Whitman-Hanson Express

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Police, transfer station funding passed

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HANSON — Voters at special Town Meeting Monday, Oct. 7, approved funding to support salaries for added police officers — to prevent the need for dark station hours — as the town moves toward a regional dispatch center, as well as to keep the transfer station open five days a week.

“This may be bigger [turnout] than some May Town Meetings,” Moderator Sean Kealy said of the 165 voters signed in by the 7:30 p.m. start of the meeting. “It’s a terrific number for an October Town Meeting.”

The funds available for town business were:  $1,664,097 in free cash; $1,256,343 in the stabilization fund; $135,992 in the school stabilization fund; $885,493 in Water Surplus; $65,205 in Recreation Retained Earnings; and $74,323 in Solid Waste Retained Earnings.

During discussion of a requested adjustment of $60,000 in Police Department salaries under Article 2 — an appropriation to supplement various town departments — Kathleen Marini of Union Street and Richard Edgehille of South Street, both asked why the Finance Committee voted not to recommend the expense.

Both questioned item as well as Article 2 as a whole were approved.

“The Finance Committee voted not to recommend, based on the article as a whole,” Chairman Kevin Sullivan said, noting the vote was due to the police salaries and a $7,000 adjustment for paying off a septic system at Camp Kiwanee.

“This is a little vague,” Edgehille said. “You don’t recommend it, how about an explanation for this audience?”

Selectman Kenny Mitchell said the reason was that, with the move to a regional dispatch center, the town is going to be supplementing the dispatchers with police officers.

“We’re not adding Saturday salaries, we’re just exchanging positions,” Mitchell said. “We’ve been talking about this internally over the past year and a half with the new regional dispatch coming up and we challenged the police chief — he came to us and said he needed this.”

A portion of the salaries will be funded by a state 911 grant.

“When we looked at this and considered the savings that we were going to [see] over the regionalization process, we looked at the potential budge cycle for next year,” Sullivan said. “Over the past few years, we looked as a committee to only add positions when we believed there was a long-term success. We were hesitant to add positions going into what could be one of the most difficult budget cycles that Hanson is going to face next fiscal year and have to cut money out of that salary.”

He stressed that, once that money is approved they don’t want to face the need of removing a police officer if budget cuts are needed.

Police Chief Michael Miksch said the department would be moving toward regional dispatch in July 2020, he was faced with going to a dark station when local dispatchers are no longer needed or staff the station with police officers. He is looking to add four officers between now and the next fiscal year.

“If I don’t have people to staff the station July 1, 2020, I have to fill it either with overtime or take officers off the road, neither of which is acceptable,” he said, noting the time it takes to train officers. Overtime alone would run $32,000 a month if he fills every shift that way.

“That’s all I wanted was an explanation,” Edgehill said. “Public safety first.”

Sullivan said the Kiwanee septic payment had not been recommended because Camp Kiwanee is intended to operate independently.

Recreation Commission member Joan Fruzzetii countered that taxation can, and has, been used to fill the gap if the Enterprise Fund fails to do so, and that funds had been put aside twice for the septic system.

“What happened in the past, happened in the past,” Sullivan said. “I can only deal with what we’re dealt with right now. I’m not going to debate it, I’m just giving you what our decision was.”

The Town Meeting amended an article seeking to increase funds for salaries and expenses the Transfer Station Enterprise Fund at the May 2019 annual Town Meeting by $55,000 – to $100,000 for salaries and $208,000 for expenses. The amendment was unanimously recommended by both the Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee, but the change was sought from the floor by Indian Head Street resident Bruce Young, to increase the Salary line in the Article by $21,473, that amount coming from Free Cash.

Young’s amendment brought the salaries back to their original Requested amount, originally proposed by the Board of Health in May of 2019, which was $121,473 and was approved by an overwhelming voice vote of the Town Meeting

Board of Health Chairman Arlene Dias had described Article 4 on the Monday, Oct. 7 warrant as a housekeeping measure.

Young noted that the May Town Meeting was provided a Health Board proposal to fund salaries at the transfer station for $121,473, but voters had to accept this Finance Committee recommendation of $60,000 because the town had insufficient funds to permit the Town Meeting to amend it to fund salaries for the whole fiscal year.

“If we should support the article …what would happen is, and [the Board of Health] has already voted on this … we would be, for the first time in the history of the transfer station, closing it Monday and Tuesday and [it] would only be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday,” Young said. “I want to remind everybody that we had new permits to get in the transfer station this year [that cost] $30 per vehicle and everybody went down and bought them on the assumption that the transfer station would be open five days a week.”

He equated the article to a bait and switch.

Sullivan said the article as originally written was supported by the Finance Committee on the Board of Health’s determination of what was needed to run the transfer station for the remainder of the year.

Resident Joe Peligra said that, while he understands transfer stations are not required by the state, Hanson’s facility is operated as a service to the town and there is a growing number or people using the transfer station.

“We were told that the transfer station should be self-sustaining,” Dias said. “The only way for us to do that was to cut the budget and the only way to do that was to cut two days a week.”

Edgehille said that the wording of the article did not make the closing on those two days clear.

“Your not being honest with the public,” he said.

Sullivan said the reduction of service was intended to keep the service, which was losing money, as a resource to the town.

“The number of people who jumped off when private hauling was offered — I don’t have the exact figure, but I believe it’s around 40 percent of the town uses the transfer station — the number needs to be higher for it to be a self-sustaining enterprise,” Sullivan said.

There are two employees at the transfer station and the facility has to be closed at lunch hours because one person cannot work alone for safety reasons, Dias said.

Cannabis license approved

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HANSON — Selectmen on Tuesday, Oct. 15 voted 5-0 to approve Impressed LLC’s 55-page license application, with supporting documentation, to open a marijuana grow facility at 15 Commercial Way.

The business has submitted its application for approval to the Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) and is now in the queue for state review. But once an engineering plan is complete, they can come back to the town at any time to apply for a special permit, which is necessary for the CCC to issue its approval of a provisional license.

That license is required before Impressed LLC can begin renovations on the building, but the company has already begun cleaning out the building in preparation for that.

