know what to tell my son, except “Here, have a look at a guy who isn’t yelling ‘show me the money.’ Did you know he’s broke? He is broke and working for you for free! Broke, broke, broke, broke.”

    Then Dorothy turns to Jerry and says “I’m sorry. I’m just not as good at the insults as she is.”

    “No, that was pretty good,” Marcee replied.

    It may seem silly trying to live up to an ideal presented by fictional characters, but I’ve tried my best to navigate the treacherous waters of Wareham by keeping my integrity intact. I related to Jerry’s character. I was once a person who only cared about money. I didn’t care who I had to step on to get it. But over time that became less important to me. I was captured by Jerry’s Maguire’s mission statement, which he called “The Things We Think and Do Not Say.” I didn’t want to be a corporate tool anymore. I wanted to say the things that a lot of journalists wanted to say but couldn’t. I wanted to say the things a lot of people in Wareham wanted to say but were afraid to.

    Over the past two weeks I have heard from a lot of people in Wareham who are disillusioned by the direction the town has taken. They have watched the good old boys network slowly regain political control, often by way of intimidation, coercion and a heaping pile of money.  There is a sense that nothing can stop them from steamrolling all the positive changes within the town over the past several years. People are desperate for a leader, someone who will stand up to these people and articulate a message of truth, fairness and equity for all residents and not just a privileged few.

    In a small way I have tried to be that person over the past several years, but any message I try to convey will always be diluted in the eyes of some people because I am not a resident of Wareham. And because my health will not allow me to dedicate the hours necessary to publish a weekly paper I’ve begun to wonder if I’m just shouting at the wind in my current role.

    I watched Jerry Maguire with my wife the other day. I didn’t reach for her hand. I was too lost in thought, contemplating relocating to Wareham, leaving her and our children behind, and running for the Board of Selectmen next year.

    I know that sounds crazy, but it’s something I’ve been considering for quite some time. I could never subject my family to the harassment that would greet them in Wareham, but I also know that if I were elected to the BOS I could fight the good fight in a way I never could before. I would be a voice for everyone. I would work hard to end the culture of corruption that has existed in Wareham for far too long.

    Then I began to wonder why fate would be so cruel as to make me choose between my family and my deep commitment to Wareham.

    An internal dialogue raged in my head throughout the movie. I told myself that I could still be a good father living 30 miles away. I told myself that my wife and I have slowly drifted apart, that she hasn’t been the same since her best friend died two years ago and that I haven’t been the same since my near-death experiences last year. I began to convince myself that we were just satellites orbiting each other’s worlds, too afraid of losing each other to let each other in anymore.

    Then the famous scene began when Jerry came home to Dorothy after realizing that life means nothing if you don’t have someone to share it with. When Jerry told her that she completed him my wife looked over toward me with those big brown eyes, smiled softly, and gently rubbed her foot against my leg from the other side of the couch.

    The next day I told my wife what I had been thinking during the movie. Then we talked in a way we hadn’t in a very long time. We held each other in our arms in a way we never had before. We allowed the dams to burst in our eyes after admitting how much we missed our soul mate.

    That’s when I realized that she completes me.

    I cannot move to Wareham. I cannot run for the Board of Selectmen. I cannot be the person some people have asked me to be. I am sorry, more than you will ever know. I will publish one more edition of the Wareham Observer. I will keep the web site active so people can have a place to share their thoughts, but I can’t be the leader in this fight. It isn’t my fight. It never was. It was all just a mission statement, a vision of Wareham that I tried to inspire others to share. I will always be here to help in any way I can, but the voices of true change must come from within the community. Those voices must be forged with courage, conviction and unrelenting integrity or else the good fight will be lost.

    There’s a quote near the very end of Jerry Maguire that I never truly understood before now. It’s a flashback to Jerry’s former mentor, Dicky Fox.

    “Hey, I don’t have all the answers. In life, to be honest, I have failed as much as I have succeeded. But I love my wife. I love my life. And I wish you my kind of success.”

    Cheers.

Joshua Roe - local Boy Scout assistant - charged with molesting boy in his Wareham home

Chit-Chat - Week of April 9, 2012

    Hello, and welcome to Weekly Chit-Chat, the most popular internet forum in Wareham. All vewpoints are welcome here! Please lend your voice to mature, responsible and honest debate about issues that impact you, your family, your neighbors and your friends! With Town Meeting right around the corner there is plenty to talk about! 

   Please join us for LIVE CHAT, which will begin Sunday, April 15, at 7 p.m.!

    BREAKING NEWS: Enos, Baptiste win Wareham Prudential Committee seats; Hatch wins water commissioner race. For more, please come inside this thread!

   BREAKING NEWS: BestBuy in Wareham will close May 12. For more, please come inside this thread!

   Police charge several Wareham residents in armed robbery incident. For more, please come inside this thread!

   Wareham man/Boy Scout assistant charged with molesting underage boy while in "his official capacity with the Boys Scouts of America." For more, please come inside this thread!

    School Superintendent Barry Rabinovitch's budget analysis:

    http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/nnss-april2012.pdf

   Busy week for Wareham Police. For more, please come inside this thread!

   Town Treasurer John Foster named interim town administrator. For more, please come inside this thread!

   Fire destroys abandoned building next to Midas and Burger King on Cranberry Highway. No injuries have been reported. For more, please come inside this thread!

   Wareham Fire District voters approve $1.2 million to purchase land for a new fire station. For more, please come inside this thread.

   LIVE CHAT will be held Monday, April 9, starting at 7 p.m. in this thread! Please join us!

   School officials not forthright regarding Wareham High School accreditation. For more, please come inside this thread! 

    http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/WarehammaFINALreportsinglespaced3-5-12.pdf 

In This Corner - Robert Slager

All and all it's just another brick in the wall

   
   I’ve been following politics at all levels for a long time. I’m glued to the television during the national election and read as much as I can during that time. There is one constant that always follows elections, regardless of which side comes out on top. No matter how dirty the campaign may have been the winning side always calls for unity following an election. They always want to suddenly reach across the aisle.
    That always strikes me as interesting. I wonder why they didn't call unity before the election or right after losing a previous one.

    In politics the word "unity" doesn't mean what is normally does. It’s a code word for “capitulation”, especially when it’s used immediately following an election. Please don’t misunderstand my meaning. Wareham would be a wonderful place if everyone was united under a common goal, but it depends on what that goal actually is. If the goal is to work together for the good of all residents then the word “unity” actually has some meaning. But usually that isn’t the case. That word, especially when uttered immediately following an election, is a call for the other side to unite under the banner of the victors, capitulate to their political agenda, and basically just shut up about it. That’s when the word “unity” is nothing more than cheap political rhetoric designed to make the voices of opposition feel guilty when they wish to express their viewpoints.
    No one is suggesting that residents engage in open obstructionism. Lord knows Wareham endured enough of that over the past year from the side that lost last year. But every single resident in Wareham has the absolute right to hold their elected and appointed officials accountable. That’s not just a right it’s a responsibility. Last year, when Take Back Wareham’s candidates lost, they certainly didn’t stop questioning their town government (nor should they have). That’s why it’s completely hypocritical for them to now suggest people shouldn't hold their candidates accountable when they take office. They are actually suggesting to do so is “divisive.”

    Other catchphrases are often thrown around after an election, such as “reaching across the aisle” and “it’s time to heal.” You only hear those words uttered by the side that emerged victorious, however. “Reaching across the aisle” actually means “let’s get the other side to abandon their core beliefs and indoctrinate them into our way of thinking.” “It’s time to heal” actually means “forget about every sleazy trick we pulled during the election because the election is over now and we won.”

    Ironically, the people making these statements publicly right now are the exact same people who spent the last few years ripping their political opponents to shreds on Wareham Week and on Bill Whitehouse’s hate site. And now, suddenly, they want to extend an olive branch. I am forced to wonder where that olive branch was last year when their side lost.
    Instead of offering an olive branch last year the Take Back Wareham crew immediately divised a plan to drive the family of one of the winning candidates out of Wareham. Michael Schneider and his family had lived in Wareham for more than 20 years. Scheinder's 11-year-old daughters were raised here and went through the Wareham public school system. Less than six months after her husband took the oath of office, Michael Schneider’s wife Shelia took her kids out of school and fled to Maine after receiving threats against her family. Her limo business was boycotted. Michael's contract as a driver with Cap Cod Collaborative wasn't renewed despite his sterling record as a driver.

   Were the members of Take Back Wareham horrified that such harassment could occur within their own town? No. They claimed they were free to boycott whomever them wished. They claimed what really happened was that Michael and Shelia were fugitives from justice because of an overdue credit card bill. They never stopped to consider how utterly illogical such a claim actually was. Even if there had been an arrest warrant issued (there wasn't), how would fleeing to another state make any difference? Is there no law enforcement in Maine? Even now members of the Take Back Wareham crew refer to Michael Schneider as a "fugative." At what point does that simply become cruel? Or is it just intended as a message to anyone else who tries to stand up to them, a veiled threat that they will tear your reputation to pieces if you don't roll over to their brand of "democracy"? 

    What occured with the Schnedier family is a perfect example of Take Back Wareham’s “blame the victim” strategy. It's similar to what is occurring right now. People who are speaking out against the tactics used by Take Back Wareham during this past election are now being labeled “divisive.” Yes, it’s your fault that you refuse to roll over and accept such tactics as the new “norm” in Wareham.
    If “healing” is really what they seek they wouldn’t be ripping Wareham residents on Facebook while using completely disingenuous catch-phrases like “crossing the divide” on Wareham Week. It “healing” is really what they seek they would call for the end of Whitehouse’s hate web site, where just yesterday there was a digitially-alter photo of a town official wearing a shirt proclaiming she’s a drunk. If “healing” is really what they seek they would stop telling people I’m a dangerous pedophile simply to lower the number of friends I have on my personal Facebook page. If “healing” was really what they seek they would apologize to every single Wareham resident they’ve dragged through the mud for years simply so they could gain political power.
    They would apologize to George Coleman, whose reputation was decimated on the hate site and in the  media after he was arrested on charges of assault and battery with a deadly weapon, charges that were deemed so frivolous by a Wareham District Court judge that the case was thrown out of court within hours after testimony began. 
    They would apologize to Michael Schneider and his family for driving them out of Wareham simply because Michael beat their candidates last April and they refused to allow that to happen.
    They would apologize to Amit Johar for completely fabricating accusations that he and his family were harboring illegal aliens in the apartment above their family business, accusations they never provided a shred of evidence to support.
    They would apologize to Police Chief Rick Stanley for trying to portray him as a racist before he became full-time chief based on a completely fabricated story that was later withdrawn by the person who made up the fictitious claim.
    They would apologize for every defamatory claim they have made against political opponents, for every act of harassment and intimidation they’ve engaged in, for every double-standard they’ve applied and every word of sheer hypocrisy they uttered in their blind quest for political power. They would stop using Wareham Week as an obvious amplifier for their propaganda and would start engaging in actual debate rather than simply attacking everyone who tries to offer an opposing viewpoint. Nearly every time someone offers an opposing viewpoint on Wareham Week they are accused of being an out-of-town operative or one of Take Back Wareham's political opponents. They will not allow for the possibility that some Wareham residents simply don't subscribe to their way of thinking. They have to descredit any and all opposing viewpoints however they can.