The vote came after a 14-minute hearing, during which Impressed LLC co-managers Alli and Ralph Greenberg indicated the waiting list for a ruling by the CCC is about eight months, and that it could be up to two years before they are up and running.

“I guess that was going to be my question,” said Selectman Jim Hickey. “You guys knew going into this. … We’ve already been talking to you guys, it seems like forever, but it’s been about six months anyway, so by the time the whole thing comes all the way to the end, it is pretty close to three years.”

Town Counsel Katherine Feodoroff said that to some extent the business is fortunate to own the property.

“As soon as you mention marijuana, apparently, the rents go up by four times the amount of the going rate [in many communities],” she said. “It’s proving to be a difficult process.”

Feodoroff said the license, akin to a liquor license, is renewable annually and is based on rules and regulations adopted two or three months ago.

“This is distinct and apart from the special permit, which would have to be applied for by Impressed — more of a land use kind of approval,” said Feodoroff, indicating that engineering plans for odor control and other physical components of the building, including security, water demands and waste remediation, would be discussed at that time. “This is more of an opportunity to talk about the business.”

Selectmen Chairman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett sought confirmation, which Feodoroff provided, that business owner Shahram E. Moghaddam, a dentist who lives in Dover, purchased the property at 15 Commercial Way and is leasing it to the Greenbergs.

“That was a good question,” said Selectman Wes Blauss. “Am I clear on who owns, who’s leasing, who’s the sub-landlord. As I read through it, I thought I had it.”

Interim Town Administrator Meredith Marini said the application was well put-together with accompanying exhibits following the related portion they were intended to support.

“We’re happy to be here and are receptive to answering any questions you have for us,” Ralph Greenberg said.

FitzGerald-Kemmett indicated that environmental impact and odor control would likely be the main concern of residents.

“This plan is what we’re committing to,” Alli Greenberg said.

Feodoroff said the license is more of a prophylactic measure, to require a compliance meeting if any problems occur.

“The special permit process is really where you drill down and dig into the technical aspects, but it’s just so much more difficult to bring someone in on a compliance issue if it’s based on a condition of a special permit,” she said.

Marini asked where the process goes after the board signs off on the license application.

“It doesn’t go anywhere,” Feodoroff said. “This is a creature purely of local creation. Unlike an ABCC, which has a statutory authority to issue licenses, this is something we created through our bylaws and does not exist in 94G.”

She said that, in her mind, Hanson is more protective of its residents than many other communities across the state.

“I shouldn’t say that — you’re fine, other communities,” Feodoroff said with a laugh.

In other business, Selectmen asked Marini and Assessor Lee Gamache to outline possible solutions to an easement issue passed over at the Monday, Oct. 14 Town Meeting.

An 30-foot septic system easement had been sought for a septic system installed and owned at 51 Ocean Ave., by a homeowner across the street at 62 Ocean Ave.

The Board of Health had allowed the two septic systems with the caveat that the owner issued himself an easement for 62 Ocean Ave., in 2004, and for 51 Ocean Ave., in 2007.

“We’ve got the town owning one of these lots right now [No. 62],” FitzGerald-Kemmett.

The small lots have been merged for tax purposes, and Gamache said a lot of people are interested in 62 Ocean Ave., for parking space. She added that it is not unusual for a house to appear on such small lots after a sale.

Marini suggested separating the lots.

The board has asked Foedoroff to consider the issue and find the best way to solve the issue while protecting the septic system’s owner and the town.

Hall of Fame Panthers

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By Austin J. Schofield
Express correspondent

Whitman-Hanson Regional School District hosted its first induction ceremony, celebrating the accomplishments of 11 inductees, into the newly established Athletic Hall of Fame Oct. 6, at the Pembroke Country Club.

More than 50 nominations were received, and from that, the committee chose the following student-athletes to be inducted in this first class: Dennis Lozzi (Class of 1970), Mike Frisoli (Class of 1989), Robert Clifford (Class of 1991), Shayna Micol (Class of 1996), Sean Conover (Class of 2002), Noel James (Class of 2009) and Samantha Mewis (Class of 2011). In addition, the following coaches were inducted: Bob Bancroft (Football), James Daley (Girls Basketball), and Kevin Black (Cross Country, and Track & Field). Finally, the committee also inducted Susan Moss as a contributor, for her time as a student athlete, work as a teacher and coach, and her service as Athletic Department Assistant.

According to Athletic Director Bob Rodgers, about 195 were present at the Country Club for the ceremony.

“This night is so special in so many ways. I mean, for one, we’re recognizing a lot of great athletes that have come through Whitman-Hanson – many of them, I had an opportunity to see them perform,” said David Floeck, the assistant principal and girls’ soccer coach.  “It’s just a great event for the community.”

His excitement was mirrored by that of the group in attendance; many friends were reunited, many mentor-mentee relationships rekindled, and the energy surrounding Panther Nation was felt.

“This is panther nation,” said Moss. “You are looking at Panther Nation.”

Inductions started with coaches.

“He could affect positive change in all areas of sports at Whitman Hanson Regional,” a colleague said while speaking on the career of James Daley, who excelled in his career as the freshman girls’ basketball Ccoach, boasting 509 wins upon his retirement. Notably, his career also included founding the volleyball team, and coaching JV baseball. Following this came the induction of Bob Bancroft, who led the Whitman-Hanson Panther Football team to three seperate super bowl victories.

“It was a tremendous 32 years at Whitman-Hanson… I still feel at home when I walk in there,” Bancroft said as he recalled his career at the school. The last coach to be inducted in the newly found Hall of Fame was Kevin Black, who coached boys’ cross country, indoor track, and track & field.

“These accomplishments will never duplicated. They stand alone,” Sean Clifford said On the statistics from Black’s career.

At the podium, Black summed up his career.

“Thirty-six years. Many teams. Many championships. A lifetime of memories,” he said.

Following the induction of these coaches, student athletes were inducted.

Lozzi credited to his coaches’ guidance for his success

“Head coach Bob Teahan, he was the reason I ended up at Notre Dame,” said Lozzi, who played football at Notre Dame before moving on to play professionally for two years in the World Football League. Later, he returned to Whitman-Hanson to teach for a short time.

Frisoli, a graduate of the class of 1989 played football, wrestling, and track & field during his time at Whitman-Hanson.

“Coach Reagan, he truly made me fall in love with offensive line,” Frisoli said as he recalled memories of his time playing football at Whitman-Hanson. He continued his athletic career at Tufts University, winning multiple awards during his time there.

Up next was Clifford, who played football and track & field, and is now regarded highly as one of Whitman-Hanson’s most talented athletes. “I watched my two older brothers play and I was awed by them. I saw the pride in my family,” Clifford said.

The next to be inducted was Shayna (Ross) Micol, who, as a girls’ soccer goalie, held the record for most shutouts (41) for 20 years.

“Strong hands, a great vertical jump, and unbelievable quickness – perhaps her greatests assets, however, were her decision-making and her internal desire to be the best there was,” said Glenn Ward, former W-H girls’ soccer coach. Following her career as a student athlete, her athletic career continued as she went on to play in the Women’s Professional Football League.

Conover, who, following his career at Whitman-Hanson and Bucknell University, played in the NFL for four years. While reflecting on his career as a football player, he said, “I have been able to play in some big stadiums, in front of some big crowds, but I will always remember those games under the friday night lights on O’Brien field.” Interestingly enough, he wasn’t just successful in football and basketball, but also in track & field, which he participated in for one season and ended up being the top discus thrower for the Atlantic Coast League championship.

“[This] is pretty surreal. A lot of hard work and dedication went into this,” James said prior to his induction. “I appreciate this opportunity a lot.” James played football, basketball and track & field while at W-H, receiving many recognitions and leaving behind a school high jump record of 6’11. He went further with athletics, competing at American National College and the University of Connecticut.

Following the inducted athletes & coaches that were present for the ceremony, the career and contributions of Sue Moss were celebrated.

“She was an outstanding student athlete, a tremendous coach,” Rodgers said. “An amazing teacher, and an administrator at Whtiman-Hanson as well, but the biggest thing about her is how much she wants to give back to others.”

She received a standing ovation from the crowd as she approached the podium to accept her award, which is a testament to the relationships she built within the community during her extensive career serving Whitman-Hanson.

Though a member of this class of the Athletic Hall of Fame, Samantha Mewis was not present at the event due to a scheduling conflict, though according to Rodgers, she was technically an inducted member following the conclusion of the night. Heavily decorated in awards from her high-school athletic career, Mewis is still playing soccer professionally, and is currently a starter on the United States National women’s team, who won the World Cup this past season. Due to her absence, Whitman-Hanson athletics will be celebrating her accomplishments later in the month, on Oct. 30, though scheduling is still tentative.

The Whitman-Hanson Athletic Hall of Fame is accepting new nominations for the second class of inductions, which will occur in October of 2021. Those with nominations of deserving student-athletes or coaches are asked to visit the W-H Athletics website (whathletics.com).

Taking mystery out of writing thrillers

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HALIFAX — Mystery writer Edwin Hill is developing a following.

Most of the dozen or so people attending his talk about his second Hester Thursby novel, “The Missing Ones,” had already enjoyed his debut novel “Little Comfort,” and were happy to hear this newest work, too, strays into the realm of the creepy.

“Let me just ask, real quick — and there’s no wrong answer to this — who has read the first book?” he asked. Hands were raised around the room at the Holmes Public Library Saturday, Oct. 5. “A lot of you have already been introduced to the characters. … I have some repeat offenders who have come to see me before, which I really appreciate.”

Thursby, a Harvard librarian who stands all of four-feet nine inches tall, takes care of her 3-year-old niece, her non-husband Morgan Maguire and a Bassett hound named Waffles. She works on missing persons cases in her spare time.

Or, worked in missing persons cases.

“The Missing Ones” makes clear early on that Hester no longer does that kind of work, in fact she’s been avoiding working at all as she struggles from PTSD after a harrowing experience in the first published book.

Picking up 10 months after then end of “Little Comfort,” Hill was determined to reference things that happened in that book while writing “The Missing Ones.”

“Hester had made some pretty serious mistakes in the last book and I wanted her to acknowledge that,” he said. “I also wanted to show she had feelings of having been in a life-or-death situation.”

Hill referenced older books and TV series where the hero is shot in the shoulder in one storyline and it is never referred to again.

“I wanted the books to work together,” he said.

It opens on two small islands off the coast of Maine, loosely based on the real island of Monhegan. The prologue relates a ferry boat accident that caused a 4-year-old went missing for a time and the island’s constable is at first credited with saving the boy. While he is dealing with town gossip about how that incident played out, another child goes missing.

“I always tell stories from multiple points of view,” Hill said. “In ‘Little Comfort,’ there are five points of view … In this book I used four point-of-view characters.”

He credited readers with suggesting story line changes, including more for Hester’s “not-quite husband” Morgan to do.

A failed attempt at publishing a book in the early 2000s left him discouraged until he found the kernel of an idea in the Christian Gerhartsreiter — AKA Clark Rockefeller — a professional imposter who kidnapped his daughter and was later convicted of murder. By 2012 Hill was back to writing with an agent by 2014 and selling it two years ago.

“You’ll see the seeds of Clark Rockefeller in there, but it’s not completely based on that,” he said.

A library is another source of his inspiration.

Hill’s grandmother, Phyllis Hill was the librarian in Whitman from the 1940s to the late ’60s.

“For a while, she was going to be a chef,” Hill said of Hester Thursby’s day job. “Then I thought she might be a psychiatrist — a lot of mystery series have psychology at their core — but there are a lot of people doing that, and they do it very well, and I thought let’s do something different.”

He said librarians are really curious people, who have resources available to them that are not available to the average person, especially in 2010 when he wrote “Little Comfort.”

He started with a lighter touch, writing that Thursby’s caseload featured whimsical cases such as long-lost prom dates or lost dogs.

“The novels are not light,” he said. “They wound up becoming much darker as I worked on them over time.”

One whimsical touch he retained was making Hester “clinically messy” and Morgan a “neat freak,” along with their caring for Morgan’s twin sister Daphne’s headstrong 3-year-old daughter Kate.

“The novel went through three or four different changes and stopped being funny,” he said. “It’s not funny at all, it’s a psychological thriller.”