    If they truly seek the town to "heal" they would publicly ask if Selectmen Cara Ann Winslow, selectmen-elect Peter Teitlebaum, Finance Committee member Larry McDonald, Town Moderator Claire Smith, and Wareham police officer Charles Pillsbury III used anonymous screen names on Wareham Week. Comments made by these individuals were a violation of the public trust. If Take Back Wareham is selective in whom it holds accountable than it can’t expect the public to embrace its political agenda.
    Respect cannot be demanded. It has to be earned. Unity cannot be achieved through fear, harassment and intimidation. Such words cannot simply be dismissed because of who is writing them. Those are the feelings of many of Wareham residents who fear retribution for writing such things themselves. How can Wareham be unified if people fear retribution for offering an opposing viewpoint? How can Wareham be unified if people are discouraged from fighting for senior-affordable housing, clean water, governmental accountability, fairness and justice?  How can Wareham be unified if people are told to jettison their core beliefs, wave the white flag, and surrender to the side that happens to be in power at the moment?
    As expected they are now doing everything possible to silence the voices that speak of such things on this web site. Why? Why do the words of people here threaten them so much? Why do they going to such lengths to attack their fellow Wareham residents? Why are they so obsessed with everything I write? All I am doing is articulating the viewpoints of those who are afraid to do so themselves. Why do they fear that so much? Why do they spend hours on end discrediting everything written here? 

    I recently offered to debate some of the hatebloggers on live television. As expected, they declined. Why? Do they consider their position to be so weak that it cannot withstand a fair debate? What are they so afraid of?
    It is not debate they seek. It's surrender. They're not interested in crossing any divide. They're just building a wall, a wall that is starting to look more and more like a prison, with the voices of opposition locked safely away on the other side.
 

Chit-Chat - Week of April 2, 2012

   Hello, and welcome to Weekly Chit-Chat, the most popular internet forum in Wareham! All viewpoints are welcome here. Please add your voice to the debate about things that matter to you, your friends, your family and your neighbors!
   Unlike other web sites, profanity and personal attacks are not allowed here. If you're looking for hate you won't find it here!
   Pull up a chair and let's find the solutions to the issues facing Wareham together!

   The polls are now closed! Stay with the Observer for Town Election coverage! We will have a separate story when the election results have been confirmed! 

In This Corner - Robert Slager

When the ending is just the beginning

   
    In the aftermath of any town election there is always celebration among the supporters of the victors and sadness for the supporters whose candidates fell a little bit short. There will be a gloating from one side and excuses from the other. That is the way of things when it comes to politics.

    One side will proclaim their victory as a mandate, saying their vision is the one true vision in the community. The other will say the sky is falling and the community is forever doomed.

    The truth, as always, lies somewhere in between.

    Tuesday’s Annual Town Election, in which Alan Slavin and Peter Teitlebaum were elected to the Board of Selectmen, will either be viewed as a godsend or a catastrophe, depending on which side of the politics fence you happen to stand on in Wareham.

    It is neither.

    Wareham is a community in constant turmoil – politically, socially, and economically. The ebbs and flows in local politics have been evident for years. One side wins one year and declares that it’s a new day in Wareham. The next year the other side wins and declares the exact same thing. That has been going on here for a very long time. Don’t be the least bit surprised if the tide turns once again next April when Steve Holmes and Cara Ann Winslow are up for re-election.

    There are many reasons why Wareham remains in a constant state of political flux. As much as those who happen to be in power at any given time hate to admit it, Wareham is divided in many ways and will likely remain so for a very long time. There are different social classes in Wareham. There are different economic classes as well. Those who would tell you otherwise simply aren’t being honest.

    Such differences play an important role in town elections. Some may laud the 18 percent voter turnout in Wareham on Tuesday as a positive sign compared to last year, but the flip-side of that is 82 percent of registered voters decided not to participate in an election that will likely have a direct financial impact on their lives. Fewer than 3,000 people in Wareham decided the course the town will travel over the next year. That may be 300 more than voted last year but it's nearly 1,400 fewer than voted in 2010.

    The word apathy is often thrown around following an election, but it plays a particular role in Wareham. Some of it stems from a sense of futility. Many people simply don’t think their lives will be impacted by whatever candidate or political “side” is in charge. The overall mistrust of government at all levels keeps some people away from the polls. Others simply don’t have time in their busy lives to educate themselves on local issues so they don’t even bother to vote.

    Consider this for a moment: Two candidates for selectmen (Mary Jane Driscoll and Patrick Tropeano) collected 319 votes between them, and both had already publicly dropped out of the race. If residents motivated enough to actually go to the polls vote for people who aren’t even candidates anymore imagine how many residents have no idea what’s really happening in Wareham.

    In every community there is a core group of people who will vote every single year regardless of the issues. Some consider it their civic duty. Some simply want what they think is best for the community as a whole. Some vote simply because they think it's all a big game and they want their "side" to win regardless of who is running. But the reality is that a sizable portion of people, especially those in Wareham, vote because they have economic self-interest at stake, and they know it. Others simply don’t understand how the decisions made within their town government have a direct impact on their lives.

    That could all change over the next year. Important issues have often obscured by the constant political fighting in Wareham, as well as deliberate attempts to distort the truth. That creates apathy. But people do become engaged in the political process when it begins to hit them in the wallet. Although the phrase has become trite by now, Wareham truly has “kicked the can down the road” financially for many years. Come next April, when the true impact of that mistake hits home for voters they will likely take it out on the incumbents. Will it be enough to unseat Winslow and Holmes? That depends on several factors.

    Despite what anyone may think about the tactics of the Take Back Wareham political group, its leadership understands the root causes of voter apathy very well, and they are very clever at maintaining it by intentionally confusing issues in the minds of residents. They are also particularly skilled at misdirecting the real causes of Wareham’s problems, and use that for political gain. They understand media manipulation very well (with much help from Wareham Week), and they have utilized the power of social media far better than their political opponents do. That enabled them to create a network to get their message out to more people.

    Most importantly, they are far more organized, far more focused, and far better financed than their political opponents. Their candidates of choice are greatly aided by special interest groups who have far more influence than they do in other communities. Developers and cranberry growers pour a lot of money into the coffers of candidates who will represent their interests. Often such candidates raise 10 times as much as their opponent. That translates into far more political advertising, many more signs, and more meet-and-greet events. Alan Slavin spent $2,000 in political advertising alone during his campaign, a staggering amount relative to other candidates.

    Yes, members of Take Back Wareham have repeatedly shown that morality is not a requirement in order to achieve their objectives. They are not the least bit averse to employing dirty political tactics on behalf of their candidates or distorting the truth as they deem necessary. It is very likely that Amit Johar would have been elected to the Board of Selectmen had he not endured completely baseless claims about his residency, claims that were shamelessly amplified by Wareham Week without any evidence ever presented. That likely cost him the few hundred votes he needed.

    It may appear to be a daunting task to challenge such a well-oiled, well-financed machine in the future, especially for those who are unwilling to engage in similar underhanded tactics. It’s not only possible, it’s highly achievable. But it will require some fundamental changes in the approach of those who seek a different result next April.

   First, the Political Action Committee Move Wareham Forward needs to officially disband. The initial idea behind the organization was as noble then as it is now. It began as a grassroots campaign for Wareham residents who want more from their town than to watch it dominated by special interest groups. The notion that the organization should be legally accountable as a political action committee was also admirable. Move Wareham Forward wanted to do what Take Back Wareham has always been unwilling to do – be completely transparent in its dealings with the public.

    The impact of the organization was always greatly exaggerated by political opponents. Move Wareham Forward raised only $1,200 during last year’s election, a mere fraction of what the special interest groups donated to their candidates. Move Wareham Forward has never been a giant, organized machine the way Take Back Wareham portrayed it to be. It was always a small group of good people who wanted to stand up for what they believed in and do it in a proper, ethical fashion.

    But the reality is the initial mission of Move Wareham Forward became obscured once it became a political action committee. It became an easy target for opponents, who successfully planted the acronym PAC as a dirty word in the mind of voters.

    Move Wareham Forward needs to return to its original form – as a grassroots movement that engages in social activism while also educating the public on important issues, specifically how those issues directly impact their lives. No political action committee will ever be able to raise more money than the special interest groups in Wareham. That will always be a losing battle. Money can be legally raised for candidates without it having to go through a PAC anyway.

    Some people believe it’s time to start playing as dirty as some of their opponents did during this past election. That would be a mistake. The core belief that ethics must be a part of the political equation in Wareham should never be abandoned. In fact that is the most powerful weapon of all. That is the message that must be spread through the media as well as through social networking. There is a huge untapped group of young voters who have not yet been convinced that their voice matters. An effort must be made immediately to alter their perception.

    During the past few weeks there were no letters to the editor sent to different newspapers defining the stakes of Tuesday’s election. There was no Facebook group page created by Wareham residents to educate other residents about the misinformation being spread by Take Back Wareham. No one created a Twitter account to inform Wareham residents about the issues that impact their lives. These things matter. That is the kind of all-encompassing effort that has to occur to swing the pendulum once again next April.

    But perhaps most importantly the effort has to be organized, and it needs to be headed by a single Wareham resident who done not carry scars from past political battles. It has to be done with clear, objective eyes. It will obviously take a large group effort. The wisdom and experience of those who have fought in the political trenches must be a part of the equation. Everyone who shares the same dream for Wareham needs to become even more involved. But a leader has to emerge who is willing to embrace an entirely new way of thinking, possesses an ethical core that cannot be compromised, and can weave a coherent message from the fabric of different viewpoints. That person is out there somewhere, but the search must begin as soon as possible.

    Yes, many people in Wareham are disappointed right now. Sometimes elections aren’t won solely on merit (or lost on dismerit as the case may be). But there are other things to consider as well. Johar has emerged as a viable candidate, and with another year of seasoning he could easily win a seat on the Board of Selectmen next April. Pair him with another dynamic candidate who can’t be unfairly tied to previous political battles and the landscape could change again quickly.

    There is plenty of cause for hope. The Board of Assessors will be far more transparent than ever before. The School Committee race did little to change the dynamic that has existed for many years, and the public may finally seeks long-overdue changes when the override issue becomes burned in their minds. The Board of Selectmen may appear to be under the control of Take Back Wareham right now, but you can be assured that Ellen Begley will continue to fight the good fight. And don’t be too surprised if Steve Holmes and Alan Slavin don’t always vote the way some people expect them to.