“The Missing Ones” carries that theme over, as well. Hill read an excerpt from the book’s first chapter and answered audience’s questions from the researching, writing and publishing process, the challenges of writing a second book, and his third book. Set in Boston, primarily in Jamaica Plain, that book involves a for-profit university and is due out in December.

To flesh out the characters of three individual preschool children, hill put out a Facebook request to parents about what they noticed about their kids as they aged from 3 to 4.

“People were really generous with things they shared,” he said, including how they start to grow more solidly and that they developed little obsessions.

“They listed off all these different things their kids had been obsessed with — bugs, and counting, Thomas the Tank Engine, and poop and peeing on trees,” he said. “If you have three 4-year-old [characters] they can end up merging together in your mind if they aren’t disinct, so I just assigned each kid an obsession.”

A vigil for Sandra Crispo

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HANSON — The family of Sandra Crispo, who was last seen at approximately 5 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 7, held a candlelight vigil in her honor at Hanson Town Hall Green on Saturday, Oct. 5.

The event was held at midday due to the ongoing EEE threat. Selectmen granted the family’s request for the vigil to raise awareness of her story, celebrate how wonderful she is, and send good vibes that will hopefully bring her home.

A family member dropped her off at 47 Spofford Ave, Hanson — the address she resided at for only approximately three months, the day she disappeared, Crispo’s daughter Laina McMahon wrote Selectmen.

“She babysat my children 3 days a week and had planned to keep them overnight Friday, Aug. 9. On the morning of Aug. 9, I arrived at my mother’s home, as planned, to find her not there, her back door unlocked, her dog inside without food or water, all the lights on in the house, the last items discarded in her waste basket were my children’s diapers from Wednesday. My mother would never have left her home or dog without notifying family,” McHahon wrote.

The Hanson Police have been reassuring me that they are working diligently on this case, McMahon wrote.

“They have conducted multiple searches of the neighborhood with canines and questioned the neighbors with no leads in my mother’s disappearance,” she wrote. “Myself, family and friends have been searching for answers ourselves.

Collins Center offers capital report

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WHITMAN — The Board of Selectmen, in a joint meeting with three other committees working on the town’s fiscal crisis, heard a report Tuesday, Oct. 8 on the Capital Improvement Plan drafted by UMass, Boston’s Edward J. Collins Jr., Center for Public Management.

The work was funded by a Community compact Grant.

“We’re going to have a talk at the next Selectmen’s meeting about re-energizing capital projects and getting a clear sense of direction of how we want to go,” said Town Administrator Frank Lynam.

All supporting materials for the report will be provided to the town, said Collins Center team leader Sarah Concannon.

“I think we need to look at all the capital projects that are listed and prioritize,” agreed Selectmen Vice Chairman Dan Salvucci.

“What we really need, I think, is to assign this work to the capital planning group,” Lynam said. “They’re going to have to analyze and present that information.”

Ultimately, the way Lynam hopes to see that work progress is to review and prioritize the information, and present it to the Selectmen and Finance Committee, with recommendations as to how to move forward. That is a project he estimates will take about two months.

“We have to get out of the idea of doing one project here and one project there, and start putting together a comprehensive plan,” he said.

Concannon and her team members, management expert James Tarr and finance expert Stephen Cirillo, made the presentation to a small audience and the committees at Town Hall Auditorium. A fourth member of the team, David Colton, could not attend.

“This wasn’t a quick process,” Concannon said, noting that her team met with all town department heads. “We really appreciated the time your staff spent with us. Without their participation, we really can’t do our job well.”

The team researched the town’s capital needs and reviewed online forms filled out by department heads before talking with them in detail. They then score projects to facilitate conversations on project priorities.

In Whitman, she noted that public works capital projects make up about 65 percent of the $24,849,969 in 142 total requested project costs — with water and sewer alone making up one third of the total, or $8,690,500 — Whitman schools [$3,886,000] represented 15 percent and the regional high school another 8 percent [$1,983,000].

The total costs of requested projects were then compared to available resources. The team also looked at available grants. The final plan was narrowed to 115 projects totaling $26.7 million. Of that, 88 percent, or $23.6 million is local investment — $9.2 million from the general fund, $13.6 from the enterprise fund and $790,000 from ambulance receipts — and another $3.1 mill from non-local sources, Concannon said.

Tarr outlined the basics of capital plans — major, non-recurring expenses, typically costing more than $5,000 to $10,000 with a useful life of at least five years. Capital improvement plans are comprehensive, multi-year projects encompassing all funding sources and departments with financially viable project details.

“We take into account the spending capacity of the community and we factor that in, and, if we reach a certain cut-off point, then we start asking about choices,” Tarr said. “Do we make a distinction as to what is a necessity and what is something that can be put off.”

Without a capital plan, Tarr said, municipalities may face negative effects on public health and safety as well as legal liability; staff inefficiency or ineffectiveness; costly emergency repairs; poorly managed or timed projects; inconsistent capital costs that can have an impact on the operating budget; and financial disorder that can have a negative effect on bond ratings.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to recognize the work that the UMass Collins Center has done,” said Finance Committee Chairman Richard Anderson. “I think this really puts us in a good position to move forward with our shared goal of making a comprehensive strategic plan a reality. This is an excellent foundation for that.”

The Building Needs and Capital Projects Committee as well as the Budget Override Evaluation Committee also attended the meeting. Some officials present serve on two or more of the committees.

Anderson added that he noticed that 38 percent of the total dollars requested for capital projects are for water and sewer, a situation he did not find surprising.

“I think it’s pretty evident to a lot of people in this room that this is a department that’s had its share of deferred maintenance over the last couple of years,” Anderson said.

“A planning study is going to result in a capital plan,” she said. “The water and sewer did include at least one or two planning studies.”

Salvucci said one of the main needs remains infrastructure, in particular a DPW facility.

“It’s obvious that, even though we’re downsizing facilities, it’s something that’s needed,” he said. Concannon agreed.

“Whitman is not alone in facing the need for a new DPW facility, because many across the commonwealth were built in the ’50s and ’60s,” she said. “The fact of the matter is, they’re just at the end of their life span.”

While they are typically on the back burner, DPWs perform a critical function of municipal government. Concannon said there were five planning studies included in the

A policy of debt management was recommended in creating a capital plan.