    Politics in Wareham has never been a sprint. It has been, and always will be, a marathon. Tuesday night wasn’t the finish line. It was just the start of another stage in the long race towards Wareham's future.
 

Together

Chi-Chat - Week of March 26, 2012

   Hello, and welcome to Weekly Chit-Chat, the most popular internet forum in Wareham! All viewpoints are welcome here. Please add you voice to the debate about things that matter to you, your friends, your family and your neighbors! Unlike other web sites, profanity and personal attacks are not allowed here. People don't get bashed for their viewpoints here. In you're looking for hate you've come to the wrong place!
   Pull up a chair to the grown-ups table and let's find the solutions to the issues facing Wareham together!

   Selectman candidate Alan Slavin caught lying about his previous position on mayoral form of government! Come inside this thread for the incontrovertible evidence!

   Please come inside for LIVE coverage of Thuesday night's debate!

   Police arrest Wareham man suspected of car break-ins. For more, please come inside this thread!

   Please join us for LIVE BLOGGING during tonight's selectmen meeting!

   Selectman candidate Peter Teiltlebaum misrepresents the focus of his legal practice. For more, please come inside this thread!

   Selectmen candidates Alan Slavin, Peter Teitlebaum and David Smith fail to appear at Monday's debate (Bruce Sauvageau was ill). All School Committee candidates participate. Board of Assessor candidates participate; incumbents do not. For more, please come inside this thread!

Wareham Observer - Special Edition now available everywhere!

    We're baaaaaaack! Yes, the Wareham Observer officially returned to print today! The print edition is now available all over town - AT NO CHARGE! Because of rumors that copies of the paper would be stolen for political reasons (as they have been in the past) we printed more editions than we have since the paper was first launched in 2006. We will continue to deliver papers to various locations all over town for the next several days to ensure that everyone who wants a copy can find one. 
    But just in case you can't wait, here is the PDF version of the new Wareham Observer - Special Edition! Please feel free to download your own copy and share it via e-mail to anyone you would like. The good people of Wareham deserve to know the truth, and the Wareham Observer is determined to do its part to fight the good fight along with all of you.
    To view the print edition of the Wareham Observer Special Edition click on the link below. Cheers!

http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/Wareham_Observer_--_Special_Edition.pdf 

Chit-Chat - Week of March 19, 2012

  Hello, and welcome to Weekly Chit-Chat, the most popular internet forum in Wareham. All viewpoints are welcome here. This is where Wareham resident go to learn the truth about issues that concern them! Be part of the discussion because your viewpoint matters!

   Please join us on Sunday, March 25, at 7 p.m. for LIVE CHAT! All viewpoints are welcome. With the town election less than two weeks ago the discussion should be hopping! Please come inside this thread!

   Selectman blasts Wareham Week! For more, please come inside this thread!

   Bruce Sauvageau hospitalized with diabetes-related dehydration, vows to continue his campaign to "fight the good fight." For more, please come inside this thread!

   NOTE TO THE CANDIDATES FOR OFFICE: The Wareham Observer respectfully asks that you e-mail a campaign statement for publication in the upcoming print edition of the Observer. Please keep the statements to 1,000 words or less. The e-mail address is warehamobserver@aol.com. The statements will not be edited. Any statements that raise a legal concern will be addressed with the candidate prior to publication. The deadline for submission is Monday, March 26, 2012. Please attach a current photo if possible, as well as a contact number for verification. Thank you!

   Wareham Board of Registrars quickly dismisses challenge to selectman candidate Amit Johar's residency. For more, please come inside this thread.

   Village Soup suffers huge financial losses. For more, please come inside this thread.

    Wareham Week publisher rips Wareham Courier during selectmen meeting. For more, please come inside this thread!

  Slavin drops out of Move Wareham Forward-organized debate. For more, pleas come inside this thread!

   Town Administrator Mark Andrews resigns on Saturday to take interim job in Wenham! Andrews is now a finalist for full-time job in Saugus as well, will reportedly work in Wareham part-time until he leaves on April 13. For more, please come inside this thread!

End the racism in Wareham!

Chit-Chat - Week of March 12, 2012

   Hello, and welcome to Weekly Chit-Chat, the most popular internet forum in Wareham. All viewpoints are welcome here. This is where Wareham resident go to learn the truth about issues that concern them! Be part of the discussion because your viewpoint matters!

   Please join us for LIVE CHAT, which will begin at 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 18. With all the events of the past week it should be very interesting!

   Selectmen withhold support for Prop 2 1/2, debt exclusion overrides! For more, please come inside this thread!

   Former selectman Cindy Parola blasts Wareham Gatemen. For more, please come inside this thread!

   The complete 2012 Annual Town Meeting Warrant can be viewed by clicking on the link provided below:

   http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/April_2012_Town_Meeting_warrant.pdf

   STOP THE HATRED: Ethnic attack levied against selectman candidate. For more, please come inside this thread!

   Wareham stabbing suspect captured in North Carolina. For more, please come inside this thread!

   Wareham falls to Danvers to finish 24-1. Congratulation on a great season and the Div. 3 South Section title!

   Please join us on Tuesday, March 13, at 7 p.m. for LIVE BLOGGING during the selectmen meeting!

Chit-Chat - Week of March 5, 2012

   Hello, and welcome to Weekly Chit-Chat, the most popular internet forum in Wareham. All viewpoints are welcome here. This is where Wareham resident go to learn the truth about issues that concern them! Be part of the discussion because your viewpoint matters!

    Please join us tonight, March 11, at 7 p.m. for LIVE CHAT! It's been another very interesting week in Wareham and there is much to talk about! Please join in. All viewpoints are welcomed!

    BREAKING NEWS: School Department votes to put debt exclusion and a Prop 2 1/2 override on the Town Meeting warrant; Ellen Begley is the only selectman to attend the joint Board of Selectmen/School Committee/Finance Committee meeting Wednesday night. For more, please come inside this thread!

    BREAKING NEWS: Wareham police catch suspected thieves in the act! For more, please come inside this thread!

    BREAKING NEWS: Board of Health member Bob Brady arrested at Wednesday's meeting. For more, please come inside this thread!

    BREAKING NEWS: Wareham woman rushed to hospital following stabbing. For more, please come inside this thread!

   Mary Jane Driscoll withdraws from selectmen race! For more, please come inside this thread!

   The Wareham Observer is returning to print! For more, please come inside this thread!

   Please join us on Tuesday, March 6, at 7 p.m. for LIVE BLOGGING during the selectmen meeting. 

   Bob Brady revealed as Jason Smith/Inside-Tip! For more, please come inside this thread!

   For Dave and Larry:

http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/wareham_052010.pdf

http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/wareham_052710.pdf 

New CEDA director Sal Pina

Chit-Chat - Week of Feb. 27, 2012

    Hello, and welcome to Weekly Chit-Chat, the most popular internet forum in Wareham. All viewpoints are welcome here. This is where Wareham resident go to learn the truth about issues that concern them! Be part of the discussion because your viewpoint matters!

    BREAKING NEWS: The Wareham Observer to publish once again! For more, please come inside this thread!

    BREAKING NEWS: Selectmen demand answers from Winslow regarding blogger scandal! For more, please come inside this thread!

    Please join us tonight, Sunday, March 4, at 7 for LIVE CHAT! It's been another eventful week in Wareham. Please share your viewpoint!

    As the Wareham School Department is requesting $575,000 in a debt exclusion to do a feasibility study for repairs to Minot Forest Elementary School, we thought it would be useful to provide relevant information from the Massachusetts School Building Authority:

http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/Module_203_20Feasiblity_20Study_20-_20Rev1.pdf

     BREAKING NEWS: Wareham appoints new CEDA director! For more, please come inside this thread!

    Wareham man charged with multiple gun offenses. For more, please come inside this thread!

    School Department seeks $1.8 million debt exclusion! Talk about it here!

    The Observer is now on Twitter! Please look us up at "Wareham Observer" as we will be offering breaking news alerts! Also, come inside this thread to see our new links!

    BREAKING NEWS: Armed robbery at 7-11. For more, please come inside this thread!

    Please read LIVE CHAT, which was held on Sunday, Feb. 26, as residents called for the resignation of Town Moderator Claire Smith, who was revealed as the anonymous blogger "hometowngal."  

    Please come inside for full LIVE BLOGGING from Tuesday night's heated Selectmen Sewer Workshop! Many questions answered, many still remain!

Level 3 Sex Offender Joseph W. Lunnin Jr. moves to Wareham

Chit-Chat - Week of Feb. 20, 2012

    Hello, and welcome to Weekly Chit-Chat, the most popular internet forum in Wareham. All viewpoints are welcome here. This is where Wareham resident go to learn the truth about issues that concern them! Be part of the discussion because your viewpoint matters!

   Please join on on Sunday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. for LIVE CHAT! All viewpoints are welcome!

    Town Moderator Claire Smith revealed as Wareham Week blogger "hometowngal." For more, please come inside this thread!

    Wareham Week Publisher Anne Eisenmenger caught in a big lie. For more, please come inside this thread!

   BREAKING NEWS: Level 3 Sex Offender moves to Wareham. For more on this story, please come inside this thread!

   Click on the link below for full police profile:

   http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/SEX-OFFENDER-LUNNIN1.pdf

   Please join us tonight, Tuesday, Feb. 21, as we LIVE BLOG during what should be an explosive selectmen meeting!

   Wareham Week blogger scandal widens! Web site glitch reveals shocking comments made by public officials and political activists under anonymous screen names! Angry readers demand answers from publisher; question if credit card information was compromised as well. Comments critical of Wareham Week's handling of the scandal disappear from web site! Selectman Cara Ann Winslow remains silent, won't address hateful comments or calls for her resignation! For more, please read last week's fascinating Weekly Chit-Chat thread and talk about it inside this one!

    WAREHAM WEEK PUBLISHER ADMITS CENSORSHIP! - "WarehamVillageSoup is not going to be used as a forum to debate another site's criticism of our operation." - Publisher Anne Eisenmenger, who also threatened to ban anyone who criticizes Wareham Week's handling of the blogger scandal. For more, please come inside this thread!   

    Please join us on Monday, Feb. 20, at 7 p.m. for LIVE CHAT! 

  Supporters of the Spinney Memorial Library will introduce a warrant article asking town to pay for it. For more, click on the link below and then come inside for much more on this story!

   http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/spinneypr_1_.pdf  

Forever

Chit-Chat - Week of Feb. 13, 2012

   Hello, and welcome to Weekly Chit-Chat, the most popular internet forum in Wareham. All viewpoints are welcome here. This is where Wareham resident go to learn the truth about issues that concern them! Be part of the discussion because your viewpoint matters!

    Just a reminder - LIVE CHAT will be held on Monday, Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. instead of its regular time on Sunday night.

    BREAKING NEWS: Security glitch reveals names of anonymous bloggers on Wareham Week. For more, please come inside this thread!

    BREAKING NEWS: Selectman Cara Ann Winslow revealed as hateblogger "frogsrule." Wareham Week deletes comments regarding yesterday's computer issue that revealed the names of the Take Back Wareham bloggers to thousands of residents! For more, please come inside this thread!

    Counsel on Aging Chairman Liz McDonald under fire for false comments made during selectmen meeting. For more, please come inside this thread!

   Peter W. Teitelbaum pulls papers for two-year seat on the Board of Selectmen. Discuss the controversial candidate's chances inside this thread!

   Special election plan thwarted, Schneider's seat will be on April 3 ballot! For more, please come inside this thread!

    PLEASE JOIN US FOR LIVE BLOGGING DURING TONIGHT'S SPECIAL SELECTMEN MEETING STARTING AT 7 P.M.!

    Election Specialist William Rosenberry of Secretary of State William Gavin's office: "There is no mechanism in which a public official can rescind a resignation after it is filed with the Town Clerk's office. In our opinion as soon as a letter of resignation is received by the town clerk's office, even if that resignation is for a date specific, as long as that resignation is effective prior to the Annual Town Election, that position is considered vacant for the purpose of the Annual Town Election and can be properly placed on the ballot." For more, please come inside this thread!

    A notice was hand delivered by the Wareham Police Department to each member of the Board of Selectmen. The notice states that Selectmen Begley and Schneider have requested an emergency BOS meeting for the purpose of discussing "whether to seek special legislation to allow the forthcoming vacancy on the BOS to be filled at the annual election or whether it should be filled at a special election, and to act in futherance of the results of that discussion." A copy of the Selectmen's policy 88-12 was attached referring to "written notice delivered in hand or to the place of business or residence of each member at least 48 hours before the time set. This notice shall contain the subjects to be acted upon and no other business shall be in order." It was stamped by the town clerk's office Feb. 13, 2012 at 1:25 p.m. The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012 at 7 p.m. in Room 320 of the Multi-Service Center. For more, please come inside this thread!

    Please join us tonight, Monday, Feb. 13, at 7 p.m. for LIVE CHAT! Given current events in Wareham it should be very interesting! 

    REPORT: Selectmen Walter Cruz, Cara Ann Winslow and Steve Holmes refuse to attend meeting on Tuesday to avoid special election. Decision could cost taxpayers $20,000. For more on this emerging story please come inside the thread under Mike Schneider's Open Letter to the media, which can by found directly below Weekly Chit-Chat!

    Winslow's explaination for her refusal to attend Tuesday's special selectmen meeting: "Why would I attend a Political Action Committee meeting?"

    Begley calls Winslow's comments "fiscally and morally irresponsible." For more, please visit the thread under Mike Schneider's open letter to the media!

    Lynne Burroughs makes another run for School Committee seat. For more, please come inside this thread!   

Michael Schneider (right) has resigned from the Board of Selectmen (effective March 31) citing "personal reasons."

Chit-Chat - Week of Feb. 6, 2012

   Hello, and welcome to Weekly Chit-Chat, the most popular internet forum in Wareham. All viewpoints are welcome here. This is where Wareham resident go to learn the truth about issues that concern them! Be part of the discussion because your viewpoint matters!

    LIVE CHAT, which is normally held on Sunday night, will be postponed until Monday, Feb. 13, at 7 p.m. Please join us then!

    Selectmen Michael Schneider resigns from the board, effective March 31. For more, please come inside this thread.

    For Michael Schneider's resignation letter, please click the following link:

    http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/schneiderResignationLetter.pdf

    Controversy erupts over Board of Assessors appointment. For more, please come inside this thread!

    New Counsel on Aging program comes under scrutiny; town liability questions arise. For more, please come inside this thread!

    Chairman Walter Cruz will not seek re-election to the Board of Selectmen. For more, please come inside this thread!

   Former state representative candidate David A. Smith throws his hat into ring for a seat on the Board of Selectmen. For more, please come inside this thread!

   It's official: Supporters of the Spinney Memorial Library to introduce a warrant article asking town to pay for it. For more, click on the link below and then come inside for much more on this story!

   http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/spinneypr_1_.pdf 

  Former Wareham High School Principal William H. Paling passes away at the age of 85. For more, please come inside this thread.  

Chit-Chat - Week of Jan. 30, 2012

    Welcome to Weekly Chit-Chat, the most popular internet forum in Wareham! All viewpoints are welcome here. Please join the discussion about issues and events that concern you, you family, your friends and your neighbors! 

    BREAKING NEWS: Student taken to hospital by EMS after another school bus accident. Accident occured Friday afternoon (Feb. 3) on Route 6 near Town Hall. Please come inside for more on the developing story.

    BREAKING NEWS: Former selectman Bruce Sauvageau explains why he's running again. For more, please come inside this thread!

    Supporters of selectman candidate Alan Slavin once not so supportive. For more, please come inside this thread!

    BREAKING NEWS: The Wareham School Department issues press release on the school bus accident; parents remain irate, call report "a lie." For more, please come inside this thread!  

    The following link is the official Wareham Police Department school bus accident report:

    http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/School_bus_incident.pdf

    The following link is the official procedure listed by the Wareham School District in the event of a school bus accident:

     http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/TransportationEmergency.pdf

     The Transportation Action Committee is scheduled to meet Tuesday, Jan. 31, at 7 p.m. in the Wareham Middle School Auditorium. Please attend!

Wareham Police Department earns top honor: accreditation from the Commonwealth

Chit-Chat - Week of Jan. 23, 2012

   Welcome to another installment of Weekly Chit-Chat, the most popular internet forum in Wareham. All viewpoints are welcome here. Please join the debate about issues and events that concern you, your family and your neighbors!

   Please join us for LIVE CHAT, which will be held Sunday, Jan. 29, at 7 p.m. All viewpoints are welcome!

    BREAKING NEWS: Parents livid over unreported school bus accident Friday; several students injured, taken to hospital by parents. For more, please come inside this thread!

    Wareham Police Department earns state accreditation! Talk about it here!

    Alan Slavin pulls papers for a seat on the Board of Selectmen.

    Please join us on Tuesday, Jan. 24, at 7 p.m. for LIVE BLOG during the selectmen meeting! - Selectmen waive right of first refusal to purchase Bay Pointe; finally discuss sewer contract issues. Capital Planning Committee refuses to discuss capital needs in public with selectmen! For more, please come inside!

   Town Administrator Mark Andrews formally asks Board of Selectmen for a contract extention. For more, please come inside this thread! 

   Wareham Police Officer Don Bliss sues town, former town officials. Frivolous or legitimate? Talk about it here!

   For the Civil Service Commission report on the Bliss issue, please click the following link (See pages 25-26, sections 64-65 where the Civil Service Commission rules that there is no evidence to support claims Bliss makes in his lawsuit):

   http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/bliss_donald_050511.pdf

   LIVE CHAT will be held tonight (Monday, Jan. 23) at 7 p.m.!

   Wareham Police Department has been very busy the last few days. For more, please come inside this thread!

   The School Department has provided the following "studies" regarding school bus transportation costs, one from 1998 and the other from 2004.

   http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/StudentTransEfficiencyStudy1998.pdf

   http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/ReportTransAdvisory2004.pdf

   Go Pats!   

Suspect sought in attempted robbery at Pepin's Liquor

Chit-Chat - Week of Jan. 16, 2012

   LIVE CHAT, scheduled for tonight (Sunday, Jan. 22) will be postponed for one night and will commence on Monday, Jan. 23, at 7 p.m. on account of the NFL conference championship games. Please join us tomorrow night!

   BREAKING NEWS: Armed robbery reported at Wendy's. For more, please come inside this thread!

   School superintendent asks Wareham for an operational override to pay for $1.7 million increase in the school budget. For more, please come inside this thread.

   Please click on the following link for interesting information on Prop 2 1/2 overrides:

   http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/Prop_facts.pdf

    Please join us tonight (Tuesday, Jan. 17, at 7 p.m.) for LIVE BLOGGING during the selectmen meeting. With the yearly evaluation of Town Administrator Mark Andrews on the agenda, it should be very interesting!

   Suspect sought in attempted robbery of Pepin's Liquors. For more, please come inside this thread!

Lord, why did it have to be Tom Brady and the Patriots again?

Chit-Chat - Week of Jan. 9, 2012

    Please join us tonight (Sunday, Jan. 15, 7 p.m.) for LIVE CHAT, the most popular internet forum in Wareham. All viewpoints are welcomed here! Please join us in debating the issues that are important to you, your family and your friends!

   BREAKING NEWS: Bob Brady charged with operating with a suspended license after accident sends pregnant woman to hospital. For more, please come inside this thread.

   Attorney General proposes new Open Meeting Law regulations. For more, please come inside this thread!

   We'll be doing a little LIVE BLOGGING during tonight's selectmen meeting (Tuesday, Jan. 10, 7 p.m.). It should be interesting!

Tis the season ...

Chit-Chat - Week of Dec. 19, 2011

   Hello, and welcome to Weekly Chit-Chat, the most popular internet forum in Wareham. All viewpoints are welcome here. Please feel free to discuss issues that are important to you, your family and your friends. If you want spin, look elsewhere. This is where Wareham comes to learn the truth! 

    No injuries reported in scary Christmas Day crash on Glen Charlie Road. For more, please come inside.

    Upper Cape Cod Voc Tech teacher charged with raping student. 

    The Commissioner of Revenue has determined that the locally assessed values of real and personal property in Wareham represent full and fair cash valuation as of Jan. 1, 2011 for fiscal year 2012 and that these proposed property assessments satisfy the minimum requirements for certification. The tax rate can now be set! For more, please come inside!

    Myles Burke addresses his status as Director of Inspectional Services. For more, please come inside.

    Please join us on Tuesday, Dec. 20, at 7 p.m. for LIVE BLOGGING during the selectmen meeting. It should be good!

    Police arrest suspect in Sunoco Station fight. For more, please come inside.

    Tragic accident claims the life of 21-year-old Bobby Levine. For more, please come inside.

Jolly happy souls ...

Chit-Chat - Week of Dec. 12, 2011

   Please join us tonight (Sunday, Dec. 18, 7 p.m.) for LIVE CHAT, the most popular internet forum in Wareham. All viewpoints are welcomed here! Please join us in debating the issues that are important to you, your family and your friends! 

   To read Town Administrator Mark Andrews' "Budget Message" for FY12, please click the link below. The budget is preliminary and will likely see many changes throughout the budget cycle, but the following is the opening salvo:

   http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/FY13.Budget.Message.pdf

    Please join us tonight as we do a little LIVE BLOGGING during the join selectmen/FinCom meeting regarding the audit, starting Wednesday at 7 p.m.!

    Wareham police arrest stabbing suspect with help of state SWAT team. For more, please come inside this thread!