“A policy gives you discipline,” said Cirillo.

Concannon said their plan is intended to run from fiscal 2021-25, adding there is time to have a policy in place by the time the fiscal 2021 budget is calculated.

Finance Committee Vice Chairman David Codero asked if there were specific towns with which Whitman can be compared.

“We don’t go out and find a group of comparable towns when we do the financial analysis,” Concannon said. “What we do is we bring to bear information that our team of finance experts have, as well as the experience we have over the last three or four years, doing 30 to 35 of these projects.”

Lynam asked if the Center was aware of other communities contemplating a general override to commit capital funds.

“I’ve seen it in Wellesley, I’ve seen it in a couple other places, but is that common or uncommon?” he asked.

Cirillo said the technique is “very rare,” but he knew of a number of general overrides in which a portion of funds was dedicated to raising the level of debt permanently.

Lynam said it is a strategy through which the town can practically assess kick-starting a formalized capital plan.

He also said he and Concannon have discussed a change in the way emergency vehicles are purchased, identifying them as things that should be developed in a pay-as-you-go — or cash — basis.

“[Currently the town has been] taking small commitments and dragging them out, opposed to establishing a funding mechanism that says, ‘This we’re going to pay for each year,’” Lynam said. “It doesn’t make sense to formalize a program to lease-purchase vehicles over three years, when the outright cost is $50,000 to $60,00.”

“Debt is a tool,” Concannon said. “A lease is a tool. The reason we came up with an alternative strategy for replacing cruisers [is] because they’re smaller-dollar … you don’t face the same pressure to lease the cruiser [because there is a plan].”

Hanson OKs plastic bag ban

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HANSON — Voters at Town Meeting Monday, Oct. 7 approved bans of single-use plastic check-out bags and polystyrene food and beverage containers, while passing over a pair of articles aimed at limiting the number of marijuana establishments in town.

The cannabis articles, brought via citizens’ petition will be renewed for the May Town Meeting in order to permit the proposed bylaw amendments to be placed on the Town Election ballot, as was the case with previous marijuana articles.

An article to rescind an October 2018 Town Meeting vote in favor of a revised W-H Regional agreement was unanimously passed without comment.

The plastic and polystyrene articles were passed nearly unanimously by the approximately 165 voters, many of whom brought green-colored re-useable bags distributed to shoppers by Green Hanson at Shaw’s last month. The bags were printed with a checklist reading: “Paper,” “Plastic” and a checkmark next to the word “Neither” and Green Hanson’s logo.

A group of WHRHS students commented in favor of the plastic bag ban and only one resident, who said he depended on the bags to carry his notebook and pens to the library, spoke and voted against it.

The amendment to town general bylaws is aimed at reducing the number of single-use bags in the waste stream and environment.

“It is not banning plastic bags all-out throughout town,” said Selectman Matt Dyer. “It’s banning plastic bags at the point of checkout. This does not remove the option of getting a bag at the point of check-out, and it’s not going to add a tax or anything like that for bags.”

Instead of plastic, paper bags will be available at the point of check-out.

“It’s not just because of the environmental crisis … but also because of our solid waste workers and improving their safety at the plant,” Dyer said of his reason for making the proposal. He said the bags get tangled in the gears at sorting centers in Massachusetts and nationwide, shutting down the machines every half hour. Workers have to climb into confined spaces to clear the bags, armed with a pocket knife.

“This is to keep the cost of recycling down, keep American manufacturing competitive, because otherwise it all gets shipped out to China and other nations,” he said.

Resident John Zucco of Glenwood Place asked if plastic bags used to keep food safe and fresh in the meat and produce departments would be included in the ban. Dyer said bags used at the grocery meat and produce departments, the dry cleaner and the like, will not be affected by the ban.

Students speak

Green Hanson member Marianne DiMascio of Indian Head Street, said she favored the ban an introduced W-H Environmental Awareness Club students Allysa Small, Sarah Reagan, Nicolette Heath, Riley Getchell, Carly Balfe and Jenna Lacey.

“I’m always happy to hear from our students,” said Moderator Sean Kealy. “You’re always welcome at Town Meeting and I hope that, when you are 18 and you register to vote, that you participate  in your town meetings, as well.”

The students spoke of the environmental impact of plastics and the effect of such waste on public health.

“I always think how none of those plastic bags are ever going to decompose in my lifetime, my children’s lifetime, or even very possibly my grandchildren’s lifetime,” said Regan who lives in Whitman, but is concerned about the issue. She noted that plastic bags have only been in existence for about 100 years. “Every single plastic bag that’s been made hasn’t left this planet and hasn’t decomposed.”

Lacey, who lives on Lakeside Road in Hanson, said she used to enjoy walking near the lake in nice weather, but now she does so less and less.

“It’s not because I don’t appreciate the plant life and fresh air, but because other people didn’t,” she said. “Now when I walk through these woods or along that lake, all I see is plastic bags, styrofoam cups and other pieces of trash that don’t belong in my town’s forests.”

Small noted that plastics only break down into microplastics which we eat and breathe in everyday.

But resident George Craig or East Washington Street, noted he depends on the bags to carry his belongings or to clear litter from the roadside.

ZBA member Don Ellis of High Street asked about the penalties for violations, suggesting the article’s wording was not clear.  Initial violations bring a written warning. The next subsequent violation described as “the first violation following issuance of a written warning” carries a $50 fine, a second violation would bring a $100 fine. Fines are cumulative and each day in which a violation occurs is considered a separate offense.

Town Counsel Katherine Feodoroff relayed, through Keating, that the language was clear.

The polystyrene container bylaw, passed unanimously, does not include plastic straws, cutlery or anything not listed in the bylaw — foam plates, cups, bowls, trays and hinged or lidded containers are the only items listed.

“I know a lot of people care about their Dunkin’ Donuts [polystyrene] cup,” Dyer said. “If you have not heard, Dunkin’ Donuts is moving away from the [polystyrene] cups by the end of 2020 throughout the nation. Regardless of whether this passes or not, the [polystyrene] cups are going to disappear.”

He said polystyrene, like the plastic grocery bags does not break down.