    Powers & Sullivan 2011 Audit now available. Please click on the links below!

    http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/Wareham_FY11_Draft_MGMT_letter_12-9.pdf

     http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/Draft_Wareham_FY2011_SEFA.pdf

     http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/Draft_20Wareham_20FY2011_20BFS.pdf

    Town sets single tax rate. For more, please come inside!

   Wareham Week publisher caught in a great, big lie. For more, please come inside this thread!

Wareham robbery suspect Clifford Mignault

Chit-Chat - Week of Dec. 5, 2011

   Please join us tonight (Sunday, Dec. 11, at 7 p.m.) for LIVE CHAT, the most popular internet forum in Wareham. All viewpoints are welcome here. Please share you thoughts on issue that matter to you and your community! 

   Police arrest alleged drug dealer in Onset. For more, please come inside this thread!

   Suspect arrested in early morning robbery attempt at Mayflower Liquors. For more, please come inside this thread!

   Selectmen meeting turns ugly with multiple shouting matches; police summoned to break things up in hallway. For more, please come inside this thread to read LIVE BLOGGING of one of the wildest selectmen meetings ever.  

Chit-Chat - Week of Nov. 14, 2011

    Please join us tonight, Sunday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. for LIVE CHAT, the most popular internet forum in Wareham. All viewpoints are welcomed here. Please feel free to share your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you! 

    School Committee rips Andrews, selectmen for forming new school transportation study group. Discuss the issue inside this thread!

    Police cite three students for possession during drug sweep at Wareham High School. For more, please come inside this thread.

    Attacks on new Gateway Chamber of Commerce prove unfounded. For more, please come inside this thread!

    For Gateway's Articles of Organization, please click the link below:

    http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/Gatway_pdf.pdf

    Excessive Coliform Bacteria in Wareham Fire District Water. For more, please come inside this thread.

    Please join us as we engage in a little LIVE BLOGGING during tonight's selectmen meeting, which will begin at 7 p.m. (Tuesday, Nov. 15).

    Frank DeFelice appointed to Board of Health despite strong protests. Discuss the issue here!

    For more on DeFelice, please click this link:

    http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/img003.pdf

Let's talk!

Chit-Chat - Week of Nov. 7, 2011

    Please join us tonight (Nov. 13) at 7 for LIVE CHAT, the most popular internet forum in Wareham. All viewpoints are welcome! Just come inside this thread and share your viewpoints on any subject under the sun!

   Wareham police make multiple drug arrests on Thursday. For more, please click "read more" and enter this thread!

   Wareham police bust alleged heroin dealer in Onset. For more, please come inside this thread!

    Please join us tonight for a little LIVE BLOGGING during tonight's selectmen meeting (Tuesday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m.)!

    New congressional maps released; Barney Frank will no longer represent Wareham. For more, please come inside this thread!

I am not a cartoon character!

Chit-Chat - Week of Oct. 31, 2011

    Please join us for LIVE CHAT, on Sunday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m.! All viewpoints are welcome here. Please join the discussion on the most popular internet forum in Wareham! 

    Lynne Road residents drop lawsuit regarding group home. Discuss the subject inside this thread!

    Driver injured in crash with former Wareham police chief cleared of charges.

    Fire destroys top floor of apartment building at 298 Main St., which is owned by Finance Committee member Dominic Cammarano. For more, come inside this thread!

   Please join us for a little LIVE BLOGGING during Tuesday night's selectmen meeting, beginning at 7 p.m.!

    Town sends out proper bids, rehires same accounting firm. For more, please coming inside!

   Accounting firm withdraws following bid controversy. For more, please see the link below:

   http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/Andrews.pdf 

Sick of the politics

Chit-Chat - Week of Oct. 24, 2011

   Please join us for LIVE CHAT, which will  begin at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 30! All viewpoints are welcome here. Please share your thoughts on matters that concern the community on the most popular internet forum in Wareham! 

   Controversy erupts over actions of Board of Health associate member Frank DeFelice. For more, please read the letter on the following link:

   http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/img003.pdf

   Powers and Sullivan has provided an update to its financial audit. For more, please click the link below:

   http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/Powers_&_Sullivan_audit_update_2.pdf

Chit-Chat - Week of Oct. 10, 2011

    Please join us for LIVE CHAT, which will begin at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 16. This is the place for folks to offer their viewpoints on any subject without the fear of being personally attacked for it. Please feel free to join the most popular internet forum in Wareham!

   BREAKING NEWS: The State Ethics Commission is now investigating a formal complaint against Selectmen Steve Holmes and Cara Ann Winslow for attempting to use their political positions to pressure the town's Inspection Services Department into issuing building permits before complete inspections were conducted.

   BREAKING NEWS UPDATE: Pedestrian killed in Cranberry Highway accident. For more, come inside this thread.

   BREAKING NEWS: Plan reportedly underway for town to take Bay Poite Country Club by eminent domain. For more, come inside this thread!

   BREAKING NEWS: A total of 14 Wareham School buses out of 37 fail RMV inspections in August/September inspection period. How is this allowed to continue? For more, please come inside this thread!

   Wareham police bust pot-growing operation in Onset! For more, step inside!

   Wareham Cooperative School principal William Plasko accused of sexual assault in Norwood, placed on leave in Wareham. For more, please enter this thread.

   Murder suspect arrested in Wareham! For more, please come inside!

   Wareham police arrest 38 in town-wide crime sweep!

   Onset woman charged with kidnapping in case of missing 6-year-old. For more, come inside!

Chit-Chat - Week of Sept. 26, 2011

   Please join us for LIVE CHAT, which will begin Sunday night, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m.! All viewpoints are welcome. Please join us as we seek civil debate on issues affecting you and your community!

   BREAKING NEWS: Please click the link below for the Inspector General's report on the Wareham Free Library:

   http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/wareham_free_library_2011.pdf

    Please join us for Tuesday night's selectmen meeting as we will do a little live blogging!

   Breaking News: The FBI is investigating Selectman Steve Holmes' alleged involvement with the false claims of racism levied last year against Police Chief Rick Stanley by former White Pines Motel owner John D'Italia. For more, come inside this thread!

   Breaking News: Shocking e-mails between Selectman Steve Holmes and inspectional services! For more, please come inside this thread!

In This Corner - Robert Slager

The giant hole at the heart of the library investigation

    Over the past few days there has been a great deal of discussion on this web site, as well as others, regarding the results of the Inspector General’s investigation into allegations of wrong-doing at the Wareham Free Library. Although I have engaged in that discussion at length on this web site, I wasn’t planning on writing a column about the issue until I read a comment by selectman Cara Ann Winslow on Wareham Week in which she attempted to completely dismiss the gaping hole inside the investigation.

    “No one keeps records forever,” she wrote.

   After picking my jaw off the floor it suddenly occurred to me why political partisans such as Winslow do not want people to actually examine the core problem with the Inspector General’s investigation. Those who have actually read the report have learned that virtually no financial records exist regarding the Wareham Free Library prior to 2001.

    That’s right. All those records are gone. There are no records of what books were ordered with your tax dollars. There are no records of what books were on the shelves. There are no records of whatever became of those books. According to testimony given by former library trustee Hazel Taber in court a few years ago, when she first became a trustee “The finances of the library were zilch and the records, the financial records, were in very, very poor form.”
   She later clarified that statement, saying “The trustee's funds were in sad affairs ... I remember when I first became a trustee, this one man had resigned. This man took over and he had a horrible time just finding receipts, finding deposits. The bookkeeping was just horrible.”

    That is the inconvenient truth people like Winslow do not want you to know. The reason allegations of embezzlement against former library director Mary Jane Pillsbury could not be proven is because most of the records from the 1990s – the period when the embezzlement scheme was allegedly at its peak - are gone. They just disappeared or were never created in the first place. Where were these records supposed to be stored? They were supposed to be stored at the Wareham Free Library under the “watchful” eye of Mary Jane Pillsbury.

    The lack of record-keeping at the library became such a concern that town meeting voters decided to transfer all town records to the town clerk’s office a few years ago.

    During the course of the Inspector General’s investigation I was interviewed twice, the first time in December of 2009 and again in August of 2010. During the second interview I was told that the allegations could not be “proven nor disproven” because of the lack of records from the 1990s. I already knew that because I had filed a public records request through the town accountant’s office for those records. I was told by the town accountant that after an extensive search by her office those records could not be found.

    As I first stated in a column written in November of 2009, two former library trustees claimed that from 1995 to 2005 more than $3 million was laundered from the Wareham Free Library under the direction of former director/selectman Mary Jane Pillsbury, who died in 2008. At least 123 people were reportedly involved in a highly sophisticated operation in which large portions of private donations were returned immediately to the donors, who in turn declared 100 percent of the donation on their tax returns. The amount kicked-back to the donor in cash varied from 50 to 75 percent, depending on the amount of the donation. The greater the donation, the higher the percentage would be. Many donors preferred making frequent smaller donations so not to alert the attention of the Internal Revenue Service.

     As much as $1.5 million was allegedly embezzled from the library during that time period in order to replenish the money given back to donors. This was done several ways. Some of the money came from “used” book sales sponsored by the Wareham Free Library. Many of those books were not “used,” however. They came off the selves at the Wareham Free Library, many just purchased with money from the library budget. To cover her tracks, Pillsbury reordered those books in the next budget cycle. She then simply stopped keeping inventory records of individual books purchased with taxpayer money by the library.

    Once this happened new library books were sold at cut-rate prices to private residents outside of organized book sales. Most of the money from this was channeled into an interest-bearing private account, with Pillsbury personally taking a 10 percent cut of the each deposit and 100 percent of the interest.

    Another source of revenue came from money residents spent using the copy machines. For more than 10 years most of that money was never recorded with the town. It was collected and put into the same private accountant, with Pillsbury again taking her 10 percent cut and collecting the entire amount of interest.
    I wrote about all of this nearly two years ago.

    State investigators weren’t able to find evidence of this because no physical evidence exists. In the report the IG’s office acknowledged that the town has no records of book orders prior to 2003. The SAILS library network has no inventory records for the Wareham Free Library prior to 2001. There is no record of how many books were declared as “surplus” by the library. There is no record of what books the Friends of the Wareham Free Library received from the library for book sales. There are no records of what happened to revenue generated through the library copy machines in the 1990s. In fact, two people interviewed by state investigators claimed that A-1 Copy Inc. serviced the copy machines during that time and kept the money. A vice president for A-1 Copy Inc. was interviewed by the IG's office and said his firm has no records of ever doing business with the Wareham Free Library. That should have been a huge red flag, but the IG never went back to question the people who made that claim.

   There is a tremendous amount of spin occurring right now by local political partisans who are claiming that the IG report “exonerated” Pillsbury. The report did no such thing. These allegations couldn’t be proven for two reasons. First, all the records necessary to prove it cannot be found. Second, the two sources behind the story were never contacted by the Inspector General’s office and were brutally harassed into not stepping forward. In fact the day the IG's report was issued an anonymous hateblogger threatened any trustee who might be willing to step forward with enough evidence to reopen the investigation (the IG stated that the case would be reopened if “compelling new evidence” was presented). If the library allegations are untrue, why would it be necessary to try to frighten anyone from stepping forward at this point?

    Last summer one of the former trustees expressed a willingness to testify if she was granted immunity from prosecution. I decided to e-mail that fact to one of the inspectors and never received a reply. After speaking to investigators for the first time in December of 2009 I gave them a list of 20 or so people to contact. More than six months passed before anyone on that list was contacted. The last time I spoke to them was last December when we had a heated discussion after they failed to notify me of a threat made against me by a former trustee. The investigators alerted the Wareham Police Department to this threat, but I only found out about it through a mistake in the police log, which stated that the threat had come from me. The Wareham Police Department admitted their error. A police report on the matter confirms this. I asked the investigators how my primary source could feel confident coming forward when they didn’t even bother to alert me that a former trustee had sent them an e-mail with a threat against me, a threat they considered serious enough to share with the Wareham Police Department but not with me.

    The heart of the allegations wasn’t about copy machines and book sales by the Friends of the Wareham Free Library, as some would have you believe. That was just a very small part of this. As many as 100,000 books allegedly disappeared from the shelves at the Wareham Free Library during the 1990s and were sold to book stores and to private individuals. The reason that can’t be proven is because all the library inventory records are gone.

    Did the investigators do a thorough job in looking into this matter? In my opinion this investigation fell well short of that. A former trustee was willing to step forward in exchange for immunity from prosecution and that offer didn’t even elicit a response from the investigators. They waited six months before interviewing the people I suggested they speak with, and they failed to contact a majority of the people on that list. The investigators acknowledged in their report that they never even conducted a forensic audit of the finances of library fund-raising groups, even after the town administrator publicly questioned the accounting procedures of one of those groups.

   What I believe happened is that the woefully understaffed IG’s office realized that with so many records missing they faced a daunting task in putting the puzzle together. According to former library trustee Elizabeth Pezzoli and former acting library director Marcia Griswold, the inspectors brushed aside their testimony because neither had “first-hand knowledge” of the allegations even though they offered circumstantial evidence. The investigators put relentless pressure on me to reveal my sources, going as far as demanding that I turn over the notes of an interview I had with one of them. I refused because I had sworn to protect this woman's identity. When I first spoke to the investigators I was advised by an attorney to only provide the inspectors copies of stories I had written and to discuss only things that had already been published. Otherwise I could have been called as a witness in court, which would put me in the position of having to reveal my sources or be found in contempt of court as Massachusetts does not have a "shield law" which protects journalists from revealing their sources.

    Instead of issuing a report that basically said they didn’t want to take the steps necessary to see the investigation through, the IG’s office tried to force some closure on the matter by taking the word of people associated with the library about things that happened nearly 15 years ago, regardless of the fact that no physical evidence exists to prove or disprove the allegations. Instead of doing a forensic audit, investigators simply accepted financial documents handed to them by people associated with library fund-raising groups without ever considering that money could have been channeled through other accounts. The IG accepted the claim of the current library director that the copy machines generate less than $1,000 a year but ignored that fact that the Friends of the Wareham Free Library listed copy machine revenue at $10,000 a year on their tax returns. There are more holes in the IG's report than in a slice of Swiss cheese.

   Some people in the community are asking me to apologize for my reporting on this issue. They are saying the town needs to heal from this. If Wareham wishes to heal then it needs to be brutally honest about what this report really means. The allegations could not be proven because under the care of Mary Jane Pillsbury all the inventory records from the 1990s simply vanished. That can’t simply be dismissed by saying “No one keeps records forever.”

http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/wareham_free_library_2011.pdf

Please come inside for some milk and cookies!

Chit-Chat - Week of Sept. 19

   LIVE CHAT will begin at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 25, inside this thread! Please join us. It's been a wild week in Wareham. All viewpoints are welcome!

   BREAKING NEWS: Former teacher sues school superintendent for discrimination. For more, click on the link below and then come inside to talk about it!:

   http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/img002.pdf

   BREAKING NEWS: Wareham school bus driver fired for leaving Kindergartener on bus. For more, come inside!

   Tobey Hospital sued follow death of patient. Why aren't the local papers covering it? For more, come inside.

   Come inside to read the letter to the editor that Wareham Week refused to run!

   For 2011 Fall Town Meeting Warrant, please click this link!

   http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/Fall_202011_20TM_20Warrant.pdf 

Stand together

Chit-Chat - Week of Sept. 12, 2011

   Breaking News: Former Wareham Police Chief Tommy Joyce involved in serious car accident in Wareham. Joyce, now the Fire Chief in Marion, was responding to a fire at the Marion Fire Station. For more, please join LIVE CHAT inside this thread.

  Please join us tonight (Sunday, Sept. 18) at 7 p.m. for LIVE CHAT! All viewpoints are welcome. Just click on the the Weekly Chit-Chat thread and look for the LIVE CHAT alert!

  Thursday: Huge drug bust at Silver Lake Motel. For more, come inside this thread!

  Lynne Road residents fail to get injunction. Talk about it here!

  Winslow tries to kill affordable housing initiative during selectmen meeting! 

  A Plymouth County Grand Jury has indicted a Wayland man on murder charges after a state trooper died eight years after a drunk driving accident on Route 25 in Wareham. Thoughts?

  Is Makepeace behind stalling Westfield? Talk about it here!

  Get the facts about Westfield inside this link:

   http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/WESTFIELD_20RFP_20FINAL_20832011.pdf   

Chit-Chat - Week of Sept. 5, 2011

   Please join us tonight at 7 for a very special LIVE CHAT, where people can share their reflections on this solemn anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001.  We must all remember the brave sacrifices of that day and the destruction that hatred can leave behind.

   Wareham Week allows alleged location of Schneider children to be published on its web site. Outrage?

   Share your thoughts on the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001.

   Calling on the Board of Selectmen to denounce the hatred in Wareham, starting with Bill Whitehouse's web site! Talk about it here!
   
   VIDEO OF MICHAEL SCHNEIDER'S DRAMATIC STATEMENT NOW AVAILABLE INSIDE THIS THREAD!

   Mike Schneider returns to Wareham, attends selectmen meeting, refuses to resign, calls for an end to the hatred in Wareham!

   Raynham man dies from EEE.

   Boston Globe: More than two decades of failed oversight have allowed the state’s special education collaboratives to misspend millions of taxpayer dollars, according to the state auditor’s office, which has found a pattern of excessive salaries, conflicts of interest, and possible pension law violations at six of the 30 publicly funded agencies.

   Welcome to this week's installment of Chit-Chat, where all viewpoints are welcome and personal attacks are not allowed. Please pull up a chair and have a seat at the grown-up's table in Wareham!

Michael Schneider (right) reportedly set to step down from the Board of Selectmen

Chit-Chat - Week of Aug. 15, 2011

   Please join us for LIVE CHAT, which will take place inside this thread this week beginning Sunday, Aug. 21, at 7 p.m. Please join the discussion! All viewpoints are welcome!

  Selectmen Steve Holmes shares his views!

  Health Agent Bob Ethier lacks state qualification to perform sanitarian duties! Talk about it here!

  Selectmen hold meeting with no quorum! Share your thoughts!

  Join us in asking Wareham Week to enforce its own terms of service and stop letting anonymous hate bloggers attack private citizens! The hatred has to stop!

   Attorney General rules that Wareham Prudential Committee violated Open Meeting Law. See link below!

   http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/Prudential_Committee.pdf

You can't handle the truth!

Chit-Chat - Week of Aug. 1, 2011

   Please join us for LIVE CHAT, which will take place inside this thread this week beginning Sunday, Aug. 7, at 7 p.m. It's a bit of an experiment, but so much happened this week it might be helpful to hit the ground running and not have to repeat comments that have already been posted. It will also give some folks the opportunity to catch up on current events. Please join in! All viewpoints are welcome!

 Breaking News: Zaleski hired as new town accountant in Rayhnam.

 Please read the truth about the town's nitrogen issues and the need to expand the sewer system:

Nitrogen Consensus Report:

 http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/Nitrogen_consensus.pdf

 2002 Wareham Waste Water Management Plan:

 http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/Wareham_Wastewater_Management_Plan.pdf

On the hot seat

Chit-Chat - Week of July 25, 2011 (Come inside for LIVE CHAT on Sunday, July 31 at 7 p.m.)

  Please join us for LIVE CHAT, which will take place inside this thread this week beginning Sunday, July 31, at 7 p.m. It's a bit of an experiment, but so much happened this week it might be helpful to hit the ground running and not have to repeat comments that have already been posted. It will also give some folks the opportunity to catch up on current events. Please join in! All viewpoints are welcome!

   Breaking News: Zaleski gets her job back, but agrees to resign following $42,000 settlement. Please see the following link:

"http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/Zaleski_termination_ruling.pdf

In This Corner - Robert Slager

Reaching the light in the distance

    The first time I slept with my wife was in a room of about 15 people. It’s not what you might think. It was the night of my best friend’s wedding in Concord, California, and Liza, a first cousin of the bride, had flown in for the wedding from Boston. After the reception a group of us ate pancakes at an IHOP at 3 a.m. before heading over the home of the bride’s brother for a short night’s sleep. Once there we drew straws to determine where everyone would sleep.

    Some got the floor. Others got a slice of couch. Liza and I drew the fold-out bed in the middle of the living room.

    I barely knew Liza before that night. I remember praying to the Lord above that I didn’t accidently roll over and crush that poor woman in my drunken sleep. I was literally twice her size.

    When the group finally stirred I turned to Liza and ask if it was good for her, too. Without missing a beat she winked at me and said “the best ever.”

    That’s how I met my wife. We slept together before we knew each other. Literally.

    That could have been the end of it, but fate had other ideas. Liza was scheduled to stay with her aunt for a few days in a small town called Sonora about 50 miles away in the Sierra-Nevada foothills, a community of just over 4,000 residents.

    I happen to be one of them.

    I told Liza to give me a call if she had any free time while staying with her aunt. Lucky for me she did, and I arranged to pick her up at 6 p.m. But I was working as the assistant sports editor of the local paper at the time, and we were putting together our high school football preview section. Soon 6 p.m. turned to 6:30 then to 7. At 7:30 p.m. all hope seemed lost.

    Liza told me not to worry about it. She said just come over whenever I was done.

    When I finally turned the engine over on my old Mustang and prepared to peel out of the parking lot, I noticed sometime unusual.

    The lights weren’t working.

    I beeped the car horn with my head.

    Determined not to stand up the cutest woman I had seen since … well, actually, ever, I decided to drive up a windy mountain road illuminated by a flashlight hanging out the window.

    Hey, I never said I was smart.