Elm Street resident Gilbert Allen said his only concern was about Meals on Wheels containers and the ability of seniors to obtain to-go containers at restaurants.

“What are we going to replace them with?” he asked.

Dyer explained his research showed the only concern he found was about thermal protection for people with sensitive fingers. Paper and other products that are more degradeable or recycleable are an answer he indicated.

Cannabis limits

The night’s final two articles, centering on the citizens’ petition to limit the number of marijuana establishments to one, under both general and zoning bylaws, generated discussion on potential environmental impacts of the business as well as whether the issue should go to the ballot.

“Hanson voters voted to prohibit marijuana retailers,” said co-petitioners Annette Benenato of Brookside Drive. “But there is currently no limit on the number of other types of marijuana businesses in town.”

She argued that the amount of electricity required — from lighting an HVAC needs — to grow the plants, and the impact on water consumption make the business and environmentally unfriendly business model.

She charged a portion of liquid waste could pollute groundwater and aquifers and said extraction of THC is a dangerous process and that impact fees of 3 percent to help mitigate the business effect on town services would only last five years.

Asked why the Finance Committee voted not to recommend the article, Chairman Kevin Sullivan said, “These are legitimate businesses.”

“They will continue to provide revenue to the town,” Sullivan said. “That can fluctuate, but they will continue to provide revenue. … They will not be exempt from taxes.”

Selectmen Chairman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said that language in the community host agreement does not allow the company, Impressed LLC, to “flip and request an agricultural exemption.” The Selectmen also voted not to recommend.

Paul Benenato pointed to tobacco, lottery and alcohol retailers “never turn out very well for the taxpayers.”

When asked about the claims of impact on town aquifer and waste water plans, Water Commissioner Don Howard said he was not fully aware of the issue, saying he had questions about it himself.

“This is a highly regulated industry like nothing I’ve ever seen,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said, noting that Impressed LLC will be collecting agricultural discharge water out and trucking in water they need. She also stressed that Impressed LLC is not the issue.

Another resident asked if any other industry in town was limited to a single business.

“Are there businesses pounding down our door to take up residence here, and if the marijuana industry thinks this could be a potential match, then I think its worth considering on an individual basis going forward and not putting out a blanket rule in advance that limits us,” asked a Squantum Avenue resident opposed to the article. She noted that, without new business, and a continued reluctance to raise taxes, Hanson would not be able to fund schools or other budget needs.

Conservation Commissioner Phil Clemons pointed out that, the trucked in water comes from another aquifer in town.

South Street resident Richard Edgehille asked how the article could legally limit the number of businesses in town.

Feodoroff said limitations can be set on the marijuana industry, but the petition before the Town Meeting was not one that triggers a ballot vote.

She also stressed the wastewater is handled in a closed system to protect groundwater, and the discharge of water into any system is something that is “very highly regulated by the Cannabis Control Commission.”

Patrick Powers of Holmes Street suggested passing over the article for May to enable a town-wide ballot.

“We should stay consistent with that, as opposed to try to sneak something through,” Powers said.

Hanson digs in on assessment

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HANSON — Selectmen voted on Tuesday, Oct 1 to stand by the current alternative school funding method for calculating the upcoming fiscal 2021 budget, and to send a letter to W-H Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak requesting information outlining how Hanson’s share of the regional school budget is calculated.

The vote came following an outline of the events surrounding the issue and leading up to a vote by Whitman Selectmen on Tuesday, Sept. 24 to support only the statutory funding method preferred by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

“I guess I look at things a little bit differently than maybe others do,” said Hanson Selectmen Chairman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett. “There’s been a lot of rhetoric that I don’t intend to engage in — I don’t think it’s productive, in fact I think it’s counterproductive — it’s very difficult to get together with people and negotiate when you’ve got people hurling insults.”

She outlined a background of the funding issue, going back to 1991 when the present regional agreement was approved, basing funding on student population. Usually a 60-percent share for Whitman and 40 percent for Hanson.

“Historically, and without incident, that methodology has been used to assess the towns,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said.

Two years ago, the region opted to revise the regional agreement to update it reflecting schools that have closed or been built since 1991.

“Unbeknownst to anyone in Hanson, language was added to the revised regional agreement that changed the assessment method to be a statutory method,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “Under that assessment method, Whitman would pay less than it is currently paying, and Hanson would pay more as a result of the criteria used to measure wealth in a community.”

She noted that Whitman has still not executed the revised agreement and, while Hanson has done so, Selectmen have placed an article on the Oct. 7 Town Meeting warrant to rescind that previous Town Meeting vote as not being to Hanson’s advantage.

Whitman finances

The Whitman Budget Override Evaluation Committee, established to review that town’s financial crisis, “discovered what they thought was an inequity in the way the towns were being assessed and insisted the towns use the statutory method,” FitzGerald-Kemmett stated. During a visit to Hanson Selectmen recently Szymaniak estimated that shift would transfer about $1 million in assessment from Whitman to Hanson.

She also mentioned the 24-member regional agreement committee proposed by the School Committee on Sept. 18.

“We agreed to be part of discussions as a show of good faith,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said, even while they did not commit to renegotiating the agreement. “Now we find ourselves in a position where the Whitman Board of Selectmen have effectively let us know they’re not interested in opening up a dialog. Their actions have made it clear that, despite what the school’s attorneys have said, and despite what our counsel has said, that they’re going to bulldoze through and insist upon the statutory method being used for assessments. Well, here in Hanson, we make decisions based on facts, on data and on the law.”

However, Whitman Selectman Randy LaMattina, on Tuesday night, and School Committee member Fred Small, on Wednesday, said school counsel has amended their position on the funding formula question since the Wednesday, Sept. 18 School Committee meeting.

“I can understand people disagreeing, and them having a different point of view over in Hanson than maybe we have in Whitman — and that’s cool,” Small said. “She conveniently made the point, ‘our attorney, along with the school’s attorney feels that the only method is the agreement method.’ That’s not true.”

FitzGerald-Kemmett took issue with Small’s charge.