    When I finally arrived I told Liza my sad tale, content to just sit and chat with her at her aunt’s house. I couldn’t possibly expect her to drive with me back to town while I held a flashlight out the window.

    Not only was she game, she insisted on holding the flashlight for me.

    Of such things love is born.

    I chased that love all the way to Massachusetts, and 15 years ago today I stood at the altar at St. Anthony’s Church in Falmouth with the woman who had healed my wounded soul. I had known great loss over the previous few years and I had stopped looking for love. But with the grace of her spirit and the curl of her smile, Liza reminded me that in this life all things are possible.

    In 15 years it seems we have lived a lifetime together. We watched our newborn babies fight for their lives in a neo-natal intensive care unit. I developed diabetes. Liza’s oldest friend died suddenly from cancer.

    And then there was the Observer.

    For the better part of five years my wife has nourished the dream of a crazy dreamer, a dream in which truth proves more powerful than money, where a small community newspaper can maintain its journalist integrity in an industry saturated with corporate influence. And for the better part of five years Lisa allowed me to see these things with my own eyes.

    I know it wasn’t easy for her. We’ve had to fight off a completely frivolous lawsuit from the former chief of police. The Observer survived through the worst economic period in our nation since the Great Depression. The paper survived boycotts and a host of other underhanded tactics. I became the target of a relentless internet smear campaign by political partisans designed to drive me away.

    And then there were the threats, some so ugly that I refuse to share them here.

    But the biggest toll the Observer took on Liza was watching the toll it took on me. In February I weighed 238 pounds. My blood sugar level was nearly 500. That is within the coma range. I remember turning to Liza right before my 46th birthday and telling her that I felt like I was dying.

   As its turns out, I was.

   A small scratch on my lower back that I hadn’t even noticed became quickly infected. My entire back swelled up like a balloon. I went to my doctor and was told that if I had waited any longer I would not have made it. The infection had moved to within an inch of my spine.

    I have lost 51 pounds in the last four months. The first 10 or so were due to my new diabetes and heart medication. It made me really sick the first few weeks. The last 40 pounds came off after I went into “Rocky” mode. I didn’t have surgery or go on some unhealthy crash diet. I joined the gym, hired a personal trainer, and have literally been working my bottom off ever since. I never want to experience the pain I felt in February, and I never want my wife and daughters to see me like that again.

    I know Liza’s greatest fear over the past five years was that I would wind up getting hurt. She knew the odds. She knew I could have made a lot more money if I was just willing to play ball with the powers that be in Wareham. But she also knew I would never be willing to do that, because journalism demands more.

    I did get hurt. I internalized the frustration of watching good people get torn to pieces on local web sites for purely political reasons. I swallowed the pain of learning that the good guys don’t always win. I felt the sting of watching a community with such potential being obstructed by the egos of the rich and powerful, as well as by the lonely and desperate souls on the internet searching for an identity to call their own.

    Over the past few months I have repeatedly watched a clip from the final Rocky movie in which the title character tells his son that life isn’t about how hard you hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. For a Rocky movie, there’s a lot of wisdom in those words.

    On this day, 15 years after marrying the most wonderful woman on this Earth, it’s time for me to move forward with my own life. It’s time for Liza to put the flashlight down. She allowed me to touch my dream, and that was the most precious gift anyone has ever given me. She deserves to have the same husband she fell in love with, the one with the fire in his eyes who once told her he would always have her back.

    I can’t be that man while living in two different worlds. My life outside of Wareham has grown considerably over the past year. And recently I received word that a Hollywood studio wants to see a full script after reviewing a treatment I sent them. That doesn’t mean my idea will ever make it to the screen. It does mean that I have a script to finish.

    It’s time to say goodbye to a community that I fell in love with the first day I arrived. On that day our van broke down, and a mechanic opened the garage he had just closed for the day and got my family back on its way. That was the day I knew that Wareham’s heart beat with kindness inside.

    The website, as it’s currently designed, will remain for another week. I will host Live Chat on Sunday. Then I will be heading to Florida for a family reunion to celebrate my mother’s 70th birthday. When I return I will re-launch the site as a place where Wareham residents can offer their viewpoints on town issues. It will, in some respect, by similar to the format that Bill Whitehouse offers, but with rules of decorum. People in Wareham need a place where they can share their thoughts without the fear of personal attacks or being forced to view vile language and childish, offensive imagery. I would be happy to provide such a forum. I might even drop in from time to time to put in my two cents.

    But I cannot continue in my current capacity. Liza has held the light for me for too long. Now it’s time I hold the light for her.

    I am very proud to have witnessed Wareham’s first unsteady steps toward a better future. The town has a great new police chief. Michael Schneider and Ellen Begley will ensure that a measure of dignity and integrity remain on the Board of Selectmen. Local seniors will someday have a place to spend their final years in peace and comfort.

    But most of all people are talking now. Many are still talking “at” each other and not “to” each other, but it is a big step forward. Important issues such as nitrogen pollution, public safety, and transparency in town government have entered the public discussion. And while there is still a gulf that needs to be bridged it has become clear that the voices of bitterness and hatred on the internet no longer hold the interest of the community. The power struggles will undoubtedly continue, but that will recede in time. As more and more people move to the area, more and more voices will demand better for themselves and for their neighbors. It is inevitable.

    I can’t help but think back on that night in Sonora when I was stuck at work and almost missed the chance to spend my life with the woman of my dreams. I can’t help but remember how she told me to just come over when I was done.

    I’m done now, honey. Thank you so very much for waiting.

Letter to the Editor from Finance Committee

TO THE EDITOR:
   The FY 2012 budget is balanced.  If gas prices don’t rise, equipment doesn’t break down and there are no other unforeseen circumstances, Wareham may scrape by for another year.  Those are some pretty big “if’s.” 
    Those who are familiar with town finances recognize the challenges facing this town.  Wareham operates on a structural deficit.  We aren’t necessarily spending too much – we have a revenue shortage.  There are some line items which could be cut further (streetlights being one of our suggestions based on prior years expenditures - not based on turning off the lights!), but there are many more departments that may not be able to operate fully under the current budget appropriations (municipal maintenance heads that category).  The town has a list of capital needs that dates back ten years and totals in excess of $95 million dollars.  There are heavy obligations (which may range as high as $80 to $100 million) to fund pensions and health care obligations for future retirees.  These are many of the same issues that are being faced at the state and federal levels, but Wareham must find solutions on the local level. 
    The Administration is already investigating different ways to receive and provide services.  The use of technology to reduce costs, reorganization, and regionalization must all be looked at as part of the solution.  Although we hear catchy buzz words like “community development” and “smart growth” those are long term solutions.  For the short term - two to three years - we need to establish recurring revenues.  We need to start discussions on debt exclusion and the responsible use of an override.  Yes, these measures will raise the tax rate, but they will allow us to maintain a functioning municipal government and provide some level of services to the residents of Wareham.
    The first step is to formulate a financial management plan for the town.  The Board of Selectmen recently approved guidelines for the Stabilization Fund which outlines the funding of a savings account for the town.  This action will enhance the town’s bond rating and allow us to build up reserves for a rainy day.  We urge the Board of Selectmen and School Department to develop and implement financial Policies and Procedures during the 2012 fiscal year. We urge the Board of Selectmen and the School Department to work with the Town Administrator and the Finance Committee to adopt a comprehensive 5 year financial management plan as required by the Town Charter.   We also recommend the formation of an Audit Committee which would work with our auditors on an annual basis to determine the scope and schedule of the annual audit and periodically during the year measure progress towards correcting accounting weaknesses and other issues addressed in the annual management letter issued by the auditor. 
   Additionally, the Finance Committee would like to address and clarify some statements made at town meeting.  The FY 2012 budget was balanced in part due to a roughly $1.5 million dollar reduction in the amount held in reserve for employee health insurance.  Town employees will receive a corresponding suspension in premium payments.  This “health care premium holiday” is an emergency measure and is intended as a one-time fix.  Many spoke out against the idea at Town Meeting, but no one offered an alternative, perhaps in recognition that the alternative would result in a significant number of personnel reductions, layoffs, and an unacceptable cut in services within both the town departments and the school system.  Therefore, we felt the health care premium holiday was the better of the poor choices open to the town.
    We approached the FY2012 budget with the stated goal of working for consensus between the Board of Selectmen, the Town Administrator, the School Department and the Finance Committee.  Lack of timely information, incomplete data, reports with errors, and the inability to access key persons greatly hindered our ability to do our job.  We will not allow this to happen next year.  The work on the FY13 budget begins now.  We invite all concerned citizens to contribute to the process. 

Very truly yours,

WAREHAM FINANCE COMMITTEE

Donna Bronk, Chair

Marilyn Connors Donahue, Vice Chair

William R.C. White, Clerk

Richard Paulsen

David P. Trudell

Bonnie Jean Cottuli

Dominic A. Cammarano, Jr.

Franklin Heath

Samuel Gray

Department of Revenue financial update for Wareham

   The Massachusetts Department of Revenue has issued the following update on facts and financial figures relative to the Town of Wareham.

http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/photos/E0DCB617.pdf

Wareham Barber Shop

249 Main St., Wareham

508-295-5184

Crowell Upholstery

508-295-6199

www.crowell-upholstery.com

Cranberry Cottage

246 Marion Road (Route 6), Wareham

508-291-1515

Triad OB & GYN P.C.

13 Sawyer St., Wareham

508-295-5197

www.triadobgyn.net

Innovation Construction Company

508-291-4907

www.keithisremodeling.com 

Gold World

3112 Cranberry Highway, East Wareham

508-291-1008

Danny’s Auto Service

Corner of Routes 6 and 28, Wareham

508-295-8922

Gateway Barber Shop

3B Tremont Road, Wareham

508-295-9596

Peter Albert – General Contractor

508-298-2661

Redbrook Masonry Services

508-759-4513

Law Offices of Lee Darst

3 Tremont Road, Wareham

508-295-3050

www.darstlegal.com

    Business directory listings are free to all print advertisers who advertise for at least one consecutive month. Listings can be added for non-print advertisers for $20 per month. Please call 781-754-0773 or e-mail warehamobserver@aol.com for more information.