“Although some members of the School Committee and the District may have received information regarding the assessment methodology from DESE and from the school’s attorney subsequent to the Sept. 18 WHRSD School Committee Meeting, nobody from the Hanson Board of Selectmen or their office was made privy to that information until Oct. 3 when the School Committee Chair shared it with me.” FitzGerald-Kemmett stated Friday. “If the information had been made available to us, it would have been part of our discussion and would have helped inform our decisions. For Mr. Small to suggest otherwise is preposterous and dangerously close to slander. Further, it does nothing to help move this discussion forward in a civil and cooperative way. “

Change of opinion

LaMattina had emailed Small a couple of questions to submit to DESE Regional Governance Director Christine Lynch after the Sept. 18 meeting, asking if both methods of assessment must be publicly discussed at a School Committee meeting prior to setting a budget and if the 1991 agreement, listing the alternative method handcuffs a regional school committee.

“In her email back to me, Christine’s very specific where she also states that she’s contacted our attorney,” Small said. “The man misspoke.”

Lynch also clarified methodology in which the school’s attorney was not well-versed.

“It does not limit the School Committee to only present the method defined in the agreement, the School Committee may choose to use either method,” Small said Lynch’s explanation stated. “They know that, but Laura Kemmett refused to even state that last night.”

He said the information from Lynch will come out at the next School Committee meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 9.

Small also pointed out that, should a budget go to a super town meeting, the statutory method is the only method that can be used. To describe it otherwise is a “big disservice to the residents of Hanson, to all the parents of the Whitman-Hanson Regional School District.”

The Education Reform Act of 1993 abolished anything a district has spelled out in another agreement, Small said. An agreement/alternative method did not even exist until 1996.

FitzGerald-Kemmett also said she had spoken with Whitman Selectmen Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski several weeks ago, at which time “we agreed that the path forward would probably be for us to lay all the numbers on the line and have a civil dialog. Apparently, others did not get that memo.” Kowalski was not present at the Sept. 24 Whitman Selectmen’s meeting.

“It was before we had a lot of information and other viewpoints,” Kowalski said of the cinversation with FitzGerald-Kemmett. “That’s probably not inaccurate. I don’t foresee Whitman looking backwards and trying to reclaim money that we didn’t receive but we should have, but what we should do is look forward.”

Kowalski said he was the one who asked for the assessment funding item be placed on the Sept. 24 Selectmen agenda and had urged Town Administrator Frank Lynam to bring the issue to some kind of a vote with the intent that Selectmen should be asking the School Committee to use the statutory agreement.

“Immediately after the meeting, I texted all the members and told them, ‘good job,’” Kowalski said Wednesday morning. “They looked at everything rationally and were very clear.”

Whitman resident Shawn Kain, who had urged Whitman Selectmen not to back Hanson officials into a corner at the Sept. 24 meeting, attended Hanson’s meeting, as well.

“There are good people out there who want to have that conversation,” said Selectman Matt Dyer, gesturing toward Kain­­­­­­­­­­. “Having a conversation doesn’t hurt.”

Hanson letter

The letter Selectmen approved is designed to obtain information aimed at allowing the town to fully explore its options, which include de-regionalization of K-8 schools, renegotiating the regional agreement, litigating, etc., FitzGerald-Kemmett said.

“The Hanson Board of Selectmen stands by the current alternative school funding method for calculating the upcoming 2021 fiscal year budget,” the letter drafted by interim Town Administrator Meredith Marini concluded. “The Board further believes this information will provide a better understanding of the cost per community.”

The letter seeks the following information from Szymaniak:

• A breakdown of costs for each district school, including utilities, insurance and maintenance;

• The number of all employees in each school, their salaries and benefits costs;

• The number of students in each school, including special ed students and the town where they live;

• Transportation costs; and

• A detailed explanation of the savings from the closing of the Maquan School, indicating if, and where the staff was relocated.

FitzGerald-Kemmett said the town is aware that enrollment in Hanson schools is declining rapidly and that there are two schools in Hanson to Whitman’s three, and that “a disproportionate amount of special education costs — perhaps as much as 86 percent — are attributable to Whitman.”

“Given all that, I am hard-pressed to see how any objective person could reasonably believe that Hanson needs to pay more,” she said. “Nevertheless, we will take a look at the data, and we will take a look at the law and the facts.”

She also took exception to attempts to portray Hanson as a wealthier town trying to take advantage of Chapter 70 funding meant for Whitman.

“Here in Hanson, we also have folks living at, or below, the poverty level,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said, noting her experience as a food pantry volunteer and board member. “In addition, here in Hanson, we have a lot of multi-generational households, which statistically looks like a high per-household income unless you drill down to see that there are four, five or six adults living in a house.”

Hanson is not a wealthy community, she said.

“We are a community living within our means and with our financial house in order,” FitzGerald-Kemmett she said.

“If they’re complaining about the way that Hanson’s valued, it’s not that anybody’s taking away money,” Small said. “The state’s not giving them money. Their beef is with the DOR (Department of Revenue) and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, not with Whitman.”

Story updated on Friday, Oct. 4.

Ban has vaping shops reeling

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Eric Van Riper looked around the empty shelves of his Hanson store, Vapor Image, at 1000 Main St., where only a small display of sweatshirts, T-shirts and hats remained on display this week.

These items, and his CBD oils, are all that exists of his business after Gov. Charlie Baker ordered a four-month ban on the sale of all vaping products in Massachusetts.

“It’s definitely restricted us from selling 95-percent of our inventory,” Van Riper said Monday. “We do some CBD sales, so we’re keeping the store open for that, and we’re finding that some municipalities are actually restricting vape shops from closing because they need to maintain their tobacco licenses.”

Vapor Image does not carry tobacco products.

“We’re kind of in between a rock and a hard place in that regard,” he said. “I think the writing is on the wall, I think, on a state and federal level, they want vaping gone.”

Health agents across Massachusetts, fanned out last week, armed with flyers explaining that the state had ordered a four-month ban on vaping sales, to be posted in public places in their stores. The packet included a letter outlining the ban on flavored and non-flavored vaping products, it’s immediate implementation and the penalties for violation — including fines and seizure of products; the order from the Commissioner of Public Health; the governor’s proclamation and a notice to place in the business.

Seen as the strongest effort against e-cigarettes across the country, Baker’s ban applies to both tobacco and marijuana vaping products, and is intended to allow a federal officials and medical experts to investigate the cause of an increase in illnesses tied to the devices.

“There have been so many pulmonary diseases — damage — across the country in people who vape,” Hanson Board of Health Chairman Arlene Dias said. “It’s not one particular product that they’re using, so they are trying to find out why it’s causing such significant pulmonary damage.

“I visited 11 places in Hanson that were listed as selling tobacco as part of their permit and to have them sign that they had received the information we got from the state,” Dias said. She said a couple of stores on the list did not have any kind of tobacco products.

“Everyone signed that they are aware of what the law is and that they cannot display or sell any kind of vaping products,” she said. “Most of the places in Hanson are combined, they have tobacco products and vaping and might have had a smaller inventory of vaping products,” she said.

Only one business in town, Vapor Image, sells vaping products nearly exclusively.

“I don’t know what other products they sell, but everybody else sells cigarettes,” Dias said. “I was really surprised at how many places we had in town.”

Van Riper said it has always been part of his company’s mission statement to get people away from using tobacco.

“We are vape-centric,” he said. “That’s something that I won’t waver on, but you can expect more smoke shop-centric items here just to kind of fill out the gaps in the interim.”

Van Riper said he is “planning for all eventualities” and trying to ride the situation out. He said he has fielded dozens of calls from consumers, some with existing lung conditions, who have experienced a lot of relief since making the switch to vaping and depended on his business.

“They don’t have a viable alternative,” he said, his voice breaking.

Elaine Williams, administrative assistant for the Whitman Board of Health, said her department sent out the order Wednesday, Sept. 25.

She said the state order pertains only to vaping products.

“I think the governor — I saw him on the news — and he had said they had considered those kind of situations, but the health [considerations] were more important at this point,” Williams said. She indicated there are no shops in Whitman that sell vaping products exclusively.

“I believe all the adult shops that we have in Whitman sell tobacco product, as well,” Williams said.

A Whitman Board of Health meeting held Tuesday, Oct. 1 was not slated to discuss pending revisions to tobacco sales regulations, according to Williams.

“I don’t know if they are going to continue to do anything because of what’s happened [with the vaping moratorium], if they are going to wait until January to see what happens with what the state’s going to do or not,” she said.

According to published reports, Danvers vape shop Vapor Zone filed a lawsuit Thursday, Sept. 26 in Suffolk Superior Court seeking to stop the ban at the state level, while a group of three shops in the state is preparing a federal lawsuit to halt the ban.

Van Riper said he is not involved in any lawsuits at the moment, but is rather standing behind the state trade organization, Vapor Technology Association (VTA).

“Not only is it an investment for me, but it’s been a passion of mine and we’re just celebrating five years,” Van Riper said. “We’ve dodged a lot of bullets and faced a lot of adversity. I think everyone kind of expected something like this, but to have it happen so abruptly, to me that’s just overreach of authority and to me it just reeks of corruption.”

He pointed to “a lot of the same politicians” that have campaigns funded by big tobacco and big pharma.

“It’s really just exciting the public, because the gun owners are starting to take notice, too, who say ‘They’ve been trying to take our liberties for a while,’” Van Riper said. “The implications and the precedent this sets is damning for anyone. We are seeing a lot of public outrage, whether they have a horse in the race or not.”

State law affords the governor authority to declare a public health emergency and to order that officials move to “insure the continuation of essential public health services.”

Dias said the Massachusetts order carries the potential for an extension beyond the four months.

California and Rhode Island officials are also said to be advising people to stop vaping immediately.

Dias said that, while companies claim their products are not marketed to youths under the age of 18, “a ton of kids are having access, even though they’re not supposed to, they’re still getting it, they’re still using it.”

She also said kids are not simply using the liquids manufactured for use in vaping products, they are also using THC — the narcotic agent in marijuana — into the vapes.

“It really was aimed at younger people,” Dias said of the fruit and bubblegum flavors sold.

Van Riper said he is encouraging his customers to contact Gov. Baker’s office to say that, as vapers and voters, they oppose the ban and talk about things that vapor has done to improve their health and that the freedom to choose flavors has affected your experience.

“Using flavors as a scapegoat is — I’m an adult, I like chocolate chip cookies just as much as I like a good tobacco flavor every now and then,” he said. “Removing that flexibility to choose would severely inhibit the industry.”

Whitman amends town vacation policy

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WHITMAN — The Board of Selectmen has voted to approve a town-wide vacation policy for municipal public employees. Employees may now carry over no more than nine vacation days, and is affected by collective bargaining agreements already in place.

Any days over the nine not used within a fiscal year will be forfeited.

Town Administrator Frank Lynam said during discussion on the issue Tuesday, Sept. 24. He said the new policy is not meant to affect people’s right to vacation time, but to encourage them to use it instead of carrying it over year after year.

“One of the issues that we’re addressing in the updated policy is the carry-over of vacation over the last few years,” said Lynam. “We have had financially significant payouts for accrued and unused vacation.”

The 4-0 vote — Selectmen Chairman Dr. Kowalski was absent from the meeting — came after months of discussion in executive session, because the policy included compensation issues that needed to be negotiated, according to Lynam.

“The nine days that we settled on is not arbitrary, it was the maximum vacation rollover in a collective bargaining agreement,” Selectman Justin Evans said.

Lynam said the new policy will mean meetings with “a couple of people who have far in excess of the nine days that will be permitted” under the new policy in an effort to help them use the time rather than lose it.

Lynam said that, in connection with the new policy, a vacation accrual line item will be in the next budget cycle to recognize the remaining vacation time liabilities.

In past years, he noted the town has had to pay out amounts exceeding the appropriation for the current and future plan. Lynam said the issue has been brought before the board a number of times.

“I’ve always felt, working 43 years at the same company that I worked for, that vacation time is very important and needs to be used,” said Selectman Vice Chairman Dan Salvucci. “You need to be able to divorce your mind from the job, rest your mind, get a vacation, enjoy your family — whatever it takes.”

He said not taking vacation time to roll over vacation pay is not the right thing to do for a person’s mental health.

“You need to take the time,” he said. “They need to understand that vacation time is there for a purpose and it’s there to relax your mind so that, when you come back, you can do a better job.”