Catching the firefly

Catching the firefly at last

     In 1993, Bill Clinton took office, the Buffalo Bills lost in the Super Bowl (again), “Unforgiven” won best picture, and Whitney Houston ruled the airwaves with her cover of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” from the movie “The Bodyguard.”
    And in an AIDS hospice in San Francisco my best friend Gary whispered his final words.
    He told me to make a difference. He told me to live the life I loved. He made me promise I would. Then he closed his eyes and slowly drifted away.
    It was Independence Day.
    For the past 17 years I have tried to live up to those words. But it wasn’t until about a year ago that I discovered what Gary truly meant. 
    My daughter Sara had awoken with tears after a dream she had about chasing a firefly. She said it was the most beautiful firefly she had ever seen, but every time she reached out to gently grasp it in her hands it slowly drifted away. 
    I wrote about Sara’s dream a few days later. Then I received an anonymous painting in the mail, which you can see to your right. I have looked at this painting every single day since.
    Every once in a while, if you’re very lucky, you may catch a glimpse of a perfect moment in time. On Saturday morning my daughters turned 10 years old. They crept into the “big bed” around 6 a.m., proudly announcing that they were now double-digit kids. They crawled between my wife and me and asked for the biggest hugs they ever had.
    Birthday wish granted.
    It was at that moment I finally realized the life that I truly love had been staring at me all this time, and that making a difference at home is every bit as important as making a difference elsewhere. But there was still something I needed to do.
    In the course of a week I finally fulfilled my promise to Gary. In some small way, like a ripple in a giant sea, I had finally made a difference. Last week Town Meeting voters overwhelmingly approved a senior affordable-housing project at Westfield. Such proposals failed four times in the past, the last time by a mere five votes. There were many people in Wareham who refused to let the Westfield dream die. I was just one of them. But because I publish a newspaper each week I was able to spread the message in a way others could not. 
   Westfield was about more than just a senior affordable-housing complex to many people in Wareham. Yes, the benefits it will provide for Wareham’s most vulnerable citizens was reason enough to support the project. Now the elderly in Wareham have hope of better days ahead. They will be able to live their golden years with the safety and comfort they have deserved all along. But Westfield also represented unity in Wareham. It would be the starting point toward ending the destructive political divide in the community. It was the one chance for people to put aside petty feuds and political differences and embrace a collective dream, one of hope and better days ahead for everyone.
    That dream has been realized now. I could see it in the eyes of residents last Tuesday. Like a shroud being lifted, the light of new possibilities cast its glow inside the auditorium at Wareham High School.
   A School Committee member walked over to the press section after the marathon Town Meeting finally ended. Lords knows I have been critical of the School Committee for playing politics, and I thought I was about to get an earful. Instead the School Committee member leaned over and whispered that I should be very proud for seeing Westfield through to the end. 
   A School Committee member literally reached across the aisle to bridge the gap between us. I had a lump the size of a boulder inside my throat.
   A remarkable series of events has occurred over the past few weeks. Bill Whitehouse shut down his divisive web site. Residents stood up to the bully tactics employed by a small group of people at Town Meeting. The net-zero nitrogen-loading bylaw passed after nearly a decade of effort by people trying desperately to save Wareham’s watershed. And then the organized opposition to Westfield finally melted away.
   I truly believe Wareham is witnessing the dawn of a new era. There will always be extremists at both sides of the political spectrum, but a new voice is emerging now. It speaks the language of mutual respect and common courtesy. And that voice must be nurtured until it drowns out the hateful words and actions that have stained this community for far too long.
   I am well aware that the Observer has its critics. That has never bothered me. I slept well knowing that my motives in Wareham were pure. It was never about money, power, personal vendettas or all the other nonsense written on the cyberspace bathroom stall in Wareham. I just wanted to make a difference. I wanted to try to stop the corruption in town government. I wanted to provide a voice to those who were systematically beaten down by a powerful group of people who put their self-interest ahead of everything else. 
    Over the past five years – first with the Wareham Bulletin and then with the Observer – I have given every ounce of strength I could muster for the community. I certainly wasn’t alone in this fight. So many people refused to quit in the face of seemingly overwhelming opposition, opposition that would employ any tactic, no matter how unethical, in order to crush the will and oppress the viewpoints of others.
    It was amazing to witness. Critics of the Observer have never understood that supporting ideals is not the same thing as supporting people. People are flawed. Ideals are not. I supported people who shared an ideal for Wareham, who saw the town not as something that could be manipulated for wealth and power but as a gift that should be shared by everyone. It didn’t matter to me if someone lived in Wareham for five years or 50 years. It didn’t matter how much money someone had. It was about whose voice was pure and whose voice was paid for in advance. It was about who was acting in the best interest of the community and who was acting in the best interest of themselves.
    For four years I have been torn between the Observer and my family. I’ve had to juggle working 60-70 hours per week with my responsibilities as both a husband and as a father of twin daughters, who are now 10 years old.
    I love Wareham with all my heart and soul. But I am no longer living the life that I love. That life must begin at home.
    So this will be the final weekly print edition of the Wareham Observer.
    I will maintain the Observer’s web site. There has to be a place where people can go to share their thoughts, hopes and dreams for Wareham. Too many people have fought too hard for too long to suddenly have their voices silenced by the paid-for local media.
    I cannot allow that to happen. The Observer will still endeavor to bring the truth to Wareham each week. That will not change. Wareham Week and the Standard-Times will never tell you the whole truth because they can’t survive without the advertising dollars of special interest groups. The Courier has gotten much better, but its parent company is on very shaky financial ground. It may not last much longer.
    There is no getting around this: I just can’t give Wareham the 60-70 hours a week that’s required to publish a weekly newspaper any longer. I will consider publishing special editions of the Observer when warranted. The Observer isn’t disappearing. It’s just going to take a different form.
    I could offer a dozens things that factored in this decision, and each one is valid. Keeping the Observer afloat through the recession has been a tremendous financial hardship on my family. Most newspapers will eventually head to a web site-only model. I am diabetic and am concerned about the long-term impact that working 70 hours a week may have on my health. 
    I shared this decision with a couple of close friends over the past few days. One of them asked me if I had any regrets. There is just one. I would have liked to understand the vision Take Back Wareham had for the community. If Bob Brady had ever picked up the telephone and asked to meet for coffee somewhere, I would have gladly accepted. But he never did. I made numerous offers to sit down with critics of the Observer in order to address their concerns face-to-face but no one ever took me up on that offer. That led me to believe there was no vision. 
    To this day I have no idea what Take Back Wareham stands for because the only message they have ever shared is that they were against certain people and certain ideas. As far as I could see they were never actually “for” anything.
    Did they have a plan for economic prosperity in Wareham? Did they have a solution for the political dissension in Wareham? If they did I never heard it. All I saw was a group of people obsessed with increasing their political power. 
    Westfield is a good example. Last year when Westfield failed at Fall Town Meeting the Take Back Wareham crew patted each other on the back and said they would offer the town a viable alternative to Westfield. 
    It never happened. There never was a viable alternative to Westfield. The opposition based most of its case on factual distortions. The deed restriction illegally placed on the property by the Board of Selectmen in 1977 was never going to be an impediment to the project, and they knew it. The restriction was illegal. An illegal deed restriction is unenforceable. The Take Back Wareham crew knew that but decided to throw it out there anyway to cause just enough doubt and confusion to kill the proposal. If a premise is not supported by the truth then it’s inherently flawed and should be abandoned. A policy of obstructionism and lies is no policy at all. There are no ideals in that. That’s something that Take Back Wareham has never understood.
    People often asked me why I wrote about the hatebloggers so much. If these people were just ordinary citizens offering their personal viewpoints on issues I never would have batted an eye. But Whitehouse’s web site wasn’t used by a random group of residents. It was a political weapon intended to harass and intimidate those with opposing viewpoints. The defamation, hatred and lies that spewed from the site were stunning at times, and should have been an embarrassment to the entire community. The fact that three candidates for public office used that site to launch their campaigns doesn’t speak well of them. 
    But that site is gone now, hopefully forever. The Take Back Wareham crew has already co-opted another web site in order to push its agenda of obstructionism. Bob Brady and Dick Wheeler, who helped to kill the Swifts Beach deed restriction, set up shop there in record time. 
    I truly hope they, and others like them, join the open, honest, respectful debate that occurs on the Observer Media web site. The site gets more than 1,000 visits every day. On Sunday there were 453 comments in less than five hours on LIVE CHAT. There are good people out there seeking solutions to Wareham’s problems. The debate has to be about more than the same tired political attacks. Please consider adding your voice to the choir. You do have to become a member of the site in order to participate. I wish I didn’t have to charge anything for membership, but there is a cost involved in maintaining the site. With your support the Observer can continue what we started four years ago.
    There’s another business matter to address quickly. Subscribers of the print edition, as well as advertisers in the paper, will be offered refunds for any outstanding balance on their accounts. We’ll be in contact with you soon.
    For the past 215 weeks I have published a print edition of the Observer. Although a majority of our readers will continue to follow the Observer on-line I realize that this will mean goodbye for some senior citizens. That thought breaks my heart. I tried to fight the good fight for each and every one of them. My support for Westfield was never about me or my ego or winning some silly political game. It was about doing the right thing. It was about providing hope for people like Janice, an elderly woman with a heart of pure gold.
    So even though I know this doesn’t mean goodbye to everyone, there are a few things I would like to say to the thousands of people who have supported the Observer newspaper these past four years.
   Thank you. Thank you for your support. Thank you for your encouragement. Thank you for believing that truth and compassion will always be stronger than power and money. Westfield proved that once and for all. Thank you for allowing me to see that dream come true.
    There are so many people I want to thank personally, but space dictates that I keep it to just a few. 
    To my wife, thank you for standing by my side these past four years. I know it hasn’t always been easy. You took care of me when I needed you the most. Now it’s my turn to take care of you. I will love you until the end of time.
    To Paul, thank you for coming through with financial support when it looked like the paper wouldn’t see its second birthday. You showed me what true friendship is all about.
   To Elizabeth, thank you for your love of this community and for taking a chance on the Wareham Observer. I truly wish we could have set aside our differences and worked together to the end, but I will always admire and respect your dedication to Wareham. I hope you will let me buy you a cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee someday. 
   To our printer, thank you for sticking with us through some very difficult times. You could have pulled the plug on the Observer a long ago but you recognized what we were trying to do for Wareham. I will never forget that.
    But most of all, thank you Andrea. Thank you for your integrity. Thank you for your class. Thank you for being the heart and soul of the Observer since the day you came aboard. You were my constant source of inspiration, especially when I grew so weary I didn’t think I could last another week. I never caved in because I didn’t want to disappoint you. I always thought that if I had the respect of someone like you I must be doing something right.
    I ask only thing from everyone reading this. Be good to each other. Reach across the aisle. Tune out the extremists in the community. They offer no solutions. They just want to manipulate everything for their own benefit. It’s the people in the middle who will carry Wareham to a new day. 
    Embrace the ideals of Move Wareham Forward. Demand transparency in town government. Encourage open and honest debate. Seek to find the answers together.
    But most of all stand up to the voices of hatred in this community. Speak out against those who cannot let go of their personal vendettas. Do it with letters to the editor, with comments on the Observer web site, and most of all with your vote during town elections and town meeting. Join the growing choir of Wareham residents who want a better future for everyone. 
    I tried to make a difference in Wareham. Now it’s time to spend more time with my family, to live the life I truly love. I have to catch my fireflies before they drift away, and my fireflies have to catch me.
    Keep the faith. It will set you free.
    Cheers.